| Stromlo Australian Capital Territory | |
|---|---|
  Stromlo | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 35°18′32″S149°59′20″E / 35.309°S 149.989°E |
| Gazetted | 12 May 1966 [1] |
Stromlo is a district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. It is situated adjacent to Weston Creek and the Molonglo Valley. The district was the location of the Stromlo Forest pine plantation until its destruction by the 2001 and 2003 Canberra bushfires.
The Mount Stromlo Observatory was established in the district (before its establishment) in 1924, although astronomical observations on Mount Stromlo were being carried out as early as 1911. [2] [3] The observatory and a large pine plantation were destroyed in February 1952 due to bushfires. [4] The district of Stromlo was established in 1996 under the Districts Act 1966 No. 5. [5] In 2003, the Stromlo Forest pine plantation and the Mount Stromlo Obseratory were destroyed in the 2003 Canberra bushfires. [6] [7] In 2009, the Stromlo Forest Park was opened as a new recreational precinct. [8]
Namadgi National Park is a protected area in the south-west of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), bordering Kosciuszko National Park in New South Wales. It lies approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) southwest of Canberra, and occupies approximately 46 percent of the ACT's land area.
The Australian Alps are a mountain range in southeast Australia. The range comprises an interim Australian bioregion, and is the highest mountain range in Australia. The range straddles the borders of eastern Victoria, southeastern New South Wales, and the Australian Capital Territory. It contains Australia's only peaks exceeding 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in elevation, and is the only bioregion on the Australian mainland in which deep snow falls annually. The range comprises an area of 1,232,981 ha.
The Black Friday bushfires of 13 January 1939, in Victoria, Australia, were part of the devastating 1938–1939 bushfire season in Australia, which saw bushfires burning for the whole summer, and ash falling as far away as New Zealand. It was calculated that three-quarters of the State of Victoria was directly or indirectly affected by the disaster, while other Australian states and the Australian Capital Territory were also badly hit by fires and extreme heat. This was the third-deadliest bushfire event in Australian history, only behind the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires and the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.
Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia, part of the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics (RSAA) at the Australian National University (ANU), incorporates the Anglo-Australian Telescope along with a collection of other telescopes owned by the Australian National University, the University of New South Wales, and other institutions. The observatory is situated 1,165 metres (3,822 ft) above sea level in the Warrumbungle National Park on Mount Woorat, also known as Siding Spring Mountain. Siding Spring Observatory is owned by the Australian National University (ANU) and is part of the Mount Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories research school.
Mount Stromlo Observatory located just outside Canberra, Australia, is part of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the Australian National University (ANU). Australia's oldest telescope and several others at the observatory were destroyed by bushfire in 2003.
The 2003 Canberra bushfires caused severe damage to the suburbs and outer areas of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, during 18–22 January 2003. Almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory's (ACT) pastures, pine plantations, and nature parks were severely damaged, and most of the Mount Stromlo Observatory was destroyed. After burning for a week around the edges of the ACT, the fires entered the suburbs of Canberra on 18 January 2003. Over the next ten hours, four people died, over 490 were injured, and 470 homes were destroyed or severely damaged, requiring a significant relief and reconstruction effort.
Weston Creek is a district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. The district is subdivided into divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks. The district comprises eight residential suburbs, situated to the west of the Woden Valley district and approximately 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) southwest of the Canberra City centre. Situated adjacent to the district was the large Stromlo Forest pine plantation until the forest was destroyed by bushfires in 2001 and 2003.
Holder is suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, located in the district of Weston Creek and is 13 km to the southwest of the Canberra city centre. It sits on the western edge of the Canberra suburbs, and overlooks no longer bare land towards Mount Stromlo to the west and Molonglo Valley to the north.
Pierces Creek is a former rural forestry settlement in the Australian Capital Territory which was managed by Housing ACT since the 1980s. The 13 homes at the settlement were destroyed during the 2003 Canberra bushfires and have never been rebuilt despite a proposal by the ACT Government in the mid-2000s.
Uriarra Village is a town in the district of Coree, in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. It is situated on the western side of the Australian Capital Territory, about 30 minutes from Canberra, established in 1928 at the foothills of the Australian Alps. A nearby area to the north of the border in New South Wales is also called Uriarra.
Mount Stromlo is a mountain with an elevation of 770 metres (2,530 ft) AHD that is situated in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The mountain is most notable as the location of the Mount Stromlo Observatory. The mountain forms part of the catchment area of the Cotter River which in turn is the primary water supply for part of ACT.
The history of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) as a separate administrative division began in 1911, when it was transferred from New South Wales to the Australian federal government. The territory contains Australia's capital city Canberra and various smaller settlements. Until 1989, it also administered the Jervis Bay Territory, a small coastal region.
Charles Weston, born Thomas Charles George Weston was an Australian horticulturist and was responsible for the afforestation of Canberra.
Pietro Paolo Giovanni Ernesto Baracchi was an Grand Duchy of Tuscany-born astronomer, active in Australia and Government Astronomer of Victoria (Australia) 1900-15.
Penny Diane Sackett is an American-born Australian astronomer and former director of the Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics (RSAA) at the Australian National University (ANU). Professor Sackett was the Chief Scientist of Australia from November 2008 until March 2011.
The Great Melbourne Telescope was built by the Grubb Telescope Company in Dublin, Ireland in 1868, and installed at the Melbourne Observatory in Melbourne, Australia in 1869. In 1945 that Observatory closed and the telescope was sold and moved to the Mount Stromlo Observatory near Canberra. It was rebuilt in the late 1950s. In 2003 the telescope, still in use as an observatory, was severely damaged in a bushfire. About 70% of the components were salvageable; a project to restore the telescope to working condition started in 2013.
Sidney Charles Bartholemew "Ben" Gascoigne was a New Zealand-born optical astronomer and expert in photometry who played a leading role in the design and commissioning of Australia's largest optical telescope, the Anglo-Australian Telescope, which for a time was one of the world's most important astronomical facilities. Born in Napier, New Zealand, Gascoigne trained in Auckland and at the University of Bristol, before moving to Australia during World War II to work at the Commonwealth Solar Observatory at Mount Stromlo in Canberra. He became skillful in the design and manufacture of optical devices such as telescope elements.
Kowen is a district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. It is situated in the northeast corner of the ACT, to the east of Sutton Road and the town of Queanbeyan, New South Wales. Kowen is primarily covered by pine forests, and is also used for farming. The main highway between the ACT and the south coast region, the Kings Highway, runs directly through the Kowen.
The ACT Rural Fire Service is a branch of the Australian Capital Territory Emergency Services Agency. It is responsible for the prevention, detection and extinguishment of all bushfires within the ACT, as well as assisting the other branches of ESA.
Stromlo Forest Park is an Australian Capital Territory (ACT) government-supported outdoor recreation facility. It is located in western area of the ACT, adjacent to the Molonglo Valley. After the 2003 Canberra bushfires, the area around Mount Stromlo has been developed to provide mountain biking trails, pump track, BMX jumps, a criterium cycling track, and a cross-country running trail. It also contains the ACT Bushfire Memorial. The area is under active development with current plans for a district oval. Since 2023, the park has been sponsored by University of Canberra.
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