Once upon a time, this little suburban park was part of the Cooleman Farm, the home of Phillip and Kathleen Champion. During WWI, Phillip served as aide-de-camp to the Governor of the Central Provinces, whose daughter he married in 1919. In 1926 the family moved to Australia from Kent, England, firstly settling in Weetangera. In 1936 Phillip was granted a 3,000 acre leasehold in Woden, where he built a house and stocked his farm with 2,600 sheep. By 1971 only 500 acres of the farm remained, with the land being gradually reclaimed for urban development. In 1973 Phillip Champion's home was converted into the Weston Creek Community Centre.
Come and visit this little suburban slice of history, there is a nearby informative sign erected by Woden Heritage, where you can read more about the Cooleman Champions. There is a park bench close by where you can sit and perhaps contemplate what life would have been like here in the National Capital, back when it was a dry, dusty sheep paddock. Occasionally a stray kangaroo may wander down from Cooleman Ridge, to graze close by.
Room for small swaps. Please bring your own pen.