Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory

Belconnen Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Population:	3057 (2006 census)
Established:	1983
Postcode:	2617
District:	Belconnen
Assembly Electorate:	Ginninderra
Federal Division:	Fraser
Suburbs around Belconnen: Evatt McKellar Lawson Florey Belconnen Bruce Page Macquarie Aranda

Cohen Street Bus Station

Belconnen (postcode: 2617) 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.

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

Aerial view from the west

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 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.

See also: Geology of the Australian Capital Territory