Gungahlin is a name of a district and the northernmost town centre of Canberra, Australia. Gungahlin is situated 10 km north of Canberra's city centre and is one of five satellites of Canberra including Woden, Tuggeranong, Weston Creek and Belconnen. Currently Gungahlin comprises 11 suburbs, including three currently under construction and a further 7 suburbs planned. The word Gungahlin is Aboriginal in origin and means little rocky hill.
The population of the Gungahlin district stood at approximately 32,550 in 2006 [1] and is expected to rise to 50,000 by 2014.[2] Gungahlin's cultural mix differs from other parts of Canberra and, there is a higher proportion of Chinese speaking residents than other parts of Canberra. Similarly, Korean, Filipino and Singhalese speakers are well represented in Gungahlin.[3]
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The primary mode of transport within the district is by private vehicle. Despite continued discussion about the preference for sustainable public transport especially light rail, Gungahlin's development is still guided by a philosophy of reliance on private personal transport and an extensive road network. Public buses serve the district.
The ACTION bus service which provides public transport throughout Canberra is the only form of regularly scheduled public transport in the Gungahlin district. Services from the various suburbs generally pass through a bus interchange located at the Gungahlin Town Centre from where they continue to Civic and the other town centres to Canberra’s south. Some services travel to Belconnen. There are also express services which connect directly with Tuggeranong. The Gungahlin bus interchange is located in Hibberson Street.
Private transport is the dominant mode of transport for Gungahlin commuters. The district's major arterial roads to North Canberra and the city centre are Northbourne Avenue via the Barton Highway, Horse Park Drive and Flemington Road. Gundaroo Drive-William Slim Drive is the main connection to the district of Belconnen. With the completion of the Gungahlin Drive Extension in 2008, Gungahlin commuters can bypass the city centre to reach city's southern suburbs via Gungahlin Drive and onto William Hovell Drive and the Tuggeranong Parkway. Despite the roadwork completed to date, the Gungahlin Drive Extension in particular still experiences traffic congestion during peak times.
Over the next several years, a number of projects are expected to improve road access to the Gungahlin district including:
During colonial times and up until the late 1960s, present-day Gungahlin was part of the former farmlands of Ginninderra. Ginninderra Village and later still the village of Hall serviced the needs of the local farming community. Free settlers included farming families such as the Rolfe, Shumack, Gillespie and Gribble families.[4] These settlers established wheat and sheep properties such as 'Weetangara', 'Gold Creek','The Valley', ;Horse Park' and 'Tea Gardens'. Much of the local produce supplied the large workforce at goldfields located at Braidwood and Major's Creek.[5]
The Gungahlin Community Council is the peak community representative organisation for the district. Gungahlin local sport teams include the Gungahlin Eagles (rugby union), the Gungahlin Bulls (rugby league) and the Gungahlin Jets (Australian rules football).
Mulligans Flat Woodland Sanctuary friends group supports the feral-free enclosure behind Forde - an outdoor laboratory for the introduction of rare and threatened species.
Asterisk indicates future suburbs and those currently under development
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