Gungahlin

The District of Gungahlin is one of the original eighteen districts of the Australian Capital Territory used in land administration. The district is subdivided into divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks. Gungahlin is an Aboriginal word meaning "little rocky hill".

As of 2013 Gungahlin comprised eleven suburbs, including three currently under construction and a further seven suburbs planned. The town of Gungahlin was part of the original 1957 plan for future development in the ACT and in 1991 was officially launched as Canberra’s fourth ‘town’ by the ACT Chief Minister. At the time, the population of Gungahlin was just 389 residents. At the 2011 census, the population of the district was 46,971;^[1][2] and this figure is expected to rise to 60,000 by the year 2016;^[4] and to grow to 72,900 by 2021.^[5]

Within the district is Canberra's northernmost town centre that is situated 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of Canberra city centre. The town centre is one of five satellites of Canberra, seated in Woden, Tuggeranong, Weston Creek and Belconnen.

Establishment and governance

The traditional custodians of the district are the indigenous people of the Ngunawal tribe.^[6]

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 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 This Act was subsequently repealed by the ACT Government and the district is now administered subject to the Districts Act 2002 (ACT).^[7]

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.^[8] 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 in New South Wales.^[9]

Location and urban structure

The district is a set of contiguous residential and industrial suburbs that surround a town centre, together with undeveloped pastoral leases that border with the state of New South Wales to the north, north-east and east. The suburbs are divided from the surrounding districts of Belconnen to the west and south-west, Canberra Central to the south, Majura to the south-east, and Hall to the north-west.

The main industrial suburb of the district is Mitchell.

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 46,971 people in the Gungahlin district, of these 49.4 per cent were male and 50.6 per cent were female. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 1.2 per cent of the population, which was lower than the national and territory averages. The median age of people in the Gungahlin district was 31 years, which was significantly lower than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 24.6 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 4.7 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 54.8 per cent were married and 9.1 per cent were either divorced or separated.^[1]

Population growth in the Gungahlin district between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 35.6 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was in excess of 51 per cent. When compared with total population growth of Australia for the same periods, being 5.78 per cent and 8.32 per cent respectively, population growth in Gungahlin district was significantly higher than the national average.^[10][11] The median weekly income for residents within the Gungahlin district was nearly double the national average, and slightly higher than the territory average.^[1]

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Gungahlin district who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 70 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 40 per cent of all residents in the Gungahlin district nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was lower than the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Gungahlin district had a significantly higher than average proportion (31.4 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a slightly lower proportion (69 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).^[1]

Selected historical census data for the Gungahlin district
Census year			2001[10][12]	2006[11][13]	2011[1][2]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	23,098	31,318	46,971
		District rank in terms of size within the Australian Capital Territory	5th	5th	4th
		Percentage of the Australian Capital Territory population			13.15%
		Percentage of the Australian population	0.12%	0.16%	0.22%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			25.6%
		English			21.1%
		Irish			7.1%
		Scottish			5.6%
		Chinese			5.2%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Mandarin	1.2%	1.6%	3.3%
		Vietnamese	2.1%	1.9%	2.0%
		Cantonese	1.7%	1.7%	1.8%
		Croatian	3.0%	2.2%	1.6%
		Hindi	n/c	n/c	1.5%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	33.0%	30.8%	27.1%
		No Religion	16.0%	19.1%	24.7%
		Anglican	17.1%	16.5%	13.8%
		Buddhism	3.5%	3.5%	4.2%
		Hinduism	n/c	n/c	4.0%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$813	A$1,019
		Percentage of Australian median income		174.5%	176.6%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$1,836	A$2,355
		Percentage of Australian median income		156.8%	159.0%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$1,676	A$2,176
		Percentage of Australian median income		163.2%	176.3%

List of suburbs

Asterisk indicates undeveloped suburbs as of 2014.

Transport

View of Hibberson Street looking east.

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. Local ACTION bus services operate throughout the district.

Currently, studies relating to the construction of a light rail network branded as Capital Metro linking the Gungahlin Town Centre to Civic are underway. The project is intended to address peak-hour congestion on Northbourne Avenue by encouraging public transport use^[14] and results from a commitment by the ACT Government during the 2012 general election to commence construction on the controversial project before 2016.^[15]

Public transport

The ACTION bus service provides public transport throughout Canberra and 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 as well as other town centres in Canberra's south. Some services operate direct to the Belconnen Town Centre. The Gungahlin bus interchange is located in Hibberson Street. The route 200 Red Rapid limited stops express service from the Gungahlin Interchange to Civic, the office precincts of Barton and Russell, Canberra Airport and Fyshwick runs every 15 minutes between 7am and 7pm on weekdays.^[16]

Private transport

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.

A number of projects have improved road access to the Gungahlin district including:

• Duplication of the remaining single lane sections of the Gungahlin Drive Extension (completed 2011).
• Clarrie Hermes Drive extension to the Barton Highway (completed May 2012).
• Flemington Road was upgraded to a dual carriage way between Gungahlin Town Centre and Wells Station Road in 2010. Although this has provided some benefit for travellers, the road is mostly still one lane each way between Well Station Drive at Harrison and the intersection at Northbourne Avenue. This has created major traffic jams on the road, especially in the morning peak hour.

Public facilities

The Gungahlin Community Health Centre, opened in 2012

While the Gungahlin district is serviced by Calvary Hospital and The Canberra Hospital for emergency treatment, a number of private medical practices have established in the town centre and surrounding suburbs. The ACT Government Health Directorate also operates a Community Health Centre, providing access to allied health and outpatient services including mental health services, children's dental and nutrition, diabetes clinic, pathology collection and drug and alcohol counseling services. The clinic opened on 3 September 2012.^[17]

The Australian Capital Territory Emergency Services Agency operates the Gungahlin Joint Emergency Services Centre which provides the Gungahlin district with a local operations centre for Ambulance and Police as well as ACT Fire and Rescue and the Rural Fire Service.

Community and sports organisations

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), Gungahlin United (association football) and the Gungahlin Jets (Australian rules football). All four club play matches at Gungahlin Enclosed Oval. Gungahlin is also represented in the ACT Cricket Association by the North Canberra Gungahlin Cricket Club.

Schools

• John Paul College
• Gold Creek School
• Holy Spirit Primary School
• Good Shepherd Primary School
• Palmerston Primary School
• Amaroo School
• Burgmann Anglican School
• Ngunnawal Primary School
• Harrison School
• Gungahlin College

References

External links

• ACTMAPi - the ACT Government’s interactive mapping service