Red Hill, Australian Capital Territory
Encyclopedia
Red Hill is a suburb of Canberra
, Australian Capital Territory
, Australia
. The suburb is named after the northernmost hill of the ridge to the west of the suburb. The ridge is a reserve and managed as part of the Canberra Nature Park
. The hill is an element of the central Canberra design axis.
The Red Hill ridge forms the south-west boundary of the suburb. The ridge separates the central Canberra valley from Woden Valley. The northernmost peak is Red Hill, the Davidson Trig is on the middle point, and Mount Mugga is on the southernmost point of the ridge across Hindmarsh Drive.
The suburb occupies 4.87 km² and has a population density of 634/km².
of sedimentary rock
. The Yarralumla Formation sediments were toughened by thermal metamorphism from a small granite
intrusion
to the south thereby providing the resistant core of the ridge. The granite is deeply weathered and does not outcrop
but is evident by the smooth slopes and deep red soils on the lower slopes to the north-west by the road to the Federal Golf Course. This intrusion is known as Federal Golf Course Tonalite
. It is dated at 417±8 Mya. It is completely crystalline with mineral content of plagioclase, hornblende, biotite and interstitial quartz and no potash feldspar.
The type of red soil is known as terra rossa.
is found in all except the west.
This includes most of the built up area.
Yarralumla formation outcrops on Red Hill down to Mugga Way.
The Federal Golf Course hanging off the west side of Red Hill also counts as part of the suburb. It has a Silurian
tonalite
intrusion under the whole course referred to as granite above.
The hill was once part of the Narrabundah lease held by Charles Russell. He grazed sheep but as the suburb became built up, local pet dogs worried them and killed them. He changed to cattle and finally gave up the lease in 1992.
The Red Hill Precinct or "Old Red Hill" is bounded by Mugga Way, Moresby Street, Arthur Circle, Monaro Crescent and Flinders Way. The major streets of this area were included in an outline plan for the early development of Canberra prepared by Walter Burley Griffin in 1918. Its streetscape and landscape character reflect 1920s garden city planning.
Residential land in the suburb of Red Hill was offered for sale in the first Canberra land auction conducted on 12 December 1924. By 1929, 22 houses had been built and by 1955 there were 64 houses.
Mugga Way is often considered Canberra's most desirable home location. In 2004
, a house sold for $2.5 million, one of the highest prices paid in the city, and yet to be exceeded as at January 2007.
The median age was 39 years; an increase over the median age of 37 years recorded in both the 1996 and 1991 censuses.
The mean household size was 2.5 persons.
In the 2001 Census, there were 774 separate houses (69.6%), 174 semi detached, row or terrace houses and townhouses (15.6%), 146 flats, units or apartments (13.1%) and 0 other dwellings (0.0%).
Of all occupied private dwellings in the 2001 Census, 682 were either fully owned or being purchased, which represents (61.2%) of all occupied private dwellings, while 342 (30.7%) were being rented. This compares with 626 (57.1%) either fully owned or being purchased and 398 (36.3%) being rented in the 1996 Census, and 621 (57.6%) either fully owned or being purchased and 379 (35.2%) being rented in the 1991 Census.
These demographics compare with Canberra census results of a median age of 32 years (30 years in 1996 & 29 years in 1991); mean household size of 2.6 persons; 76.4% of houses are separate dwellings and 66.7% of all occupied private dwellings were either fully owned or being purchased. Red Hill has a slightly older population, slightly smaller household size, a smaller proportion of houses are separate dwellings and more dwellings are rented in the suburb compared with Canberra on average.
Red Hill's most important recreational area is the hill itself. From the Canberra Times Letters to the Editor in May 2000 one resident said:
Red Hill has a local public primary school and a government pre school located in the same building complex. The Red Hill School is an accredited IB World School. There is also a Catholic primary school, St Bede's Primary School, and the Canberra Grammar School
, an Anglican school for boys, and a French-Australian preschool.
Red Hill is located within the federal electorate
of Canberra
. Annette Ellis
currently (2005) represents the electorate of Canberra in the House of Representatives
. In the ACT Legislative Assembly
, Red Hill is part of the electorate of Molonglo, which elects seven members on the basis of proportional representation. Currently Molonglo is represented by three Labor members, one Greens member, and three Liberal members.
Polling place statistics are shown to the right for the Red Hill polling place in the 2004 federal and ACT elections.
in garden derived from the ideas of Burle Marx a Brazilian garden designer. The garden has been listed on the ACT Heritage Register.
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...
. The suburb is named after the northernmost hill of the ridge to the west of the suburb. The ridge is a reserve and managed as part of the Canberra Nature Park
Canberra Nature Park
The Canberra Nature Park is actually 30 separate protected areas in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, ranging from bushland hills to lowland native grassland...
. The hill is an element of the central Canberra design axis.
Geography
The suburb occupies 4.87 km² and has a population density of 634/km².
Geology
The Red Hill ridge is said by geologists to be an "erosion residual" resulting from metamorphisisMetamorphism
Metamorphism is the solid-state recrystallization of pre-existing rocks due to changes in physical and chemical conditions, primarily heat, pressure, and the introduction of chemically active fluids. Mineralogical, chemical and crystallographic changes can occur during this process...
of sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rock are types of rock that are formed by the deposition of material at the Earth's surface and within bodies of water. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause mineral and/or organic particles to settle and accumulate or minerals to precipitate from a solution....
. The Yarralumla Formation sediments were toughened by thermal metamorphism from a small granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
intrusion
Intrusion
An intrusion is liquid rock that forms under Earth's surface. Magma from under the surface is slowly pushed up from deep within the earth into any cracks or spaces it can find, sometimes pushing existing country rock out of the way, a process that can take millions of years. As the rock slowly...
to the south thereby providing the resistant core of the ridge. The granite is deeply weathered and does not outcrop
Outcrop
An outcrop is a visible exposure of bedrock or ancient superficial deposits on the surface of the Earth. -Features:Outcrops do not cover the majority of the Earth's land surface because in most places the bedrock or superficial deposits are covered by a mantle of soil and vegetation and cannot be...
but is evident by the smooth slopes and deep red soils on the lower slopes to the north-west by the road to the Federal Golf Course. This intrusion is known as Federal Golf Course Tonalite
Tonalite
Tonalite is an igneous, plutonic rock, of felsic composition, with phaneritic texture. Feldspar is present as plagioclase with 10% or less alkali feldspar. Quartz is present as more than 20% of the rock. Amphiboles and pyroxenes are common accessory minerals.In older references tonalite is...
. It is dated at 417±8 Mya. It is completely crystalline with mineral content of plagioclase, hornblende, biotite and interstitial quartz and no potash feldspar.
The type of red soil is known as terra rossa.
Rock location summary
Mount Painter Volcanics dark grey to green grey dacitic tuffTuff
Tuff 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...
is found in all except the west.
This includes most of the built up area.
Yarralumla formation outcrops on Red Hill down to Mugga Way.
The Federal Golf Course hanging off the west side of Red Hill also counts as part of the suburb. It has a 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...
tonalite
Tonalite
Tonalite is an igneous, plutonic rock, of felsic composition, with phaneritic texture. Feldspar is present as plagioclase with 10% or less alkali feldspar. Quartz is present as more than 20% of the rock. Amphiboles and pyroxenes are common accessory minerals.In older references tonalite is...
intrusion under the whole course referred to as granite above.
History
The name 'Red Hill' was gazetted as a suburb name in 1928. This was the name associated with the hill since the days of the early settlers and probably suggested by the red soil in the area. Streets are named after ships and explorers. Mugga Way is named after an Aboriginal word also associated with the locality since the days of the early settlers.The hill was once part of the Narrabundah lease held by Charles Russell. He grazed sheep but as the suburb became built up, local pet dogs worried them and killed them. He changed to cattle and finally gave up the lease in 1992.
The Red Hill Precinct or "Old Red Hill" is bounded by Mugga Way, Moresby Street, Arthur Circle, Monaro Crescent and Flinders Way. The major streets of this area were included in an outline plan for the early development of Canberra prepared by Walter Burley Griffin in 1918. Its streetscape and landscape character reflect 1920s garden city planning.
Residential land in the suburb of Red Hill was offered for sale in the first Canberra land auction conducted on 12 December 1924. By 1929, 22 houses had been built and by 1955 there were 64 houses.
Mugga Way is often considered Canberra's most desirable home location. In 2004
2004 in Australia
-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor General – Michael Jeffery*Prime Minister – John Howard*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr*Premier of South Australia – Mike Rann*Premier of Queensland – Peter Beattie...
, a house sold for $2.5 million, one of the highest prices paid in the city, and yet to be exceeded as at January 2007.
Demographics
The first families moved to the suburb of Red Hill in 1927 and by 1933 the suburb had a population of 132 people. Its population peaked in 1971 with 4100 residents. On Census night 2006, Red Hill had a population of 3,143 people. The population number has changed little over the last decade: in 2001 there were 16 fewer people than in 1996 (0.5% fewer); 32 more people than in 1991 (1% more).The median age was 39 years; an increase over the median age of 37 years recorded in both the 1996 and 1991 censuses.
The mean household size was 2.5 persons.
In the 2001 Census, there were 774 separate houses (69.6%), 174 semi detached, row or terrace houses and townhouses (15.6%), 146 flats, units or apartments (13.1%) and 0 other dwellings (0.0%).
Of all occupied private dwellings in the 2001 Census, 682 were either fully owned or being purchased, which represents (61.2%) of all occupied private dwellings, while 342 (30.7%) were being rented. This compares with 626 (57.1%) either fully owned or being purchased and 398 (36.3%) being rented in the 1996 Census, and 621 (57.6%) either fully owned or being purchased and 379 (35.2%) being rented in the 1991 Census.
These demographics compare with Canberra census results of a median age of 32 years (30 years in 1996 & 29 years in 1991); mean household size of 2.6 persons; 76.4% of houses are separate dwellings and 66.7% of all occupied private dwellings were either fully owned or being purchased. Red Hill has a slightly older population, slightly smaller household size, a smaller proportion of houses are separate dwellings and more dwellings are rented in the suburb compared with Canberra on average.
Suburb amenities
Canberra Nature Park: Red Hill
- “Most Sundays I walk on the slopes of Red Hill in bush that is not pristine, not especially beautiful, but that is there close to where I live, a bit of bush rather than town earth and rock, not bitumen. There is a variety of birds, a miscellany of trees, some of them exotics, a range of weedy but pretty flowers, no doubt snakes, and certainly kangaroos. Ironically, a month ago I saw more kangaroos (a mob of 14) on Red Hill in the centre of Canberra than I saw subsequently during the entirety of a 16-day tour of the Red Centre. This Red Hill bush it can't be called wilderness makes Canberra a better place to live for the many people who do walk there and enjoy its qualities. ”
Schools
Canberra Grammar School
Canberra Grammar School is an independent, day and boarding school for boys, located in Red Hill, a suburb of Canberra, the capital of Australia....
, an Anglican school for boys, and a French-Australian preschool.
Major roads
The main access to the suburb from the south is from Hindmarsh Drive onto either Mugga Way or Dalrymple Street. The main roads through the suburb are La Perouse Street, Flinders Way and Monaro Crescent. The suburb's roads are named after ships and explorers.Politics
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Red Hill is located within the federal electorate
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
of Canberra
Division of Canberra
The Division of Canberra is an Australian Electoral Division in the Australian Capital Territory. The division was created in 1974 from the southern half of the old Division of Australian Capital Territory...
. Annette Ellis
Annette Ellis
Annette Louise Ellis , Australian politician, was a Labor Party member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1996 to August 2010, representing the Division of Namadgi 1996–98 and the Division of Canberra from 1998 to 2010.In the 1996 federal election she contested Namadgi against...
currently (2005) represents the electorate of Canberra in the House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
. In the ACT Legislative Assembly
Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory...
, Red Hill is part of the electorate of Molonglo, which elects seven members on the basis of proportional representation. Currently Molonglo is represented by three Labor members, one Greens member, and three Liberal members.
Polling place statistics are shown to the right for the Red Hill polling place in the 2004 federal and ACT elections.
Calthorpes' House
Calthorpes' House at 24 Mugga Way was built in 1927 by Harry Calthorpe, Stock and Station Agent from the firm of Woodgers and Calthorp. Designed by the architectural firm of Oakley and Parkes, the house displays many characteristics of the Spanish Mission style. The family (Harry, his wife Del and two daughters, Del and Dawn) lived together in the house throughout the Depression and Second World War, when both girls married. After Harry's death in 1950, Mrs Calthorpe continued to live in the house, predominantly alone. Whilst friends and neighbours redecorated their own houses, Mrs Calthorpe never did. After her death in 1979, it was recognised that an opportunity existed to preserve a house that related to Canberra's early years in staggering completeness, and the Australian Commonwealth Government bought the house, its garden and the house's contents from the two daughters in 1984. The House Museum is now registered as part of the National Estate and is open Saturday and Sundays as a museum of domestic history of the Between War era. It is believed to be the most complete surviving example of a 1920s family home in Australia.Boxford
A suburban garden named Boxford is divided into six separate sections, each reflecting the garden history and culture of a different part of the world. One of the gardens is in the Japanese style; another features a fountain inspired by chapel of Oscar NiemeyerOscar Niemeyer
Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho is a Brazilian architect specializing in international modern architecture...
in garden derived from the ideas of Burle Marx a Brazilian garden designer. The garden has been listed on the ACT Heritage Register.