The suburbs of the Australian Capital Territory are organised into a hierarchy of districts, town centres, group centres, local suburbs and other industrial areas and villages. While these divisions have no formal role in the governance or administration of the city, they formed a basis for the planning and development of the city and are significant to the city's commercial and social activities.
For a complete list, see List of the Australian Capital Territory suburbs
Most suburbs of the Australian Capital Territory are designed around local shops, centrally located within walking distance of the outer parts of the suburb. Consequently, they are generally smaller in size to the suburbs of other cities. A typical Australian Capital Territory suburb is bounded on all sides by major roads, and at the centre, contains local shops, or at least a local store. Some also contain a petrol station, a church, or other community facilities. Many also contain a primary school and a preschool.
As a result of these commercial and community facilities being located in the centre of suburbs, Australian Capital Territory lacks strip shopping along major roads and appears to be 'empty' to most visitors. In the older areas, major roads are lined with houses, and in the newer areas they are typically landscaped with mounds of earth and vegetation to form 'parkways'.
Australian Capital Territory's districts were developed with the intention of being semi-self-contained satellite cities with an intended population of about 80,000 people. The districts contain town centres which serve as commercial, transport and employment nodes. The districts are separated by nature reserves, and in most cases were designed according to a policy of ridges and valleys where the urban areas were located in valleys, separated by ridges, containing nature parks. There are nineteen districts in the Australian Capital Territory, each is divided into between eight and 25 suburbs, but on average about eighteen. Australian Capital Territory's Plan also contains districts located outside of the urban areas for the purposes of land administration. [2]
Following the transfer of land from the Government of New South Wales to the Commonwealth Government in 1911, eighteen original districts were established in 1966 by the Commonwealth via the gazettal of the Districts Ordinance 1966 No. 5 (Cth) which, after the enactment of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 (Cth), became the Districts Act 1966 No. 5 (ACT). This Act was subsequently repealed by the ACT Government and all districts and the land contained within are now administered subject to the Districts Act 2002 (ACT). [2]
In chronological order of mass development, the districts are:
Selected historical data for the districts of the Australian Capital Territory | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Districts | Gazettal date | First settled | Number of suburbs | Estimated residents at census | ||||||||||
2001 | 2006 | 2011 | 2016 [a] | 2021 | ||||||||||
Canberra Central | North Canberra | 12 May 1966 [2] | 1928 | 25 | 39,438 | [3] | 42,113 | [4] | 48,030 | [5] | 53,002 | [6] | 61,188 | [7] |
South Canberra | 1927 | 24,139 | [8] | 23,668 | [9] | 24,154 | [10] | 27,007 | [11] | 31,592 | [12] | |||
Woden Valley | 1963 | 12 | 31,336 | [13] | 31,992 | [14] | 32,958 | [15] | 34,760 | [16] | 39,279 | [17] | ||
Belconnen | 1967 | 27 | 81,701 | [18] | 84,382 | [19] | 92,444 | [20] | 96,049 | [21] | 106,061 | [22] | ||
Jerrabomberra | 4 | 1,214 | [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] | 830 | [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] | 1,241 | [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] | 1,240 | [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] | 1,425 | [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] | |||
Majura | 1 | 347 | [48] [49] | 232 | [50] [51] | 246 | [52] [53] | 174 | [54] [55] | 299 | [56] [57] | |||
Tuggeranong | 1974 | 18 | 86,346 | [58] | 87,119 | [59] | 86,900 | [60] | 85,154 | [61] | 89,461 | [62] | ||
Weston Creek | 1969 | 8 | 22,338 | [63] | 22,127 | [64] | 22,746 | [65] | 22,988 | [66] | 24,630 | [67] | ||
Gungahlin | 1991 | 18 | 23,098 | [68] | 31,318 | [69] | 46,971 | [70] | 71,142 | [71] | 87,682 | [72] | ||
Stromlo | 0 | 86 | [73] | 64 | [74] | 71 | [75] | 61 | [76] | 75 | [77] | |||
Kowen | 0 | 30 | [78] | 49 | [79] | 34 | [80] | 38 | [81] | 25 | [82] | |||
Hall | 1 | 368 | [83] | 338 | [84] | 332 | [85] | 271 | [86] | 298 | [87] | |||
Coree | 1 | 416 | [88] | 267 | [89] | 425 | [90] | 356 | [91] [92] | 309 | [93] [94] | |||
Paddys River | 1 | 2001–2011: included in Coree | 150 | [95] [96] | 158 | [97] [98] | ||||||||
Cotter River | 0 | 0 | [99] | 0 | [100] | |||||||||
Tennent | 0 | 0 | [101] | 0 | [102] | |||||||||
Rendezvous Creek | 0 | 0 | [101] | 0 | [102] | |||||||||
Booth | 0 | 2001–2011: included in Coree | 31 | [103] | 64 | [104] | ||||||||
Mount Clear | 0 | 0 | [102] | 0 | [102] | |||||||||
Molonglo Valley | 14 October 2010 [105] | 2010 | 13 planned | – | – | 27 | [106] | 4,578 | [107] | 11,435 | [108] |
Canberra's central business district, also known as Civic, is the main commercial centre in Canberra. It is larger than the town centres and contains many Australian Government department offices, large office buildings and retail outlets such as department stores and specialty stores and recreational facilities such as cinemas, bars, nightclubs, restaurants and theatres. The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is contained within its boundaries; as is the Canberra Theatre and Playhouse, Territory Courts, and the Federal Court.
Outside Canberra's central business district, there are five town centres within Australian Capital Territory. As well as serving as commercial nodes, town centres also serve as centres of employment. Most contain at least one major Australia government department. For example:
As of 2013 [update] , neither the Weston Creek Centre nor the Gungahlin Town Centre contain any substantive Australian government department head office.
Town centres also provide services such as mechanical workshops, gyms, pubs and clubs, cinemas, restaurants and fast food outlets, petrol stations and car dealerships. They also usually contain a public library, police station and a community centre. The Woden Town Centre has high rise office buildings and resembles a 'mini city centre'.
Group centres are commercial and community centres smaller than town centres but larger than local shops which are designed to serve a "group" of suburbs – typically about four or five. A typical group centre contains such local commercial facilities such as a supermarket, a petrol station, specialty stores such as a pharmacy, hairdresser, butcher, baker, deli, health food store, betting agency and medical centre. Some larger group centres may also contain banks, a few restaurants and fast food outlets. They will typically also contain recreational and social facilities such as a swimming pool, church, and a tavern or club. These are intended to provide "weekly shopping" type services to the residents of adjoining suburbs.
The suburbs of Mitchell, Fyshwick and Hume are Australian Capital Territory's industrial areas and are located away from suburbs. While they are the location of light industry (Australian Capital Territory has no heavy industries), they also contain a large number of retail outlets such as furniture stores, hardware stores, car dealerships, bicycle shops, camping stores and wholesale outlets.
The Australian Capital Territory also contains a number of smaller villages located outside the urban area. Historically some of these are farming or forestry villages and some were damaged or destroyed in the fires of January 2003. The village closest to the urban area is Hall which is located just past Belconnen near the New South Wales border.
Belconnen 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 was the most populous district within the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
North Canberra, or the Inner North, is a subdivision of Canberra Central in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. Comprising 14 suburbs. At the 2021 census, it had 26,699 dwellings housing 61,188 people of the 453,324 people in the Australian Capital Territory. Many of Canberra's oldest dwellings are located on it.
Tuggeranong is a district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. The district is subdivided into divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks and is the southernmost district of the Australian Capital Territory. The district comprises nineteen suburbs and occupies 117 square kilometres (45 sq mi) to the east of the Murrumbidgee River.
South Canberra, or the Inner South, is a subdivision of Canberra Central in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia.
Woden Valley is a district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. The district is subdivided into divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks.
Gungahlin is a district in the Australian Capital Territory, one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. The district is subdivided into suburbs, sections and blocks. Gungahlin is an Aboriginal word meaning either "white man's house" or "little rocky hill".
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.
Waramanga is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia in the district of Weston Creek.
ACT Policing is the portfolio of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) responsible for providing policing services to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The Australian Capital Territory Police was an independent police force responsible for policing the ACT until 19 October 1979, when it was merged with the Commonwealth Police to form the AFP.
ACTION is a bus operator in Canberra, Australia, and is owned by the Government of the Australian Capital Territory.
Bruce is a suburb of the Belconnen district of Canberra, that is located within the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The suburb was gazetted on 6 June 1968 and named for The Viscount Bruce of Melbourne (1883–1967), the eighth Prime Minister of Australia and the first Chancellor of the Australian National University.
Gungahlin is a suburb in the Canberra, Australia district with the same name; Gungahlin. The postcode is 2912. Gungahlin is the name for the entire district, and also the town centre, but it is also the name of the suburb which Gungahlin Town Centre is in.
Williamsdale is a town in the district of Tuggeranong, in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. Is situated on the northwest side of the Australian Capital Territory border abutting the town of Williamsdale in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The Monaro Highway and the former Bombala railway pass through the area. A railway station saw service until 1975. The postcode is 2620.
Canberra Central is a district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. Consisting of both the subdivisions of North Canberra and South Canberra. The district is subdivided into divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks. The district of Canberra Central lies entirely within the bounds of the city of Canberra, the capital city of Australia.
Molonglo Valley is a district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. The district is subdivided into divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks and is the newest district of the ACT. The district is planned to consist of thirteen suburbs, planned to contain 33,000 dwellings, with an expected population of between 50,000 and 73,000. To be developed in three stages over more than ten years, the district will contain a principal town centre and a secondary group centre, with residential suburbs located to the south and north of the Molonglo River; located to the west of Lake Burley Griffin.
Canberra is Australia's capital and its largest inland city. At the 2016 census, it had 395,790 residents. This amounted to only 1.7% of Australia's population. The population density for Canberra is 443.5 people per sq kilometre.
A general election for the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly was held on Saturday, 15 October 2016.
The Canberra light rail network is a light rail system serving the city of Canberra, Australia. The initial 12-kilometre (7.5 mi) line links the northern town centre of Gungahlin to the city centre (Civic) and has 14 stops. Services commenced on 20 April 2019. The 14th stop at Sandford Street in Mitchell commenced operation in September 2021.
Jerrabomberra is a district in the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. It is situated to the southeast of Canberra Central, south of the Molonglo River, east of Woden Valley and north east of Tuggeranong and west of the New South Wales border. It includes the suburbs of Beard, Hume, Oaks Estate and Symonston and the military communications and logistics facility HMAS Harman. At the 2016 census, it had a total population of 1,240, comprising 559 in Symonston, 430 in Hume and 251 in Oaks Estate and Beard At the 2011 census, 13 also lived in Harman. It is named after Jerrabomberra Creek, which runs through it, Jerrabomberra is derived from the Aboriginal word, meaning "afraid of lightning".
Route R4 is a main cross-city bus route in Canberra, Australia operated by ACTION between Belconnen, City, Woden Town Centre and Tuggeranong.
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