Fyshwick, Australian Capital Territory
Encyclopedia
Fyshwick is an industrial suburb of Canberra
, located east of the South Canberra district. On Census night 2006, Fyshwick had a population of 54 people.
It is known for its adult entertainment industry, along with Mitchell
, one of the two places in the ACT where there is legalised prostitution
(which was decriminalised but limited to those two suburbs in 1992). It also has many stores that sell goods wholesale, as well as hardware and car shops, and some fast food outlets.
It was named after Sir Philip Fysh
, a Tasmania
n politician who assisted in bringing about Australia's Federation. The suffix "wick", from Old English, means "dwelling place" - and, by extension, "village" or "district". Its streets are named after Australia's industrial towns and regions - for example, Mount Isa is represented by Isa Street and Townsville is represented by Townsville Street. The suburb consists mainly of light industrial and retail space.
The only railway line into Canberra runs through the middle of Fyshwick dividing the area into two halves. Ipswich and Newcastle Streets as well as the Monaro Highway
cross the railway line uniting both halves of Fyshwick.
The Fyshwick sewage treatment
works was built in 1967 to treat waste water that could not easily be pumped to the other side of Canberra. It has been recently converted to use a modern portable pressurised treatment system developed by ACTEW
called CRANOS. It is now used to treat industrial waste water, which is then used to water the Duntroon
grounds and golf course
.
One noteworthy portion of Fyshwick, located between the railway line and Canberra Avenue, was built as an internment camp during early 1918. It was known as the Molonglo Internment Camp, although it was also referred to as a concentration camp. The site was intended to accommodate 3,500 German and Austrian nationals being expelled from China, however once the camp had been established in May 1918 these internees were no longer destined for Molonglo. Instead, the camp housed 150 internees transferred from the Bourke Camp in New South Wales
. The camp was closed in late 1919 after the internees were deported to Germany. Most of the camp's building were sold off, with the remaining buildings being converted to house construction workers, some of whom were unemployed returned servicemen. Gradually the camp buildings were moved to other camp sites around Canberra and the roads used to service the camp became the first streets of Fyshwick.
The internment camp's hospital at what is now Tennant Street became the Molonglo Public School. This school closed in the 1942 and then became a naval auxiliary wireless station. This operated until 1946. The station consisted of one wooden T shaped building and a fibro
mess hall. This station operated the receivers for the strategic fixed radio links to Australia for Whitehall
, Halifax
and Bombay Fort. During this period 14 WRANS operated the equipment. Marion Stevens was a Petty Officer in charge of the station from 1943 to 1946. She was notable as the only woman in charge of a transmitting station.
The station was part of the Harman radio network, as was connected via a landline to the main Harman site. Equipment at the Molonglo station included teletypes for use when reception was good. During poorer radio propagation
periods morse code radiotelegraphy had to be used.
After the war the Molonglo station became a dog training school. In the early 1980s the buildings were demolished.
.
On top of this to the east and west of Jerrabomberra creek are Tertiary
pebble gravels, and also quaternary
alluvium.
There are two andesite
dykes intruded across Gladstone Street.
South of the South Fyshwick fault is the dacitic andesite
of the Ainslie Volcanics.
The South Fyswick Fault starts in Narrabundah, runs east from Lithgow St to Tennant Street, crosses the Molonglo river and heads north east to Dundee Hill to join Sullivans 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...
, located east of the South Canberra district. On Census night 2006, Fyshwick had a population of 54 people.
It is known for its adult entertainment industry, along with Mitchell
Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory
Mitchell is a light-industrial estate of Canberra, Australia in the district of Gungahlin. Mitchell was named in honour of Major Sir Thomas Livingston Mitchell, an explorer of inland New South Wales and Surveyor-General of New South Wales. The streets in Mitchell are named after Australian...
, one of the two places in the ACT where there is legalised prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
(which was decriminalised but limited to those two suburbs in 1992). It also has many stores that sell goods wholesale, as well as hardware and car shops, and some fast food outlets.
It was named after Sir Philip Fysh
Philip Fysh
Sir Philip Oakley Fysh, KCMG was an Australian politician, Premier of Tasmania and a member of the first federal ministry....
, a Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
n politician who assisted in bringing about Australia's Federation. The suffix "wick", from Old English, means "dwelling place" - and, by extension, "village" or "district". Its streets are named after Australia's industrial towns and regions - for example, Mount Isa is represented by Isa Street and Townsville is represented by Townsville Street. The suburb consists mainly of light industrial and retail space.
The only railway line into Canberra runs through the middle of Fyshwick dividing the area into two halves. Ipswich and Newcastle Streets as well as the Monaro Highway
Monaro Highway
The Monaro Highway is a state highway in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria, Australia. The Victorian section was formerly known as the Cann Valley Highway until the 1980s....
cross the railway line uniting both halves of Fyshwick.
The Fyshwick sewage treatment
Sewage treatment
Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants...
works was built in 1967 to treat waste water that could not easily be pumped to the other side of Canberra. It has been recently converted to use a modern portable pressurised treatment system developed by ACTEW
ACTEW Corporation
ACTEW Corporation Limited is a government-owned company with assets and investments in water, wastewater, electricity, gas and telecommunications. ACTEW is wholly owned by the ACT Government...
called CRANOS. It is now used to treat industrial waste water, which is then used to water the Duntroon
Royal Military College, Duntroon
The Royal Military College, Duntroon is the Australian Army's officer training establishment. It was founded at Duntroon, in the Australian Capital Territory, in 1911 and is situated on picturesque grounds at the foot of Mount Pleasant near Lake Burley Griffin, close to the Department of Defence...
grounds and golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
.
History
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. The camp was closed in late 1919 after the internees were deported to Germany. Most of the camp's building were sold off, with the remaining buildings being converted to house construction workers, some of whom were unemployed returned servicemen. Gradually the camp buildings were moved to other camp sites around Canberra and the roads used to service the camp became the first streets of Fyshwick.
The internment camp's hospital at what is now Tennant Street became the Molonglo Public School. This school closed in the 1942 and then became a naval auxiliary wireless station. This operated until 1946. The station consisted of one wooden T shaped building and a fibro
Fibro
Fibro, the shortened form of "Fibrous Cement" - or "Fibrous Asbestos Cement", FAC, is a building material made of compressed fibres cemented into rigid sheets....
mess hall. This station operated the receivers for the strategic fixed radio links to Australia for Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
, Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
and Bombay Fort. During this period 14 WRANS operated the equipment. Marion Stevens was a Petty Officer in charge of the station from 1943 to 1946. She was notable as the only woman in charge of a transmitting station.
The station was part of the Harman radio network, as was connected via a landline to the main Harman site. Equipment at the Molonglo station included teletypes for use when reception was good. During poorer radio propagation
Radio propagation
Radio propagation is the behavior of radio waves when they are transmitted, or propagated from one point on the Earth to another, or into various parts of the atmosphere...
periods morse code radiotelegraphy had to be used.
After the war the Molonglo station became a dog training school. In the early 1980s the buildings were demolished.
Geology
Most of the north of Fyshwick is underlain by Canberra Formation, calcareous shaleShale
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...
.
On top of this to the east and west of Jerrabomberra creek are Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
pebble gravels, and also quaternary
Quaternary
The Quaternary Period is the most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the ICS. It follows the Neogene Period, spanning 2.588 ± 0.005 million years ago to the present...
alluvium.
There are two andesite
Andesite
Andesite is an extrusive igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,...
dykes intruded across Gladstone Street.
South of the South Fyshwick fault is the dacitic andesite
Andesite
Andesite is an extrusive igneous, volcanic rock, of intermediate composition, with aphanitic to porphyritic texture. In a general sense, it is the intermediate type between basalt and dacite. The mineral assemblage is typically dominated by plagioclase plus pyroxene and/or hornblende. Magnetite,...
of the Ainslie Volcanics.
The South Fyswick Fault starts in Narrabundah, runs east from Lithgow St to Tennant Street, crosses the Molonglo river and heads north east to Dundee Hill to join Sullivans Fault.