Weston Creek is a residential district of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, situated to the west of the Woden Valley district and approximately 13 km southwest of the Canberra city centre. The district was previously situated adjacent to the large Stromlo Forest pine plantation until the forest was destroyed by bushfires in 2001 and 2003.

History

Weston Creek was named after Captain George Edward Weston, a former officer of the East India Company who arrived in Australia in 1829 and was granted land in the Weston Creek area in 1831. 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 of land on which he had already built a dwelling and barn, was grazing cattle and sheep, and had sown with wheat. Martin's claim, however, was not successful.

Along with the adjacent Woden Valley, the area later became part of the 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 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 Warramanga 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 road 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 discernable 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 oppostite 134 Dixon Drive.

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).

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:

Feb 1952. Several observatory buildings and equipment were damaged and more than 100,000 pine trees destroyed when a bushfire swept across Mount Stromlo and into the Weston valley on 5 February 1952.

Dec 2001. Fire swept through the Stromlo Pine Forest adjacent to Weston Creek on 24 Dec 2001, threatening the suburbs of Duffy, Holder, Weston, Curtin and Yarralumla. It burnt areas of the National Zoo & Aquarium and Government House, and reached Adelaide Avenue, Deakin, before being contained.

Jan 2003. Weston Creek was hard hit by the 18 January 2003 Canberra bushfires, with nearly 500 homes destroyed and four people killed. Duffy bore the brunt of the bushfires with 219 homes destroyed, while parts of Chapman, Holder, Rivett and Weston also suffered significant damage. A Bushfire Memorial was established in nearby Stromlo and opened on 18 January 2005.

Demographics

The population of the Weston Creek district in 2006 was 22,717. The median age was 39, and 27.1% of the population were aged 55 and over compared with the national figure of 24.3%. Over 92% of residents were Australian citizens, compared with the national figure of 86.1%, although 21% were born overseas. The unemployment rate in 2006 of 2.9% was well below the national figure of 5.2%, and the median individual income was $737 compared with the national average of $466. Not surprisingly for a district of Canberra, nearly 24% of the workforce were Commonwealth public service or Defence, compared with the national figure of 2%.

Community

Local sports teams include the Royals (Rugby Union), Weston Creek Lions (Australian rules football), Weston Creek Indians (Baseball), Weston Creek Soccer Club, 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.

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.

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.

Australian Defence College

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

Former Australia national rugby union team Captain, George Gregan, grew up in Weston Creek. Former Australian representative cricketer, Michael Bevan, grew up in Weston Creek. Author and ABC radio host Helen Razer grew up in Weston Creek. Former marathon runner Robert de Castella lives in Weston Creek. {| | |}

References

External links

Canberra region map - Weston Creek district

Canberra History

Satellite image from Google Maps

Category:Districts of Canberra

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