Corinna’s Canberra: Phillip

Today’s Corinna’s Canberra article is focusing on the suburb of Phillip. Phillip is often referred to as Woden by locals instead of its official name. In actuality, Phillip is a suburb in the Canberra district of Woden. It is located in the centre of the region, and contains the area’s main commercial centre, Woden Town Centre. The suburb itself is named after Captain Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales. Arthur Phillip was chosen in 1786 to lead the expedition destined for Botany Bay, reaching the Bay on 18th January 1788. The Captain was the first Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of New South Wales, settling Sydney Cove at Port Jackson (Source: ACT For Everyone).

The suburb of Phillip was gazetted on 12th May 1966. Its streets are mostly named after early colonial pioneers and they also use names associated with the First, Second and Third Fleets. However, our street, Corinna, seems to have been named for a river settlement in Tasmania, which itself used Aboriginal name for Pieman River. (Source: ACT Government Environment and Planning Directorate)

The size of Phillip is approximately 3 square kilometres. In this small space, there are 68 parks which cover nearly 19% of the suburb’s total area (Source: MyRP Data). Phillip is also home to several educational institutions including: The Canberra College, Polyglot Language Tuition, Canberra School of Photography, and Canberra Institute of Technology. You can also find the Woden Cemetery in this suburb. In 2011, the population of Phillip was approximately 2080 people, mostly aged between 25-34 years.

As well as commercial areas, schools and parks, Phillip also has a number of sporting facilities. One of its more well-known establishments is the Phillip Enclosed Oval, otherwise known as Football Park. This space was the nerve centre of AFL in Canberra during the 1980s and 1990s. Phillip also has a Swimming and Ice Skating Centre, as well as The Canberra Brave of the Australian Ice Hockey League.

CDG

The original Corinna Street Dental Surgery was (and still is) located in the suburb of Phillip. We can be found adjacent to Woden Plaza in Corinna Chambers, Corinna Street. There is ample parking available and many lovely places to eat and drink.