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Yarralumla, Australian Capital Territory

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   '
   Canberra,  Australian Capital Territory
   Population:     3026 (2001 census)
   Established:    1928
   Postcode:       2600
   Property Value: AU$692,000 (2005) AUD
   District:       South Canberra


            Suburbs around '
   Black Mountain Acton      Civic
       Parkes       '    Stromlo Forest
       Curtin     Deakin  Capital Hill

   [[Category:1928 establishments|]][[Category:Suburbs of Canberra|]]

   Yarralumla is a large suburb in the inner south of Canberra, the
   capital city of Australia. Located approximately 3.5 kilometres
   south-west of the city centre, Yarralumla extends for much of the
   southern bank of Lake Burley Griffin.

   Europeans first settled in the area in 1828. It was officially named
   Yarralumla after the local Ngunnawal Indigenous Australian name for the
   area in 1834. Fredrick Campbell built a large homestead on his property
   in 1891 that now serves as Government House, the official residence of
   the Governor-General of Australia. The suburb was officially gazetted
   in 1928 and today is home to approximately 3000 people and many
   diplomatic missions. In recent years, it has become one of Canberra's
   most desirable and expensive suburbs because of its leafy streets,
   attractive lakeside setting and central location.

Geography

   Yarralumla is located in the central Canberra district of South
   Canberra. It is bordered by Lake Burley Griffin to the north,
   Commonwealth Avenue and Capital Hill to the east, Adelaide Avenue and
   the Cotter Road to the south, and Scrivener Dam and part of the
   Molonglo River to the west.

   Although Yarralumla is one of the largest suburbs in Canberra by area,
   its population remains quite small because more than half of its area
   consists of open space or non-residential developments. Yarralumla's
   open areas, Weston and Stirling Parks, the Royal Canberra Golf Club,
   the grounds of Government House and its proximity to the City and Lake
   Burley Griffin, are the main reasons for its growing popularity.
   Map of Yarralumla, located south of Lake Burley Griffin
   Enlarge
   Map of Yarralumla, located south of Lake Burley Griffin

   The embassy area of Yarralumla is located towards the eastern end of
   the suburb next to Stirling Park. It is the hilliest area of Yarralumla
   and was one of the most recent parts to be developed; Parliament House
   and the Parliamentary Triangle are located nearby.

   The streets in Yarralumla are named after Australian governors and
   botanists.^ Most of the older streets in the suburb are laid out on a
   rectangular grid, while the more hilly eastern end of the suburb,
   including the embassy area, is set out with organic contour-guided
   roads. Major roads in Yarralumla include Banks Street, Novar Street and
   Hopetoun Circuit in a north-south direction and Schlich Street, Loftus
   Street and Weston Street running east-west. Being a dormitory suburb
   there are no major through roads. Access to the rest of the city can be
   made from Adelaide Avenue, Commonwealth Avenue, Lady Denman Drive and
   the Cotter Road, all of which run along the borders of the suburb.

   Yarralumla is located on the Yarralumla Formation which is a mudstone/
   siltstone formation that was formed around 425 million years ago during
   the Silurian Period. The formation extends from Red Hill and Woden in
   the South to Lake Burley Griffin in to the north, passing under the
   suburb of Yarralumla. The formation is evidence of the last major
   marine sedimentary period when eastern Australia was still covered by
   shallow seas. It shows fossil evidence of trilobites, coral and
   primitive crinoids. The Yarralumla brickworks quarry and the Deakin
   anticline are places where the formation is exposed and easily
   studied.^

History

Settlement

   Yarralumla woolshed in 1925
   Enlarge
   Yarralumla woolshed in 1925
   Workers at Yarralumla Brickworks in 1924
   Enlarge
   Workers at Yarralumla Brickworks in 1924

   The area now called Yarralumla is part of two original land grants,
   which were granted to free settlers for the establishment of farms. In
   1828 Henry Donnison was granted an allotment on the western side of
   Stirling Ridge, while a second grant was made to William
   Klensendorlffe, who had bought the land from John Stephen, on 7 March
   1839. Donnison's land was officially named Yarralumla in a survey of
   the area conducted in 1834. Yarralumla was a name for the area used by
   the local Ngunnawal people, apparently meaning "echo". Fredrick
   Campbell, a descendant of Robert Campbell, bought the property in 1881
   and built a new three-storey house that would later form the basis of
   what is now the Governor General's residence Government House. Campbell
   also built a large woolshed nearby in 1904 that remains standing to
   this day.^

   In 1908, the Limestone Plains area, including Yarralumla, was selected
   as the site for the capital city of the newly-established Commonwealth
   of Australia. Soon afterwards in 1913, the Commonwealth Government
   purchased both properties. Tenant farmers were allowed to stay on the
   land on annual leases, some remaining until 1963 when the Molonglo
   River was dammed to form Lake Burley Griffin.

Development

   With the construction of Australia's capital city underway, the
   Yarralumla brickworks were established in 1913 to supply building
   material. The bricks were used for many of Canberra's buildings,
   including the provisional Parliament House. In 1917 Walter Burley
   Griffin named the area surrounding the brickworks "Westridge".^ A
   Narrow gauge goods railway line was constructed for the transportation
   of bricks to some of the major building sites in central Canberra. This
   linked the brickworks to places like Parliament House, and the Kingston
   Power House.^
   The Yarralumla Brickworks today
   Enlarge
   The Yarralumla Brickworks today

   Construction on the Commonwealth nursery and Westbourne Woods arboretum
   was started in 1914, and a temporary camp was built near the brickworks
   to accommodate the workers. Thomas Charles Weston was Officer-in-Charge
   (Afforestation Branch) in the years 1913 to 1926, and later became
   Director of City Planting and the Superintendent of Parks and Gardens.
   Weston was responsible for testing and selecting plant species at the
   arboretum for their suitability to Canberra's environment; from 1913
   through to 1924 Weston oversaw the propagation of more than two million
   trees which were then planted in the Canberra area.^ Most of the
   original Westbourne Woods arboretum is now leased to the Royal Canberra
   Golf Club, with the remainder forming part of Weston Park. The
   Yarralumla nursery is still active, albeit on a smaller scale and
   functioning as a retail nursery selling both wholesale and direct to
   the public.^

   In 1922 A workers' tent camp was erected in the area on the eastern
   side of Stirling Ridge to house the men working on the main
   intercepting sewer. The following year saw the start of the
   construction of 62 small, four-room, unlined timber cottages, to be
   used as housing for the married tradesmen involved in the construction
   of the provisional Parliament House. Other camps were established at
   the eastern end of Stirling Park on the hills opposite modern Lotus
   Bay. The first of these was contractor John Howie's settlement
   (1922–30), consisting of 25 timber cottages for his married men and
   timber barracks (Hostel Camp) for his single men. Two other single
   mens' tent camps were established nearby – Old Tradesmen's Camp
   (1923–27) and No 1 Labourers Camp (1924–27). The men from Howie's
   worked on the Hotel Canberra and the others on the construction of the
   provisional Parliament House and nearby administrative buildings.^
   Yarralumla nursery from the air with the Molonglo River in the
   background, taken in 1923
   Enlarge
   Yarralumla nursery from the air with the Molonglo River in the
   background, taken in 1923

   The Stirling Park camps were known as "Westlake" to their new
   inhabitants, and previously "Gura Bung Dhaura" (stony ground) to the
   local Aboriginal people.^ In 1925, the population of this temporary
   suburb was 700. This represented roughly one-fifth of the total
   population of the Federal Capital Territory at the time; in the region,
   only Molonglo Settlement had a larger population, at 750. The site was
   chosen so that it was near to Parliament House but hidden from direct
   line of sight from anywhere "important". The small cottages at Westlake
   were removed starting in the mid-1950s, with the last one removed in
   1965. Many of the Westlake workers' cottages were moved to Queanbeyan
   and are still used as housing today. The Stirling Park near the embassy
   area of Yarralumla now covers the historic Westlake settlement area.
   Some evidence of these former dwellings still remains today, and
   signage has been erected to commemorate these pioneering people of
   early Canberra.

   The Commonwealth Forestry School was established in Westridge near the
   brickworks and Westbourne Woods in 1926. It opened with its first
   intake of students in the following year. Today the heritage-listed
   Forestry School and the associated principal's residence Westridge
   House are located on Banks Street, Yarralumla. CSIRO Forestry and
   Forestry Products subsumed the school in 1975.^ Westridge House, an
   impressive tudor-style structure, recently underwent a $500,000
   refurbishment and is presently in use as a residence for the chief
   officer of the CSIRO.^

   By 1928 there were over 130 people on the electoral roll for Westridge.
   The majority of the population consisted of men working at the
   brickworks and nursery. Westridge was officially gazetted as a Canberra
   suburb in 1928. Its residential area was situated adjacent to the
   proposed site for Lake Burley Griffin, close to Westbourne Woods and
   the 53- hectare grounds of the Governor-General's residence.
   Scrivener Dam
   Enlarge
   Scrivener Dam

Post WWII

   Westridge was officially renamed to Yarralumla in the 1950s. In 1963
   Lake Burley Griffin was filled and Yarralumla was expanded to include
   Westlake, which had up until then been officially part of Acton.

   After World War II, the suburb began to expand rapidly with the
   construction of many private homes. Yarralumla's image as a
   "lower-class" suburb would persist into the 1960s and 1970s. This
   general perception began to alter once Lake Burley Griffin had been
   created and its surrounds landscaped into parklands; the area soon
   gained a reputation for its attractive lakeside location.^ During the
   1980s house prices began to rise co-incident with a rejuvenation of the
   suburb. Large numbers of the original government-built monocrete, brick
   and weatherboard houses have now been demolished and replaced by larger
   dwellings of a variety of more modern styles and materials. The suburb
   is generally regarded as one of the more desirable in Canberra.

Demographics

   Weekly income statistics
   Enlarge
   Weekly income statistics

   The population of the Westridge area on the 1928 electoral roll
   numbered over 130. On Census night 2001 Yarralumla had a population of
   3026 people.^

   The 2001 Census shows that Yarralumla residents have a median age of
   43, compared to a Canberra average of 32. Yarralumla is a comparatively
   wealthy suburb with 50% of the population earning over AU$1000 a week;
   this compares to a Canberra-wide figure of 29% and an Australia-wide
   figure of 18.6%. The 2001 Census figures put Yarralumla's unemployment
   rate at two percentage points below the Canberra average. In line with
   the Canberra average, the public service or defence force employed
   around 25% of the workforce. The median monthly housing loan repayments
   in Yarralumla were $1400–$1599, compared to the Canberra-wide figure of
   $800–$999.^ In 2005 Yarralumla's median house price was $692,000 versus
   $352,500 for the whole of Canberra.^

   The population of Yarralumla is predominantly Australian-born, with
   some 70.5% of its residents being born in Australia. The second most
   prevalent birthplace is the United Kingdom at 7.5%. The most popular
   religious affiliations in descending order are Catholic, no religion,
   Anglican, Uniting, Presbyterian and Buddhist. Accommodation is mostly
   separate houses, although the number of residences in the suburb has
   been increasing through conversion of blocks to dual occupancy and
   other medium-density-type developments.

Suburb amenities

   Weston Park
   Enlarge
   Weston Park

   The Yarralumla local shopping centre is located on the corner of
   Bentham and Novar Streets. The centre contains a supermarket, bakery,
   drycleaners, video store/post office, chemist and newsagent as well as
   several restaurants and speciality shops. The shopping area has
   undergone redevelopment in recent years, including the addition of a
   two-storey office development facing the shopping centre.

   Yarralumla's first school, the Catholic St Peter Chanel's Primary
   School, opened in 1956; it later closed in the 1990s. Yarralumla
   Primary School, a public school, opened a year after St Peter Chanel's
   in 1957. Half of the original primary school is now used as a
   behavioural centre catering to problem students.^ There are two
   preschools in Yarralumla: Hill Corner Preschool, which is now the St
   Nicholas Greek-Australian Preschool; and the Montessori preschool,
   which is located in the former St Peter Chanel's Primary school
   buildings.

   Weston Park is situated on a peninsula near the western end of Lake
   Burley Griffin. The park includes swimming areas, children's play
   equipment and wading pools, and is a popular barbeque spot on weekends.
   Weston Park forms part of a string of parks that line southern shore of
   Lake Burley Griffin; other parks include Yarralumla Bay, Lennox Gardens
   and Stirling Park.

   Like most of Canberra, Yarralumla's only scheduled public transport is
   provided by ACTION buses. Three bus routes run through Yarralumla. Bus
   numbers 31, 32 and 84 all run an identical route through the suburb via
   Novar Street, Schlich Street and Hopetoun Circuit. Buses 31 and 32 run
   from Woden Town Centre to Civic, while bus 84 runs from Woden to Manuka
   and Kingston. Generally, ACTION bus routes run every 30 to 60 minutes
   from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. ^

Politics


    2004 ACT Election^
     Labor        45%
     Liberal      33%
     Greens       12%
     Independents 6%

                       2004 Federal Election^
                        Labor     47%
                        Liberal   35%
                        Greens    15%
                        Democrats 2%

   Yarralumla is located within the federal electorate of Canberra.
   Annette Ellis currently (2005) represents the electorate of Canberra in
   the House of Representatives. Historically both federal electorates in
   the ACT are safe Labor seats.^ Polling place statistics are shown to
   the right for the Yarralumla polling place in the 2004 federal and ACT
   elections.

   In the ACT Legislative Assembly, Yarralumla is part of the electorate
   of Molonglo, which elects seven members on the basis of proportional
   representation.^ The 2004 ACT election saw a swing of 7.3% towards the
   Labor Party and 4.1% away from the Liberal Party.^

   The Yarralumla Residents Association (YRA) is a registered organisation
   formed to represent the views of Yarralumla residents and business. The
   group stands against government plans for "urban consolidation",
   supporting open space and the conservation of low-density housing. The
   organisation has been very vocal in opposing government plans for
   further development of Yarralumla and is also vocal about any plans for
   the Yarralumla Brickworks site.^

Notable places

   Government House
   Enlarge
   Government House

   Yarralumla is notable among Canberra suburbs for its large number of
   landmarks and places of historical interest. The Governor-General's
   residence Government House, which shares the name Yarralumla, is
   located at the western end of the suburb in 53 hectares of parkland. It
   sits alongside Lake Burley Griffin, next to the Royal Canberra Golf
   Club and Scrivener Dam. The house was built in 1891 as the homestead
   for the Yarralumla property. The nearby Yarralumla Woolshed is
   available for event hire, often playing host to parties and bush
   dances. The land surrounding the woolshed has been developed as an
   equestrian park, including areas for showjumping, eventing and
   endurance riding.

   The Yarralumla brickworks are notable as the first industrial
   manufacturing facility in the ACT. The brickworks were closed
   temporarily several times due to the Great Depression and both World
   Wars. They closed permanently in 1976 after plans for major
   modernisation upgrades were not proceeded with. Presently the site is
   closed to the public and is in a state of disrepair. The unfenced
   parkland around the brickworks is a popular recreation area for
   Yarralumla residents. Future plans for the site have not yet been
   decided.
   Chinese Embassy buildings
   Enlarge
   Chinese Embassy buildings

   The eastern end of Yarralumla is home to many of the diplomatic
   missions in Canberra, many of which are built in a traditional style
   reflecting that of their respective home countries. Examples of
   regionally-styled chanceries include the embassies of Saudi Arabia,
   Thailand and China, and the High Commissions of India and Papua New
   Guinea. The United States embassy was the first embassy built in
   Canberra, with the foundation stone laid on the fourth of July, 1942.
   The embassy is an impressive compound of buildings built in a Georgian
   style, inspired by several buildings designed by Christopher Wren for
   Virginia at the beginning of the 18th century.^ Canberra tourist drive
   six takes tourists on a car-based tour past many of Canberra's
   embassies including those located in Yarralumla.

   Also located in the eastern end of the suburb are Lennox Gardens, the
   Yarralumla Yacht Club, the Albert Hall and the Hotel Canberra. The
   Hotel Canberra opened in 1924 to accommodate politicians when
   Parliament was in session. The hotel was closed in 1974 and the
   buildings served as an annexe for Parliament House between 1976 and
   1984. The Hyatt Hotel Group re-opened the hotel in 1987.^

   Embassies and High Commissions in Yarralumla
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