History of Sydney
From 1788 to 1900 Sydney was the capital of the British colony of New South Wales. An elected city council was established in 1840. In 1900, Sydney became a state capital, when New South Wales voted to join the Australian Federation. Sydney today is Australia's largest city and a major international capital of culture and finance. The city has played host to many international events, including the 2000 Summer Olympics.
Cranbrook, Bellevue Hill
In the lead-up to the federation of Australia, there was intense rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne to be the national capital. Eventually a compromise was reached that the federal capital would be established somewhere in rural New South Wales (which would eventually become Canberra) and that, in the interim, federal parliament would meet in Melbourne and the Governor-General would have his residence in Melbourne. Many in Sydney were not convinced that the federal capital would ever be established and that Melbourne would become the national capital by default to the social and economic disadvantage of Sydney. It was seen as vital to give Sydney a greater role in the new federation by proposing that the Governor-General should have a residence in Sydney and Government House was seen as the most fitting residence to be offered to the Governor-General (noting that the Victorian Government was also offering their Government House in Melbourne). Eventually the compromise was reached that the Governor-General would have official residences in both Sydney and Melbourne with the intention that the Melbourne Government House would be used when parliament was sitting and that the Sydney Government House would be used when the parliament was not sitting.