History

Canberra Centre was opened as Monaro Mall in March 1963 by Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies. Monaro Mall was an Australian first with its fully enclosed air-conditioned space comprising of many retailers under the one roof. Designed to protect customers from the weather, it was a new age concept introduced to Australia by the United States.

Back then, the Mall featured David Jones, Marcus Clarke Department store, G.J.Coles and 58 specialty stores. Of these original outlets, six are still at Canberra Centre today.

In order to heighten its competitive advantage, Monaro Mall commenced a $220 million dollar development in 1987. This spanned two years, transforming Monaro Mall into the fantastic shopping precinct we all love today.

On the 31st October 1989 the new Canberra Centre started trading to the public and was officially opened on the 1st of November by Chief Minister, Rosemary Follet and comprised of David Jones, a new state-of- the-art Grace Bros., Target, Supabarn and Venture.

Then in 1990 QIC purchased half of the property, creating a positive impact of further development. This involved the coordination of the Bunda and Petrie Street entrance redevelopment in 1993, the Level 1 Fashion Mall in 1994 and the relocation and relaunch of the Lincraft Superstore in 1997. In November 2002, the centre completed a major refurbishment and extension, resulting in a specialty remix to accommodate additional national and multi-national tenants.

In November 2006, the centre launched the first stage of its $500 million development of Section 84 incorporating an additional 30,000sqm of retail space. This retail component of the project was completed in August 2007 with stage three, the remix of the ex City Market adding another 6,000sqm to the property. The second commercial tower was completed in November 2007, consolidating 4,500 ATO workers and finalising the development of Section 84.