City Hill

For after hours urgent public health matters including environmental health, radiation safety, food poisoning and communicable disease management phone:

1800 022 222

ACT State Emergency Service

Emergency help
during flood or storms

City Hill is a 5 hectare landscaped hill located in the centre of Canberra, surrounded by Vernon Circle. It is central to the original design of Canberra and features formal tree plantings from the 1920s.

In a symbolic representation as the heart of the national capital, 6 major avenues radiate from City Hill.

City Hill offers shade, grass and seating.

Dogs are welcome on-leash as outlined on the dog exercise area map and are prohibited within 10 metres of a public play space, fireplace or barbecue in use.

What you'll see

Monument

What you'll see

At City Hill, you can see:

vistas of 6 avenues and the Parliamentary zone
a directional indicator
plantings from the 1920s including double staggered rows of closely spaced Roman cypresses (Cupressus sempervirens Stricta) and 12 oval shaped groups of Roman cypresses
6 groups of Torrey pines (Pinus torreyana) planted in the same formation as the original plantings of Monterey pines, which were replaced in 2019

Things to do

Activities

Picnics

Features

Dogs on-leash
Picnic tables

Ngunnawal Country and People

City Hill is located on Ngunnawal Country, an ancient and diverse landscape managed by Ngunnawal people for tens of thousands of years.

For time immemorial Ngunnawal people have maintained a tangible and intangible cultural, social, environmental, spiritual, and economic connection to these lands and waters.

European heritage

Walter Burley Griffin saw City Hill as a significant point on his prize-winning plan for Canberra. The tree-planted City Hill is a strong visual symbol marking one corner of Walter Burley Griffin's Parliamentary triangle.

On 13 February 1954, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was welcomed at the foot of the hill by the people of Canberra. A plaque, at the intersection of London Circuit and Northbourne Avenue, marks the location of the dais on which the welcoming ceremony was staged.

The ACT Legislative Assembly, the law courts, Civic Square and local administration offices were all subsequently located at the foot of City Hill within London Circuit.

City Hill is entered into the Register of the National Estate and the ACT Heritage Places Register. It is also listed by the National Trust of Australia (ACT).

Before you go/How to get there

Before you go

Prepare by understanding safety and checking alerts.

How to get there

City Hill is located on Vernon Circle with pedestrian access only.

There are 2 large paid parking areas close by.

More information

Find out about:

urban parks in Canberra
future plans for City Hill

Location

Boundary mapping is indicative only.

In a life threatening emergency dial Triple Zero (000)

triple zero 000

5124 0000

6201 6111

1800 629 354

6205 1065

13 11 26

5124 9977

(02) 6205 1700

1800 022 222

13 25 00

City Hill

What you'll see

Things to do

Activities

Features

Ngunnawal Country and People

European heritage

Before you go

How to get there

More information

Location