Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory
Encyclopedia
Belconnen is a suburb of Canberra
, Australia
in the district of Belconnen
. It contains the Belconnen Town Centre
, Lake Ginninderra
and several residential areas. It is bounded by Ginninderra Drive, Aikman Drive, Eastern Valley Way, Belconnen Way and Coulter Drive. It has a number of parks such as Diddams Close Park and John Knight Memorial Park.
The suburb name is associated with the locality since the days of the early settlers. The streets in Belconnen are named for Lord Mayors and Mayors.
Belconnen Town Centre
is the major commercial centre for the Canberra district of Belconnen
and is located in the suburb of Belconnen. Belconnen Town Centre includes the region's major shopping centre, Westfield Belconnen
, large government office buildings including Cameron Offices
, Australian Bureau of Statistics
and Department of Immigration and Citizenship, and three bus stations. Government plans were released early in 2009, detailing refurbishment of the areas surrounding the shopping centre, including the relocation of the bus interchange and the extension of the bus lane.
The service and trades area is located in the suburb's west. In this area can be found car dealers and repairers, petrol stations, hardware stores, restaurants and many other specialty retailers.
Lake Ginninderra College
, a secondary college for years 11 and 12, is located on Emu Bank, on the south-eastern shore of Lake Ginninderra.
Emu Ridge is often regarded as a suburb, mainly due to its distinct boundaries and because the name helps differentiate this part of the suburb from other parts of the suburb.
It is at the intersection of two faults that form an X shape across Canberra. These are the Deakin Fault and the Winslade Fault.
Green grey rhyodacite
of the Walker Volcanics is in the south along Belconnen Way.
Deakin Volcanics purple rhyodacite is around the north end of Josephson St. Deakin Volcanics green grey and purple rhyodacite goes east from Lathlain Dr to Chandler St. Grey green dacite
and quartz andesite
Hawkins Volcanics is in a strip from the north west corner heading south east between two branches of the Deakin fault to around Chandler St and Hennessey St.
A porphyry
of Green-grey Dacitic intrusive containing large white Feldspar crystals is west of Eastern Valley Way and in between the two arms of Lake Ginninderra. Glebe Farm Adamellite intrusion is found to the south and east of Lake Ginninderra. Ordovician Pittman Formation greywacke
is in the extreme south east and far north east of the town centre. Calcareous Shale
from the Yass Subgroup is to the west of Lake Ginninderra.
Dark grey and black laminated shale from the Acton Shale member is found on the west side of the Diddams Close Park in between the two arms of the lake.
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the district of Belconnen
Belconnen
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 ....
. It contains the Belconnen Town Centre
Belconnen Town Centre
Belconnen Town Centre is located in the suburb of Belconnen on the south-western shore of Lake Ginninderra in Canberra, Australia. It is the town centre for the Belconnen district....
, Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra
Lake Ginninderra is an artificial lake located on the Ginninderra Creek in Canberra. It is adjacent to the Belconnen Town Centre. The lake was constructed in 1974 to collect stormwater discharge from a 98.8km² catchment that includes the surrounding suburbs of Aranda, Macquarie, Cook, Bruce,...
and several residential areas. It is bounded by Ginninderra Drive, Aikman Drive, Eastern Valley Way, Belconnen Way and Coulter Drive. It has a number of parks such as Diddams Close Park and John Knight Memorial Park.
The suburb name is associated with the locality since the days of the early settlers. The streets in Belconnen are named for Lord Mayors and Mayors.
Belconnen Town Centre
Belconnen Town Centre
Belconnen Town Centre is located in the suburb of Belconnen on the south-western shore of Lake Ginninderra in Canberra, Australia. It is the town centre for the Belconnen district....
is the major commercial centre for the Canberra district of Belconnen
Belconnen
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 ....
and is located in the suburb of Belconnen. Belconnen Town Centre includes the region's major shopping centre, Westfield Belconnen
Westfield Belconnen
Westfield Belconnen, also known colloquially as "Belconnen Mall", is managed by Westfield Group and located in the Canberra suburb of Belconnen, Australia. The shopping centre is one of the largest in Canberra, featuring around 270 specialty stores....
, large government office buildings including Cameron Offices
Cameron Offices, Belconnen
The Cameron Offices, are located in the Australian capital Canberra, in the satellite district of Belconnen. The buildings were used to house Australian Commonwealth Government departments, most recently the government superannuation agency, ComSuper...
, Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
and Department of Immigration and Citizenship, and three bus stations. Government plans were released early in 2009, detailing refurbishment of the areas surrounding the shopping centre, including the relocation of the bus interchange and the extension of the bus lane.
The service and trades area is located in the suburb's west. In this area can be found car dealers and repairers, petrol stations, hardware stores, restaurants and many other specialty retailers.
Lake Ginninderra College
Lake Ginninderra College
University of Canberra Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra, formerly known as Lake Ginninderra College until 2011, is a public secondary college catering for students in Years 11 and 12...
, a secondary college for years 11 and 12, is located on Emu Bank, on the south-eastern shore of Lake Ginninderra.
Residential areas
Belconnen includes residential development areas, "Emu Ridge" in the south-east, "Ginninderra Heights" in the north-west and apartment buildings in Chandler and Beissel Streets.Emu Ridge
Emu Ridge is bounded by Benjamin Way, College Street, Eastern Valley Way and Belconnen Way; Hennessy Street and Condell Street are the two main thoroughfares, with many cul-de-sacs off these. Emu Ridge consists solely of medium to high-density housing.Emu Ridge is often regarded as a suburb, mainly due to its distinct boundaries and because the name helps differentiate this part of the suburb from other parts of the suburb.
Ginninderra Heights
Ginninderra Heights was the name given to the medium-density residential development centred around Totterdell Street in the north-west of Belconnen.Geology
Belconnen has the highest density of different kinds of rocks outcropping of any Canberra suburb.It is at the intersection of two faults that form an X shape across Canberra. These are the Deakin Fault and the Winslade Fault.
Green grey rhyodacite
Rhyodacite
Rhyodacite is an extrusive volcanic rock intermediate in composition between dacite and rhyolite. It is the extrusive equivalent of granodiorite. Phenocrysts of sodium rich plagioclase, sanidine, quartz, and biotite or hornblende are typically set in an aphanitic to glassy light to intermediate...
of the Walker Volcanics is in the south along Belconnen Way.
Deakin Volcanics purple rhyodacite is around the north end of Josephson St. Deakin Volcanics green grey and purple rhyodacite goes east from Lathlain Dr to Chandler St. Grey green dacite
Dacite
Dacite is an igneous, volcanic rock. It has an aphanitic to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite. The relative proportions of feldspars and quartz in dacite, and in many other volcanic rocks, are illustrated in the QAPF diagram...
and quartz andesite
Andesite
Andesite is an extrusive igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,...
Hawkins Volcanics is in a strip from the north west corner heading south east between two branches of the Deakin fault to around Chandler St and Hennessey St.
A porphyry
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
of Green-grey Dacitic intrusive containing large white Feldspar crystals is west of Eastern Valley Way and in between the two arms of Lake Ginninderra. Glebe Farm Adamellite intrusion is found to the south and east of Lake Ginninderra. Ordovician Pittman Formation greywacke
Greywacke
Greywacke or Graywacke is a variety of sandstone generally characterized by its hardness, dark color, and poorly sorted angular grains of quartz, feldspar, and small rock fragments or lithic fragments set in a compact, clay-fine matrix. It is a texturally immature sedimentary rock generally found...
is in the extreme south east and far north east of the town centre. Calcareous Shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
from the Yass Subgroup is to the west of Lake Ginninderra.
Dark grey and black laminated shale from the Acton Shale member is found on the west side of the Diddams Close Park in between the two arms of the lake.