Lyneham, Australian Capital Territory
Lyneham () is a suburb of
Canberra, in the
Australian Capital Territory. It is named after Sir
William Lyne, premier of the Australian state of
New South Wales from
1899 to
1901.
At the time of the last
Australian Bureau of Statistics Census of Population and Housing in 2001, the population of Lyneham was 4,097. The suburb has experienced increasing popularity in recent years, evidenced by its high turnover rate: only 1,709 (42%) of its residents were at the same address 5 years prior to the Census. This is probably due to the large number of students in the suburb (Lyneham is a short distance from both the
Australian National University in Acton and the
University of Canberra in Bruce) as well as the changing cost of living in the suburb (in the last 10 years the median house price has risen from $140,000 to $301,000, see
AllHomes.com.au).
Lyneham boasts many attractions for young and old including nature parks and bushland, proximity to the centre of Canberra, the famous
Tilley's Devine Cafe and Gallery and a number of sporting facilities including the National Hockey Centre, Canberra Racecourse and the ACT Netball Centre. Every year Australia's best known car festival,
Summernats, is held at the neighbouring
Exhibition Park In Canberra (EPIC) and nearby Dickson plays host to some of the best multicultural restaurants to be found in Australia's capital.
The style of the suburb has been evolving since its creation in 1958. Older heritage style homes sit beside modern townhouse developments. Being one of the older suburbs in Canberra, Lyneham residents enjoy its leafy streets and established gardens. The streets are mostly named after artists and those associated with the development of Canberra in the early years (see
ACT Planning and Land Authority for further information).
Lyneham is home to Lyneham High School, Lyneham Primary School and
Brindabella Christian College.
Lyneham high has almost 1000 students, and is at full capacity. It has two enrichment programs running; a selective gifted and talented academic program called LEAP (Lyneham Enriched Academic Program), and a similar program aimed at sporting achievers called SEAL (Sporting Excellence At Lyneham). The school also runs a Learning Support Unit for students with learning difficulties, as well as an ESL unit for students learning English as a second language.
The school is known for its band program, in which almost half the school's students participate. The school's bands have achieved numerous awards in the National Eisteddfod over past years.
Lyneham primary has 300 to 400 students. After many years of declining enrolments there was a dramatic increase in enrolments in 2005. This was the first school in the ACT to increase enrolments after a long period of decline.
The part of Lyneham north of
Ginninderra Drive was a recent addition to the suburb of Lyneham, being built in the early 1990s, while the rest of Lyneham dates back to the 1960s. The small area has large, modern houses compared with the mostly government dwellings of the rest of Lyneham. Residents of this area prefer to think of North Lyneham as a separate suburb, and it is commonly accepted that the area is a separate suburb, even though officially the area is part of the suburb of Lyneham. The area has one large crescent, Cossington Smith crescent, with other streets coming off it. It also has a small shopping centre.
Calcareous
shales from the Canberra Formation is overlain by Quaternary alluvium.This rock is the limestone of the original title of Canberra "Limestone Plains".
Greywacke from the
Ordovician age Pittman Formation is in the north west.
Natural History of the Australian Capital Territory covers more of the geology of the ACT.
#Allhomes.
Property values in Lyneham#Lyneham High School.
Band program page
