Aitkenvale, Queensland


Aitkenvale is a suburb of Townsville in the City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

History

Aitkenvale is situated in the traditional Wulgurukaba Aboriginal country.
The suburb is named after Thomas Aitken, the original grantee of Portion 38, Parish of Coonambelah. He began subdividing the property during the 1880s, putting 440 quarter-acre residential allotments on the market in 1885. A dairy farm was established in the region by Thomas Aitken in about 1867, the two remaining buildings of this farm are still standing on what is now Leopold Street adjacent to Ross River.
The Aitkenvale public library opened in 1971.

Present day

Aitkenvale is now a major commercial and residential district of the city. The suburb is home to two of Townsville's biggest shopping centres and is home to branches of numerous companies. Aitkenvale is the biggest commercial centre in Townsville outside of the Townsville CBD, and is often referred to as the second CBD. Besides offices and shopping centres, the suburb is mainly residential and has some light industrial warehouses and workshops in the top north-eastern corner of the suburb. There is also picturesque parkland along the bank of the Ross River.
The suburb was significantly affected by the 2019 Townsville flood with riverside areas around Thompson Street inundated, along with Ross River Road adjacent to the Aitkenvale Library where floodwaters claimed two lives.

Population

According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 4,790 people in Aitkenvale.