26 September 2023

Archives lease ‘Find of the Month’ land

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ArchivesACT has chosen records relating to Canberra’s land leasing history for its March Find of the Month.

According to its records, on 18 October 1924 the Commonwealth Government advertised the leasing of land in the city area of the ‘Territory for the seat of Government’.

It said details of blocks of land situated in Eastlake, Ainslie, Red Hill, Blandfordia, Civic Centre and Manuka that were available for a 99-year leasehold were listed in the Government Gazette.

While there were no particular building requirements for the blocks listed for residential use, land in the Civic Centre was offered on the condition that buildings complied with a special building plan – a plan that developed into what Canberrans now know as the Sydney Buildings.

The records being highlighted by ArchivesACT include copies of sale plans for auctions held from the late 1940s and through the 1950s, as well as an index to earlier Gazette advertisements for land sales.

The index entries for blocks advertised for lease date from 1924 to 1951 and are arranged in date order and then by the land division.

ArchivesACT said most blocks were required to be used as residential, business or industrial properties but other entries had quite specific purposes, such as boarding houses, a YWCA building or a theatre.

“The sale plan records provide an opportunity to delve into another chapter in the life of our Territory,” the Archives said.

“They are important for showing us another aspect of the planning, growth and development of Canberra and the Territory, and how that development can be tracked through archived records.”

Further information about the Territory’s land leasing history can be accessed at ArchivesACT through its Request a Record service at this PS News link.

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