Vacuum Road order Guide to Canberra (c1945)

Original vintage map of Canberra issued by the Vacuum Oil Company in Canberra in c1945. Included is the area from Yarraluml in the west to Mt Ainslie in the east, and from the neighbourhood of Ainslie in the north to Red Hill and order Griffith in the south. Commonwealth Avenue connect the prominently featuring Capital Hill and London Circuit. In the lower right-hand corner is an inset map of the area between Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra in New South Wales, supported by and index of road distances to Canberra from various cities.

Canberra is the capital of Australia located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), 280 km (170 mi) south-west of Sydney, and 660 km (410 mi) north-east of Melbourne. The site of Canberra was selected for the location of the nation's capital in 1908 as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne, Australia's two largest cities. It is unusual among Australian cities, being an entirely planned city outside of any state, similar to Washington, D.C. in the United States, or Brasília in Brazil. Following an international contest for the city's design, a blueprint by American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913. The Griffins' plan featured geometric motifs such as circles, hexagons and triangles, and was centered on axes aligned with significant topographical landmarks in the Australian Capital Territory. The city's design was influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation. The growth and development of Canberra were hindered by the World Wars and the Great Depression, which exacerbated a series of planning disputes and the ineffectiveness of a procession of bodies that were created in turn to oversee the development of the city.

To create the capital, an international design competition was launched by the Department of Home Affairs on 30 April 1911, closing on 31 January 1912. The competition was boycotted by the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Institution of Civil Engineers, and their affiliated bodies throughout the British Empire, because the Minister for Home Affairs, King O'Malley insisted that the final decision was for him to make rather than an expert in city planning.

As the seat of the government of Australia, Canberra is the site of Parliament House, the official residence of the Monarch's representative the Governor-General, completed in 1927, the High Court and numerous government departments and agencies. It is also the location of many social and cultural institutions of national significance, such as the Australian War Memorial, Australian National University, Royal Australian Mint, Australian Institute of Sport, National Gallery, National Museum and the National Library. The Australian Army's officer corps is trained at the Royal Military College, Duntroon and the Australian Defence Force Academy is also located in the capital.

Vacuum Oil Company was an American oil company that merged with Standard Oil Co of New York, commonly known as Socony Oil to form Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, and is now a part of ExxonMobil. Vacuum Oil was founded in 1866 by Matthew Ewing and Hiram Bond Everest, of Rochester, New York. Their lubrication oil was an accidental discovery while attempting to distill kerosene. Everest noted the residue from the extraction was suitable as a lubricant. Soon after, the product became popular for use by steam engines and the internal-combustion engines. Ewing sold his interest to Everest, who carried on the company. Vacuum was bought by Standard Oil in 1879 and it originated the Mobil trademark in 1899. When Standard Oil was broken up in 1911 due to the Sherman Antitrust Act, Vacuum became an independent company again. Vacuum Oil and Standard Oil of New York (Socony) merged in 1931, after the government gave up attempts to prevent it. At the time, the newly combined company made Socony-Vacuum Corp. the 3rd largest oil company in the world. During World War II, the Tschechowitz I & II subcamps of Auschwitz in Czechowice-Dziedzice provided forced labor for Vacuum Oil Company facilities in Poland which were captured and operated by Nazi Germany. In 1955, the company became Socony Mobil Oil Company and in 1963 it was renamed Mobilgas, then just Mobil.

Leslie Ferdinand Johnston, the Commonwealth Government Printer, retired from the Commonwealth Public Service in 1957 after 25 years' service. He was born in Melbourne, served in the First A.I.F., and was general manager of Robert Hardings Pty. Ltd. of Melbourne from 1924 till 1929 when he became Deputy Government Printer in Canberra. He was appointed Commonwealth Government Printer when the office was created in 1932. In 1937, he was created an Officer of the British Empire. Mr. Johnston was well known in Masonic circles and was a past master in Victoria and a past Royal Arch principal in Canberra. He was an active member of the Royal Canberra Golf Club and has won the A.I.F. cup on two occasions. He also belonged to the Forrest Bowling Club.

Measurements: 8½ x 13½ in. (21 x 34 cm).

Printed by L. F. Johnston, Commonwealth Government Printer in Canberra, c1945.

Conservation notes: Overall its state can be rated as mint (10/10).