Forde, Australian Capital Territory
Encyclopedia
Forde is a northern suburb of the Canberra
, Australia
district of Gungahlin. It is named in honour of Frank Forde
, a politician who was Prime Minister of Australia
for a week in 1945 following the death of John Curtin
. Forde is adjacent to the suburbs of Amaroo
, Throsby
and Bonner
. It is bounded by Horse Park Drive and Gundaroo Road. On its completion in 2013 Forde will occupy 131ha and is expected to accommodate approximately 2500 people. The suburb abuts the Mulligans Flat Reserve.
Europeans first settled Canberra and surrounding region during the 1830s which was known as Ginninderra
. A road between Murrumbateman and Bungendore passed through nearby Mulligans Flat. A row of mature trees mark the alignment of the coach route to Bungendore. The remains of the historic site of the Mulligans Flat schools as well as hut sites, old fences, drays, sheep shearing sheds and farm machinery area are also scattered across the area. Three farms namely Stray Leaf, East View and Mulligans Flat predate the founding of the suburb.
Forde will be a community dedicated to green open spaces, with every home within 200 metres of a landscaped park, wetland or nature reserve. Twenty-nine percent of the site will be green open space
comprising 11 main parks and 39 hectares of wetlands and nature reserves with trails designed for eco-activity. The suburb is surrounded on three sides by the Mulligans Flat Reserve with access to the area’s equestrian heritage trail.
Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve compasses natural habitat, rich Indigenous history and reflects a colourful European heritage. The reserves is also one of the best bird-watching sites in the ACT, and home to the rare Regent Honeyeater
and Forde's own Superb Fairy Wren. The nature reserves at Mulligans Flat and nearby Goorooyarroo, include four native bird species and populations of rare shingleback lizard, echidna, frog and reptile species. In 2005 the ACT Government passed the Domestic Animals (Cat Containment) Amendment Act into law which requires residents in Forde and nearby Bonner to keep any cats indoors or in an outdoor enclosure 24 hours per day.
rise in the northern end of the suburb. The low point is 614 metres, and the highest point is 654 metres on Gundaroo Road at the northernmost point of Forde. The rock under Forde consists of Canberra Formation of middle Silurian
age. It consists of shale
, slate
, and mudstone
. A fault follows Ginninderra Creek, marked with quartz
. Folds have distorted the rock with structure in the north east direction, parallel to the fault.
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
district of Gungahlin. It is named in honour of Frank Forde
Frank Forde
Francis Michael Forde PC was an Australian politician and the 15th Prime Minister of Australia. He was the shortest serving Prime Minister in Australia's history, being in office for only eight days.-Early life:...
, a politician who was Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
for a week in 1945 following the death of John Curtin
John Curtin
John Joseph Curtin , Australian politician, served as the 14th Prime Minister of Australia. Labor under Curtin formed a minority government in 1941 after the crossbench consisting of two independent MPs crossed the floor in the House of Representatives, bringing down the Coalition minority...
. Forde is adjacent to the suburbs of Amaroo
Amaroo, Australian Capital Territory
Amaroo is a suburb in the Canberra, Australia district of Gungahlin and was gazetted on 18 October 1991. Amaroo – which means ‘a beautiful place’ in one of the local Aboriginal dialects. Place names in Amaroo such as Shoalhaven Avenue are named after Australian rivers and lakes. Amaroo is adjacent...
, Throsby
Throsby, Australian Capital Territory
Throsby is a designated suburb of Canberra, Australia in the district of Gungahlin. The suburb is adjacent to the suburbs of Kenny and Harrison and is bounded by the Federal Highway to the east, the ACT/NSW border to the north, Horse Park Drive to the south and the Goorooyarroo nature reserve to...
and Bonner
Bonner, Australian Capital Territory
Bonner is a planned suburb in the district of Gungahlin in Canberra. The suburb is named in memory after Senator Neville Bonner, Australia's first Indigenous parliamentarian who served the people of Queensland during the years 1971-1984...
. It is bounded by Horse Park Drive and Gundaroo Road. On its completion in 2013 Forde will occupy 131ha and is expected to accommodate approximately 2500 people. The suburb abuts the Mulligans Flat Reserve.
History
Ginninderra
Ginninderra is the name of the former agricultural lands surrendered to urban development on the western and north-western fringes of Canberra, Australia's National Capital...
. A road between Murrumbateman and Bungendore passed through nearby Mulligans Flat. A row of mature trees mark the alignment of the coach route to Bungendore. The remains of the historic site of the Mulligans Flat schools as well as hut sites, old fences, drays, sheep shearing sheds and farm machinery area are also scattered across the area. Three farms namely Stray Leaf, East View and Mulligans Flat predate the founding of the suburb.
Recreation
comprising 11 main parks and 39 hectares of wetlands and nature reserves with trails designed for eco-activity. The suburb is surrounded on three sides by the Mulligans Flat Reserve with access to the area’s equestrian heritage trail.
Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve compasses natural habitat, rich Indigenous history and reflects a colourful European heritage. The reserves is also one of the best bird-watching sites in the ACT, and home to the rare Regent Honeyeater
Regent Honeyeater
The Regent Honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia, is an endangered bird endemic to Australia. It feeds on nectar and insects within eucalyptus forests. Recent genetic research suggests it is closely related to the wattlebirds.-Distribution:...
and Forde's own Superb Fairy Wren. The nature reserves at Mulligans Flat and nearby Goorooyarroo, include four native bird species and populations of rare shingleback lizard, echidna, frog and reptile species. In 2005 the ACT Government passed the Domestic Animals (Cat Containment) Amendment Act into law which requires residents in Forde and nearby Bonner to keep any cats indoors or in an outdoor enclosure 24 hours per day.
Geology
The headwaters of Ginninderra CreekGinninderra Creek
Ginninderra Creek is a water course that flows across the Ginninderra Plain through the Gungahlin and Belconnen regions in Canberra, Australia....
rise in the northern end of the suburb. The low point is 614 metres, and the highest point is 654 metres on Gundaroo Road at the northernmost point of Forde. The rock under Forde consists of Canberra Formation of middle Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
age. It consists of shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
, slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
, and mudstone
Mudstone
Mudstone is a fine grained sedimentary rock whose original constituents were clays or muds. Grain size is up to 0.0625 mm with individual grains too small to be distinguished without a microscope. With increased pressure over time the platey clay minerals may become aligned, with the...
. A fault follows Ginninderra Creek, marked with quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
. Folds have distorted the rock with structure in the north east direction, parallel to the fault.