1872–1996
Older stories inside a growing northern town
Gungahlin's recent suburban growth sits within a much older cultural landscape. At Gubur Dhaura in Franklin, Ngunnawal people acquired ochre and welcomed other groups for exchange and ceremony. The place was retained as a park during suburban development, with local Aboriginal people contributing to its design and artworks.1
At Nicholls, Ginninderra Village offers a different window into the past. The former St Francis church dates from 1872 and the schoolhouse from 1884. These surviving buildings belonged to a rural centre that served a much wider district, long before the Gold Creek visitor precinct developed around them.2
Modern Gungahlin marked a change in who built Canberra. Planning began under the Commonwealth, but the new ACT Government took responsibility for delivering the town. Chief Minister Rosemary Follett launched the satellite city in October 1991; the first new house in Palmerston was completed in March 1992.3
Environmental decisions shaped the emerging neighbourhoods. Natural creeks and a series of ponds were incorporated into water management. The town centre was also repositioned to protect striped legless lizard habitat, with construction beginning in early 1996. These choices make conservation part of the district's planning story from its formative years.3