Moncrieff is a designated suburb of Gungahlin, 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...

, the National Capital of 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 name was gazetted in April 1991 though no official announcement has to be made about the first land release. It is named after Gladys Moncrieff

Gladys Moncrieff

Gladys Moncrieff OBE was an Australian singer who was so successful in musical theatre and recordings that she became known as 'Australia's Queen of Song' and 'Our Glad'.-Early years:...

, an Australian singer of the 1920-30s musical era who was dubbed 'Australia's Queen of Song'. The suburb is located in north Gungahlin

Gungahlin

Gungahlin is a name of a district and the northernmost town centre of Canberra, Australia. Gungahlin is situated 10 km north of Canberra's city centre and is one of five satellites of Canberra including Woden, Tuggeranong, Weston Creek and Belconnen. Currently Gungahlin comprises 11 suburbs,...

 adjacent to the existing suburb of to the suburbs of Ngunnawal

Ngunnawal, Australian Capital Territory

Ngunnawal is a suburb in the district of Gungahlin in Canberra, Australia. The suburb is named in tribute to the Ngunnawal people, the original inhabitants of the area. The suburb was gazetted on 18 October 1991. Ngunnawal is adjacent to the suburbs of Nicholls, Casey and Amaroo and Taylor...

, 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...

 and the future suburbs of Taylor

Taylor, Australian Capital Territory

Taylor is a designated suburb in Gungahlin, Canberra though the first land release is yet to be announced. The suburb is named after magazine publisher Florence Taylor OBE, who was editor of and writer for several Australian building industry journals including the influential 'Building' magazine...

 and Jacka

Jacka, Australian Capital Territory

Jacka is a designated suburb of Gungahlin, Canberra, the National Capital of Australia. The suburb was gazetted in April 1991 though an official announcement is yet to be made about the first land release...

. The suburb is located approximately 4 km from the Gungahlin Town Centre

Gungahlin

Gungahlin is a name of a district and the northernmost town centre of Canberra, Australia. Gungahlin is situated 10 km north of Canberra's city centre and is one of five satellites of Canberra including Woden, Tuggeranong, Weston Creek and Belconnen. Currently Gungahlin comprises 11 suburbs,...

 and 16 km from the centre 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...

 and is bounded by Mirrabei Drive and Horse Park Drive.

Future Development

When fully developed Moncrieff is expected to accommodate approximately 1800 dwellings. and a variety in housing types including:

• Standard residential;
• medium and higher density residential (consistent with the provisions of Residential B8 and B9 Area Specific Policies of the Territory Plan) adjacent to the commercial centre, main community facility site and along Horse Park Drive;
• Compact block housing in the locations identified in the Compact Block Housing for New Estates; and
• “Affordable housing” in accordance with the Affordable Housing Action Plan.

A group shopping centre together with higher density housing is to be located near the intersection of Horse Park and Mirrabei Drives.

Geography

With an area of approximately 200ha , of which only 130ha is developable, the suburb of Moncrieff is relatively small compared to other Gungahlin suburbs. Three hills dominate the area, the highest which is 674 meters above sea level. The green belt is characterised by Yellow Box-Red Gum Woodlands, lowland woodland and grasslands.

Geology

The rock under Moncrieff 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...

.