38-538: Weetangera ( / ˈ w iː t æ ŋ ɡ ə r ə / ) is a suburb in the Belconnen district of Canberra , located within the Australian Capital Territory , Australia . The suburb covers an area of approximately 158 hectares (390 acres). Located approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north-west of the city , Weetangera is bounded by Springvale Drive to the south and west, Coulter Drive to
76-678: 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 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
114-642: A spring near the Weetangera Public School. However, Slater does not provide evidence to support this claim. Aboriginal settlement of the Australian Capital Territory dates back over 20,000 years . Grinding grooves located on the Molonglo River to the south of Weetangera provide evidence of Aboriginal use of the region pre-colonisation. [1] Members of the 'Canberra Tribe' continued to camp near Weetangera until
152-452: 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
190-781: 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
228-539: Is a set of 27 contiguous residential suburbs that surround the Belconnen Town Centre , set on 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
266-688: Is also home to the Weetangera Neighbourhood Oval . The ACT Government announced restoration plans for the oval in June 2012, committing $ 4 million to three ovals, including the Weetangera oval, over a three-year period. The money is for the installation of irrigation systems, synthetic cricket wickets and practice nets, floodlights and a small pavilion and toilet block. Both Weetangera Primary School (1973–present) and Weetangera Preschool. The first Public School (pre-High School)
304-606: Is also the home to the ACT's only government operated Year 7–12 school, with the dual campus Melba Copland Secondary School located in the North-Eastern suburb of Melba . [REDACTED] Media related to Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory at Wikimedia Commons Weetangera Primary School Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include
342-628: 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
380-465: Is most pronounced in 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
418-406: The 2021 census , the district had a population of 106,061 people; and 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
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#1732783174205456-599: The Districts Ordinance 1966 (Cth) which, after the enactment of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988, became 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
494-517: The Ginninderra electorate . People who live in Weetangera are called Weetangerans . At the 2016 census , Weetangera had a population of 2,576 people. The census shows that Weetangera residents have a median age of 43 which is older than the ACT median of 35 and the Australian median of 38. The median weekly household income was A$ 2,699, significantly more than the ACT median of $ 2,070 and
532-415: The 1860s. Europeans first settled in the area in the 1820s, with the name Weetangera (also Weetangerra and Weetangara in early documents) applied to the local vicinity from this time. Weetangera was also the name for the historic Weetangera parish , which included the land from Ginninderra Creek to the Molonglo River. The Weetangera Public School was first built to service the area in 1875, facing onto
570-556: 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
608-448: The Australian median of $ 1,438. Weetangera's population is predominantly Australian-born; 75.0 per cent on census night 2016. The second most common birthplace was England at 4.3 per cent. The most common religion is 'no religion', with 41.0% of the population reporting they were not religious. Weetangera has a small shopping centre containing a bakery, beauty salon, dentist, coffee shop, gym, Pakistani restaurant and cleaner. The suburb
646-851: 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
684-435: 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
722-399: 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
760-406: 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
798-661: The Weetangera Primary School, located about a kilometre from the old Weetangera Primary School, in 1973. Today, the suburb is home to over 2500 people. For the purposes of Australian federal elections for the House of Representatives , Weetangera is in the Division of Canberra . For the purposes of Australian Capital Territory elections for the ACT Legislative Assembly , Weetangera is in
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#1732783174205836-468: The Weetangera Road (now Belconnen Way). Samuel Shumack lived at "Spring Vale" in Weetangera between 1866 and 1915. Shumack and his father had taken up the land for farming when Samuel was eight years old. Samuel Shumack lived on the property with his family until it was claimed as land for the nation's capital in 1915. The Southwell family were significant to Weetangera, and various members of
874-556: The commencement of urban development of the Belconnen district, inscribed: "This tablet marks the inauguration of development of 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
912-532: 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
950-504: The districts of Hall and Gungahlin . The natural features of 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
988-456: The east and Belconnen Way to the north. The Pinnacle Nature Reserve, a Canberra Nature Park is adjacent to the south of the suburb, across Springvale Drive. Weetangera is named after the original name of the property "Spring Vale", which in turn had been given a name of Aboriginal origin. In 1934, Australian journalist Frederic Slater claimed that the name "Wittanjirra" was an Aboriginal word meaning "to suck, to drink greedily", referring to
1026-539: The family are buried in the Weetangera Cemetery and former Methodist Church now sited to the west of the adjoining suburb, Hawker . The modern suburb of Weetangera was officially gazetted by the ACT Government in 1968, with a street theme: 'Pioneers of the Australian Capital Territory'. After the gazetting, the first modern settlers moved into the suburb in 1970 and the first students moved into
1064-500: The late 1970s. For the purposes of Australian federal elections for the House of Representatives , the District of Belconnen 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
1102-574: The original school in about 1919 and 1928/9 ( Arbor Day ). The street names in Weetangera are predominantly named for ACT pioneers: Silurian age green grey rhyodacite of the Walker Volcanics underlie the whole suburb. 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
1140-437: 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
1178-486: 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
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1216-546: 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
1254-663: 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
1292-530: 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
1330-431: 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
1368-495: 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 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
1406-539: 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
1444-416: Was sited on land of the original farming property, and opened on 27 April 1875, with 27 students. The first teacher was Mr Ewan Cameron, a member of the Weetangera community and a parent of a student. The site is between (beside) the present Belconnen Way (north) and Smith and Kinleyside Streets (south). It now a park, with children's play area, with several lines of pine trees that were planted by students of
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