When the area that was named as Canberra in 1913 was chosen to be the site of the future capital city of Australia — and 910 square miles (2,358 square kilometres) of land excised from the state of New South Wales (NSW) to form the Australian Capital Territory — the Commonwealth Government compulsorily acquired Yarralumla Station, a large pastoral property dating from the 1830s. Yarralumla's existing brick house, which had begun life as a rural homestead/family home, was subsequently renovated, enlarged and transformed into a vice-regal residence.