Ainslie, Australian Capital Territory
Encyclopedia
Ainslie is a leafy suburb of Canberra
, Australia
in the North Canberra
district.
The suburb is bounded by Limestone Avenue and Majura Avenue to the west and north, Phillip Avenue to the north-east, Mount Ainslie to the east and Quick Street to the south.
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.
, and the Ainslie Fire Station, which serves the North Canberra area. The North Ainslie 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'). 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
.
The Ainslie Arts Centre now occupies the former Ainslie Primary School (built 1927), the first such school in the ACT.
, 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."
The division (or suburb) name Ainslie was gazetted by the Government in 1928. The streets of Ainslie are named after pioneers and legislators. 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.
s 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".
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the North Canberra
North Canberra
North Canberra, also known as the Inner North, is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 14 suburbs with 19,115 dwellings housing 42,113 people of the 324,034 people in the Australian Capital Territory...
district.
The suburb is bounded by Limestone Avenue and Majura Avenue to the west and north, Phillip Avenue to the north-east, Mount Ainslie to the east and Quick Street to the south.
Ainslie is within walking distance of the City, the nature trails of Mount Ainslie
Mount Ainslie (Australian Capital Territory)
Mount Ainslie or Mount Ainslie-Majura is a part of Canberra Nature Park. It borders on the inner suburbs of Campbell, Ainslie and Hackett...
, the Australian War Memorial
Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia...
and the many restaurants of Dickson
Dickson Centre, Australian Capital Territory
The Dickson Centre, located in the suburb of Dickson, is a group centre in the inner northern suburbs of Canberra.The centre is the main commercial centre for the inner northern suburbs, after Civic, and is a significant site of employment...
. 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.
Suburb amenities
The local shops are located in the middle of Ainslie. The suburb has a playschool (Inner North Playschool), a preschool (Baker Gardens Preschool), the Ainslie Football ClubAinslie Football Club
Ainslie Football Club is a semi-professional Australian rules football club based in Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory.The club, formed in 1927 and play now in the North East Australian Football League, won its first permiership in 1929....
, and the Ainslie Fire Station, which serves the North Canberra area. The North Ainslie Primary School is located in the suburb, but Ainslie School, one of Canberra's oldest, is located in Braddon
Braddon, Australian Capital Territory
Braddon is an inner north suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Located north of the Canberra CBD, Braddon contains a commercial area centred on Mort and Lonsdale streets, which run parallel to Northbourne Avenue...
on the western side of Limestone Ave (Braddon and another early neighbouring suburb, Reid
Reid, Australian Capital Territory
Reid is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Located directly next to Canberra City, Reid is one of the oldest suburbs in Canberra....
, were originally called 'South Ainslie'). Similarly, 'Ainslie Village' - an ACT Government centre which provides accommodation for people with special needs - is in the neighbouring suburb of Campbell
Campbell, Australian Capital Territory
Campbell is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Covering an area to the South East of the central business district, Campbell sits at the base of Mount Ainslie. On Census night 2006, Campbell had a population of 4,797 people...
.
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
All Saints Church, Canberra
All Saints Church is an Australian Anglican church located in the suburb of Ainslie, Canberra. It is part of the diocese of Canberra and Goulburn in the Anglican Church of Australia....
, built in the 1860s of stone, is located on Cowper Street in Ainslie. It was relocated from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in 1957 and originally served as the railway terminus at Rookwood Cemetery
Rookwood Cemetery
Rookwood Cemetery is the largest multicultural necropolis in the Southern Hemisphere, located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
The Ainslie Arts Centre now occupies the former Ainslie Primary School (built 1927), the first such school in the ACT.
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.History
The suburb was named after James AinslieJames Ainslie (pastoralist)
James Ainslie was a Scottish pastoralist, best known as the first overseer of the property known as Duntroon in the Australian Capital Territory, he increased the size of the property's sheep flock from 700 to 20,000 in 12 years. He lived in a relationship with an Aboriginal woman and she bore him...
, 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
Bathurst, New South Wales
-CBD and suburbs:Bathurst's CBD is located on William, George, Howick, Russell, and Durham Streets. The CBD is approximately 25 hectares and surrounds two city blocks. Within this block layout is banking, government services, shopping centres, retail shops, a park* and monuments...
'until he found suitable land'; Ainslie chose the Limestone Plains
Limestone Plains
The Limestone Plains were broad, frost-hollow floodplains through which the Molonglo River flowed. Early settlers named this floodplain after the occasional small outcrops of limestone found on it. The Limestone Plains were the area Australia's capital city Canberra was built on...
(the Canberra district) and was overseer for ten years before returning to Scotland."
The division (or suburb) name Ainslie was gazetted by the Government in 1928. The streets of Ainslie are named after pioneers and legislators. 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.
Open space
Ainslie has many parks and open spaces.- Corroboree ParkCorroboree ParkCorroboree Park is in Ainslie, ACT, Canberra, Australia. It is shaped like a semicircle, and is associated with the Aboriginal use of the area prior to European settlement in Canberra. The park was created around 1925 around what is known as the 'Corroboree Tree' located in the park...
is shaped like a semicircle, and is associated with the Aboriginal use of the area prior to European settlement in Canberra. The park was created around 1925 around what is known as the 'Corroboree Tree' located in the park. Ainslie Community Hall, which is located in Corroboree Park, is socially significant as one of the early meeting places in Canberra. The wooden hall was erected in 1927 and the adjoining 1920s school building was relocated to its current location from Russell. The hall is often used for social gatherings, meetings and classes such as yoga and dance. The three courts for the Ainslie Tennis Club (established in 1927) were built using voluntary labour. The tennis club planted many of the trees in the park. - It contains several sports ovals, one of which is part of the Ainslie Football ClubAinslie Football ClubAinslie Football Club is a semi-professional Australian rules football club based in Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory.The club, formed in 1927 and play now in the North East Australian Football League, won its first permiership in 1929....
. - It contains North Ainslie Primary School which has a generous oval.
Geology
Calcareous shaleShale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
s from the Canberra Formation from the Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
period is overlain by Quaternary alluvium.
This rock is the limestone of the original title of Canberra "Limestone Plains".