Gungahlin

The traditional custodians of the district are the indigenous people of the Ngunnawal tribe.[8]

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 (Cth) which, after the enactment of the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988,[9] became the Districts Act 1966.[10] This Act was subsequently repealed by the ACT Government and the district is now administered subject to the Districts Act 2002.[11]

During colonial times and up until the late 1960s, present-day Gungahlin was part of the former farmlands of Ginninderra. Ginninderra Village and later still the village of Hall serviced the needs of the local farming community. Free settlers included farming families such as the Rolfe, Shumack, Gillespie and Gribble families.[12] These settlers established wheat and sheep properties such as 'Weetangara', 'Gold Creek', 'The Valley', 'Horse Park' and 'Tea Gardens'. Much of the local produce supplied the large workforce at goldfields located at Braidwood and Major's Creek in New South Wales.[13]

The district is a set of contiguous residential and industrial suburbs that surround a town centre, together with undeveloped pastoral leases that border with the state of New South Wales to the north, north-east and east. The suburbs are divided from the surrounding districts of Belconnen to the west and south-west, Canberra Central to the south, Majura to the south-east, and Hall to the north-west.

The main industrial suburb of the district is Mitchell.

Churches:

There are many religious organisations and churches located in Gungahlin.

Gungahlin Uniting Church is located on 108, The Valley Avenue.

Gungahlin Anglican Church is located at the Grace Chapel at the Valley Avenue

Forde Anglican Church is located at Chiesa Street, Forde.

The Salvation Army Church is located on 104 The Valley Avenue.

Every Nation Community Parish is located inside The Salvation Army Church Building.

Cornerstone Christian Church is located inside The Salvation Army Church Building.

Gungahlin Mosque is located on 140, The Valley Avenue.

Schools: Gungahlin College is located on 23 Gozzard Street. Burgmann Anglican School is located on 4, The Valley Avenue.

At the 2011 census, there were 46,971 people in the Gungahlin district, of these 49.4 per cent were male and 50.6 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 Gungahlin district was 31 years, which was significantly lower than the national median of 37 years. Children aged 0 – 14 years made up 24.6 per cent of the population and people aged 65 years and over made up 4.7 per cent of the population. Of people in the area aged 15 years and over, 54.8 per cent were married and 9.1 per cent were either divorced or separated.[5]

Population growth in the Gungahlin district between the 2001 census and the 2006 census was 35.6 per cent; and in the subsequent five years to the 2011 census, population growth was in excess of 51 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 Gungahlin district was significantly higher than the national average.[14][15] The median weekly income for residents within the Gungahlin district was nearly double the national average, and slightly higher than the territory average.[5]

At the 2011 census, the proportion of residents in the Gungahlin district who stated their ancestry as Australian or Anglo-Saxon exceeded 70 per cent of all residents (national average was 65.2 per cent). In excess of 40 per cent of all residents in the Gungahlin district nominated a religious affiliation with Christianity at the 2011 census, which was lower than the national average of 50.2 per cent. Meanwhile, as at the census date, compared to the national average, households in the Gungahlin district had a significantly higher than average proportion (31.4 per cent) where two or more languages are spoken (national average was 20.4 per cent); and a slightly lower proportion (69 per cent) where English only was spoken at home (national average was 76.8 per cent).[5]

Selected historical census data for the Gungahlin district
Census year			2001[14][16]	2006[15][17]	2011[5][6]
Population		Estimated residents on census night	23,098	31,318	46,971
		District rank in terms of size within the Australian Capital Territory	5th	5th	4th
		Percentage of the Australian Capital Territory population			13.15%
		Percentage of the Australian population	0.12%	0.16%	0.22%
Cultural and language diversity
Ancestry, top responses		Australian			25.6%
		English			21.1%
		Irish			7.1%
		Scottish			5.6%
		Chinese			5.2%
Language, top responses (other than English)		Mandarin	1.2%	1.6%	3.3%
		Vietnamese	2.1%	1.9%	2.0%
		Cantonese	1.7%	1.7%	1.8%
		Croatian	3.0%	2.2%	1.6%
		Hindi	n/c	n/c	1.5%
Religious affiliation
Religious affiliation, top responses		Catholic	33.0%	30.8%	27.1%
		No Religion	16.0%	19.1%	24.7%
		Anglican	17.1%	16.5%	13.8%
		Buddhism	3.5%	3.5%	4.2%
		Hinduism	n/c	n/c	4.0%
Median weekly incomes
Personal income		Median weekly personal income		A$813	A$1,019
		Percentage of Australian median income		174.5%	176.6%
Family income		Median weekly family income		A$1,836	A$2,355
		Percentage of Australian median income		156.8%	159.0%
Household income		Median weekly household income		A$1,676	A$2,176
		Percentage of Australian median income		163.2%	176.3%

Asterisk indicates undeveloped suburbs as of 2018.

View of Hibberson Street looking east.

The primary mode of transport within the district is by private vehicle. Despite continued discussion about the preference for sustainable public transport especially light rail, Gungahlin's development is still guided by a philosophy of reliance on private personal transport and an extensive road network.

The Gungahlin Community Health Centre, opened in 2012

While the Gungahlin district is serviced by Calvary Hospital and The Canberra Hospital for emergency treatment, a number of private medical practices have established in the town centre and surrounding suburbs. The ACT Government Health Directorate also operates a Community Health Centre, providing access to allied health and outpatient services including mental health services, children's dental and nutrition, diabetes clinic, pathology collection and drug and alcohol counseling services. The clinic opened on 3 September 2012.[19]

The Australian Capital Territory Emergency Services Agency operates the Gungahlin Joint Emergency Services Centre which provides the Gungahlin district with a local operations centre for Ambulance and Police as well as ACT Fire and Rescue and the Rural Fire Service.

The Gungahlin Community Council is the peak community representative organisation for the district.

Gungahlin local sport teams include the Gungahlin Eagles (rugby union), the Gungahlin Bulls (rugby league), Gungahlin United (association football) and the Gungahlin Jets (Australian rules football). All four clubs play matches at Gungahlin Enclosed Oval. Gungahlin is also represented in the ACT Cricket Association by the North Canberra Gungahlin Cricket Club.

• John Paul College
• Gold Creek School
• Holy Spirit Primary School
• Good Shepherd Primary School
• Palmerston Primary School
• Amaroo School
• Burgmann Anglican School
• Ngunnawal Primary School
• Harrison School
• Gungahlin College

• ACTMAPi - the ACT Government's interactive mapping service