From WikiPedia:

The Jervis Bay Territory (/ˈdʒɜːrvɪs, ˈdʒɑːr-/; “JBT”) is an internal territory of Australia. It was established in 1915 by the transfer of jurisdiction from the state of New South Wales to the federal Commonwealth of Australia, in order to give the federal government control of a port in the vicinity of the landlocked Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

I am 45 and did not know this until today when for some reason Jervis Bay Territory was printed in a select option along with the other Australian states and territories.

  • Zagorath
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    2 days ago

    Yeah it’s a super weird place, administratively speaking.

    It’s treated like part of the ACT for some reasons, like federal elections, and receives most municipal services from the ACT government, but it is not part of the ACT for territory elections.

    There’s also basically no reason to ever go there unless you’re in or supporting the military bases located there.

    • tau
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      2 days ago

      There’s also basically no reason to ever go there unless you’re in or supporting the military bases located there.

      It does have some rather pretty beaches, best to plan on checking out all that’s there to make it feel worthwhile though as they sting you $20 to see them.

      • Zagorath
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        2 days ago

        wtf, you have to pay to see a beach? That’s fuckin’ unaustralian!

        • tau
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          2 days ago

          It’s not a fee for the beaches per se but the fee for entering the national park which covers the territory (though it is in effect paying to see beaches as that’s the main reason to visit).

  • rumschlumpel@feddit.org
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    2 days ago

    What are they (or were they) actually doing with that port, though? Kinda impractical to have a federal government port so far away from the capital …

    • Zagorath
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      2 days ago

      It’s pretty close to the capital, really. It’s directly due east of the ACT. Maybe somewhere like Bateman’s Bay would be a little closer, but not a huge amount, and I assume other practicalities (including existing uses) took priority.

      These days it’s a naval base, mainly.

      • rumschlumpel@feddit.org
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        2 days ago

        Sorry, somehow I was convinced that Perth was the capital, not Canberra. That port definitely makes more sense with Canberra as the capital …

        • jagungal
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          7 hours ago

          😆 Western Australians wish Perth was the capital. At least you know your Australian cities

  • ikt
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    2 days ago

    Aboriginal Australian people long lived over the area of Jervis Bay.[9] The area underwent significant change 18,000 to 7,500 years ago when the sea level rose, displacing inhabitants of previously coastal areas, resulting in dramatic population redistribution.

    So they are used to climate change already?