Weston Creek

Establishment and governance

The traditional custodians of the district are the indigenous people of the Ngunawal tribe.

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 This Act was subsequently repealed by the ACT Government and the district is now administered subject to the Districts Act 2002 (ACT).

European history

The 'four-square mile' (2560 acre) grant to George Weston at the 'Yarrow-Lumla plains' was completed on 31 October 1831. The land was originally settled by James Martin, a former soldier in the NSW Corps, who in August 1827 applied to the government for permission to rent 2,000 acres (810 ha) of land on which he had already built a dwelling and barn, was grazing cattle and sheep, and had sown 12 acres (4.9 ha) with wheat. Martin's claim, however, was not successful.

Along with the adjacent Woden Valley, the area later became part of the 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) Yarralumla Station owned by Frederick Campbell until it was resumed in 1913 as part of a land acquisition scheme after the Federal Capital Territory was declared in 1911. In 1920, over 9,000 acres (3,600 ha) were then subdivided for soldier settlement leases.

The earliest homesteads in the valley were Weston (in the present suburb of Holder), Cooleman (on the southern edge of Chapman), The Rivers (corner of Uriarra Rd and Coppins Crossing Rd), Blundell's Homestead (off of Coppins Crossing Rd, near the large bend in the Molonglo River), and Taylor's Hill (between present day Waramanga and Pearce). The homesteads of Illoura (present suburb of North Weston) and Avondale (present day Holder) were also built in the 1920s.

John and Ellen Fox were amongst the first settlers in the Weston valley, living at the Weston homestead from about the 1860s. Several of their nine children were born at Weston, and their son David Fox and his wife Margaret later took over the property. A 1914 map of Canberra shows D. Fox residing at the property, located between what is now Dixon Drive and Hellyer Street, Holder. Later electoral rolls show Margaret continuing to reside at the property following David's death at age 49 in 1926. The Avondale homestead was further to the east, closer to the centre of current day Holder. David's brother, Owen Fox, is shown on the 1914 map as residing at Taylor's Hill.

The Weston and Taylor's Hill leases were purchased by a Mr Dent in October 1932, and used for mixed farming and grazing. The Weston lease was then purchased in 1937 by Rudolph and Eileen De Salis. Rudolph was born at Cuppacumalong homestead near Tharwa, and had lived at 'Bondo' near Cooma and 'Yarrawa' near Adaminaby before moving to Weston. Rudolph remained at Weston until he died in February 1957, aged 70. Members of the De Salis family continued to live at Weston up until the late-1960s. Cooleman was farmed by Heather and Philip Champion from about 1932.

Early roads and landmarks

In 1914, the two main roads running into the Weston Creek district were Uriarra Road (now Cotter Road) from the northeast and Long Gully Road from the southeast (through present day Waramanga). Uriarra Road followed the current day Cotter Road from Weston Creek past the Yarralumla Woolshed and then across through present day Kingston to Queanbeyan, passing just south of where Parliament House now sits. Cotter River Road branched off of Uriarra Road near the present day RSPCA site. Long Gully Road came into the valley through present day Waramanga and ran to the west to what is now the corner of Streeton Dr and Darwinia Tce, between Stirling and Rivett. The route of the original road is still easily discernible on present day maps, as it followed what is now green space between Nagara St and Nemarang Cres in Waramanga, then across the playing fields to Namatjira Dr, and then along the green space over Fremantle Dr to the corner of Streeton Dr and Darwinia Tce. The road then connected with Uriarra Road to the north, passing through present day Rivett to the corner of Dixon Dr and Hindmarsh Dr, Holder, and then directly through the suburb of Holder, connecting with Uriarra Rd north of present-day Dixon Drive (near Counsel St). A bitumen stretch of the original road is still clearly visible opposite 134 Dixon Drive.

Kambah Road ran south from Cotter Road, through the Weston Creek area, into present day Tuggeranong where it veered east to connect with the Monaro Highway. Kambah Pool Road branched off from it within the present day suburb of Kambah. The intersection between Kambah Road and Long Gully Road was situated within present day Stirling Oval. Prior to the development of Tuggeranong, Namatjira Drive between Chapman and Fisher (a sealed road) turned into the remainder of Kambah Road (a gravel road which was sealed in 1972). This provided access to the Kambah Pool reserve for residents in the Woden/Weston Creek area.

Early landmarks in the district were Narrabundah Hill (still Narrabundah Hill, west of Duffy), Dawson Hill (now Calder Pl, Holder), Mount Stromlo to the north west, and Taylor's Hill to the southeast (now Mt Taylor). Western Creek (later known as Weston Creek) followed the course of the present day stormwater drain just to the east of Weston Creek Centre, then along present day Streeton Drive and into the Molonglo River (where present day Weston Creek still terminates).

Demographics

At the 2011 census, there were 22,746 people in the Weston Creek district, of these 48.8 per cent were male and 51.2 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 Weston Creek district was 40 years, which was higher than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 19.2 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 17.0 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 53.2 per cent were married and 11.3 per cent were either divorced or separated.

Between the 2001 census and the 2006 census, the population in the Weston Creek district decreased by 0.94 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, the population grew by 2.8 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 Weston Creek district was significantly lower than the national average. The median weekly income for residents within the Weston Creek district was significantly higher than the national average, and marginally lower than the territory average.

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Weston Creek district who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 72 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 49 per cent of all residents in the Weston Creek district nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was approximately equal to the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Weston Creek district had a lower than average proportion (15.1 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a higher proportion (85.0 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).

Sewerage treatment plant

Weston Creek was the site of Canberra's main sewerage treatment plant from the early days of Canberra's settlement up until the late-1970s. Located by the river down the hill from the present day RSPCA site, the plant was proposed as early as 1915. Following several studies, it was approved for construction by the Federal Capital Advisory Committee in January 1924, and commenced operating in 1927. Sewerage from the fledgling city of Canberra was pumped to the site through an underground pipe from the vicinity of the Canberra Hotel, through the Yarralumla area. In the late-1960s, odours from the plant became a problem in the expanding residential areas of Woden and Weston Creek, and also at nearby Government House. Several refinements were made to the plant, and the sludge drying beds were abandoned. The plant was closed in August 1978 and replaced by the new Lower Molonglo Water Quality Control Centre.

In December 2010, during excavation work to construct the North Weston Pond as part of the new Molonglo Valley development, 90,000 tonnes of asbestos-contaminated waste were discovered buried near the former sewerage treatment plant site. The contaminated soil contained asbestos sheets and pipes that were dumped at the site by builders from around Canberra during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Residential development

Weston Creek was established as a residential district in the late-1960s as an offshoot of Canberra's first satellite city in the adjacent Woden Valley. Construction of Weston Creek's eight suburbs commenced with Waramanga and Fisher in 1968, and was followed by Weston and Rivett in 1969, Duffy and Holder in 1970, and Chapman and Stirling in 1972. Each suburb has its own local shops, and they all share the larger district centre of Cooleman Court situated in Weston. Each suburb is named after a notable Australian, and the street names in each suburb follow a specific theme such as Australian rivers, native flowers, or names of surveyors.

Bushfires

Situated on Canberra's western edge adjacent to open farmland and formerly large pine plantations, the Weston Creek district has been affected by several serious bushfires. The more notable fires have been:

Community

Local sports teams include the Weston Molonglo Football Club (formally known as Weston Creek Soccer Club), Royals (Rugby Union), Weston Creek Lions (Australian rules football), Weston Creek Indians (Baseball), a men's and women's Lawn Bowls team and Weston Creek Cricket Club. Established in 1976, notable players in the cricket club include Greg Irvine (from 1979), Michael Bevan (1985), Huntley Armstrong (1985) and even star rugby player George Gregan (1990). There is also a Weston Creek netball competition, called Arawang, comprising several teams.

Junior sporting groups are also well represented with the Weston Creek Little Athletics centre being established in 1976. The centre currently trains and competes at Chapman oval every Saturday during the summer months.

The district is currently unique for having only one public high school. Named Stromlo, the school is located in the suburb of Waramanga. Until the 1990s there were two public high schools — Stromlo High School, originally called Weston Creek High School, and Holder High School, located in Holder. Holder High School was closed in 1991 and the two schools merged to become Stromlo High.

The Weston Creek valley was serviced by one senior secondary college, Stirling, which opened in 1977. In 1997, the Stirling College amalgamated with Phillip College to become the Canberra College. Initially, the united colleges ran out of both Woden and Weston campuses. The mainstream student body gradually moved to the Woden campus, leaving an alternative education set of programmes at the Weston campus. The CCCares ( Canberra College Cares) programme is the only remaining element of the Canberra College in Weston Creek, running in the old Stirling complex. CCCares is an internationally recognised, multi-award winning alternative education setting catering for the needs of pregnant and parenting students from the ACT and nearby regional areas.

A Community Council, known as the Weston Creek Community Council (WCCC), provides the residents of the district with a forum to convey concerns to government, and lobbies government and bureaucrats for services and facilities for Weston Creek. It was established due to concern amongst district residents that they lacked a political voice in the legislative process in Canberra, with the closure of Holder High School in 1991 the initial catalyst for bringing residents together.

The Australian Defence College's Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies (CDSS) and Australian Command and Staff College (ACSC) are both located at Weston Creek.

Notable residents