55-468: The Dickson Centre , located in the suburb of Dickson , is a group centre in the inner northern suburbs of Canberra . The centre is the main commercial centre for the inner northern suburbs, after Civic, and is a significant site of employment. A range of businesses, services and community facilities are located there as well as a private school: Daramalan College. Dickson Centre is located approximately 4km north of Civic near Northbourne Avenue at
110-521: A land grant totalling 800 hectares (2,000 acres) was made to explorer Charles Sturt who eventually sold the property to Robert Campbell who owned the nearby Duntroon Estate. A stone plaque located at the sport fields in Aranda , Belconnen's first suburb, commemorates the commencement of urban development of the Belconnen district, inscribed: "This tablet marks the inauguration of development of
165-472: A legal place name for the first time: Taglietti Square, in honour of the library's famous Italian-Australian architect, Dr Enrico Taglietti. Canberra’s light rail line runs along Northbourne Avenue which forms the western boundary of the suburb of Dickson. The Dickson interchange is the third busiest stop on the line. Dickson Centre is located near the corner of two major roads - Antill Street and Northbourne Avenue. These streets also intersect with Mouat Street,
220-456: A major route to suburbs in northern Belconnen . The Centre is well served by buses running to surrounding suburbs and also further afield to Civic and Belconnen. Dickson Interchange south of Antill Street on Canberra's light rail line opened in April 2019 on Northbourne Avenue. The area that became Dickson shopping centre, suburban streets and playing fields was Canberra's first Aerodrome in
275-400: A mall or arcades. There is a broad range of community facilities, restaurants, cafés, shops and offices. The central area around Woolley Street is often referred to as Canberra's Chinatown , which includes Indian, Korean, Japanese and South-East Asian restaurants as well as Chinese restaurants, a Chinese butcher, Asian supermarkets and fresh Asian grocery stores. Community facilities within
330-678: A podiatrist; several automotive repairers; and small offices such as real estate agents and accountants. The Centre also hosts many of the major national and international brands and franchises, such as: Woolworths, Coles, McDonald's, Ampol, Shell, KFC, Subway, Zambrero's, and Domino's Pizza. Night venues include a variety of restaurants along Woolley, Cape, Badham and Challis Streets; Dickson Taphouse pub; The Tradies (The Canberra Tradesman's Union Club); and Canberra Wine House. Daytime meeting places and cafés include: Highroad, Hudson's, My Rainbow Dreams, Nicky's, Praga, Trev's, Elaine's Pies, Dickson Library and The Tradies Club. Zoning changes adopted as
385-660: A result of the 2011 Dickson Centre Master Plan, permit new buildings up to 12 metres (three storeys) high on the parking areas in Section 30 around the shopping centre, except for an area next to Antill Street where 24 metre high buildings are permitted. In the area to its west and south (north of Sullivans Creek and east of Challis Street, including the Woolley St area), 21 metre (six storey) high buildings are permitted. A new Coles and 140 apartments opened in September 2023 on
440-540: A sharp turn to land and crashed in the NW corner, within 100m of where the library now stands, bursting into flames. The 26 year old pilot, Philip Mackenzie Pitt, was killed on impact and is buried in an unmarked grave at Queanbeyan's Riverside cemetery, in the Catholic section. Pitt had trained as a cadet at Duntroon, and done his flight training at Point Cook near Melbourne in 1925. The 25 year old aerial photographer/observer in
495-452: Is Lawson in 1986, where infrastructure works have commenced and residential development is in progress. Within the district of Belconnen, there is almost no 'heavy' industry; however there is some light industry and manufacturing, including automotive repair, plumbing, electrical, building, and similar services as well as small arts and crafts manufacturing and sales outlets. A variety of medical practitioners and veterinarians also service
550-724: Is a privately operated public hospital , located in the suburb of Bruce . Also in the suburb of Bruce are a number of sporting and education facilities including the University of Canberra (UC), the Canberra Institute of Technology (or CIT), the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), and Canberra Stadium . At the 2021 census , there were 106,061 people in the Belconnen district, of these 49.5 per cent were male and 50.5 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.1 per cent of
605-605: Is a suburb in the Inner North of Canberra , Australia. It is named after Sir James R. Dickson (1832–1901) who was a Queensland advocate of Australian Federation and one of the founders of the Australian Constitution. There is no specific theme for street names. Between March 1924 and November 1926, the original Canberra Aerodrome occupied the southern third of Edward Shumack's soldier settlement block (which continued to be used for sheep grazing) in what
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#1732798135046660-674: Is contained within the electoral divisions of Fenner and Canberra . For the purposes of Australian Capital Territory elections for the ACT Legislative Assembly , most of Belconnen is within the Ginninderra electorate , but the suburbs of Giralang and Kaleen are in Yerrabi . The Belconnen district is a set of 27 contiguous residential suburbs that surround the Belconnen Town Centre , set on
715-606: Is cut in half by the eastern branch of Sullivans Creek, which runs in a concrete drain. On the south side of Sullivans Creek at this point is the Dickson Wetlands, which was completed in December 2011. The suburb is characterised by leafy streets, detached single dwelling houses, and double story duplex town houses. The western part of the suburb is beginning to be redeveloped under a policy permitting two and three-storey flats. Redevelopment with eight to ten-storey flats
770-628: Is located in the suburb of Bruce and has a student population of approximately 10,000. A Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) campus is also in Bruce. The Australian Capital Territory Government operates 23 Preschools, 19 Primary Schools, 5 High Schools and 3 Colleges (Senior Secondary Schools) within the District of Belconnen. There are also 8 religious schools and one Government special school for students with disabilities. Prominent High schools include Radford College and Canberra High . Belconnen
825-401: Is now). The Experiment Station's work was transferred to Ginninderra Experiment Station in Belconnen. The first houses in the suburb were built near Braddon in 1958. The suburb is bounded by Northbourne Avenue , Antill Street, Phillip Avenue, Majura Avenue, Limestone Avenue and Wakefield Avenue. Dickson contains no hills or significant slopes. The east arm of Sullivans Creek passes through
880-616: Is permitted on properties near Northbourne Avenue and one such block of flats has been built near the ABC studios. At the 2021 census , the population of Dickson was 3,292, including 49 (1.5%) Indigenous persons and 2,189 (66.5%) Australian-born persons. 29.6% of dwellings were separate houses (compared to the Australian average of 72.3%), while 21.5% were semi-detached, row or terrace houses (Australian average: 12.6%) and 49.2% were flats, units or apartments (Australian average: 14.2%). 40.6% of
935-692: The Australian Broadcasting Corporation Canberra radio and television studios. Two colleges are located in the suburb, Dickson College , a public senior secondary school, and Daramalan College , a Catholic high school. The Daramalan Junior school was once located in Dickson, which operated between 1986 and 1997. It was a school for boys in years 5 and 6, and was near St. Brigid's Church. Dickson has large playing fields with several ovals, which are used to play many sports including soccer, cricket and rugby, as well as
990-554: The Districts Act 1966. This Act was subsequently repealed by the ACT Government and the district is now administered subject to the Districts Act 2002. Belconnen was previously occupied by Ginninderra , the former agricultural lands that corresponds with the watershed of Ginninderra Creek . The Belconnen district is named after one of the earliest land grants made in the district during colonial times. Belconnen
1045-813: The Murrumbidgee River just beyond the north-western ACT border. Following the transfer of land from the Government of New South Wales to the Commonwealth Government in 1911, the district was established in 1966 by the Commonwealth via the gazettal of the Districts Ordinance 1966 (Cth) which, after the enactment of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988, became
1100-589: The electorate of Kurrajong , which elects five members on the basis of proportional representation, two Labor, two Greens and one Liberal . Polling place statistics are shown to the right for the Dickson polling place at Daramalan College in the 2022 federal and 2020 ACT elections. Calcareous shales from the Canberra Formation dates from the Silurian period. This rock is the limestone of
1155-556: The 1960s and was guided by a philosophy of reliance on private personal transport and an abundance of roads. Public buses serve the district with local and express services; the primary interchange is off Benjamin Way in the town centre . Belconnen is well served by a network of near-freeway-quality roads located between suburbs and intersecting the district. The main roads between suburbs are typically landscaped with mounds of earth and vegetation to form 'parkways'. The main roads connecting
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#17327981350461210-851: The Belconnen Town Centre is a number of Australian Government department head offices including the Department of Immigration and Border Protection , the Australian Bureau of Statistics , the Australian Broadcasting Authority and the Australian Communications and Media Authority . The Australian Taxation Office had offices located in the Belconnen Town Centre in the Cameron Offices . The Calvary Hospital
1265-435: The Belconnen district between the 2001 census and the 2011 census was 13.6 per cent; and in the subsequent ten years to the 2021 census, the population grew by 14.7 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 14.6 per cent and 18.2 per cent respectively, population growth in Belconnen district was lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within
1320-399: The Belconnen district had a marginally higher than average proportion (26.6 per cent) where a non-English language was used (national average was 24.8 per cent); and a similar proportion (72.4 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 72.0 per cent). The primary mode of transport within the District is by private vehicle. The District of Belconnen was planned in
1375-406: The Belconnen district was significantly higher than the national average, and slightly lower than the territory average. At the 2021 census, the proportion of residents in the Belconnen district who stated their ancestry as Australian or English was 65.5 per cent of all residents (national average was 62.9 per cent). Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in
1430-497: The Centre include: the post office, Inner North Walk-In Centre (an ACT health clinic staffed by nurses), Dickson Library, Northside Fitness Centre (a private gym) and Dickson Baptist Church. Nearby community facilities include: Dickson Pool, Majura Tennis Club, Northside Community Services, Majura playing fields, St Brigid's Catholic Church and an ACT Ambulance Service station, which serves the inner northern suburbs. Immediately west of
1485-657: The Centre, between Northbourne Avenue and Challis Street, hosts large office buildings and multi-storey apartments with ground floor tenancies known as the DKSN complex. Services include: Telstra ’s regional headquarters; TransACT ; Canberra Imaging Group at 484 Northbourne; an ACT Government shopfront at 480 Northbourne; Dickson light rail station, and bus interchange. Services inside the Centre include: Westpac and St George banks (Commonwealth bank closes 16 August 2024, NAB and ANZ have closed); Dickson newsagency; several dentists and pharmacies; medical centres; two physiotherapy clinics;
1540-639: The Department of the Interior had determined that the land was required for suburban expansion and begun sketching plans for new road layouts, schools and a district shopping centre. Antill Street and the stormwater drain were built in 1958–59, and the first incursion into the Experiment Station was for a motel on the corner of Northbourne Avenue south of Antill Street (where the Telstra building
1595-583: The FCC to grant a long-term lease to the Department of Defence stymied investment in a hangar and other facilities, and urgency to prepare for the opening of provisional Parliament House in 1927 resulted in the aerodrome being transferred to the Duntroon property in Majura Valley (at the western edge of the current airport site). Dickson was gazetted on 28 September 1928 and took in the whole of what are now
1650-576: The back seat, William Edward Callander, was pulled from the wreckage by a farm worker, Walter Ernest Johnson, who had been ploughing the adjoining paddock and leapt the fence to offer aid to the victims. Callander died at Acton Hospital later that evening and is buried at St John's Church in Reid, leaving a widow and two small children. The aerodrome was surveyed six months later by the Federal Capital Commission (FCC), but unwillingness by
1705-461: The district are constrained to the east and to the south-east by the Bruce Ridge and the northern slopes of Black Mountain , much of which has been preserved as nature reserves . The majority of the residential suburbs are predominantly characterised by detached single family homes on suburban blocks, with pockets of medium density housing units or town houses . This is most pronounced in
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1760-605: The district of Belconnen by the Minister of State for the Interior The Honourable J. D. Anthony, M.P. 23rd June 1966" The nearby Jamison Centre , the first commercial centre in the district, opened in 1969. The Belconnen Town Centre located on the shore of Lake Ginninderra opened in the late 1970s. For the purposes of Australian federal elections for the House of Representatives , the District of Belconnen
1815-532: The district with North Canberra and the city centre are Belconnen Way and Ginninderra Drive. These roads are 6 lane parkways for the majority of their length and run in an east–west direction. Belconnen is situated south of the Barton Highway which leads to Yass , where it connects with the Hume Highway to Sydney and Melbourne . To the south of the district is William Hovell Drive which connects
1870-463: The dwellings are occupied by single person households, compared to the Australian average of 25.6%. 60.1% of the population had no religion, while 12.5% were Catholic, 4.8% not stated, 4.6% Buddhist and 3.8% Anglican . Dickson is located within the federal electorate of Canberra and it is represented by Alicia Payne for the Labor Party . In the ACT Legislative Assembly , Dickson is part of
1925-645: The early history of Canberra. A former plaque on the front of Dickson Library was removed in 2021 because of errors, and replaced by a Canberra Tracks sign on the lawn outside Dickson Baptist Church. The sign describes the Territory's first fatal aviation disaster, that occurred just north of the library between Antill and Blacket Streets in Downer in 1926. 35°15′0″S 149°08′15″E / 35.25000°S 149.13750°E / -35.25000; 149.13750 Dickson, Australian Capital Territory Dickson
1980-589: The eastern third and northern edge of Dickson, the whole of Downer (which at that time was named Dickson), and a small part of what is now Watson at the station's northern end. Dickson Experiment Station began operating during World War II and initially focused on trialling crops to aid the war effort including opium, rubber and pyrethrum, with assistance from the Women's Land Army. After the war ended, Dickson Experiment Station focused on soils and pasture research, food crops and sheep farming until as late as 1962. By May 1951
2035-574: The former public carpark north of Woolworths supermarket. Several roads in the Centre were re-named in 2023 to recognise the significant contributions made by local women: Joan Kellett Way (where the east-west road passes between Dickson Baptist Church and the Inner North Walk-In Centre); and Hanna Enders Lane (the section of one-way road that travels east past McDonald's and turns north past Dickson Library toward Antill Street). The forecourt of Dickson Library has also been given
2090-798: The middle of Dickson draining storm water from east to west. The suburb contains the Dickson Centre , a significant commercial centre in Canberra's Inner North containing the Woolworths Supermarkets outlet with the greatest turnover in Australia. The centre contains an ambulance station, office buildings, many shops and the Dickson Baptist Church. Outside the Dickson Centre, the suburb contains
2145-536: The northern end of the suburb of Dickson . It lies on the southern side of Antill Street and is bounded on the eastern side by Cowper Street, the southern side by the Sullivans Creek stormwater channel and associated parkland, and on the western side by Challis Street. Dickson Centre is the largest group centre in Canberra . It is structured as an outdoor pedestrian area with a ‘village square’ feel, without
2200-487: The original title of Canberra "Limestone Plains". Quaternary alluvium lies on top of the shale in the flatter parts of Dickson. Belconnen Belconnen ( / ˈ b ɛ l k ɒ n ɪ n / ) is a district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia . The district is subdivided into 27 divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks. As at the 2021 census , the district had a population of 106,061 people; and
2255-437: The other town centres to Canberra's south. Some services travel to Gungahlin . There are also express services which connect directly with Tuggeranong . The bus interchange is spread across the Belconnen town centre in three different locations. The previous interchange, which is now one of those locations, was connected by footbridge to large shopping centre and to office buildings occupied by major Government departments. It
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2310-536: The population were professionals, compared to the Australian average of 24.0%. Notably 22.5% worked in central government administration, compared to the Australian average of 1.1%, although the ACT-wide average is a similar 17.1%. Dickson is favoured by students and young adults with 32.4% of its population in the 20 to 34-year-old age group (compared to the Australian average of 20.5%). The suburb has few children under 15: 12.9%, compared to 18.2% Australia-wide. 33.2% of
2365-486: The population, which was lower than the national and territory averages. The median age of people in the Belconnen district was 35 years, which was lower than the national median of 38 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 18.1 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 15.1 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 46.6 per cent were married and 10.5 per cent were either divorced or separated. Population growth in
2420-546: The region. There is an established artistic community which includes aspiring performing musicians, theatre groups and visual artists. A recycling industry, involving organic as well as plastic and metals collection takes place at the Parkwood Road Recycling Estate, on the outermost western boundary of the district, within the suburb of Holt. A poultry farm is situated nearby and is a significant primary industry producer providing eggs to Canberra and
2475-663: The shores of Lake Ginninderra. The Belconnen Markets are a fresh food market area within this commercial district operating from Tuesday to Sunday during business hours. Smaller retail shopping centres are located at the Jamison Centre in the suburb of Macquarie ; the Kippax Centre in the suburb of Holt ; and shopping centres in the suburbs of Charnwood , Hawker , and Kaleen . The surrounding suburbs were designed each to have their own smaller shopping areas, with small supermarkets, chemists, hairdressers etc. Within
2530-530: The southern and western suburbs of Belconnen with Parkes Way and the Tuggeranong Parkway which lead to the city centre and Canberra's southern districts respectively. The ACTION bus service which provides public transport throughout Canberra is the only form of regularly scheduled public transport in Belconnen. Services from the various suburbs generally pass through a bus interchange at Belconnen Town Centre from where they continue to Civic and
2585-443: The suburbs of Belconnen , Bruce , Cook , Hawker , Holt , Kaleen , Macquarie , Melba , Page and Scullin . Within the suburb of Belconnen, a medium density estate, often mistaken as a suburb, called Emu Ridge consists entirely of town house and unit developments, such as UniGardens, Belconnen accommodation for University of Canberra students (run by UniGardens Pty ). The most recent suburb to be gazetted
2640-664: The suburbs of Dickson and Downer. All of the land in Dickson had been earmarked for an Industrial area on the final 1918 Griffin Plan and blueprint. However the decision to transfer the Industrial area to Fyshwick was taken by 1945, and a 25-year lease was granted in 1940 to Dr Bertram Thomas Dickson, Chief of the Plant Industry Division of the CSIR, for Dickson Experiment Station. The station covered 640 acres, comprising
2695-431: The surrounding region. The predominant shopping centre of the district is Westfield Belconnen , located within the Belconnen Town Centre. Additional local commerce activity includes large and smaller department stores , clothes retailers, car dealerships, homeware, supermarkets, and specialist grocery outlets. There are numerous restaurants and a variety of licensed premises within the Belconnen Town Centre, many close to
2750-604: The venue for schools carnivals, and are a popular place on weekends. Organisations calling the playing fields home including the Majura Junior Soccer Club and Corroboree Little Athletics. Near the playing fields is a walking track between rows of pine , oak and gum trees which leads to the Dickson shopping centre. Hawdon Street is where the Canberra Space Dome and Observatory used to be located before being destroyed by fire in 2010. The street
2805-434: The western shore of the artificially established Lake Ginninderra. In addition to the residential development, the district contains some pastoral leasees on its western and south-western boundaries with the districts of Molonglo Valley and Stromlo , its north-western boundary with the state of New South Wales, and its northern and north-eastern boundaries with the districts of Hall and Gungahlin . The natural features of
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#17327981350462860-539: Was an ageing facility which was criticised for being unsafe, particularly at night, and for being dirty and prone to vandalism. For these reasons it was subject to major renovations. The ACT Government plans to construct a busway to connect the Belconnen Town centre with the hospital and CIT precinct in Bruce and the city centre . The Belconnen Bikeway goes through the district. The University of Canberra
2915-509: Was marked by placements of rocks at four corners, a windsock, and a large central whitewashed marker (60 feet in diameter) visible to pilots from a distance. This was Canberra's original airport, and was used by RAAF and civilian flights. Canberra's first air crash took place here, at about 10.30am on 11 February 1926, when a RAAF De Havilland DH9 traveling from Richmond air base to survey the Murrumbidgee River stalled after making
2970-488: Was the most populous district within the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Belconnen is situated approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) to the north-west of the central business district of Canberra , and surrounds an artificially created, ornamental lake, Lake Ginninderra . Lake Ginninderra was made possible by building a dam at an elbow of Ginninderra Creek . Exiting the lake, via a simple overflow, Ginninderra Creek continues, and runs north-west to its confluence with
3025-428: Was then known as the District of Ainslie (Block 98i). The official aerodrome extended from a NW corner north of Dickson Library near Antill St in Downer to a SE corner near Dutton St and Majura Avenue, taking in the whole western portion of Majura playing fields and the entire central residential portion of Dickson between Cowper St and Dickson wetlands. The actual landing ground covered the whole of Section 72 Dickson and
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