Ainslie, Australian Capital Territory

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Ainslie Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Population:	4815 (2006 census)[1]
Established:	1928
Postcode:	2602
Property Value:	AUD $570,000 (2008) [2]
District:	North Canberra
Assembly Electorate:	Molonglo
Federal Division:	Fraser
Suburbs around Ainslie: Dickson Hackett Braddon Ainslie Canberra Nature Park Reid Campbell

Ainslie (postcode: 2602) is a leafy suburb of Canberra, Australia in the North Canberra district.

The suburb is bounded by Limestone Ave and Majura Ave to the west and north, Phillip Ave to the north-east and the unbuilt Wolseley and Monash Drives to south and east.

Ainslie is within walking distance of the City, the nature trails of Mount Ainslie, the Australian War Memorial and the many restaurants of Dickson. The combination of its central position, the abundance of early, heritage-listed houses and mature street trees makes it one of Canberra's most desirable locations. The suburb has been one of the Canberra suburbs showing strongest increases in property values in recent years. Having been originally a predominantly blue-collar area with a high proportion of public housing - aside from the higher streets on the slopes of Mount Ainslie - the suburb has gradually gentrified.

Contents 1 Suburb amenities 2 Design 3 History 4 Open space 5 Geology 6 Notes and References

[edit] Suburb amenities

The local shops are located in the middle of Ainslie. The suburb has a preschool (Baker Gardens Preschool), the Ainslie Football Club, and the Ainslie Fire Station, which serves the North Canberra area. The Ainslie North Primary School is located in the suburb, but Ainslie School, one of Canberra's oldest, is located in Braddon on the western side of Limestone Ave (Braddon and another early neighbouring suburb, Reid, were originally called 'South Ainslie'^{[citation needed]}). Similarly, 'Ainslie Village' - an ACT Government centre which provides accommodation for people with special needs - is in the neighbouring suburb of Campbell.

Ainslie residents can access Mount Ainslie simply by walking uphill. There is an easy paved walk to the top, and also a "goat track" straight up the side of the hill. Kangaroos come down from the mountain at night and eat grass from the nature strips in front of local houses.

The Anglican All Saints Church, built in the 1860s of stone, is located on Cowper Street in Ainslie. It was relocated from Sydney in 1957 and originally served as the railway terminus at Rookwood Cemetery.

[edit] Design

The suburb is characterised by leafy streets, detached single dwelling houses, and a "village" atmosphere around the many small parks. Small blocks of flats are located in the south of the suburb. Ainslie has experienced 'in-fill' development in recent years, both in the form of dual occupancy dwellings (where two dwellings are constructed on a block which previously contained one house) and medium-density development, especially at the Limestone Avenue ends of Cowper Street and Angus Street and, more recently, on the site of the former service station at the Ainslie shops.

[edit] History

The suburb was named after James Ainslie, the "first overseer of 'Duntroon Station' in Canberra who was employed by Robert Campbell in 1825 to drive a mob of sheep south from Bathurst 'until he found suitable land'; Ainslie chose the Limestone Plains (the Canberra district) and was overseer for ten years before returning to Scotland." ^[3]

The division (or suburb) name Ainslie was gazetted by the Government in 1928. The streets of Ainslie are named after Pioneers and Legislators. ^[3] It has many heritage listed homes, mainly clustered around three precincts centred on Alt Crescent (mainly 1920s), Corroboree Park (also mainly 1920s) and Wakefield Gardens (mainly 1930s). Heritage parts of the suburb were gazetted onto the ACT Government's Heritage Register in 2004. ^[4]

Ainslie residents include The Hon. Robert Francis (Bob) McMullan MP, Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, former ACT politician Lucy Horodny (Greens), renowned South Pacific specialist Greg Fry and film-maker Tony Ayres.

[edit] Open space

Ainslie has many parks and open spaces.

• Corroboree Park is a large public space, which contains a community hall, as well as some sporting facilities such as several tennis courts, and a basketball court.
• It contains several sports ovals, one of which is part of the Ainslie Football Club.
• It contains North Ainslie Primary School which has a generous oval.
• It contains the Ainslie Tennis Club attached to Corroboree Park.

[edit] Geology

Calcareous shales from the Canberra Formation from the Silurian period is overlain by Quaternary alluvium.

This rock is the limestone of the original title of Canberra "Limestone Plains".

[edit] Notes and References

v • d • e Suburbs and localities in North Canberra Acton · Ainslie · Braddon · Campbell · City · Dickson · Downer · Duntroon · Hackett · Lyneham · O'Connor · Reid · Russell · Turner · Watson City Centre: City Group Centres: Dickson Centre Districts in Canberra: Belconnen · Gungahlin · North Canberra · South Canberra · Tuggeranong · Weston Creek · Woden Valley see also: Suburbs of Canberra · List of Canberra suburbs

Coordinates: 35°15′46″S 149°08′39″E / 35.26278°S 149.14417°E / -35.26278; 149.14417