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Inner NorthCanberra · ACT

Guide 2 of 6 · Who they are named for

The people behind the inner north’s suburb names

Every row the ACT place-names register keeps for these suburbs carries a name and a note on what that person did, and this guide sets them out in order of birth year, with the City’s own row naming no person.

How to read the plan

Stop
a light rail stop on the avenue, in order from the City
Nature reserve
a reserve at the district's edge, with its height
City Centre
the City, as the district policy names it
Lake Burley Griffin: beyond the City. The extension from Alinga Street to Commonwealth Park is to improve the link between the city and the lake LAKE BURLEY GRIFFIN Black Mountain Nature Reserve: 434 hectares on the northern side of Lake Burley Griffin, its hill 812 metres above sea level under a 195-metre tower Black Mountain Nature Reserve · 812 m on the northern side of Lake Burley Griffin Mount Ainslie Nature Reserve: 637 hectares adjoining Mount Majura Nature Reserve; together they overlook the city of Canberra from its north-east Mount Ainslie Nature Reserve · 842 m overlooking the city from its north-east Mount Majura Nature Reserve: 502 hectares adjoining Mount Ainslie Nature Reserve to the south, its hill 888 metres above sea level, the highest in northern Canberra Mount Majura Nature Reserve · 888 m adjoining Mount Ainslie to the south Northbourne Avenue: the district policy’s own area heading names Braddon, Dickson, Downer, Lyneham, O’Connor and Turner as the Northbourne Avenue area Federal Highway: Transport Canberra’s notice puts the replacement bus stop for Phillip Avenue on the Federal Highway, after Phillip Avenue. Federal Highway Swinden Street: the sixth stop from the City, as Transport Canberra lists it SWINDEN STREET Dickson Interchange: the fifth stop from the City, as Transport Canberra lists it DICKSON INTERCHANGE Macarthur Avenue: the fourth stop from the City, as Transport Canberra lists it MACARTHUR AVENUE Ipima Street: the third stop from the City, as Transport Canberra lists it IPIMA STREET Elouera Street: the second stop from the City, as Transport Canberra lists it ELOUERA STREET Alinga Street: the first stop from the City, as Transport Canberra lists it ALINGA STREET City Centre: the district policy identifies the City Centre Entertainment Precinct; light rail runs from the city to Gungahlin via Dickson. CITY CENTRE The twelve localities, in the order the district policy lists them. Ainslie, named for James Ainslie (1787–1844). Opens the guide to the twelve localities. AINSLIE James Ainslie (1787–1844) Braddon, named for Sir Edward Braddon PC KCMG (1829–1904). Opens the guide to the twelve localities. BRADDON Sir Edward Braddon PC KCMG (1829–1904) Campbell, named for Robert Campbell (1769–1846). Opens the guide to the twelve localities. CAMPBELL Robert Campbell (1769–1846) City, named for City. Opens the guide to the twelve localities. CITY City Dickson, named for Sir James Dickson, KCMG (1832 – 1901). Opens the guide to the twelve localities. DICKSON Sir James Dickson, KCMG (1832 – 1901) Downer, named for Sir John Downer (1843 – 1915). Opens the guide to the twelve localities. DOWNER Sir John Downer (1843 – 1915) Hackett, named for Sir John Winthrop Hackett KCMG (1848 – 1916). Opens the guide to the twelve localities. HACKETT Sir John Winthrop Hackett KCMG (1848 – 1916) Lyneham, named for Sir William Lyne, KCMG (1844 – 1913). Opens the guide to the twelve localities. LYNEHAM Sir William Lyne, KCMG (1844 – 1913) O’Connor, named for Richard Edward O'Connor, QC (1851 – 1912). Opens the guide to the twelve localities. O’CONNOR Richard Edward O'Connor, QC (1851 – 1912) Reid, named for Right Honourable Sir George Reid, PC GCB GCMG KC (1845 – 1918). Opens the guide to the twelve localities. REID Right Honourable Sir George Reid, PC GCB GCMG KC (1845 – 1918) Turner, named for Rt Hon Sir George Turner PC KCMG (1851 – 1916). Opens the guide to the twelve localities. TURNER Rt Hon Sir George Turner PC KCMG (1851 – 1916) Watson, named for Hon John Christian Watson (1867 – 1941). Opens the guide to the twelve localities. WATSON Hon John Christian Watson (1867 – 1941) Lake Burley Griffin: beyond the City. The extension from Alinga Street to Commonwealth Park is to improve the link between the city and the lake LAKE BURLEY GRIFFIN Northbourne Avenue: the district policy’s own area heading names Braddon, Dickson, Downer, Lyneham, O’Connor and Turner as the Northbourne Avenue area Federal Highway: Transport Canberra’s notice puts the replacement bus stop for Phillip Avenue on the Federal Highway, after Phillip Avenue. Federal Highway Alinga Street: the first stop from the City, as Transport Canberra lists it Alinga Street Elouera Street: the second stop from the City, as Transport Canberra lists it Elouera Street Ipima Street: the third stop from the City, as Transport Canberra lists it Ipima Street Macarthur Avenue: the fourth stop from the City, as Transport Canberra lists it Macarthur Avenue Dickson Interchange: the fifth stop from the City, as Transport Canberra lists it Dickson Interchange Swinden Street: the sixth stop from the City, as Transport Canberra lists it Swinden Street City Centre: the district policy identifies the City Centre Entertainment Precinct; light rail runs from the city to Gungahlin via Dickson. City Centre
North is to the rightup. The avenue and its stops are set in Transport Canberra’s order, the City at the line’s southern end and the lake beyond it. No locality is placed on it: the official pages linked here set none on a map, so the register below carries all twelve.

How a suburb gets its name

The ACT Government’s page on street names gives the rules: only the names of people who are deceased may be used, and at least 12 months must pass before they can be commemorated. Street names must not honour a commercial or industrial name; arterial roads are generally given a more significant name; and all reasonable steps must be taken to obtain permission, where possible, to commemorate a person. The same page says the ACT Place Names Advisory Committee carries out the process of selecting themes and names.

The register of place names gives each suburb a row of four cells: the suburb, the origin of its name, the significance of the person or word behind it, and the theme its streets follow. Read across the rows for this district, the significance cells lean towards the public life of Federation: five of the honorees are described as founders of the Constitution, and two held the office of prime minister. The register’s own summary is that these names present a mosaic of Australia’s local and national high achievers, its geography, heritage and history.

The honorees, by year of birth

The line below dates each honoree by the birth year its register row gives, earliest first, from Robert Campbell, born 1769, to John Christian Watson, born 1867.

  1. 1769Campbell is named for Robert Campbell, pioneer of Canberra.
  2. 1787Ainslie is named for James Ainslie, first overseer of ‘Duntroon Station’.
  3. 1829Braddon is named for Sir Edward Braddon, Premier of Tasmania 1894-1899 and one of the founders of the Constitution.
  4. 1832Dickson is named for Sir James Dickson, Premier of Queensland 1898–1899 and Founder of the Constitution.
  5. 1843Downer is named for Sir John Downer, Premier of South Australia.
  6. 1844Lyneham is named for Sir William Lyne, Premier of New South Wales and one of the Founders of the Constitution.
  7. 1845Reid is named for Sir George Reid, the fourth prime minister of Australia, in office 1904–1905 for 321 days.
  8. 1848Hackett is named for Sir John Winthrop Hackett, legislator, editor of the West Australian and public benefactor.
  9. 1851O’Connor is named for Richard Edward O’Connor, legislator, federalist and one of the founders of the Constitution, senator and High Court judge.
  10. 1851Turner is named for Sir George Turner, Victorian Premier and one of the founders of the Constitution.
  11. 1867Watson is named for John Christian Watson, Prime Minister 1904, in office 113 days.

Streets, not buildings

The City’s row is the one that is not a person: the origin is the word City, the significance is the commercial centre of Canberra, and the streets follow Aboriginal words, pioneers and capital cities.

The naming law reaches streets, not buildings. The ACT Government’s page on place names says the Public Place Names Act 1989 does not apply to buildings, that there is no statutory requirement to name a building or to include a complex’s name in a development application, and that the ACT Government has no authority over the naming of private buildings in the Territory.

Each suburb’s row

  1. Ainslie

    Named for
    James Ainslie (1787–1844)
    Why, in the register
    First overseer of 'Duntroon Station'.

  2. Braddon

    Named for
    Sir Edward Braddon PC KCMG (1829–1904)
    Why, in the register
    Premier of Tasmania 1894-1899. Legislator, federalist and one of the founders of the Constitution.

  3. Campbell

    Named for
    Robert Campbell (1769–1846)
    Why, in the register
    Pioneer of Canberra.

  4. City

    Named for
    City
    Why, in the register
    Commercial centre of Canberra.

  5. Dickson

    Named for
    Sir James Dickson, KCMG (1832 – 1901)
    Why, in the register
    Premier of Queensland 1898–1899, Founder of the Constitution.

  6. Downer

    Named for
    Sir John Downer (1843 – 1915)
    Why, in the register
    Premier of South Australia.

  7. Hackett

    Named for
    Sir John Winthrop Hackett KCMG (1848 – 1916)
    Why, in the register
    Legislator; Editor of the West Australian newspaper and public benefactor.

  8. Lyneham

    Named for
    Sir William Lyne, KCMG (1844 – 1913)
    Why, in the register
    Legislator; Premier of New South Wales, Federalist and one of the Founders of the Constitution.

  9. O’Connor

    Named for
    Richard Edward O'Connor, QC (1851 – 1912)
    Why, in the register
    Legislator, federalist and one of the founders of the Constitution. Senator and High Court Judge.

  10. Reid

    Named for
    Right Honourable Sir George Reid, PC GCB GCMG KC (1845 – 1918)
    Why, in the register
    Prime Minister 1904–1905 (321 days).

  11. Turner

    Named for
    Rt Hon Sir George Turner PC KCMG (1851 – 1916)
    Why, in the register
    Victorian Premier, legislator, federalist and one of the founders of the Constitution.

  12. Watson

    Named for
    Hon John Christian Watson (1867 – 1941)
    Why, in the register
    Prime Minister 1904 (113 days).