Wanniassa, Australian Capital Territory

Wanniassa
CanberraAustralian Capital Territory

Population: 7,933 (2006 census)[1]
Established: 1975
Gazetted: 21 May 1974
Postcode: 2903
District: Tuggeranong
Assembly Electorate: Brindabella
Federal Division: Canberra
Suburbs around Wanniassa:
Kambah Farrer Nature reserve
Greenway Wanniassa Fadden
Oxley Monash Gowrie

Wanniassa (postcode 2903) is a suburb in the Canberra, Australia district of Tuggeranong. It is located towards the north of the district. The suburb takes its name from a pastoral property granted to Thomas McQuoid in 1835, which he named after Wanajassa in West Java, Indonesia, where McQuoid had previously owned property.[2] Streets are named after Victorian state politicians[3] and the suburb was gazetted on 21 May 1974.[2]

It is next to the suburbs of Kambah, Greenway, Oxley, Monash, Gowrie and Fadden. It is bounded by Athllon Drive, Sulwood Drive, Erindale Drive and Taverner Street.

Contents

Demographics

On Census night 2006, Wanniassa had a population of 7,933 people.[1] The median age of people in Wanniassa was 36 years, compared to a median age of 34 for Canberra. The median individual income for Wanniassa in 2006 was $669, below the Canberra average of $723, while the median household income was $1,474. In 2006, the median monthly housing loan repayment in Wanniassa was $1,343.[4]

The residents of Wanniassa are predominately Australian born, with 75.3% being born in Australia. The three main countries of birth for those born overseas were United Kingdom, 6.0%, New Zealand, 1.1%, and Italy, 0.8%. The most popular religious affiliations in descending order are Catholic, no religion, Anglican, Uniting, and Presbyterian.[4]

Suburb amenities

A wide variety of facilities are located in Wanniassa. The Erindale Centre is located in the south east of Wanniassa and provides a number of service and retail outlets. Other facilities include Erindale Vikings Club, Active Leisure Centre, the Erindale Theatre and the Erindale Library. The Wanniassa Centre is a smaller retail centre located at the north of the suburb, housing a Supabarn Supermarket and various other businesses.

Wanniassa Hills Primary School is located on Langdon Avenue; it is a public primary school servicing students from Kindergarten to Year 6. Wanniassa School is a public primary and high school with adjacent campuses serving students from Pre-School to Year 6 and Year 7 to Year 10. The junior campus of MacKillop Catholic College is located in Wanniassa, serving students from Year 7 to Year 9. Another Catholic school, St Anthony's Parish Primary School, is also located in Wanniassa and serves Kindergarten to Year 6 students. Trinity Christian School is an independent Christian school serving students from Kindergarten to Year 12.

Several churches are located in Wanniassa. St Anthony of Padua Parish is a Catholic parish that was established in 1976; services were held at Wanniasa Primary School and Padua High School - later MacKillop Catholic College - before the church adjacent to MacKillop Catholic College was completed in 1987. St Matthew's Anglican Church is located adjacent to Trinity Christian School on McBryde Crescent. Tuggeranong Uniting Church, Capital Edge Community Church (formerly known as Erindale Christian Centre) and Lifestream Christian Fellowship are all located in or adjacent to the Erindale Centre. Christian City Church Tuggeranong offers services at the hall of Wanniassa School Senior Campus while they await the construction of a more permanent building in Monash.

In addition to the Active Leisure Centre, sporting facilities in Wanniassa include the Wanniassa Enclosed Oval, the Wanniassa District Playing Fields, the Erindale Playing Fields and the Erindale tennis courts.

Wanniassa is serviced by several ACTION bus routes. Routes 61, 63, 64 and 65 run between the Tuggeranong and Woden Interchanges every twenty to sixty minutes from approximately 7:00 a.m. to approximately 7:00 p.m. The additional service 161 runs from the Tuggeranong Interchange to City West once during the morning peak hour and once in the other direction in the evening peak hour. Route 63 extends to Campbell Park Offices during the morning and evening peak hours. Flexibus Service 964 leaves the Tuggeranong Interchange every hour from 8:20 p.m. to 11:20 p.m. and the Erindale Shops every hour from 8:50pm to 10:50 p.m., and services the suburbs of Wanniassa, Monash and Oxley. Several other routes that service other Tuggeranong suburbs also stop at the Erindale Centre.[5]

Erindale College

Erindale College,[6] is a public college serving students in Years 11 and 12. The College is integrated into and makes use of the various other facilities in Erindale. Erindale College is part of the larger Erindale Education and Recreation Complex. This gives students access to a 450 seat theatre in which productions are presented both by the college and community. The Erindale Library is open during the day and evening all year round. The facilities in the Active Leisure Centre, available for student use, include a 25 metre swimming pool and fully equipped gym.

Geological features

Wanniassa is underlain by Deakin Volcanics from the Silurian age 414 million years old - cream-green and purple rhyodacite in the eastern half, with tuff, agglomerate and rhyolite in the west.[7]

Gardeners have to deal with a high proportion of clay soils leading to poor drainage which can be a problem, especially for those in the hillier parts of the suburb.

References