17 November 2011

Parts of Mount Ainslie closed while swept for unexploded ordnance

| johnboy
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Territory And Municipal Services have the dramatic news that they’re closing a part of the Mount Ainslie Nature Reserve, between Mount Ainslie Drive and the Campbell Park Offices off Northcott Drive, to look for unexploded ammunition.

The closure is required to facilitate a detailed survey of the area for unexploded ordnance (military ammunition which has been fired, but failed to explode). The survey will commence from tomorrow (Friday 18 November).

The Department of Defence has indicated that there may be some unexploded ordnance in the area as the region had previously been used as a Defence training ground and firing range in the 1940s and 1950s.

“The ACT Government has been advised by Defence that the risk to the public is very low from any unexploded ordnance, however we have decided to close this section of Mount Ainslie Reserve in the interests of public safety whilst the survey is being undertaken,” said Stephen Hughes, Manager, National Parks, Reserves and Rural Land.

“The closure will allow contractors organised by the National Unexploded Ordnance Office to work on site from tomorrow to find and remove any ordnance with a minimum of disruption. The closure may be shortened or extended depending on the results of the survey.

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I have heard it was un-exploded mortar ordinance, a way out of area round. During WW2, e.g. 9 Aug 1941, notices were placed in the Canberra Times alerting the residents of usage of Majura Firing Range and RAAF Practice Bomb Range in Tuggeranong. Pearl Harbour was Dec 11 1941 Singapore fell in Feb 1942. The areas would have been a full on training areas for RMC and RAAF because of the war in Europe and North Africa. There were air-raid shelters in Canberra and the siren at Kingston. The trainers would have been under extreme pressure to get the personnel battle ready rather than keep records of the location of un-exploded mortar shells.
After WW2 in 1954 RAAF Operation Potshot was conducted at Tuggeranong Bomb Range. This area was cleaned up in the 1970s.

creative_canberran3:58 pm 17 Nov 11

It’s a cover for the secret battery of SAMs hidden in the side of Mt Ainslie.

Its taken them long enough! My friend used to keep her horse at the Duntroon government paddocks about 15years ago. The government/parks service/defence service??? tried to close some of the equestrian trails because of the danger of unexploded ammunition.

So they have known about this for ages, but only just decided to survey it. I wonder why….

I didn’t see any UXO there on my ride through last night!

.. and the map is at http://www.tams.act.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0019/237061/map.jpg

Mothy said :

Someone found something?

Things have been found there for years, why wait until when the POTUS is here to do it?

it’ll probably be reopened, now Obama has finished at Campbell High School… That’ll be the REAL reason, surely?

Someone found something?

They have had 61 years to do it, i wonder why now?

I bet the secret service were happy to hear about that.. no doubt the news was released after the media circus left the area.

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