1920s–1970s
A new town with traces of the farms beneath
Woden was Canberra's first satellite town centre. Its development carried the growing capital beyond the original central city into a valley planned around homes, shops and employment. The National Capital Authority dates the beginning of the combined Woden–Weston Creek new-town project to 1961, an early step in Canberra's later pattern of linked towns.1, 2
The old farms have mostly disappeared, but their stories remain close to familiar streets. The Eddison family received Yamba through the 1920 soldier-settlement ballot. They initially farmed from Queanbeyan before building their homestead in the valley, near a boundary where town water was available.3
Woden also became a place to try different ways of living. Built in 1972, the Swinger Hill cluster housing used attached and semi-attached homes, courtyards and shared outdoor space. Ian McKay and Partners shaped the development around its hillside, offering an alternative to the detached house on a large block.4
At Eddison Park, the pastoral and suburban stories meet. The park recalls the Eddison family who farmed Yamba, including three sons who died in the Second World War. Large surviving candlebarks also connect this public landscape with woodland that predates European settlement.5