Watson is a suburb of Canberra, Australia in the North Canberra district. Watson is named after the third Prime Minister of Australia, John Christian Watson. The suburb name was gazetted on 7 April 1960. Streets in Watson are named after Australian judges and other legal professionals.
Watson is bordered by the Federal Highway, Phillip Avenue and Antill Street.
Traffic loads on these roads has increased significantly with the continued development of Gungahlin and studies suggest some areas will exceed capacity before 2021.
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Located in Watson is a local shopping centre and several schools, television studios and motels. The former Watson High School now houses the Canberra Technology Park which includes the Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) as a tenant. Rosary Catholic Primary School is located in Watson, as is the Signadou campus of the Australian Catholic University. There is also Majura Primary School (originally Watson Primary School) which is well known for its annual Spring Carnival.
The Canberra Hog Farm operated from 1929 to 1956 on a large section of what is now north Watson. One of Canberra's two former drive-in theatres, the Starlight Drive-in, was located on part of the former hog farm site, on the Federal Highway in Watson. The site has now been redeveloped as a medium-density housing complex, although the drive-in's sign remains.