Forrest
Forrest is named after brothers John and Alexander Forrest. John was the first Premier of Western Australia and as a federalist was one of the founders of the constitution. His brother was a surveyor and explorer visiting country in the Kimberley and Fitzroy districts. Streets in Forrest are named after explorers and governors.
Forrest was initially aimed at higher level public servants. Other heritage-listed sites include the Presbyterian Church of St. Andrew on State Circle (below left) with its magnificent stained-glass windows, and Free Serbian Church of St George (below centre) on National Circuit. It has highly decorative murals. The sign (below right) can be viewed next to a wooden bus shelter on Moresby Street.
There are several heritage precincts in Forrest. Blandfordia 4 and Blandfordia 5 precincts are shared with Griffith.
The Forrest Housing Precinct is bound by Melbourne Avenue, National Circuit, Hobart Avenue, Arthur Circle and Empire Circuit. In addition to the broader principles of Garden City planning, that are evident in Ainslie, Barton, Braddon, Reid, Griffith and Kingston, this housing precinct has the additional values:
- Most of the precinct was constructed in 1926 – 1927 to meet the urgent need to provide housing for public servants prior to the opening of the provisional Parliament House in 1927.
- The Melbourne firm Oakley, Parkes and Scarborough won a 1924 competition to design the housing for the precinct.
- The street layout is directly derived from Griffin’s 1913 plan which defined the major axes of Melbourne and Hobart Avenues radiating from Capital Hill and concentric circles. The road layout and subdivision pattern of the precinct is mirrored on the opposite side of Melbourne Avenue.
- The public domain landscaping of the precinct is associated with Thomas Charles Weston, Superintendent of Parks, Gardens and Afforestation, Canberra 1913-1926. Weston’s use of Australian native species was an unusual practice for this period.
- The precinct is also a repository of a small number of compatible privately built dwellings designed by early local architects including Kenneth H Oliphant who has one of Canberra’s first independent architects. Oliphant’s work has contributed notably to the character of the urban architecture of Canberra.
The Forrest Fire Station Precinct is significant as it includes seven residences around the fire station (above), which were built for employees resulting in quick response times. The Fire Brigade Historical Society of the ACT runs it as a museum showing uniforms (below left) and many fire trucks (below centre).
It is open to the public on Saturdays.
If you are unable to visit on a Saturday take a virtual walk through (courtesy of Eddison Photographics).
Opening in 1939 the Forrest Fire Station Precinct’s design, typical of the Inter-War Functionalist style, is distinctive. When Fyshwick Fire Station opened in 1983, Forrest became the communication hub for ten years.