Weetangera, Australian Capital Territory

Weetangera () is a suburb in the Belconnen district of Canberra, located within the Australian Capital Territory, Australia. The suburb covers an area of approximately 158 hectares (390 acres). Located approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north-west of the city, Weetangera is bounded by Springvale Drive to the south and west, Coulter Drive to the east and Belconnen Way to the north. The Pinnacle Nature Reserve, a Canberra Nature Park is adjacent to the south of the suburb, across Springvale Drive.

Etymology

Weetangera is named after the original name of the property "Spring Vale", which in turn had been given a name of Aboriginal origin. In 1934, Australian journalist Frederic Slater claimed that the name "Wittanjirra" was an Aboriginal word meaning "to suck, to drink greedily", referring to a spring near the Weetangera Public School. However, Slater does not provide evidence to support this claim.

History

Aboriginal settlement of the Australian Capital Territory dates back over 20,000 years. Grinding grooves located on the Molonglo River to the south of Weetangera provide evidence of Aboriginal use of the region pre-colonisation.[1] Members of the 'Canberra Tribe' continued to camp near Weetangera until the 1860s.

Europeans first settled in the area in the 1820s, with the name Weetangera (also Weetangerra and Weetangara in early documents) applied to the local vicinity from this time. Weetangera was also the name for the historic Weetangera parish, which included the land from Ginninderra Creek to the Molonglo River.

The Weetangera Public School was first built to service the area in 1875, facing onto the Weetangera Road (now Belconnen Way).

Samuel Shumack lived at "Spring Vale" in Weetangera between 1866 and 1915. Shumack and his father had taken up the land for farming when Samuel was eight years old. Samuel Shumack lived on the property with his family until it was claimed as land for the nation's capital in 1915.

The Southwell family were significant to Weetangera, and various members of the family are buried in the Weetangera Cemetery and former Methodist Church now sited to the west of the adjoining suburb, Hawker.

The modern suburb of Weetangera was officially gazetted by the ACT Government in 1968, with a street theme: 'Pioneers of the Australian Capital Territory'. After the gazetting, the first modern settlers moved into the suburb in 1970 and the first students moved into the Weetangera Primary School, located about a kilometre from the old Weetangera Primary School, in 1973. Today, the suburb is home to over 2500 people.

Political representation

For the purposes of Australian federal elections for the House of Representatives, Weetangera is in the Division of Canberra.

For the purposes of Australian Capital Territory elections for the ACT Legislative Assembly, Weetangera is in the Ginninderra electorate.

Demographics

People who live in Weetangera are called Weetangerans. At the 2016 census, Weetangera had a population of 2,576 people. The census shows that Weetangera residents have a median age of 43 which is older than the ACT median of 35 and the Australian median of 38. The median weekly household income was A$2,699, significantly more than the ACT median of $2,070 and the Australian median of $1,438.

Weetangera's population is predominantly Australian-born; 75.0 per cent on census night 2016. The second most common birthplace was England at 4.3 per cent. The most common religion is 'no religion', with 41.0% of the population reporting they were not religious.

Suburb amenities

Weetangera has a small shopping centre containing a bakery, beauty salon, dentist, coffee shop, gym, Pakistani restaurant and cleaner.

The suburb is also home to the Weetangera Neighbourhood Oval. The ACT Government announced restoration plans for the oval in June 2012, committing $4 million to three ovals, including the Weetangera oval, over a three-year period. The money is for the installation of irrigation systems, synthetic cricket wickets and practice nets, floodlights and a small pavilion and toilet block.

Educational institutions

Both Weetangera Primary School (1973–present) and Weetangera Preschool.

Historic Public School

The first Public School (pre-High School) was sited on land of the original farming property, and opened on 27 April 1875, with 27 students. The first teacher was Mr Ewan Cameron, a member of the Weetangera community and a parent of a student.

The site is between (beside) the present Belconnen Way (north) and Smith and Kinleyside Streets (south). It now a park, with children's play area, with several lines of pine trees that were planted by students of the original school in about 1919 and 1928/9 (Arbor Day).

People honoured in the streets of Weetangera

The street names in Weetangera are predominantly named for ACT pioneers:

Geology

Silurian age green grey rhyodacite of the Walker Volcanics underlie the whole suburb.

References