Latham, Australian Capital Territory
Encyclopedia
Latham is a residential suburb in the Canberra
district of Belconnen
. The suburb is named for John Latham, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
from 1935 to 1952. Streets in Latham have the names of Australian judge
s.
It is next to the suburbs of Charnwood
, Flynn
, Florey
, Higgins
, Holt
and Macgregor
. It is surrounded by Ginninderra Drive on the north, Florey Drive on the west, Southern Cross Drive
on the south, and Kingsford Smith Drive
on the east.
Latham has a primary school and neighbourhood oval. It also has an ACTEW substation. Ginninderra creek runs through Latham, and there are open areas of grassland nearby, such as the Umbagong district park.
From the mid 1970s Latham did have a shopping centre (supermarket, butcher, Chinese restaurant, chemist (later a school uniform/limited sportswear store), hair dresser, bakery, newsagent, doctor's surgery (later physiotherapist) and post office), and a petrol/service centre (closed in early 1993).
The shopping centre wound down between 1996 and 1998 due to a fire that destroyed the supermarket and caused roof damage to the rest of the centre, with the post office closing just after the fire and moving to the abandoned petrol station site. The uniform shop followed suit not long after, with the post office authorised to limited "corner store" duties from early 1998. The butcher, restaurant and physiotherapist left 12–18 months after the fire, with the restaurant the last to leave and the complex finally fenced off in May 1998. The complex no longer exists, with a townhouse development with a small corner store now occupying the site with the store located at the corner of the complex at the corner of Onslow Street and Dalley Crescent.
The former Petrol Station/Uniform Shop has now been demolished and is currently under development for additional housing in the townhouse development. The Uniform Shop has moved to the neighbouring suburb of Holt. It is located in Luke Street, near the Kippax Fair shopping centre.
Deakin Volcanics.
From the north east of Latham to the South west you can pass up through the stratigraphic layers of volcanics.
Upper Silurian
Laidlaw Volcanics grey tuff form a wedge over the top of the Deakin Volcanics.
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...
district of 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 ....
. The suburb is named for John Latham, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
High Court of Australia
The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
from 1935 to 1952. Streets in Latham have the names of Australian judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
s.
It is next to the suburbs of Charnwood
Charnwood, Australian Capital Territory
Charnwood is a suburb in the Belconnen district of Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory.-Design:Charnwood's design was based on the Radburn town planning principle. Under this design, houses were to face common parkland, with the suburb's streets servicing garages situated at the rear of...
, Flynn
Flynn, Australian Capital Territory
Flynn is a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen the postcode is 2615. The suburb is named after John Flynn, who was a Presbyterian Minister and Missionary who was mainly responsible for the formation of the Australian Inland Mission Aerial Medical service in 1928. Flynn was the forerunner...
, Florey
Florey, Australian Capital Territory
Florey is a residential suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, in the district of Belconnen. It was gazetted on 5 August 1975 and most houses were constructed in the mid 1980s. A minor industrial area was located in the suburb prior to residential development.The streets of...
, Higgins
Higgins, Australian Capital Territory
Higgins is a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen. The postcode is 2615. The suburb is named after politician and judge Henry Bournes Higgins . It was gazetted on 6 June 1968...
, Holt
Holt, Australian Capital Territory
Holt is a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen. It was gazetted on 2 July 1970 and was named after Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia 1966-67. Streets are named after sportsmen and sportswomen....
and Macgregor
Macgregor, Australian Capital Territory
Macgregor is a residential suburb in the Belconnen district of Canberra. It was gazetted on 9 September 1971. It lies next to the suburbs of Dunlop, Latham and Holt on the western side of Belconnen, with Florey Drive the boundary to the east, Ginninderra Drive on the north, and Southern Cross...
. It is surrounded by Ginninderra Drive on the north, Florey Drive on the west, Southern Cross Drive
Southern Cross Drive, Canberra
Southern Cross Drive, Canberra is a dual carriageway road in the district of Belconnen, Australian Capital Territory. It bypasses the suburbs of Page, Florey, Latham, Scullin, Higgins, Holt and Macgregor. Southern Cross Drive becomes Parkwood Road west of Macgregor. Parkwood Road is the main...
on the south, and Kingsford Smith Drive
Kingsford Smith Drive, Canberra
Kingsford Smith Drive, is a main road in the district of Belconnen in Canberra, Australia and is named in honour of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith...
on the east.
Latham has a primary school and neighbourhood oval. It also has an ACTEW substation. Ginninderra creek runs through Latham, and there are open areas of grassland nearby, such as the Umbagong district park.
From the mid 1970s Latham did have a shopping centre (supermarket, butcher, Chinese restaurant, chemist (later a school uniform/limited sportswear store), hair dresser, bakery, newsagent, doctor's surgery (later physiotherapist) and post office), and a petrol/service centre (closed in early 1993).
The shopping centre wound down between 1996 and 1998 due to a fire that destroyed the supermarket and caused roof damage to the rest of the centre, with the post office closing just after the fire and moving to the abandoned petrol station site. The uniform shop followed suit not long after, with the post office authorised to limited "corner store" duties from early 1998. The butcher, restaurant and physiotherapist left 12–18 months after the fire, with the restaurant the last to leave and the complex finally fenced off in May 1998. The complex no longer exists, with a townhouse development with a small corner store now occupying the site with the store located at the corner of the complex at the corner of Onslow Street and Dalley Crescent.
The former Petrol Station/Uniform Shop has now been demolished and is currently under development for additional housing in the townhouse development. The Uniform Shop has moved to the neighbouring suburb of Holt. It is located in Luke Street, near the Kippax Fair shopping centre.
Geology
Most of Latham is covered by the upper SilurianSilurian
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...
Deakin Volcanics.
From the north east of Latham to the South west you can pass up through the stratigraphic layers of volcanics.
- green grey and purple rhyodaciteRhyodaciteRhyodacite 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...
. - grey rhyodacitic tuffTuffTuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
- purple rhyodacite
- purple and green tuff
- pink rhyoliteRhyoliteThis page is about a volcanic rock. For the ghost town see Rhyolite, Nevada, and for the satellite system, see Rhyolite/Aquacade.Rhyolite is an igneous, volcanic rock, of felsic composition . It may have any texture from glassy to aphanitic to porphyritic...
- purple-pink rhyolite
Upper 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...
Laidlaw Volcanics grey tuff form a wedge over the top of the Deakin Volcanics.