About Gungahlin Weather Centre

The Gungahlin Weather Centre opened in 1998 and records all major weather elements including; temperature, rainfall, humidity, barometric pressure, dew point, heat index, evaporation, UV, Solar Radiation, wind direction, wind speed and wind chill.

The Gungahlin Weather Centre is located in Ngunnawal in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Ngunnawal is a northern suburb of Canberra (Australia's National Capital - population nearing 500,000). The name Gungahlin is taken from the Aboriginal word 'Goongarline' meaning "little rocky hill".

Gungahlin is 298km from Sydney, 655km from Melbourne, 3,953km from Perth and has a population of close to 100,000.

History of the Gungahlin Weather Centre

The Gungahlin Weather Centre developed from humble beginnings when it began recording daily temperature and rainfall data in March 1997. The original weather monitoring equipment was modest, and consisted of a standard maximum/minimum thermometer and rain gauge.

Despite the modest nature of the equipment, all data was validated each day by comparing it to readings obtained at the official Bureau of Meteorology monitoring station at Canberra Airport. All readings were found to be consistent to within +/- 2°C of the Airport readings. I considered this to be acceptable, especially given the different site conditions and Gungahlin's increased altitude.

In January 1999, I constructed and installed a "weather box" (pictured at right), which was designed to act like a "Stevenson Screen", and to provide even more accurate temperature readings. This was achieved because the weather box allowed for airflow, while keeping radiated heat to a minimum.

The weather box housed a Radio shack digital maximum/minimum thermometer, which constantly monitored both current and high/low temperatures. This data was automatically sent to a console inside the house. With the inclusion of the weather box temperature data was deemed to be accurate to within +/- 1°C.

In January 2002, the Gungahlin Weather Centre "came of age", when it purchased and installed a "Wireless Vantage Pro Weather Station" from Davis Instruments.

Davis Instruments are located in the San Francisco Bay area of the United States (near Silicon Valley) and were founded by Bill Davis in 1963. At the time, the company offered just thirteen products - including innovative plastic sextants and yachting speedometers. Today, Davis Instruments manufacture and sell several hundred distinct items used by boaters, meteorologists, farmers and educators.

In January 2012, I purchased a new 'Wireless Vantage Pro 2 Plus Weather Station from Davis Instruments. This Weather Station is top of the Davis Weather Instruments range, and allows us to record and report added weather variables such as UV, Solar Radiation and Evapotransporation. The unit is fan aspirated, allowing for incredibly accurate temperature readings.

For more information, read 'how the data is measured at the Gungahlin Weather Centre'.

Gungahlin Weather Centre in the News

Over the years, the Gungahlin Weather Centre has been mentioned regularly in the local press and radio. A monthly weather report appeared in the Canberra Chronicle (circ 127,000) and the 'Gungahlin News', and Gungahlin temperatures from the weather centre continue to be quoted on local Canberra radio stations, including 1206 2CC.

Below are links to a couple of articles that have appeared in the Canberra Times.

* "Winter chill as chardonnay" - Weather Centre mentioned in this great parody on the weather written by Ian Warden. It appeared in the 'Capital Times' supplement of the Canberra Times. View

* Weather Centre mentioned in Ian Warden's 'Capital Times' column. Page 9. Friday, 6 August 2004. View

* Article and photo of Weather Station (and owner!). Included in Ian Warden's 'Folk Lore' column. Page 6. View

Please note: The links above take you to pages from our old Gungahlin Weather Centre Website. To return to this page, simply click on your browsers 'back' button/arrow.