Overlooking Lake Burley Griffin, Parliament House is Australia's most acclaimed building. In keeping with Walter Burley Griffin's original plan, it is the central landmark of Canberra, the home of Parliament and the meeting place of the nation. The vast building stands high on Capital Hill overlooking the Lake and dwarfing the 1927 built 'Old' Parliament house below. The new Parliament House, designed to last for 200 years and beyond, was completed as a 1988 Bicentennial project. The building is made of 300,000 cubic metres of concrete - enough to build 25 Sydney Opera Houses.

Visitors' first view of Parliament is the huge 81metre high flagmast, the largest stainless steel structure in the world and a central landmark of Canberra. Inside the House, the foyer is one of the building's highlights, a showpiece for the beautiful masonry and marble used throughout the design. Echoing the lines of a eucalyptus forest, the foyer features 48 marble clad columns and two superbly crafted marble staircases.

The Parliament Building has two magnificent halls open to the public; the Great Hall and the Members Hall. The Great Hall houses one of the largest tapestries in the world, a magnificent work based on a painting by one of Australia's greatest artists Arthur Boyd. Visitors are also welcome in the Members Hall which serves as an informal meeting place for Parliamentarians. Public Galleries overlook the House of Representatives Chamber at the eastern side of the building, and the Senate Chamber. The Chambers themselves are open to the public when Parliament is sitting.

Parliament House offers panoramic views of Canberra; exceptional views can be enjoyed by walking on the grass ramps which cover some of the building. The building itself also houses a number of attractions, including over 3,000 art works, paintings, sculptures and decorative arts pieces, and an original Magna Carta, one of only four known originals.

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