How big is the Australian Capital Territory?

The Australian Capital Territory is 2,280 square kilometres in area. That’s a little smaller than Luxembourg, and a little bigger than Bali.

The Australian Capital Territory is a somewhat weird political entity. The ACT got carved out of New South Wales when Canberra was chosen as Australia’s capital city.

New South Wales entirely surrounds the ACT As with the Northern Territory, the ACT doesn’t have full state status within Australia’s federal set-up.

As of March 2020, the Australian Capital Territory’s population was 429,834 – almost all of which lives in Canberra. The bulk of the ACT’s area is bushland. A good chunk is the Namadgi National Park and the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex is also just outside the capital of Australia.

Australian Capital Territory in square kilometres

But how big is the Australian Capital Territory in area? Well, it’s 2,280 square kilometres. That makes the ACT a bit bigger than Fraser Island in Queensland, but much smaller than Tasmania, Australia’s smallest state. The ACT takes up less than 1% of the total area of Australia. The biggest Australian states are Western Australia and Alaska-sized Queensland.

For an international comparison, 2,280 square kilometres is a little bit smaller than Luxembourg or Hong Kong, but a little bit bigger than Mauritius or Bali.

The ACT may be a manageable size, but most of it is inaccessible by road. To the south and west of Canberra, it’s largely national parkland, and wilderness areas. Canberra isn’t known as the bush capital for nothing.

The city has a somewhat unfortunate reputation as a holding pen for politicians. But it has several excellent museums such as the National Capital Exhibition. The unique geographical layout of this planned city makes it a fantastic place to go hot air ballooning.

To get to Canberra from Sydney takes just over three hours if driving. Make that just over four hours if taking the train. From Melbourne to Canberra, expect a driving time of more than seven hours.