Future residents of Canberra's newest suburb named after a former prime minister have kickstarted their connections with each other.
Held at the Whitlam Playground on Saturday, the Suburban Land Agency's Mingle program drew together people who have secured blocks of land.
Whitlam, named after former prime minister Gough Whitlam, is about a 10-minute drive south of Belconnen and is the first Molonglo Valley suburb north of the Molonglo River.
Once all four stages are completed, with the last scheduled to start in 2022, the suburb will be home to about 2100 dwellings and an estimated 5000 residents.
Among those who attended the launch event was Muhammad Idrees and his young family.
Mr Idrees, who has secured a block of land, said they moved from Adelaide about two years ago and decided to buy land at Whitlam due to its central location.
"The location is very nice and fantastic and it's also very close to the city," Mr Idrees said.
"It's very exciting to be a part of this launch by getting a block here.
"It's good to see more supply generally for Canberra as the population grows."
The location is very nice and fantastic and it's also very close to the city.
Muhammad Idrees
Mr Idrees, who is an engineer at Defence and is currently renting at Charnwood, said when he started looking at buying in Canberra, it was "a big shock for us".
"The supply is very limited here and the limited land supply also made it very difficult," he said.
"We got the block here and now we have to build a house, so that's the next challenge for us."
The suburb, which covers about 285 hectares, will include a school, from preschool to year 10, and a local centre with planning in place to ensure a network of active travel connections.
Ngunnawal knowledge holder Richie Allan, who led a Welcome to Country ceremony and cultural talks on Saturday, said knowing more about traditional stories associated with the region was a key part of developing the Whitlam community.
"There are so many significant things around here like the Molonglo River, the hills, the plants and the animals," he said.
"No one really knows the dirt before European settlement and that's [what] we're out here doing today - to give them awareness.
"There was already a master plan here before European settlement."
Mr Allan said spreading the message to future residents about living in harmony with nature was also key.
Lisa Planinac, manager for community development and events at Mingle, said it was an important day for residents.
"For some of them, it's been their first opportunity to come and visit their blocks in person," she said.
"It's also been an opportunity for them to talk to the Suburban Land Agency about their future community.
"The community will have the opportunity through Mingle to meet with each other and then in the future to drive their own community-led initiatives."
The suburb has been designed to capture views from the estate to the Brindabella Ranges, Black Mountain and the National Arboretum.
Environmental sustainability is also a major factor, with the Suburban Land Agency saying "every opportunity has been taken to protect and foster the biodiversity of the local environment".
