That issue is decentralisation and the article is based on rational, logical, intelligent and thoughtful analysis by experts in the fields of demography and geography, Bernard Salt and Graeme Hugo. Demographer Bernard Salt makes the claim that Australia should consider building a planned city(/ies) to take in the growth that is expected to continue in Australia, and looks towards the relatively under-populated Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Western Australia as an areas with sufficient rainfall and agriculture to be able to accommodate greater numbers of residents in the future.

Salt states that improvements in renewable energy resources and other technologies along with changes in the current usages of cars and an increase of individuals working from home would help make decentralisation a more viable option than is perhaps considered today, given its relative inattention. Salt also makes the claim that Australia cannot just turn off the tap of immigration as with our aging population and greater numbers of individuals preparing to leave the workforce than enter the workforce, immigration is needed to keep the economy and society growing at a steady pace.

Coupled with this is the moral obligation on Australia’s part to be open to immigration seeing as the world population will grow from over 6 billion currently to over 9 billion by 2050 and with the problems this influx will create to already impoverished regions of the world, it would be imperative that the huge landmass of Australia takes its fair share of migrants.

Likewise, Professor of Geography Graeme Hugo cites Australia’s aging society stating that 40% of the workforce will be lost over the next 15 to 20 years, so it will be a matter of finding people to replace the jobs being vacated.   Hugo states how jobs are less determined on a particular location adding that ”we have to look at the technological and environmental situation now.”  Hugo furthers that, ”whether it’s a totally new city or development in places less affected by climate change, such as Tasmania or the northern parts of Australia, all those options have to be on the table.”

Decentralisation. It makes sense on so many levels, yet until now it has been seemingly a forgotten concept in Australia ever since the Whitlam era with the scrapped proposals of new towns in the New South Wales and Victoria interior.  Major centres of Australia, in particular Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are choking on their own success. Each year the cities swell in size and numbers as migrants – both international, inter- and intra-state – flock to these hubs of politics, business, culture, industry, education and life. The end result is an ever-growing urban sprawl, half-hearted (and loathed by many) urban consolidation and a major strain on already overstretched basic amenities and infrastructure – in particular, transport networks, roads, water supplies, schools and hospitals.

Decentralisation and planned cities are concepts Australia has tackled before and with – dare I say it – much success. After all, Melbourne and Adelaide were surveyed and established as planned towns by Hoddle and Light respectively in 1837 . And, most importantly of all, our national capital – Canberra – is the quintessential planned, decentralised city being born for the sole purpose of being the national capital, whilst at the same time being in between but not in Sydney and/or Melbourne! Walter Burley Griffin, architect of Canberra (along with his wife, Marion) also went on to design the New South Wales Riverina cities of Griffith and Leeton.

Walter Burley Griffin's final plan for Canberra (1913)

As we can see, decentralisation and planned cities have been tackled in the past in Australia and with great success. So, why when Australia is experiencing substantial and sustained population growth, ever increasing stresses and strains on its existing major centres, a relative decline in quality of  life in these major centres due to the stress of extra numbers put on the urban and surrounding physical environment, its infrastructure and amenities has the powers that be not adequately looked at decentralisation as a solution or at least an alternative to sustained population growth both now and in years to come in Australia? Why, indeed.

One good thing about urban development in South Korea, despite its relative lack of respect for the physical and natural environment – something that is starting to gain more attention but as of yet not nearly enough, is the ability to think outside the box and look to  forward when deciding where, when and how to develop new centres rather than add on already largely crippled urban environments. South Korea has the disadvantage of a population of 50 million cramped in a bottom of an already small peninsula of which 70% of mountainous and a large proportion of the rest is needed – or at least used – for agriculture. The end result is extreme land availability issues. But, with challenges often comes creative solutions, and this has been the case to some degree with Korean urban planning with the development – both completed, under developed and planned – of new towns.

Changwon, nearby the cities of Jinhae and Masan and not far from the port and second largest city of Busan, is a planned city of 500,000 residents (soon to be significantly bigger with the proposed merger with Jinhae and Masan) near the southern coast of the Korean peninsula. The city was established in 1974 as industrial and residential centre to stimulate growth in the region and take pressure off nearby overloaded cities such as Busan and Masan.

Likewise, Songdo International City is a planned city under construction within the metropolitan city of Incheon and the Incheon Free Economic Zone. Here a forward-thinking, ambitious and modern city is being built on reclaimed land a new, long, grand bridge across from Incheon International Airport, South Korea’s premier international gateway. The city is being built to capitalise on its convenient location – both within the Korean peninsula and East Asia as a whole, to entice foreign direct investment and job growth, and rejuvenise the industrial, port city of Incheon nearby the national capital of Seoul. Currently, residents and businesses are starting to move into the half-completed mini-city and by 2020 the city should be fully up and running, and it will be fascinating to see just how well this city develops off the planning board, and just whether it can be the successful model for the world’s future city it plans to be.

Songdo International City's Asia Trade Tower and Convensia exhibition centre on a gloomy winter day

Meanwhile, Korean lawmakers are currently negotiating the size and scope of the next major new planned city in South Korea, Sejong City. Located in what is now South Chungcheong province not far from the city of Daejeon, the city was originally planned as an administrative capital to take the strain off Seoul. However, this has since been scraped and instead the city is planned to be developed as a science and technology hub.

My belief is that Australia needs to be more like South Korea when it comes to urban development and think outside the box when planning where, how and when to develop a new centre. Whilst, Australia may not be as geographically challenged as South Korea when it comes to space and while Australian cities may not be as choked and congested as their South Korean counterparts. Surely it would make sense for the Federal and State Governments to ‘look forward to the past’ and reconsider developing new towns in areas of sufficient rainfall and resources away from already established and relatively crowded areas whilst taking into account the natural environment making sure there is as little detrimental impact as possible.

I recommend the region south of Longford, Tasmania nearby the town of Perth and the second largest city of Launceston (info & aerial satellite, zoom out to see more thorough view of the region), areas to the east and north of Kununurra in Western Australia nearby the Northern Territory (info & aerial satellite) and Katherine area of Northern Territory (info & aerial satellite) as three sites which could be considered as possible new town development regions.

What started as a guide on places to see ended up more as a social commentary on the place, but I always end up writing about the society of places as to me it’s often entwinted with the local attractions, and also having been out of the country for the bulk of the past decade, feeling like an outsider-insider looking in, I feel like myself – and the many Australian like me who now live abroad – have a unique perspective on the place as we know, understand and respect the place but at the same time can look with the place with a more balanced, critical and clinical approach than perhaps many locally based Australians can.

Let me know what you think, I’m interested in your thoughts.

~ Australia ~

If you’re planning on going to Australia for up to a month and money isn’t too much of a problem I’d recommend seeing as much of the country as you can as the landscape and geography of the country is very different from one side of the country to another and often the culture and history is a little different too.

I’d recommend you definitely spend time in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane/Gold Coast as these are the three biggest cities with often the most to see and do in one location. Sydney is the largest city and first site of European settlement so there is a lot of history there, it also has the advantage of being located on one of the most beautiful natural harbours in the world with great beaches just 10-15km away. I’d recommend you see The Rocks (historical neighbourhood), Downtown & Chinatown/Haymarket (great food), Darling Harbour (just to the west of the city), Bondi and/or Manly Beach (the 2 most famous beaches, Manly is a great ferry ride from the city). Other places include the Homebush area (where most of the Olympic events were held, 15km from downtown), the Blue Mountains (a beautiful range of mountains, 1 to 1 and a half hours from Sydney), Port Stephens and the Hunter Valley (beautiful beaches and wineries, 2 to 2 and a half hours from Sydney).

Whereas Sydney is a brash, cosmopolitan city, Melbourne is a more cultured, reserved city, which has a very different European feel to it, whereas Sydney has a San Francisco-like east meets west feel to it. Melbourne came to prominence on the back of the Victorian gold rush during the 1850 and 1860s and at one stage was the largest city and capital of the country, until the compromise capital of Canberra was built between the two main cities. Melbourne gained a great culinary and cafe culture largely due to huge numbers of Italian, Greek and former Yugoslav migrants following WWII, coupled with the retention of trams and grand Victorian-era architecture still give the city a European air about it. I’d recommend seeing the city and Southbank area just south of the city centre including Crown Casino (even if you’re not a fan of gambling, it’s a colossal centre with many other distractions), St Kilda (a bayside suburb 10km from the city), the Melbourne Cricket Ground (Australia’s largest and most famous stadium, holding a capacity over 100,000), Lygon Street in Carlton (just north of the city and home to great cafes and Italian restaurants). Other places to visit could be Ballarat (an hour from Melbourne and gold rush centre), Bendigo (another city built from gold, 1 hr and a half from Melbourne), and Torquay (a beachside suburb, one hr from Melbourne where Harold Holt, Prime Miinister at the time disappeared).

Brisbane is often referred to a big country town but in the last two decades since World Expo ’88 has transformed itself into a modern, cosmopolitan metropolis. Helped from large interstate and overseas migration, Brisbane’s population and influence within Australia has doubled in the last two decades. It and its brash neighbour, the Gold Coast attract scores of domestic and international tourists who take in the beautiful beaches, nightlife, wonderful scenery in the hinterland, and many amusement parks and other attractions. Whilst, Brisbane and the Gold Coast doesn’t have as much history as Melbourne or Sydney, it makes up for it with its weather, beaches and modern attractions. The Sunshine Coast an hr and a half north of the city, is another booming area of golf courses, beachside resorts and natural beauty. Further north in Queensland is the Great Barrier Reef with its beautiful, endless reefs of coral and resorts. Townsville and Cairns up in the north of the State are tropical tourist oases with easy access to the Great Barrier Reef and other attractions and worth a visit if you have the time.

Canberra, the national capital and 2 and a half hrs from Sydney, is another place worth a visit if you are interested in the country’s history, culture and development. A planned city, developed over the 20th century it has wide boulevards, scores of interesting museums, art galleries and government institutions but little other distractions. A lot of Australians find the city boring, dry and difficult to get around but if you like history and a culture, it’s  a must see which can be done in two to three days. I recommend the excellent Australian War Museum, Parliament Houses (both new and old), the new national museum, the science centre and the Art gallery.

Perth is unique in that it has virtually half a continet to itself. One of the most isolated cities in the world, Perth and its surrounding centres are separated for two thousand kilometres by seemingly arid wasteland and desert. Perth has developed its own brash, modern feel and is a fast-moving modern city, growing at a fast rate largely thanks to Western Australia’s abundance of natural resources. Like Brisbane, Perth was once a relative backwater but has doubled in the last 20 years to a metropolis rapidly approaching two million people. Large scale immigration particularly from the UK, the Indian subcontinent and South Africa has given Perth a more cosmpolitan, less provincial feel. Set on the banks of the Swan River, it’s a beautfiul modern city, though be warned the city experiences a dry Indian summer where temperatures can often reach 40 Celsius until the coastal ‘Fremantle Doctor’ breeze arrives to quell the heat in the late afternoon. I recommend the city and Swan river, the beautiful, yet sometimes strong beaches with their torquise water, the port of Fremantle and its beautful retained historic centre, Rottnest Island, and if you have time the Margaret River district a couple of hours south of the city.

The Northern Territory is in many ways still Australia’s last frontier, but that is slowly changing. Consisting of a tropic north and desert centre with a whole lot of savannah in between, it is where Australia’s current and future meet with Australia’s past. The Northern Territory’s population is roughly 30% indigenous and as a result Australia’s indigenous cultures and their histories and hardships are much more apparent, respected and observed in the Northern Territory. Whilst, the race relations between indigenous and non-indigenous are often far from perfect in NT, it is one part of Australia where indigenous culture has been largely given the respect that it is due and as such is something the rest of Australia could learn from. That said, there still are very substantial differences, past atrocities and animosities and present troubles to be fully addressed. Darwin is an interesting, strong and resilient place. Bombed by the Japanese, devastated by Cyclone Tracy, the city has rebounded and is now bigger than ever. Growing rapidly due to its proximity to Asia, increasing military presence, improved infrastructure links and mineral boom, the city once-mocked by southerners is now one facing a very promising future. The city has long been one of the most multicultural in Australia with its both long standing and more recent European, Asian and indigenous population, it truly is a melting pot of several very distinct cultures with a fascinating hybrid culture the result. I’d recommend taking in the city and its various attractions and cuisine and Kakadu National park, a beautiful tropical wilderness several hours east of the city. The Red Centre is centred on the outback city of Alice Springs, which is a great launching pad for Uluru (Ayers Rock) several hours away. The city itself has many tourist attractions and cultural experiences along with the opportunity to go camel riding among other things.

Adelaide in South Australia is a refined, cultured, sedate city which prides itself on having never been a penal colony. The city was founded in the 1830s and is a beautful planned city with an abundance of gardens, parks and green space. It was once the 3rd largest city in Australia but has stagnated in the past three decades often due to the loss of manufacturing base to Asia. Nevertheless the city still has plenty to offer and is a little more relaxing and friendly than some of the larger, faster-moving cities. I’d recommend the city centre, Glenelg (a beachside suburb) and the nearby Barossa Valley wine-growing district established by German Lutherans 150 years ago and still with a unique antipodean German feel to it.

Tasmania is a beautiful isle separated by Bass Strait, and has wonderful scenery and countyside with a more mild, temperate climate. Hobart, the capital, is Australia’s 2nd oldest capital and as such has an abundance of historic attractions. Tasmania has the dark mark of in the past being home to some of the most violent and dangerous criminals, who were housed at Port Arthur penal settlement (an hr from Hobart), and with extermining all of Tasmania’s full-blooded indigenous population during the 19th century. Thankfully, Tasmania is a much friendlier place these days with beautiful scenery especially in the Cradle Mountain national park in the centre of the state and the wildnerness areas of the west coast. Relatively largely unaffected by a lot of the cultural and demographic changes which have swept Australia over the past five decades, Tasmania is still largely a microcosm of past ‘British’ Australia, where folks are friendly, polite but overwhelmingly Anglo-Celtic.

Hope that helps. Australia’s economy and cost of living would be on a par with North America’s, with its dollar slightly weaker than the US’s at the moment. Sydney and the other big cities can be expensive in terms of accommodation, food and other attractions especially in the city and around tourist resorts. Some parts of the city can get rough particularly at night, though most of the bad neighbourhoods are well away in the suburbs, though the city centres and nightclub districts can get a little dodgy at night so exercise some caution. If travelling, in summer, exercise caution as the temeratures can get high and often it cane be windy. Dress appropriate to the weather, keep yourself adequately covered with a hat, sunscreen and sunglasses as the Ozone hole gives an extra bite to the summer heat!

Canberra is located between Australia’s two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne, being 280km south-west of Sydney and 650km north-east of Melbourne. Like Brasilia, New Delhi and more recently, Astana, Canberra is a planned national capital. It was primarily chosen as the national capital of Australia to damped the huge rivalry and bickering between Sydney and Melbourne, and to this day is dwarfed physically, demographically and economically by the country’s two largest cities. Canberra and its surrounding area, which overflows into the surrounding state of New South Wales, only has a population of 340,000 people as opposed to Sydney’s 4.3 million people and Melbourne’s 3.8 million people.

Many Australians, especially Sydneysiders and Melburnians, deride the ‘bush capital’ as a boring, provincial, soul-less, surburban sprawl with well-manicured lawns and wide boulevards but little to do and see. But, this is quite harsh in reality as there are plenty of attractions to keep you interested, for the short-term at least. Granted, it’s not by any means a big, lively city but its many cultural attractions and public buildings make for an interesting visit.

American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffin were the winners of an international competition on the capital’s design and construction commenced shortly after in 1911. Their design consisted largely of focal points being linked by radial avenues with concentric avenues around these focal points. The plans were amended somewhat due to budget constraints caused by Australia’s involvement in World War I. But, most of Burley Griffin’s plans were undertaken and his influence is still easily seen throughout the city with the man-made lake dividing North and South Canberra bearing his name.

Walter Burley Griffin's final plan for Canberra (1913)

Canberra's metropolitan area today, excluding Queanbeyan and surrounding NSW towns

Canberra city today

The main attractions in Canberra are: Parliament House, which was built in 1988 to commemorate Australia’s bicentenary of European invasion settlement; Old Parliament House, the house of Parliament from 1927 to 1988 (previously Melbourne was the house of Parliament from Federation in 1901 to 1927) where you have much greater access to the houses of Parliament and back-rooms where decisions were made; the Australian War Memorial; ANZAC Parade, with numerous sculptures devoted to those who gave their lives in service to Australia; the Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre with tons of great hands-on exhibits for kids and adults alike; Lake Burley Griffin and its foreshore, which provides great backdrops and photo shots with all the main attractions nearby; Telstra Tower, cause every self-respecting city should have a touristy tower where you can look down on the place; the National Library of Australia, which is required by law to hold every book published in Australia; and the National Museum of Australia, completed in 2001 and long over-due.

During my stay I visited both Parliament Houses, the Australian War Memorial, the National Museum of Australia and cycled and walked across the central city, ANZAC Parade and Lake Burley Griffin. The highlights were getting to see live performances and be given a run-down of famous events which took place in the Old Parliament House, having a personal guided tour of the War Memorial, learning more of Australia’s war history and individuals who gave their lives, and my first visit to the National Museum, which is very well made with plenty of interesting and insightful exhibits.

Canberra is no London, Washington, Beijing, Tokyo, or Seoul. But, it is Australia’s laid-back, friendly ‘bush capital’ set in a beautiful location amongst rolling hills, valleys and mountains with plenty of attractions both natural and man-made. I say all Australians should visit the place at least once, and recommend foreign tourists visit the place if they have time as it’s unlike almost any other world capital around.

Below are some snapshots of my trip to Canberra, the rest of which are located in this album.

Inside St. Johns church, the oldest church in Canberra The House of Representatives at Parliament House Looking across Lake Burley Griffin towards Telstra Tower Australia's Parliament House

Stained glass windows honouring those fallen at the War Memorial The main foyer of Parliament House with Eucalyptus-themed pillars Red poppies in remembrance of fallen soldiers on the Roll of Honour Inside the Australian War Memorial