Broadmeadows was developed on a steep South and East facing hillside under Mt KauKau in the 1970’s with housing on the higher slopes and Northern reaches being largely completed in the last few years. It is a commuter suburb with a good bus link but no shops or other amenities. It is popular with families as the lower edges brush against the Onslow College boundary.
Echoing parts of Khandallah, many of the street names were based on areas in India. Nagpur, Hindipur, Rajkot, Nalanada, and Jaunpur are a handful of examples.
The upper reaches of Broadmeadows rests just under the summit of Mount Kaukau. Mt Kaukau (445 metres) stands above Ngaio and Khandallah. In 1965 Wellington’s main television transmitter mast was built on its summit, making it the most visible point in the city’s landscape. It was originally known as Tarikākā (meaning ‘where parrots rested’). The name is remembered in the Tarikākā railway settlement in Ngaio.
The view from the top of Broadmeadows is fantastic on a clear day and a track from Sirsi Terrace allows quick and easy access to the lookout and transmitter tower on the hilltop
