1870s–2000s
A new town around an older landscape
Belconnen's town centre took shape in the late 1960s as Canberra expanded through a series of new towns. Each was planned with its own system of open spaces. Lake Ginninderra, constructed in 1974, became a central part of that approach, giving the growing town a substantial waterside setting.1
The district's history reaches much further back than its shopping streets. At the original Weetangera School site, a timber school opened in 1875 with 27 pupils. It served the rural community for 62 years; after it closed, children travelled by bus to Ainslie School. Ellen Clark taught there for 26 years.2
Another layer survives in the story of the naval transmitting station at Lawson. Built in 1938, it connected shore facilities with ships and eventually relayed results from the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Its final message was sent on 17 June 2005, ending a long chapter in Canberra's communications history.3
The lake itself is engineered infrastructure as well as a place to stroll. An embankment carrying Ginninderra Drive created it across Ginninderra Creek. Its waters collect stormwater, while the surrounding paths, inlets and picnic areas turn the drainage landscape into a shared public space.1