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The District of Woden Valley is one of the original eighteen districts of the Australian Capital Territory used in land administration. The district is subdivided into divisions (suburbs), sections and blocks. The district of Woden Valley lies entirely within the bounds of the city of Canberra, the capital city of Australia.

The name of Woden Valley is taken from the name of a nearby homestead owned by Dr James Murray who named the homestead in October 1837 after the Old English god of wisdom, Woden. He named it this as he was to spend his life in the pursuit of wisdom.

In 1964 it was the first satellite city to be built, separate from the Canberra Central district. It has its own shopping centre, employment opportunities and accommodation with twelve suburbs arranged around the Woden Town Centre. At the 2011 census, the population of the district was 32,958.

Toponyms
The toponymic origins of the Woden Valley is from the Woden homestead purchased by Dr. James Murray in 1837. Murray named the property "Woden" after a Norse god of war, who was a patron of learning. He also named it this as he was to spend his life in the pursuit of wisdom. The homestead is the oldest residential building that is still in use in the Australian Capital Territory, being built in 1832. From 1871 to 1922, the property was owned by the Campbell family.

Within Woden, streets are named after notable Australians. This recognition acknowledges either the individuals contributions towards Australia or how it reflects the diverse history and heritage of the country. This is also the case with Woden's suburbs: the suburb of Chifley was named after Ben Chifley, who was 16th Prime Minister of Australia, and the streets are named after notable scientists and educationalists. Curtin was named after John Curtin, who was the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. Its streets are named after state premiers. Farrer was named after William Farrer, an Australian agronomist and plant breeder who settled near Canberra in 1886, and the streets are named after agriculturalists. The suburb of Garran was named after Robert Garran, an Australian lawyer and public servant. The streets are named after writers.

The suburb of Hughes received its namesake from Billy Hughes, the 7th Prime Minister of Australia, and streets in the suburb are named with the theme of World War I armed services personnel and contemporaries of Hughes. Isaacs is named after Isaac Isaacs, the first Australian-born Governor-General, with the streets named after educationalists. In Lyons, the suburb was named after Joseph Lyons, the 10th Prime Minister of Australia, and streets are named after Tasmanian towns and place names. Mawson was named after Antarctic explorer Sir Douglas Mawson; the theme for street names is Antarctic exploration.

O'Malley was named after King O'Malley, who was the politician who arranged the competition for a design for Canberra. Streets in O'Malley are named with Aboriginal words. Pearce was named after George Pearce and streets are named after his contemporaries. Phillip was named after Arthur Phillip, and streets are associated with names of the 1st fleet, 2nd fleet and 3rd fleet; street names in Swinger Hill are named after architects. Finally, in Torrens, the suburb was named after Robert Torrens, and the theme for street names is contemporaries of Torrens, South Australian pioneers and politicians.

Indigenous history and European settlement
Before European settlement, the area which eventually became the Australian Capital Territory was inhabited by Indigenous Australians, who spoke a Ngarigo dialect. Historical sources have identified them as different tribes with a range of names. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the region includes inhabited rock shelters, rock paintings and engravings, burial places, camps and quarry sites, and stone tools and arrangements. The traditional custodians of the district are the indigenous people of the Ngunnawal tribe.

Dr. James Murray, the brother of Terence Aubrey Murray who purchased an estate in Yarralumla, was impressed by his brother’s purchase, and as a result bought land in Jerrabomberra. There, the land he bought was renamed Woden. 60 convicts were assigned to look after 25,000 sheep on his land, and 20 years later, Murray enlarged his estate by establishing boundaries between Duntroon and Woden. In 1858, Murray’s wife Mary Gibbes died during childbirth in 1858, in which Murray lost control of his property to the Gibbes family. The Gibbes family owned the property for 25 years until they sold out to Frederick Campbell in 1881.

Along with the adjacent Weston Creek, the area later became part of the 40000 acre Yarralumla Station. Under Campbell, the Yarralumla property produced the most valuable wool clip in New South Wales. Campbell also undertook several improvements: Campbell constructed new stables and a coachhouse, which included a groom's house and a phone connection to the main homestead. Campbell continued to own the property, but like many other long-term land-holders, the Campbell family resumed the property in 1913 as part of a land acquisition scheme after the Federal Capital Territory was declared in 1911. In 1920, over 9000 acre were then subdivided for soldier settlement leases.

The Woden homestead, which is located in nearby Hume, is the oldest building in the Australian Capital Territory and has a strong association with the territory's early pastoral history. Francis Mowatt was the original owner until Murray purchased the property, followed by the Campbell family. Documents and objects such as furniture relating to Canberra's history and also the Campbell family still exist. Despite a bush fire in 1952, most structures and plants were not destroyed; in the same year, the gardens were designed.

Other settlers arrived in the Woden Valley before its establishment. James Taylor, an early squatter settled in the district prior to 1829. An early map entitled Survey of part of the Morombidgee and Country South of Lake George by Surveyor White shows Taylor's huts close to the site of Yarralumla homestead. Taylor was a son-in-law of Colonel George Johnston who commanded the New South Wales Corps, which deposed Governor William Bligh during the Rum Rebellion of 1808. The Eddison family lived in the Woden Valley, when Walter Eddison emigrated from the United Kingdom to Australia after World War I and owned a homestead named "Yamba".

Establishment and early years
In 1962, the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC) proposed a new satellite city which was to be located west of Yarralumla. The satellite city was originally intended to house 60,000 people, which at the time was Canberra's present population. The plans included 11 neighbourhoods holding 5,000 people each. It was the first town designed in order to disperse employment and retail activity from the main city. The first homes were constructed in Hughes in 1963, and the first residents moved into the district in 1964. Curtin was the second suburb constructed and was based on America's Radburn principle, where access roads led to the back areas of houses, and the front areas overlooked walkways which led to community centres. In 1965, the first master plan for a town centre was prepared and overlooked several elements: a government precinct with 3,000 workers, commercial offices and entertainment with 2,000 workers and a shopping centre with 1,000 workers. Between 1966-67, development of the first office blocks were to begin, as well as a shopping centre roughly the size of the Civic Shopping Centre. In 1966, the population of Woden Valley was around 10,000 and by 1967 it was estimated that it would grow to 20,000.

Also in 1966, the district was established by the Commonwealth via the gazettal of the Districts Ordinance 1966 No. 5 (Cth) which, after the enactment of the, became the. In this act, Woden Valley was divided into one of the eighteen districts that make up the Australian Capital Territory. This Act was subsequently repealed by the ACT Government and the district is now administered subject to the.

In 1968, a second master plan was prepared and revised some elements to the original plan. The plan revised some building sites and design elements and also added an entertainment precinct to the north. A 1970 review recommended 6,000 to 12,000 office employment as part of a large employment base and 50,000m2 to 56,000m2 of retail space in the town centre. This plan includes a much larger town centre expanding towards the east. A service trades area was also proposed in the plan, which would include sites for car dealerships, service and repair shops, building suppliers, and storage and wholesaling, as well as depots. Further master plans include a 1973 plan. This was produced for the eastern portion of the centre because the federal government occupied its own space within the centre. This plan included the construction of 142,000 m2 of office space by 1978 and 196,000 m2 by 1980. Despite this plan, no offices were constructed in this area, other than the Callam Offices.



On 26 January 1971, the Woden Valley faced widespread flooding as a result of a supercell thunderstorm. Between 7:30 - 7:50 pm, rainfall occurred and 95 mm - 100 mm was recorded in one hour in the suburbs of Farrer and Torrens. The amount of rain that fell in the Woden Valley would have been able to half fill the Cotter Dam in 45 minutes. Rain water began to fill the creek that ran beside the Woden Valley freeway; because debris was blocking the valley, a flash flood occurred on the freeway due to the backup of water. The flood was 200 metres wide and 1.5 metres deep, and the estimated amount of water that flooded down the causeway and to the intersection of Melrose Drive, Yamba Drive and Yarra Glen was approximately 2,500 million litres. More than a dozen cars were engulfed by the flood and seven people aged between six and 20 drowned; this makes the flood the second deadliest disaster in Canberra's history, only behind the 1940 air disaster which killed 10 people. The thunderstorm itself caused blackouts in Woden, and roads and stormwater systems were extensively damaged. A Coroner's report showed that the seven deaths were due to accidental drowning, and the Department of Interior stated that $120,000 of public/government owned property was damaged because of the floods. The total damage caused by the flood is estimated at $9 million according to the Bureau of Meteorology.

Following the events of the flood, the causeway was replaced by a flood-free interchange. One Australian Police Officer, Constable Jeff Brown, was awarded the British Empire Medal for Gallantry for rescue efforts during the event. Four Australian Police Officers were later awarded the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct for rescue efforts during the event. Prior to the erection of the Woden flood memorial, seven crosses were erected near the side of the road to mark the victims. In 2010, a memorial was erected dedicated to the seven flood victims.

In 1972, the Woden Plaza was opened, which featured a David Jones store, a Woolworths supermarket, smaller department stores and 53 other shops. It also included office and professional suites. In September of that year, the plaza was extended to include 50 more shops that opened in 1974. Owing to a trend of "group housing" in cities such as Melbourne and Sydney, 39 medium density houses were planned by the NCDC at Swinger Hill near Phillip. The project, however was criticised after the houses were constructed, being described as "ill-conceived" and "poorly constructed". 20 years following it was gazetted, houses were constructed in the suburb of Isaacs in 1986; it was the last suburb developed in the Woden Valley.

21st century


On 8 January 2003, a lightning strike in the Brindabella Ranges ignited a fire, in which a series of bushfires occurred afterwards. These fires were only observed and not comprehensively fought; on 18 January, extreme winds and high temperatures accelerated the speed of the fires which headed to the east. Residents account burnt leaves and debris swirling into gardens, and the air yellowed, reddened then blackened. Local radio stations broadcast advice for residents living in the vulnerable suburbs of Tuggeranong, Weston and Woden. At 2:45 PM, a firestorm jumped from nearby pine plantations and grassland into residential areas, resulting in four deaths and 500 destroyed homes. Of the 500 houses destroyed, three houses in Curtin were destroyed; in Lyons, four houses; and in Torrens, two houses. Flames also swept across Mount Taylor, the second tallest mountain in Canberra, before the fires crept into surrounding suburbs. A fire tornado was recorded nearby the mountain, which was later confirmed to be the first case of its kind.

In 2004, a master plan was published and outlined a number of proposals for the town centre. It identified a number of issues, including access to the centre and community facilities, lack of activity onto the streets and quality of the public domain. Some recommendations from the 2004 master plan have since been realised: a new police station has since been built, the Phillip oval, which was damaged from a fire in 2006, received upgrades and changes to the interchange are currently underway. Furthermore, the town centre has undergone new residential development and offices have been refurbished. In 2015, two master plans were published for the Woden town centre and Mawson group centre. The master plans laid out an increase of large-scale residential and office developments, as well as improving cycle and pedestrian networks for better access and growth of a night-time economy. Some improvements and additions has since been made; a new facility was constructed at Canberra College, known as "CCCares". Described as a "world-first" facility, the facility houses the program which helps young mothers and fathers finish school by allowing them to study and stay close to their children. Upgrades have also been made some parts of the interchange, providing new facilities such as a lift, staircase and bicycle rail for better access. Redevelopment of the Phillip Oval is currently underway, costing $6.2 million.

Geography and climate
The area of the Woden Valley is 28.7 km2. Described as being near in the heart of Canberra, it is located 10 minutes away from the centre of Canberra. It is located inside a long narrow valley, along with secondary ones which open on the eastern side of the district. The elevation of Woden Valley is 594 m above sea level.

The Woden Valley is bordered to the west by the Weston Creek district, and to the north-east the district is bordered by Canberra Central. Down south, the area is mostly surrounded by Tuggeranong, but towards the south-east the district of Jerrabomberra surrounds that portion of Woden. Inside, these borders 12 suburbs have been established. All suburbs have a number of facilities, including their own shops, schools, bus services and sports facilities. Suburbs include Chifley, Curtin, Farrer, Garran, Hughes, Isaacs, Lyons, Mawson, O'Malley, Pearce, Phillip, and Torrens.

Night temperatures in Woden Valley are far below the average when compared to Australia. Daytime temperatures are also below the Australian average. Windspeeds, humidity, and number of cloudy days are above average, as well as rainfall and number of clear days. On average, the district receives 623 mm of rainfall annually; the most amount of rain received in a single day was 126 mm, while the most recorded in a December day was 87 mm. The maximum summer temperatures between December and February are 26.1 to 27.8°C. (78.98 to 82.04°F), while overnight minimums average around 11.3 to 13.0°C. (52.34 to 55.40°F). In winter between June and August, temperatures are 11.3 to 12.9°C on average, while overnight minimums can reach -0.2 to 0.9°C (31.64 to 33.62°F).

Earthquakes with epicentres near the Woden Valley have been recorded. In 1970, an earthquake was reported by the Canberra Times, stating that earth tremors were felt throughout the ACT; these tremors were reportedly felt in Garran, and the epicentre was in Tuggeranong. In 1998, an earthquake was briefly felt in Canberra's southern suburbs, where alarmed Garran residents ran out into the streets, and in Curtin, low rumbles were felt. Garran also experienced another earthquake in 2003, being described as a "sharp, single shake" accompanied by a loud noise.

Geology
The geological structure of the Woden Valley, as well as Weston Creek, is complex. A general regional dip of strata are known in the southwest, numerous faults in the northwest and a major meridional fault passes the central portions of Woden. Rocks also fold particularly close to the fault line. The Woden Valley lies in a structural feature otherwise known as the "Canberra Graben". The Canberra Graben extends from south of Bredbo to north of Yass. Most rocks within the range are from the Middle Silurian to Lower Devonian. Most rocks in the graben range are acid volcanic rocks or sedimentary rocks and porphyries. A belt of volcanic rocks, which are mainly purple porphyritic dacites, is found in the Woden Valley and Weston Creek, though it was previously believed this was a single formation in Weston. There is evidence that the Mount Painter porphyry (a mountain in northern Canberra) underlies some parts of the Woden Town Centre as indicated by a thin section.

The northeastern boundary of the Upper Silurian volcanic and intrusive rocks within the Woden Valley is formed by the Deakin Fault. The displacement of the fault is estimated to be between 1200 to 1500 m. The fault along the Yarra Glen is due to structural disturbance. The displacement in the northern portion of Hughes may be more than 500 m, but this lessens further in the south; a downthrow is known on the eastern side. At Hughes and Garran, four faults were identified and studied. The fault which passes through the two suburbs has a displacement of 500 m. The fault continues into the volcanic's at O'Malley, but it is unknown what the displacement there is. The downthrow is on the northeastern side. At Curtin and Lyons, a series of faults are inferred from the displacements of ashstone and other rocks. Dipping faults in the northeast have been identified through excavations, thus confirming the fault system there.

The rocks on Oakey Hill are remnants of volcano activity in the Middle Silurian period and are part of the Deakin Volcanics, the series of lava flows that cover much of the southern half of Canberra. Examples of the acid volcanic rocks of the Deakin Volcanics can be seen in the road cutting along the Tuggeranong Parkway between Hindmarsh Drive and Cotter Road. There are areas of porphyry which have intruded into the volcanic rocks and these also are Middle Silurian in age.

Environment
There are numerous mountains and nature parks within the Woden Valley: this includes Mount Taylor and Oakey Hill, as well as the Farrer Ridge Nature Reserve and Isaacs Ridge. With an elevation of 856 m, Mount Taylor is the second highest peak in Canberra (after Mount Majura), but it is the highest mountain in southern Canberra. The summit of Farrer Hill has an elevation of 755 m. These areas are dominated by dry sclerophyll forests with numerous Eucalyptus species found there, including Eucalyptus polyanthemos, E. nortonii, E. bridgesiana, E. rossii and E. dives. Allocasuarina verticillata is uncommon in the ACT, but strands of these trees are found in Mount Taylor. They are also home to several endangered species; the Pink-tailed Legless Lizard (Aprasia parapulchella) is an endangered species that is only found in the ACT, although it is listed as "abundant" in Mount Taylor. Smaller populations of the lizard have been recorded in Oakey Hill and the Farrer Ridge Nature Reserve. The endangered Small Purple-pea (Swainsona recta) is also found in Mount Taylor. Two endangered eucalypts, E. melliodora and E. blakelyi are present in these reserves. Eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) and Wedge-tailed eagles (Aquila audax) are commonly seen.

Notable parks include Woden Town Park, commonly referred to as Arabanoo Park. The park is located near the Woden Town Centre in Phillip, providing pedestrian access to Eddison Park and parking areas located nearby the Yarralumla Creek. Eddison Park is a 14 hectare-sized park which is also located nearby the Woden Town Centre. Facilities include a skate park, playground equipment and fitness equipment. It was named after the Eddison family who settled in the Woden Valley prior to its establishment, and two memorials were erected in honour of three Eddison sons who were killed in World War III. Annual Anzac Day memorial services occur in the park which attract up to 4,000 schoolchildren.

The Woden Cemetery is located nearby the Canberra Hospital, with its first burial taking place in 1936. Much of its original tree planting and landscaping from the 1930s still exists today. The cemetery contains the Christ the Redeemer Mausoleum, which was opened in 2001; it has a capacity of 272 crypts and a number of columbariums. The cemetery also contains the war graves of 30 Australian service personnel of World War II - 10 soldiers and 20 airmen. In 2015, the ACT Government has planned to extend the cemetery by three hectares for extra capacity, allowing the site to be used for more burials until 2030 or 2035. The current size of the cemetery means it may run out of burial plots by 2018 or 2019.

Urban structure
The main shopping centre of Woden Town Centre is Westfield Woden, formerly called 'Woden Plaza' and 'Woden Shopping Square'. Westfield Woden includes major supermarkets and a number of department stores and a cinema, as well as many other stores on several levels. Separate buildings house multi-storey car parks. Westfield Woden is intended to increase in size due to a redevelopment plan to improve the town centre.

The Woden Town Centre is home to Headquarters for several government agencies. The Department of Veterans Affairs and IP Australia are located at the Discovery House, and the Department of Health is located in the new Sirius Building and Scarborough House building (14 storeys and the second tallest office building in Canberra), both are located on Furzer and Atlantic Street. The Alexander and Albemarle Buildings once housed the Department of Health and Ageing as its central office until its closure in 2010, where they are now scheduled for demolition. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has its headquarters based at the Aviation House, which is adjacent to the Sirius Building. The Juliana House now serves as an apartment of hotel, after four years of being vacant. The Bonner House in Neptune street headquarters the Indigenous Business Australia.

The tallest commercial building in Canberra, the 26 story 93 metre (305 ft) high Lovett Tower is located on Keltie Street. The tower was formerly known as the MLC Tower, but it was renamed in 2000 to honour the Lovett family. It has been the tallest building in Canberra since its completion in 1973. The Tower is currently occupied by the Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Department of the Environment and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. In addition to Woden's tall office buildings, the SkyPlaza is one of the tallest residential buildings in Canberra, where it is 60 m (197 ft) in height, 20 floors, and was completed in 2005.

The Woden storm drains have been previously designated as legal graffiti sites, being among one of 24 legal graffiti sites within the Australian Capital Territory. The drains located nearby Callam Street have been previously used for the Woden Valley Festival, but in 2015 it was removed as a legal graffiti site. These drains are often occupied by feral cats.

Embassies
In the suburb of O'Malley, a number of embassies and diplomatic residences are located there; in addition to this, 42.8% of residents in O'Malley are foreign-born, the fifth highest for any Canberra suburb. Many embassies in the suburb are only in temporary arrangements until they take up formal sites somewhere else. Some countries which established embassies in O'Malley have since closed. North Korea established an embassy in the suburb, but closed it down due to financial issues in 2008. Plans to reopen the embassy were made in 2013. In 2012, up to 40 men attacked the Syrian embassy, resulting in two Syrian diplomats being expelled from the county and the embassy itself closing.

Governance and politics
Like all other districts, The Woden Valley has a voluntary, not-for-profit community council that engages with the ACT Government on behalf of the residents living in the district. It also receives support and funding from the ACT Government. It should be noted that, like every other council, that the Woden Valley Community Council is not a local government body.

Woden Valley is located in the electorate of Murrumbidgee, a five member electorate which comprises the Molonglo Valley, Weston Creek, Coree, Stromlo and the suburb of Kambah. It was created in 2016, when the five-electorate, 25-member Hare-Clark electoral system was first introduced for the Australian Capital Territory, replacing the previous three-electorate, 17-member system. Prior to its creation, most of the Woden Valley was located in the Molonglo electorate, but the suburbs of Chifley, Pearce and Torrens were in the Brindabella electorate (from 1995 to 2016). From 2012 to 2016, the suburb of Farrer was transferred from the Molonglo electorate and included the Brindabella electorate. After the 2016 ACT election, the Murrumbidgee electorate is represented by the following ACT Legislative Assembly members: Bec Cody and Chris Steel of the Australian Labor Party, Jeremy Hanson and Giulia Jones of the Liberal Party of Australia and Caroline Le Couteur of the Australian Greens.

Federally, the Woden Valley is located in the Division of Canberra. The Division of Canberra is one of the two electoral divisions in the Australian Capital Territory, the other being Fenner. Within the Division of Canberra, it includes Capital Hill, Fyshwick, Hume, Oaks Estate, Stromlo, Tuggeranong and Weston Creek. Norfolk Island was included in the division in 2016. At the 2016 federal election, the division of Canberra was retained by Gai Brodtmann, a member of the Australian House of Representatives.

Transportation
The most common form of transportation for people working in Woden is by car. Approximately 77% travel by car to the area, in contrast to 13.4% using busses, 4.7% walking and 2% cycling. 35% of people from Tuggeranong travel by car to area, compared to 28% of those living in the Woden-Weston area, 16% in Central Canberra, 13% in Belconnen and 7% in Gungahlin. Despite the figures, the number of workers travelling to Woden during the workweek has decreased in the past year, but parking capacity usually reaches 90% on a typical weekday. Bus routes have been established in all Woden suburbs.

In the Woden Town Centre, an interchange is present which provides bus services to residents living in the area. Originally established as an interim interchange on Melrose Drive in 1968, a permanent bus interchange was constructed at Bradley Street, Phillip in 1972. At the time of its completion, it was among the first purpose built off-street interchanges in Australia. In 2013, a joint project between the ACT Government and Westfield was announced, in which a new interchange integrated with an expanded Westfield Woden. Other improvements would include the construction of footpaths and bicycle connections between Westfield and the interchange, as well as upgraded lighting. Further upgrades were announced after the ACT Government pledged $3.25 million from its budget; demolition of some parts of the interchange began in late 2015, and in 2016, upgrades to some parts of the interchange have been completed.

In 2016, the ACT Government announced that Canberra's proposed light rail will be extended from the city towards Woden. The government also selected a truncated version of the Mawson route that ends at Woden as its preferred second stage project, although some sources say the light rail will not extend to Mawson. The route is around 11 kilometres long. Tenders to design various aspects of the project were called in November. The only firm decisions the government has made about the route are that it will run from Alinga Street to the Woden Town Centre and use the Commonwealth Avenue Bridge to cross Lake Burley Griffin. Construction is planned to begin shortly after the completion of the first stage.