11 March 2025

The sod has turned on a long-awaited community centre in the ACT's fastest growing district

| James Coleman
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man and woman shovelling

Chris Steel and Suzanne Orr turning the sod on the new Gungahlin Community Centre. Photo: ACT Government.

Construction is about to start on Gungahlin’s long-awaited community centre, and it couldn’t come soon enough, according to locals.

It hasn’t been completely without a place to hold indoor events, after the ACT Government opened a temporary community centre in December 2023, but the ACT’s fastest-growing district is also one of the only districts still without its own proper, permanent one.

“I’ve been advocating for a long time to secure this commitment, since 2020, so it’s exciting to be here today and finally getting that first sod turned,” local MLA Suzanne Orr said.

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In a media conference on Tuesday morning (11 March), government members attended the site – 3010 square metres of former government car park in the town centre, bordered by Efkarpidis Street, Gungahlin Place and The Valley Avenue – to stick the ceremonial shovels in.

Plans were first lodged for the $13 million community centre and youth hub in October 2023, pitched as “meeting the needs of the area’s growing population”.

“The new community centre will be able to be used for a wide variety of different occasions and functions,” the government said in a statement this week.

“This will include a dedicated work hub, meeting and activity rooms, multiple art workshops and studios, outdoor green spaces, a large multi-purpose community hall and expansive kitchen facilities.”

open space, tree and two-storey building

Artistic renders of the proposed Gungahlin Community Centre. Image: Judd Studio.

There’ll be public parking spaces, but the site is also a brief walk from light rail and includes secure bike parking and end-of-trip facilities.

During the community consultation phase last year, Ms Orr said they’d heard about the need for “lots of arts and craft facilities” and – “particularly hard to get” – wet areas for the likes of pottery and clay-moulding.

“And a really big kitchen. We’ve been told by everyone that catering is essential.”

two storey building entry

Artistic render showing the community centre entrance. Image: Judd Studio.

The youth hub component – complete with a lounge area, outdoor recreation space, work stations, consulting room, low sensory room and games area – is in response to requests from Barnados Australia and other charity organisations who noted “just about how important it is to have that drop-in space, that place where kids can come where there’s no cost and they’re always welcome … to get the support they need and … have a bit of fun”, Ms Orr said.

She suspected the new centre “may be the best one in Canberra”.

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Minister for Planning Chris Steel said Gungahlin’s temporary community centre had shown “strong take-up”, and he was confident “this new, larger facility will be well used”.

He confirmed the temporary centre will remain in place until construction of the new centre is completed, and that “further community facilities are also planned as part of the future Gungahlin East precinct”.

The Gungahlin East project is the Suburban Land Agency’s plan to develop the remaining land on the eastern side of the existing town centre, complete with a “fine-grain network of small streets, lanes and walkways” and more community facilities and retail spaces.

“There’s significant planning work that’s being done at the moment around Gungahlin East and future community facilities there,” he said.

“We also need to look at a future space for another library as well so that we can free up space in the existing Gungahlin College.”

Mr Steel said additional community centres are also planned for Woden and the Molonglo Valley.

Construction on the Gungahlin Community Centre is expected to be completed in early 2026.

The Gungahlin Community Council was contacted for comment.

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Here we go again! Tuggers are whingeing that they never get anything! Ylet you have a large shopping centre, government offices and a cinema.

Gungahlin doesn’t! Unless a person is working in retail or hospitality, they have to leave town as there are no government offices. Apart from Bunnings and the grocery stores, there are hardly any shops available – I guess this is most likely due to the fact that people need to travel to other parts of Canberra for work. Before moving to Gungahlin in 2009, I downloaded the plans for the township, there were large parcels of land earmarked for (public service) office buildings. Most of that land has been and is being turned into high rise housing! And don’t even mention the word “cinema” which has been promised for more than 20 years now and never eventuated!

What I like about Gungahlin is the easy access to the Federal Highway and the Barton Highway. 

Logicalusername10:50 am 12 Mar 25

@ Andrew Denny.

More ratepayers in Gunners.

Compared to Tuggers, the advantages of Gunners/Casey are:

Middle of a hot summer we can be up to 2 to 3 degrees hotter under shade if you can locate some;

Lack of parking with the bonus of people being fined if your vehicle doesn’t fit the driveway (dual cab/Kia Carnival etc);

Thin roads, did I mention the parking, tradies have it good, they like the fines I am told.

Lots of reflective concrete which is just fantastic;

Pure natural plastic lawns that smell like burnt plastic in the summer, uhum beats any other smell;

Water pressure that gives you time to think when filling a bucket/sink/toilet;

For the most part very few trees 🌴, burn them I say if and when located;

Only Cockatoos, those pesky Kookaburras and other natives have finally gone, thank God for the Greens/Labor;

Huge yards of less than 350m, no medium/large tree planting in your backyard/front yard, which is a bonus as there will never be shade in the future;

Everyone runs their Aircon in summer which as we know is good for the environment due to low breezes getting around our yards, if applicable;

Morning/Afternoon traffic for Nunners/Casey/Amaroo/Nicholls with one lane and a crawl, good for the environment;

Car exhaust fumes in winter is a delight, open the windows and experience real fresh air;

Super fast internet of roughly 25 down and 5 up as there are many more users (apartments, sorry flats) regardless of your plan. I can see 35 WiFi points right now.

Unfortunately we are planning on going back to Tuggers in the future. Hate the views, less government intervention in planning, not too brown tap water, space, shade, largish yards, decent traffic (compared to Gunner s), easy to get to nature. The only thing I will miss is Superbahn.

@Logicalusername
Gee it sounds like your living in a climate change denier’s vision of nirvana.

Oh and small consolation, I now, but you will only have to drive to Kingston (Eyre St) shops to get to a SupaBarn after you move.

Andrew Denny7:42 pm 11 Mar 25

Hello… 👋 I am from Tuggeranong Chief Minister. You probably haven’t heard of it, BUT it is part of the ACT. It is further south, just past Woden.
How about you come down south to Lanyon, Chisholm, Kambah, Erindale, set up your card table and tell the residents to their faces, who pay your rates, why Gungahlin is once again getting a new something. Come on. Bring snacks. There will be long queues

Is it the Greens/Labour Town Council School Builder??

Gregg Heldon4:09 pm 11 Mar 25

What the hell is a fine grain network? What is wrong with plain English? Once people start using these pretentious, wanky words or phrases, I stop reading.

Small streets, lanes & walkways if not well-lit and full of people become unsafe places to walk down at night but even in the daytime. A bit like underpasses. Is this smart?

Does this mean the new or refurbished Canberra International Dragway will be next to get the nod as genuine region, national and international drag racers and hoons wanting to get off the streets for WOW, its twenty-seven years now since the privately financed, constructed and professionally managed venue was forced to close due to consecutive ACT governments for their uptown buddies who after ten years of dilly dallying decided, well the Very Fast Train and or the Parcel Flight Hub wasn’t happening now leaving a desolate and a destroyed ‘fit for purpose’ location.

Wow lets turn another sod in Gungahlin. Dont worry about `the rest of Canberra.
What about the New Ice Rink that was promised in 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections, in Tuggeranong. What you say Andrew Barr, Tuggeranong is that in the ACT. I bet if it was A Geocon build it would be finished

Zaphod Beetlebrox7:16 pm 11 Mar 25

Molonglo just last week was requesting 1 billion Aud in road improvements of William Hovell Drive, Tuggeranon Parkway, and East West Arterial Bridge over the Molonloglo River, not to mention the 233 million John Gorton Drive Bridge, and the 2 billion light rail to Woden.

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