Like Australia, Canada deliberately chose its capital for its compromise location between rival factions, in this case between English speaking Upper Canada (now Ontario) and francophone Lower Canada (Quebec). Although not as completely planned as Canberra, Ottawa was just a tiny settlement when it was designated as the capital of the nation-to-be. The huge three-part parliament complex built a few years later was the largest construction project in North America at the time.
Canberra was chosen for it's spectacular cricket ground (not as speccy as Hobart), superb bike tracks, fine breweries and eateries, big backyards, easy traffic (shit drivers), world renowned skateboarding and decent access to mountains with snow. Our founders just didn't know it yet (they could have picked a better place though because there's **** all good water to swim in). Thanks for the facts Sly and keep 'em coming. Canada is my second favorite place in the world and I love reading about the history there.
Huh? Federal Parliament was held in Melbourne between 1901 and 1927. COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA CONSTITUTION ACT - SECT 125 Seat of Government The seat of Government of the Commonwealth shall be determined by the Parliament, and shall be within territory which shall have been granted to or acquired by the Commonwealth, and shall be vested in and belong to the Commonwealth, and shall be in the State of New South Wales, and be distant not less than one hundred miles from Sydney. Such territory shall contain an area of not less than one hundred square miles, and such portion thereof as shall consist of Crown lands shall be granted to the Commonwealth without any payment therefor. The Parliament shall sit at Melbourne until it meet at the seat of Government.
That's why no convicts were sent to Adelaide. It's upper class only and born to rule. Over a nation of crims.
It was all about naval defence back then. Spencer Gulf is strategically harder to assault by sailing ship than anywhere else.
Vancouver is not, and never has been, the capital of British Columbia. The capital is Victoria, conveniently located on an island in the most extreme southwest of the province. (This made more sense when all transport was by ship, Victoria's harbour is excellent and very close to the open ocean). The Royal Canadian Navy continues to base its Pacific fleet there to this day.
Melbourne never had convicts either. Well, a few were brought from NSW and Tas for labour, but there were no transport ships from England and no penal colonisation.
*snigger* I skied with an old skool Canadian guy in backcountry Japan about 10 years ago, he used to make a habit of asking people what city was the capital of Canada. The answers he got were seldom correct, but one of the best was from a yank which was simply "who cares"! I laughed.
Who cares? People who aren't descended from criminals care. (Why people would be proud of a criminal background has me baffled.) Or in Canada's case - the whole of Canada.
what proportion of Australians are descended from convicts? none of my relos, though there’s one on the in-law side given the triviality of offences for which death was commuted to transportation, it’s not a stigma
No, it most certainly wasn't. I laughed. But I figured there was also an element of 'who cares' about convicts in there. Adelaide and Melbourne are proud of being free of them.
There were a lot of serious crims (murderers, extortionists, rapists etc) mixed in with the more trivial ones. They weren't all there for stealing a loaf of bread or a handkerchief.
I saw a guy in the ED a couple of years ago with an infected "prince albert". I guess you'd say he had some penal colonisation.
Today's fact about Canada. Banff National Park is Canada's first national park. It was established in 1885 and is the fourth oldest national park in the world. Banff National Park encompasses 6,641 square Kms and the park has 56 recorded mammal species.
From my reading the park was created because of a dispute between two neighbouring land owners who wouldnt settle so the government stepped in and turned it into a oark
@gareth_oau - More or less true. Dispute over who 'discovered' the hot springs and therefore had the right to exploit them. Terra nullius mentality in full cry.
Outflow winds aren't unique to Canada but we have an event in progress now so it is pertinent. Outflow conditions occur when a strong winter high pressure system settles over the continental interior. Conditions within the high are stable with low temps, clear skies and little to no wind. This high pressure air then pushes outward into the low pressure areas surrounding it, resulting in high winds. In western Canada, this causes the relatively unusual situation where coastal areas receive precipitation and wind from the landward side rather than from the Pacific. The winds are funneled by gaps in the Coast Mountains and the coastal fjords, and they pick up moisture as the cold dry air crosses the strait between the mainland and Vancouver island. The outcome is howling winds and heavy snow to sea level in Vancouver and on the relatively mild and dry east side of the Island, and Mt Washington skiers revel in dumps in excess of 100 cm. Something similar happens occasionally in the Canadian Rockies when the polar high is ridging down into the prairies further to the east. Outflow winds bring heavy snow to Calgary and the foothills, less to Banff and virtually none penetrates into the mountains as far west as Lake Louise. Locals refer to this as 'upslope snow'. Of course almost all the snowpack for this region comes from Pacific systems rolling in from the west.
Not to mention who in their right mind would want to invade the Spencer Gulf? Keels would rot out of their ships before they got past the heads.
I could equally say that anyone who didn’t pay the full fare to come here isn’t worth having, and neither are their descendants sure, the circumstances of two hundred years ago relate to our current social and cultural life but convicts themselves aren’t the biggest element perhaps it’s just an Anglo thing
Melbourne had its fair share of ex-convicts though. Quite a few made their way over from Port Arthur, for example, because they didn't want to settle anywhere near the place after being freed.
Yoho National Park became Canada's second national park in 1886, and was created following a trip by Prime Minister John A Macdonald and his wife through the Rockies on the newly completed Transcontinental Railway. The park is in BC on the western side of the continental divide. The Kicking Horse River, a Canadian Heritage river, originates in the Wapta and Waputik icefields in the park. Common species of animals that roam in this park are the timber wolf, coyote, badger, moose, elk, mule deer, mountain goat, golden-mantled ground squirrel, rufous hummingbird, hoary marmot, wolverine, cougar, pika, lynx, grizzly bear, and American black bear.
Might be a bit superficial, probably going to get Yoho NP in the second week of September, in which case I'll get to be the judge of early autumn colour
