<P> From 1920 to 1957, three bodies, successively the Federal Capital Advisory Committee, the Federal Capital Commission, and the National Capital Planning and Development Committee continued to plan the further expansion of Canberra in the absence of Griffin; however, they were only advisory, and development decisions were made without consulting them, increasing inefficiency . </P> <P> The largest event in Canberra up to World War II was the 24th Meeting of ANZAAS in January 1939 . The Canberra Times described it as "a signal event...in the history of this, the world's youngest capital city". The city's accommodation was not nearly sufficient to house the 1,250 delegates, and a tent city had to be set up on the banks of the Molonglo River . One of the prominent speakers was H.G. Wells, who was a guest of the Governor - General Lord Gowrie for a week . This event coincided with a heatwave across south - eastern Australia, during which the temperature in Canberra reached 108.5 degrees on 11 January . On Friday 13 January the Black Friday bushfires caused 71 deaths in Victoria, and Wells accompanied the Governor - General on his tour of areas threatened by fires . </P> <P> Immediately after the end of the war, Canberra was criticised for resembling a village, and its disorganised collection of buildings was deemed ugly . Canberra was often derisively described as "several suburbs in search of a city". Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies regarded the state of the national capital as an embarrassment . Over time his attitude changed from one of contempt to that of championing its development . He fired two ministers charged with the development of the city for poor performance . Menzies remained in office for over a decade, and in that time the development of the capital sped up rapidly . The population grew by more than 50 per cent in every five - year period from 1955 to 1975 . Several Government departments, together with public servants, were moved to Canberra from Melbourne following the war . Government housing projects were undertaken to accommodate the city's growing population . </P> <P> The National Capital Development Commission (NCDC), formed in 1957 with executive powers, ended four decades of disputes over the shape and design of Lake Burley Griffin--the centrepiece of Griffin's design--and construction was completed in 1964 after four years of work . The completion of the lake finally laid the platform for the development of Griffin's Parliamentary Triangle . Since the initial construction of the lake, various buildings of national importance have been constructed on its shores . </P>

Why did they choose canberra as the capital