Watson, Australian Capital Territory
Encyclopedia
Watson is a suburb of Canberra
, Australia
in the North Canberra
district. Watson is named after the third Prime Minister of Australia
, John Christian Watson
. The suburb name was gazetted on 7 April 1960. Streets in Watson are named after Australian judges and other legal professionals.
Watson is bordered by the Federal Highway
, Phillip Avenue and Antill Street.
Traffic loads on these roads has increased significantly with the continued development of Gungahlin and studies suggest some areas will exceed capacity before 2021.
Located in Watson is a local shopping centre and several schools, television studios and motels. The former Watson High School now houses the Canberra Technology Park
which includes the Academy of Interactive Entertainment
(AIE) as a tenant as well as Megalo Print Studio and Gallery and a C3 Church campus. Rosary Catholic Primary School is located in Watson, as is the Signadou campus of the Australian Catholic University
. There is also Majura Primary School (originally Watson Primary School) which is well known for its annual Spring Carnival.
One of Canberra's two former drive-in theatres, the Starlight Drive-in, was located on the Federal Highway in Watson. The site has now been redeveloped as a medium-density housing
complex, although the drive-in's sign remains.
Also located in the suburb are the Southern Cross Ten
and Prime7 television studios, The Ted Noffs Foundation, Canberra Carotel (motel and caravan park), Red Cedars motel, Formule 1 Motel
, Australian Heritage Village (now closed and approved for new housing), Canberra Potters Society, and a BP
service station.
Watson is serviced by ACTION
bus routes 39 (weekdays) and 939 (weekends and public holidays). Antill Street is also serviced by routes 2 and 936/937 and Federal Highway by routes 5, 56, 58, 956 and 958.
s from the Canberra Formation is overlain by Quaternary
alluvium
.
This rock is the limestone of the original title of Canberra "Limestone Plains".
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...
, 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...
in the North Canberra
North Canberra
North Canberra, also known as the Inner North, is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 14 suburbs with 19,115 dwellings housing 42,113 people of the 324,034 people in the Australian Capital Territory...
district. Watson is named after the third Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
, John Christian Watson
Chris Watson
John Christian Watson , commonly known as Chris Watson, Australian politician, was the third Prime Minister of Australia...
. The suburb name was gazetted on 7 April 1960. Streets in Watson are named after Australian judges and other legal professionals.
Watson is bordered by the Federal Highway
Federal Highway (Australia)
The Federal Highway is a short highway in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia. It is a part of the Sydney-Canberra National Highway link....
, Phillip Avenue and Antill Street.
Traffic loads on these roads has increased significantly with the continued development of Gungahlin and studies suggest some areas will exceed capacity before 2021.
Located in Watson is a local shopping centre and several schools, television studios and motels. The former Watson High School now houses the Canberra Technology Park
Canberra Technology Park
Canberra Technology Park is located in Watson, a suburb of Canberra, ACT, Australia’s Capital city. The Business Park is set on 57,835.2 square metres and is a renovated two level high school...
which includes the Academy of Interactive Entertainment
Academy of Interactive Entertainment
The Academy of Interactive Entertainment is an Australian video games and 3D animation school. Founded in 1996, it was one of the world's first institutions to offer qualifications in these industries. The AIE provides courses covering CGI, animation, video game asset creation and games programming...
(AIE) as a tenant as well as Megalo Print Studio and Gallery and a C3 Church campus. Rosary Catholic Primary School is located in Watson, as is the Signadou campus of the Australian Catholic University
Australian Catholic University
Australian Catholic University is a national public university. It has six campuses and offers programs in five faculties throughout Australia.-History:...
. There is also Majura Primary School (originally Watson Primary School) which is well known for its annual Spring Carnival.
One of Canberra's two former drive-in theatres, the Starlight Drive-in, was located on the Federal Highway in Watson. The site has now been redeveloped as a medium-density housing
Medium-density housing
Medium density housing is a term used in Australia to describe residential developments that are at higher densities than standard low-density, suburban subdivisions, but not so high that they might be regarded as high density housing. The density of standard suburban residential areas has...
complex, although the drive-in's sign remains.
Also located in the suburb are the Southern Cross Ten
CTC (TV station)
CTC is a television station in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The station was the tenth to begin transmission in regional Australia, and the 26th station in Australia as a whole.-Origins:...
and Prime7 television studios, The Ted Noffs Foundation, Canberra Carotel (motel and caravan park), Red Cedars motel, Formule 1 Motel
Hotel Formule 1
Hotel Formule 1 is an international chain of "super low budget" or "no frills" hotels owned by the Accor Group. Rooms rent for around €29 per night.There are in excess of 380 hotels in 13 countries worldwide. As with Etap, most are located in France....
, Australian Heritage Village (now closed and approved for new housing), Canberra Potters Society, and a BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
service station.
Watson is serviced by ACTION
ACTION
ACTION is a public bus service operating in Canberra, ACT, Australia. It is operated by the ACT Department of Territory and Municipal Services...
bus routes 39 (weekdays) and 939 (weekends and public holidays). Antill Street is also serviced by routes 2 and 936/937 and Federal Highway by routes 5, 56, 58, 956 and 958.
Geology
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...
s from the Canberra Formation is overlain by 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
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
.
This rock is the limestone of the original title of Canberra "Limestone Plains".