Belconnen (district)
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Belconnen is a district of Canberra, the Capital city of Australia, comprising 25 suburbs with 29,900 dwellings housing 82,247 people of the 311,518 people in the Australian Capital Territory (June 2001 Census).
Belconnen is situated to the north-west of Canberra's city centre, and surrounds Lake Ginninderra (artificial) on Ginninderra Creek that runs north-west towards the Molonglo River and then into the Murrumbidgee River.'
The name is derived from an Aboriginal expression meaning "I don't know".
Places of note and interest
- The Belconnen Town Centre has a major shopping mall operated by Westfield, surrounded by government and private offices, and a light industrial area.
- In the suburb of Bruce are:
- The Royal Australian Navy established a very low and high frequency radio transmitting station in Belconnen in the 1930s, predating the establishment of Belconnen as a suburban complex. Part of the site will become the new suburb of Lawson from 2005/6.
- The three 600 foot high towers for the now decommissioned 44kHz transmitter can be seen from most places in Belconnen.
Controversially, as at November 2004, the Gungahlin Drive Extension (GDE) is being built through the natural forest and open woodlands of Belconnen, running north-south beside the Australian Institute of Sport, joining Gungahlin Drive with the Tuggeranong Parkway (the major north-south motorway through Canberra.)
- Supporters of natural parkland want the road building stopped, and have demonstrated at the ACT Legislative Assembly and by chaining themselves to earthmoving equipment;
- Gungahlin residents were promised the road as part of their district's development, and have protested against the anti-road supporters;
- The ACT Government has determined that the road should be built, and has changed the law to prevent further opposition from community groups.
- The Belconnen community website EMag is the voice of Belconnen residents. Belconnen Community EMag (http://www.belconnen.org.au)
Suburbs
- Aranda
- Belconnen - Belconnen Town Centre
- Bruce
- Charnwood - Charnwood Centre
- Cook
- Dunlop
- Evatt
- Florey
- Fraser
- Flynn
- Giralang
- Hawker
- Holt - Kippax Fair
- Kaleen
- Macgregor
- Macquarie - Jamison Centre
- McKellar
- Melba
- Latham
- Lawson
- Higgins
- Holt
- Scullin
- Spence
- Page
- Weetangera
External links
- Belconnen suburbs map (http://www.suburbs.canberra.net.au/regionma/Fdisbelc.htm) - links to ACT Government (http://www.act.gov.au) street-level maps.
- Canberra region map (http://www.suburbs.canberra.net.au/html/fsregion.htm) - all districts
- Australian Bureau of Statistics (http://www.abs.gov.au)
- 80510 Belconnen (Statistical Subdivision) (http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs%40census.nsf/ddc9b4f92657325cca256c3e000bdbaf/33b7d51309a6097dca256bbf0001cba2!OpenDocument)
- ACT - Basic Community Profile and Snapshot - 2001 Census (http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs%40census.nsf/4079a1bbd2a04b80ca256b9d00208f92/500602ae851edf97ca256bbf0001c9ed!OpenDocument#CensusCounts)