Rural past
On 1 January 1911, over 2,280 km² of land was acquired by the Commonwealth to establish the Federal Capital Territory. The resumption abruptly changed the lives of the area's 1,700 residents.
Shocked locals found they had lost the right to vote, could no longer sell their land on the open market and had no surety of leasing their land back once acquired by the government. For those who stayed, it was as temporary tenants only.
The region's small rural communities fractured and dispersed. Hall, on the edge of the ACT, is one of the few pre-Federation villages to remain.
Today, Hall is a reminder of the small but proud rural communities that were relocated to create the Capital at Canberra.
Building new towns
The role of the town planner in Canberra has always been an important one. Here within the heart of one of Canberra's 'new towns', the work of the nation's planners is all around us.
Belconnen, the second new town after Woden, was established in 1966 when Canberra was growing faster than any other Australian city. Its streets, stormwater, suburbs and schools were carefully planned and implemented by the National Capital Development Commission.
Open space and landscape were integral to the new towns. Generous reserves, parks, playing fields, street trees and open front gardens are a key feature of the planned landscape. Much of the trail passes through these interlinking open space networks that are unique to Canberra
The new towns were planned to be self-sufficient, providing local employment and facilities to reduce the need to commute between areas of Canberra. Places like Belconnen Mall expanded rapidly with settlement of the area.
Natural values
Look out for pictures of the trail's flora and fauna on each of the trail head signs and learn about Canberra's plants and animals. Bring a pencil and your own printed copy of the Whose Backyard activity sheet (1.9 MB) to collect a special pencil rubbing for each trail section.
In this section, you may see:
Add a sighting to the NatureMapr or visit the Canberra Birds website.
