Spence, Australian Capital Territory
Encyclopedia
Spence is a suburb in the Belconnen
district of Canberra
. The postcode is 2615. The suburb is named after William Spence
(1846–1926), one of the founders of the Australian Workers' Union
and later a member of the first Australian House of Representatives
. It was gazetted on 2 November 1972. Streets are named after trade unionists.
It is next to the suburbs of Fraser
, Melba
and Evatt
. Nearby is a CSIRO
property. The suburb is to the south of Owen Dixon Drive and Kuringa Drive and also bounded by Alpen Street and Copland Drive.
The local primary school, Spence Primary School, was established in 1977. It later merged with Melba Primary School to become Mount Rogers Community School—Spence Campus. The school closed at the end of 1998 due to a lack of enrolment. Students were encouraged to move to the Melba Campus.
The former school buildings now house a number of community based organisations including the Mount Rogers Community (Anglican) Church. A donation only cafe called "Coffee Corner" is run by the church.
Spence has a neighbourhood oval, bordering Clarey Crescent, which has been in great disrepair since the drought of 2002 / 2003. The other area of bush and open space is the water tower in the northwest of the suburb. The "tower" is built into a hill with only a small portion showing.
The local shopping centre has a medical centre, butcher, hairdresser, baker, chemist and supermarket, along with a service centre including a petrol station, mechanic and Auto Electrics. Another local supermarket, known as the Spence/Evatt Shops, is located on Copland Drive. Next to it is the Tongan Community Centre, rebuilt in 2007 after it burned down earlier in that year.
age Hawkins Volcanics green-grey dacite
and quartz andesite
are in the center and west of Spence.
A Green grey dacitic porphyry
intrusive with white feldspar
crystals is in the southeast of the suburb.
There is a Hawkins Volcanics shale
lens patch in the south central part.
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 ....
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...
. The postcode is 2615. The suburb is named after William Spence
William Spence
William Guthrie Spence , Australian trade union leader and politician, played a leading role in the formation of both Australia's largest union, the Australian Workers Union, and the Australian Labor Party.-Early life:...
(1846–1926), one of the founders of the Australian Workers' Union
Australian Workers' Union
The Australian Workers' Union is one of Australia's largest and oldest trade unions. It traces its origins to unions founded in the pastoral and mining industries in the 1880s, and currently has approximately 135,000 members...
and later a member of the first Australian 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....
. It was gazetted on 2 November 1972. Streets are named after trade unionists.
It is next to the suburbs of Fraser
Fraser, Australian Capital Territory
Fraser is a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen. It lies at the north west end of Belconnen. The postcode is 2615. The suburb is named after James Reay Fraser, who was Member of the Australian House of Representatives for the Division of Australian Capital Territory from 1951 to 1970 and...
, Melba
Melba, Australian Capital Territory
Melba is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Melba is in the district of Belconnen.The suburb of Melba is named after Dame Nellie Melba , the first internationally-recognised Australian opera soprano...
and Evatt
Evatt, Australian Capital Territory
Evatt is a suburb in the Belconnen district of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. It lies between the suburbs of McKellar, Belconnen, Florey, Melba and Spence. The postcode is 2617. It is named after Herbert Vere Evatt who was a Justice of the High Court and leader of the...
. Nearby is a CSIRO
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is the national government body for scientific research in Australia...
property. The suburb is to the south of Owen Dixon Drive and Kuringa Drive and also bounded by Alpen Street and Copland Drive.
The local primary school, Spence Primary School, was established in 1977. It later merged with Melba Primary School to become Mount Rogers Community School—Spence Campus. The school closed at the end of 1998 due to a lack of enrolment. Students were encouraged to move to the Melba Campus.
The former school buildings now house a number of community based organisations including the Mount Rogers Community (Anglican) Church. A donation only cafe called "Coffee Corner" is run by the church.
Spence has a neighbourhood oval, bordering Clarey Crescent, which has been in great disrepair since the drought of 2002 / 2003. The other area of bush and open space is the water tower in the northwest of the suburb. The "tower" is built into a hill with only a small portion showing.
The local shopping centre has a medical centre, butcher, hairdresser, baker, chemist and supermarket, along with a service centre including a petrol station, mechanic and Auto Electrics. Another local supermarket, known as the Spence/Evatt Shops, is located on Copland Drive. Next to it is the Tongan Community Centre, rebuilt in 2007 after it burned down earlier in that year.
Geology
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...
age Hawkins Volcanics green-grey dacite
Dacite
Dacite is an igneous, volcanic rock. It has an aphanitic to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite. The relative proportions of feldspars and quartz in dacite, and in many other volcanic rocks, are illustrated in the QAPF diagram...
and quartz 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,...
are in the center and west of Spence.
A Green grey dacitic 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...
intrusive with white feldspar
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
crystals is in the southeast of the suburb.
There is a Hawkins Volcanics 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...
lens patch in the south central part.