Is a suburb of Canberra, Australia. Acton covers an area west of the CBD, bordered by Black Mountain to the west and Lake Burley Griffin in the south. The Australian National University campus covers most of the suburb, though also located in Acton is the National Film and Sound Archive, a branch of the CSIRO and the National Museum of Australia.
The population of Acton on census night 2006 was 1808 people, mostly students living at the Australian National University.
History
ANU School of Art
The suburb is named in recognition of one of the region’s original homesteads ‘Acton’ which was sited there near the present-day National Museum at the end of Liversidge St.
With the establishment of the Federal Capital in 1911, territory administrators erected a temporary workers camp in the vicinity of ‘Acton Homestead’, since demolished, to house staff coordinating the development of the National Capital. The chief Surveyor Scrivener occupied Acton Homestead at an early stage during his survey of the capital site. The Bachelors’ Quarters above Lennox Crossing, now renamed Lennox House, became the city’s first guest house.
The alignment of Liversidge Street and Lennox Crossing follows the original line of the pre-1911 road towards the major ford across the Molonglo River. A low bridge and causeway was erected in 1911, at the site of the original river ford in an area subsequently inundated by Lake Burley Griffin.
Geology
The southern part of Acton has a complicated arrangement of sediments that include the Pittman Formation greywacke and the black coloured Acton Shale Member from the Ordovician age. Then from the Silurian age there is mudstone, State Circle Shale, and Camp Hill Sandstone. Some limestone is found near the National Museum of Australia.
Calcareous shales from the Canberra Formation are overlain by Quaternary alluvium on the north. This rock is the limestone of the original title of Canberra “Limestone Plains”. Tertiary age pebbly gravels are left from when the Molonglo river was at a higher level.
University House
“Your Hotel at the Australian University”. University House is located on the Acton Peninsula, within easy walking distance to the CBD, Lake Burley Griffin, the National Museum and other major attractions. We offer 143 rooms including suites & apartments, Restaurant and Bar in a heritage buidling set within the tranquil grounds of the Australian National University. We also offer 10 well appointed function & conference rooms and a wide variety of menus from our award winning chefs for those much needed lunchbreaks.
National Museum of Australia
Australian and international visitors have an opportunity to explore what it means to be Australian at the National Museum of Australia.
This multi-award winning museum is the first in the country devoted to the stories of Australia and Australians. The National Museum of Australia explores the key issues, events and people that have shaped and influenced our nation. Three key themes of Land, Nation and People are used to tell the story of Australia and Australians. State-of-the-art technology and exhibition design present the stories of the collection in an exciting and inventive manner, including the use of multimedia, live performances, hands-on activities and guided tours to appeal to a wide range of audiences. Excitement and innovation are not just limited to the exhibits � the colourful building itself is now an architectural landmark, one which compliments the beautiful surroundings.
Acton Campus
Molonglo River at Acton in 1920
Based on the linguistic evidence collected by anthropologists such as Curr, Howitt and Mathews, Tindale (1974) has placed the Canberra/Queanbeyan area within Ngunnawal land, extending from Queanbeyan to Goulburn, west to Tumut and Gundagai. Tindale (1974) indicates that the southern Canberra region was situated close to the boundaries of the Ngunnawal and Walgalu people. It is highly likely that boundaries, estates and ranges were fluid and varied over time, and as a consequence, the patterns recorded in the recent past may only represent the situation at the time of European contact.
Historical evidence indicates that the Molonglo River Flats, Black Mountain and its spur, now known as the Acton Peninsula, were areas that are believed to have been favoured as meeting places by the Aboriginal people of the region (Gillespie 1979; Bluett 1954; Sydney Morning Herald 21st May 1927). The Canberra region was occupied by three groups: the Ngarigo; the Walgalu; and the Ngunnawal. The Ngunnawal people are thought to have occupied the environs of Black Mountain.
The heavily timbered areas provided ample stocks of possum, kangaroo and wallaby whilst the Molonglo River was rich in Murray Cod (Gillespie 1979). Proximity to water and protection from the prevailing winds would also have made the area at the base of Black Mountain (Black Mountain Peninsula) attractive for Aboriginal occupation (Moss 1939). Material culture remains for the region are extensive including stone artefacts, spears and possum and kangaroo skin cloaks (Flood 1980). The arrival of European settlers severely decimated local Aboriginal populations with Schumack and Schumack (1967) noting that the number of Ngunnawal people in the area in the 1860′s was around seventy; this had dropped to only five or six ‘survivors’ in 1872 (Goulburn Herald 9th November 1872).
Surveys undertaken by H.P. Moss in the Acton area from 1929 and throughout the 1930s located upwards of 50 artefacts in an the area bounded by the old Institute of Anatomy (National Film and Sound Archive), Sullivans Creek and the Old Community Hospital including a large grinding stone and two pounding stones (Moss 1939).
Ceremonial meeting places for Aboriginal people have been located to the north and west of the Acton Campus, with a further Corroboree site situated at the entrance to the Chifley Library near Union Court. Large numbers of artefacts have been associated with these sites strengthening the importance of the Acton area to the local Indigenous communities.
Events
Elastic Reality: Australian Animation in the 21st Century (Event)
McCoy Circuit, Acton, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
Elastic Reality: Australian Animation in the 21st Century (Event)
Elastic Reality celebrates Australia’s most prominent creators of animation. The digital age has made a huge impact in film. Animation has developed rapidly with the new technologies. See a collection of images from a variety of animation types. The exhibition includes work from Yoram Gross, Bruce Petty, Sarah Watt, Sejong Park, Adam Elliot and George Miller.
Water: H2O = Life (Event)
National Museum of Australia, Lawson Crescent, Acton Peninsula, Acton, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
Water: H2O = Life (Event)
Experience water like never before in this thought-provoking, entertaining and inspiring exhibition. Learn how water shapes our planet and nearly every aspect of our lives. Be inspired by water stories from around the world. Discover what you and your family can do to protect and conserve our planet’s water. See interactive displays and live fish and frogs. Water: H2O = Life gives you a firsthand
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