Why is Canberra Australia’s capital instead of Sydney or Melbourne?

Canberra was chosen as the capital of Australia primarily to resolve the intense rivalry between the country's two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne. Both cities vied for the status of national capital, leading to a compromise codified in the Australian constitution.12

Section 125 of the constitution, adopted in 1900, mandated that the seat of government be located within a federal territory in New South Wales. Crucially, this location had to be at least 100 miles (160 km) away from Sydney to ensure the capital remained independent of the influence of the major state capitals. While a temporary national capital was established in Melbourne, the Canberra-Yass district was selected in 1908 as the site for the permanent capital. The government subsequently acquired the land in 1911 and held an international competition for the city's design, which was won by the American architect Walter Burley Griffin.1