Franklin (postcode: 2913) is a suburb of Canberra, Australia in the district of Gungahlin. It is named after the novelist Miles Franklin. Most streets in Franklin are named after female Australian writers.[2] It comprises an area of approximately 256 hectares. It is bounded by Flemington Road to the north and east, Well Station Drive to the south, and Gungahlin Drive to the west.[3]
Franklin is mainly a residential area with higher density, mixed-use development along Flemington Road including a local shopping centre and other retail and commercial tenancies.
Open space
The suburb of Franklin includes a number of large open space to provide a pedestrian and cyclist network, and to provide an ecological corridor for the movement of native wildlife.[3]
The Gubur Dhaura Heritage Site provides 360 views of the surrounding landscape and an ochre quarry site which are of cultural significance to the Ngunnawal people. Remains of the Red Hill pipeclay mine, Old Well Station Track and historical markers can also be found here;[4]
The Mulangarri and North Mitchell Grasslands;
The Gungaderra Creek;
Old Well Station Track which connects the Well Station Heritage Precinct (located in the neighbouring suburb of Harrison) with the Gungaderra Homestead, and Gubur Dhaura Red Hill Heritage Site through to the Gungahlin Town Centre.
Demographics
In the 2016 census, the population of Franklin was 6,419, including 75 (1.1%) Indigenous persons and 3,129 (49.2%) Australian-born persons.[5] 11.1% were born in China, 7.2% in India, 2.9% in South Korea, 2.2% in Sri Lanka, and 2.2% in Vietnam.[5] In the 2011 census, 44.4% of the population was foreign born, the third highest for any Canberra suburb.[6]
