Aitkenvale
Situated in Wulgurukaba country, the Townsville suburb of Aitkenvale includes the major intersection of Ross River Road and Nathan Street, formerly part of the Bruce Highway between Brisbane and Cairns.
While the Townsville City Ring Road has diverted highway traffic from Nathan Street, the intersection and the two arterial roads continue to carry heavy traffic. As a result, offices and shopping centres have largely replaced the residential areas along both thoroughfares, making it, in effect, the city's second CBD.
The rest of the suburb is mainly residential, with light industrial warehouses and workshops in its northeastern corner between RRoss River Road and Charles Street.
The suburb is named after Thomas Aitken, who established a dairy farm around 1867. Two buildings from the original farm (the Herdsman's Cottage and Cordial Factory) reputedly still stand on the Ross River side of what is now Leopold Street. Aitken began subdividing the property during the 1880s, putting 440 quarter-acre residential allotments on the market in 1885.
Links to add:
Charles Street
Leopold Street
Thomas Aitken
Townsville City Ring Road
