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.