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 Fahrenheit ( 42.5 Celsius ) 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
Black Friday bushfires
Black Friday bushfires
Canberra