Holder, Australian Capital Territory
Encyclopedia
The suburb of Holder is a part of the Weston Creek
District of Canberra
, Australian Capital Territory
, Australia
, and is located 13 km to the southwest of the Canberra
city centre. It sits on the western edge of the Canberra suburbs, and overlooks bare land towards Mount Stromlo
to the west and Belconnen
to the north.
(1850–1909), Premier of South Australia between 1899 and 1901, and first Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives from 1901 to 1909. Consistent with Canberra's concept of having themed streets in each suburb, all streets in Holder are named after prominent Australian surveyors (ACTPLA, 2003). The suburb is predominantly residential housing, with most houses constructed around 1970-1972.
Holder originally had its own High School and Primary School, but both have since closed down - the Primary School in 1991, and the High School in 1993. There are still two private schools in the suburb - St Jude's Catholic Primary and Canberra Montessori School - but the closest public school is now Duffy
Primary School.
of 18 January 2003 when the fire came roaring out of the adjacent Stromlo Forest and across Dixon Drive into suburban housing. A total of 31 homes were destroyed in Holder, and 219 in adjacent Duffy
. There was extensive damage to houses along Dixon Drive on the north of the suburb, but apart from occasional houses deeper into the suburb being ignited by floating embers, the fire generally did not penetrate into the suburb beyond one to two houses.
. A band of pink and green rhyolitic intrusive porphyry
is situated on the south and southwest sides.
Weston Creek
Weston Creek is a residential district of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, situated to the west of the Woden Valley district and approximately 13 km southwest of the Canberra city centre...
District of Canberra
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...
, Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, 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...
, and is located 13 km to the southwest of the Canberra
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...
city centre. It sits on the western edge of the Canberra suburbs, and overlooks bare land towards Mount Stromlo
Mount Stromlo
Mount Stromlo is situated a short drive west of the centre of Canberra, Australia, near the district of Weston Creek. Its peak is at approximately 770m AHD....
to the west and Belconnen
Belconnen
Belconnen is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 25 suburbs with 29,900 dwellings housing 82,247 people of the 311,518 people in the Australian Capital Territory ....
to the north.
History
Holder was gazetted in July 1970 and named after Sir Frederick William HolderFrederick Holder
Sir Frederick William Holder KCMG was the 19th Premier of South Australia and a prominent member of the inaugural Australian Commonwealth Parliament, including the first Speaker of the House of Representatives.-Life:...
(1850–1909), Premier of South Australia between 1899 and 1901, and first Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives from 1901 to 1909. Consistent with Canberra's concept of having themed streets in each suburb, all streets in Holder are named after prominent Australian surveyors (ACTPLA, 2003). The suburb is predominantly residential housing, with most houses constructed around 1970-1972.
Holder originally had its own High School and Primary School, but both have since closed down - the Primary School in 1991, and the High School in 1993. There are still two private schools in the suburb - St Jude's Catholic Primary and Canberra Montessori School - but the closest public school is now Duffy
Duffy, Australian Capital Territory
Duffy is a suburb in the Canberra district of Weston Creek. On Census night 2006, Duffy had a population of 2,942 people. Duffy was named in honour of Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, KCMG the 8th Premier of Victoria. Streets in the suburb of Duffy are named after Australian dams and reservoirs...
Primary School.
2003 bushfires
Holder was one of the hardest hit suburbs in the Canberra bushfire2003 Canberra bushfires
The Canberra bushfires of 2003 caused severe damage to the outskirts of Canberra, the Australian capital city. Almost 70% of the Australian Capital Territory’s pasture, forests and nature parks were severely damaged, and most of the renowned Mount Stromlo Observatory was destroyed...
of 18 January 2003 when the fire came roaring out of the adjacent Stromlo Forest and across Dixon Drive into suburban housing. A total of 31 homes were destroyed in Holder, and 219 in adjacent Duffy
Duffy, Australian Capital Territory
Duffy is a suburb in the Canberra district of Weston Creek. On Census night 2006, Duffy had a population of 2,942 people. Duffy was named in honour of Sir Charles Gavan Duffy, KCMG the 8th Premier of Victoria. Streets in the suburb of Duffy are named after Australian dams and reservoirs...
. There was extensive damage to houses along Dixon Drive on the north of the suburb, but apart from occasional houses deeper into the suburb being ignited by floating embers, the fire generally did not penetrate into the suburb beyond one to two houses.
Geology
The geologic structure under the suburb of Holder mostly comprises Deakin Volcanics green grey and purple rhyodaciteRhyodacite
Rhyodacite is an extrusive volcanic rock intermediate in composition between dacite and rhyolite. It is the extrusive equivalent of granodiorite. Phenocrysts of sodium rich plagioclase, sanidine, quartz, and biotite or hornblende are typically set in an aphanitic to glassy light to intermediate...
. A band of pink and green rhyolitic intrusive porphyry
Porphyry (geology)
Porphyry is a variety of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystals, such as feldspar or quartz, dispersed in a fine-grained feldspathic matrix or groundmass. The larger crystals are called phenocrysts...
is situated on the south and southwest sides.