The Mount Ainslie summit is one of Canberra’s most iconic locations, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year. With this in mind a national design competition was launched in late 2015, seeking a vision for ways the Mount Ainslie summit could be revitalised over the next 10 years and beyond.

The competition, facilitated by the ACT Government and National Capital Authority and endorsed by the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, attracted 17 entrants from across Australia.

The winning entry by Sue Barnsley, in collaboration with Jane Irwin, features a new circular look-out, lawns for picnicking and an upgraded entry with a native meadow. The site’s history will be expressed in an interpretive ‘ribbon’ that binds the site, representing the country cared for by the traditional Ngunnawal owners, the landscape occupied by colonial settlers and underpinning the features in Walter Burley and Marion Mahony Griffin’s plan for Canberra.

The two other finalists were local firm Redbox Design Group and Blackwell and Associates (from Western Australia).

More information on the design can be found on the TAMS website and at the Canberra Times.

Winning Design by Sue Barnsley and Jane Irwin

Finalist Red Box Design Group

Finalist Blackwell & Associates