Richardson, Australian Capital Territory


Richardson is a suburb in the Canberra, Australia, district of Tuggeranong. The postcode is 2905. The suburb is named after the author Henry Handel Richardson, nom de plume of Ethel Florence Lindesay Richardson. It was gazetted on 5 May 1975. Streets are named after writers, especially female writers. It is next to the suburbs of Calwell, Isabella Plains, Gowrie and Chisholm. It is bounded by Johnson Drive, Ashley Drive and Isabella Drive.

Demographics

At the, Richardson had a population of 3,006. The median age of people in Richardson was 35 years, compared to a median age of 35 for the ACT. Unemployment in Richardson was 1.2% higher than the ACT average. The median weekly individual income for Richardson in 2011 was $863, compared to $998 for the ACT, while the median weekly household income was $1,840. In 2011, the median monthly housing loan repayment in Richardson was $1,900.
The residents of Richardson are predominantly Australian born, with 76.3% being born in Australia. The three main countries of birth for those born overseas were England, 3.4%, New Zealand, 1.8% and India, 1.0%. The most popular religious affiliations in descending order are no religion, Catholic, Anglican and Islam.

Suburb amenities and places of interest

Richardson Primary school, located on May Gibbs Close, opened in 1984; the school has a major focus on information and communications technology in education. Richardson Primary School was the first school within Australia to install Interactive Whiteboards. Richardson Preschool is also located on May Gibbs Close.
The Tuggeranong Homestead heritage site is accessed off Johnson Drive. The Richardson local centre and Richardson Oval are located on May Gibbs Close. Richardson also has a scout hall on Clift Crescent.
Several ACTION bus routes service Richardson. Routes 74, 75 and 76 connect Richardson to Tuggeranong Town Centre and Erindale Centre. Route 78 connects Richardson to Tuggeranong Town Centre via Isabella Plains and Bonython.

Geology

covers the whole suburb.
This would have formed by erosion of the surrounding Deakin Volcanics in Chisholm and the hills to the east. Deep underneath are volcanic rocks from the Silurian age at 414 Mya.