Nicholls is a suburb in the Canberra, Australia district of Gungahlin. It was named after Sir Douglas Nicholls (1906–1988) who was born at Cummeragunja Aboriginal mission, New South Wales. Nicholls was a footballer, pastor, activist, and Governor of South Australia, 1976–1977. In line with the philosophy of naming Canberra's streets, those of Nicholls are named after sportspeople. The suburb incorporates a large shallow body of water, designated Gungahlin Pond, with The Lakes golf course and the greatest number of residential streets on one side and a small cluster of residential streets, the "pondside promenade", named after birds, on the other. There is no direct connecting road between the two.
Nicholls adjoins the suburbs of Kinlyside, Casey, Ngunnawal, Crace and Palmerston. The suburb is located approximately 2 km from the Gungahlin Town Centre and about 13 km from the centre of Canberra.
Local facilities
Some of the most prestigious houses in Nicholls are located against Harcourt Hill to the west. Also in Nicholls is the Senior Site portion of Gold Creek School, Perce Douglas Memorial playing fields, Nicholls Neighbourhood oval, Holy Spirit Primary School and Gold Creek Primary School. Although the suburb of Nicholls is newly established, this northern portion of the suburb including the Gold Creek School is sited on what was until 1990, the former 'Gold Creek' rural property with the Gold Creek Homestead at its centre. St John Paul II College is a Catholic high school located at 1021 Gungahlin Drive that caters for boys and girls in years 7–12. The Gungahlin Pond is located in the east of the suburb, near the southern end of the Lakes Golf Club. A Canberra Nature Park including Percival Hill is located further south.
Gold Creek Village
Gold Creek Village is a district located on the southern boundary of Nicholls, off the Barton Highway. It encompasses Gold Creek Square, Cockington Green, the Gold Creek golf course, the National Dinosaur Museum, Australian Reptile Centre, the George Harcourt Inn and Federation Square. An online private weather station is located in Nicholls.
History
Nicholls contains the remnants of Ginninderra Village, one of the earliest settlements in the Canberra region. The settlement included the former St Francis School of Ginninderra and the historic Ginninderra Schoolhouse which was built in 1883. The village was located at the intersection of the Queanbeyan-Yass Road (now the Barton Highway) and Gold Creek Road which until the founding of the suburb of Nicholls led to the Gold Creek Homestead.
In 1979 Cockington Green, a miniature English village, opened for business in Ginninderra Village. The private sector enterprise was the first of a number of tourism ventures to establish there over the coming years and in the early 1990s, the ACT government approved an application to rename the precinct Gold Creek Village. Sue Geh Circuit in Nicholls is named after Sue Geh, the former Australian basketballer.
Demographics
According to the 2016 census, The top religious affiliations for the suburb of Nicholls are Catholic 27.4%, No religion, so described 27.2%, Anglican 13.8%, Not stated 8.6% and Buddhism 3.1%. The most common birthplaces in Nicholls are Australia 67.8%, England 4.0%, China 3.0%, India 1.7%, New Zealand 1.3% and Vietnam 1.3%.
Churches and Schools
Churches: Life Unlimited Church is located at 1021 Gungahlin Drive inside St. John Paul II College.
Schools: Three schools are located on the street of Kelleway Avenue. Gold Creek Primary School is located at 30 Kelleway Avenue. Gold Creek High School is located at 130 Kelleway Avenue. Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School is located at 26 Kelleway Avenue. The shared campus between Holy Spirit & Gold Creek primary is at 30 Kelleway Avenue. St. John Paul II College is located at 1021 Gungahlin Drive, Nicholls.