2 Children sitting in a cafe

Since the site for the national capital was chosen in 1908, Canberra has unfolded on the Molonglo River flood plain and become part of the landscape. 

In 2012 the National Library set out to capture the transformation of some of Canberra’s key sites. These photographs are displayed here alongside historic images from the Library’s collection, and highlight the stark changes and surprising similarities of Canberra then, and Canberra now.