Canberra

[Alabex]

Hi Folks,

I am looking at taking on some work in Canberra for approx 12 months. As i dont know the city at all having only been there once when i was about 8 i am looking for some advise on what suburbs i should consider. Natuarlly we plan to go an have a bit more of a look before any decisions are made..very early stages at the moment, but just thought some people here might be able to steer me in the right direction.

Anyway what suburbs would be within a 20 minute commute to the city? and would be okay to live in? not worried about budget of renting in particular areas at the moment, so just throw in your ideas regardless.

thanks!

 

[jroth]

.

I've been living there for a year now. The beauty of Canberra is that really anywhere within it is a 20 minute commute unless you move outside to the more rural areas like Yass.

As to where to live it depends on what you want for convenience and how your family setup is. After people are in Canberra for a while anything more than a 5 or 10 minute drive is too far so they love to be near the centre and the rentals are extremely high in the inner north and south as a result.

I think just about anywhere is good to live especially if you've come from one of the other capital cities so you realise how spoilt we are with lack of traffic. We started off renting in Queanbeyan because I was working in Fyshwick which has a nice country feel but still only 15min to the city centre but it does have some run down 'bogan' feeling areas, now we are looking at buying somewhere between Tuggeranong and Woden.

The only place I personally would avoid is the north west around Ngunnawal (sp?) / Gungahlin, all of the houses go right on the street and its so cramped around there with no individuality.

 

[Perp]

Alabex, depends a lot on your demographics. If you're DINKs, I love Kingston and Manuka, within walking distance of shops/restaurants. If you have kids to consider, almost anywhere is good, just consider schools, bikeways, parks, etc.

 

[MJD]

charnwood

Any idea about charnwood please, I found the house is quite affordable but not sure about reputation , etc. thanks for any idea
MJ

 

[Alabex]

I will be by myself, late 20's. I will be working approx 4 days sometimes less so will probably to rent a room in a share house/apartment. planning on coming home to Sydney on the weekends.

thanks everyone for the suggestions so far.. i will look into it.

 

[Perp]

I will be by myself, late 20's. I will be working approx 4 days sometimes less so will probably to rent a room in a share house/apartment. planning on coming home to Sydney on the weekends.

I think right on Kingston Square would be just perfect for you, Alabex. We were that age when we lived there, and there were lots of single people living in that area.

 

[Alabex]

Thanks Ozperp.. i will have a look!!

 

[natecv8]

Any idea about charnwood please, I found the house is quite affordable but not sure about reputation , etc. thanks for any idea
MJ

Not good, Charnwood has a particularly bad reputation for a northside suburb.

 

[natecv8]

Alabex,

If you find Kingston/Manuka a bit expensive, you might want to consider looking around the Gungahlin area. It's a completely different vibe (more family than singles, less entertainment/dining/whatever) but only 15 minutes max to the city and right near the Federal Hwy so excellent for the Sydney trips. Given the city is so close, it's no big deal to drive the 15 mins for dining and entertainment.

The suburbs you could look at would be Nicholls, Amaroo, Ngunnawal, Harrison, Palmerston and no doubt a ton more since I moved (when suburbs like Forde, Moncrieff, etc were just big paddocks).

 

[Alabex]

Thanks Natecv... ill have a look. Having a bit of a look at prices i dont think it is going to be too much of an issue.. there seems to be a fair bit out there in the price range i am thinking of spending... but like anything you dont know till you get there and actually look. i have plenty of time because the position wouldnt start until March, just doing some prelim research to sus it out. There is still alot more to consider!

 

[natecv8]

I think just about anywhere is good to live especially if you've come from one of the other capital cities so you realise how spoilt we are with lack of traffic. We started off renting in Queanbeyan because I was working in Fyshwick which has a nice country feel but still only 15min to the city centre but it does have some run down 'bogan' feeling areas, now we are looking at buying somewhere between Tuggeranong and Woden.

The only place I personally would avoid is the north west around Ngunnawal (sp?) / Gungahlin, all of the houses go right on the street and its so cramped around there with no individuality.

Interesting.. I grew up in the Tuggeranong area and moved to Gungahlin in my 20's. Each to their own but I assure you the standard of living in Gungahlin is far better than Queanbeyan. It's as bogan as you can get. Tuggeranong has a mix of some good and bad areas but is getting a lot better over time.

What you're describing in Gungahlin is an inevitability that every newly developed area in Australian capital cities is experiencing. Have a look at developments in Melbourne (south-west, Caroline Springs, Craigieburn) or south-west Sydney and you will see the EXACT same thing. Density increases whilst choice of design is impacted by the financial advantage of selecting predesigned houses from builders.

It does not make it a bad area at all. In fact, newly built homes close to the city and the freeway to Sydney appeal to some people, as does a big block for the burned out cars and the proximity to Centrelink for others!

 

[Mooze]

Are you into anything in particular ie sports, politics, hobbies etc?

Inner south is fantastic, wouldn't want to live in Gungahlin unless you work northside (Belco/Gungahlin etc) - traffic to/from that area is quite bad around work hours.

If you have friends in Canberra - stay same side of lake as them.

Tuggeranong is a bit far out (lived there when I first moved to Canberra, now in Weston Creek), as are far bits of Belco.

Charnwood and parts of Kambah is to be avoided at all costs. Bombs, shootings, knifings - those areas when they do actually happen in Canberra.

Inner North isn't too bad but lots of students as you've got UC, ANU, ACU, CIT in that area.

 

[Alabex]

Thanks mooze,

I dont actually know anyone in Canberra - but whats new! i moved to brisbane knowing no-one and then to sydney only knowing one person....

As i only plan to be there 4 days a week and these will be spent working pretty hard ( i imagine) i am not to concerned about being close to facilities... my main interest at the moment is triathlons and as long as i have my bike i can train just about anywhere..... except for the swim, but i already drive 40minutes to do that now.

My main base will be still be Sydney, my husband will be staying here for a start!! I just want to be in an area within easy access to the city and where i am not going to be mugged i will have a car (obviously so i can get back to syd) but am hoping to get to work on public transport... or if i end up close enough i could always ride my bike... but realistically i doubt i would do that.

having lived in some very very BOGAN places i am sure i could deal with that.. but would prefer to avoid it. I love Sydney's northern beaches.. but somehow i dont think i will find that in Canberra

 

[Monty Burns]

Thing about Canberra this time of the year is, everyone is arriving.
In the other capital cities this is not so noticeable but not in Canberra. the land lords know this and how it affects available properties, advertised rents will actually be higher during Jan-Feb just for all of the new arrivals. Once the rush is over anything left over will be go back to normal.

Like everyone else has said keep away from Charnwood, although that being said it should be up for gentrification as property prices are so low.

if you like hobby farms you can buy them here and still be only ~20min from work have a look at carwoola & wamboin

 

[Carl]

Just thought i'd put in my two cents...

I bought a townhouse in Queanbeyan end of 07 and stayed in it whilst i worked and renovated the place. Moved jobs last month (to Melb - yay!), so have now rented it out, to a Defence member.

Queanbeyan is a large suburb with vast differences in the sort of people you will find in some areas. However, when i was looking for my place there were a lot of 'decent' looking people and families at auctions and open for inspections, as property prices in Canberra are forcing people to look for more affordable places to live. Why pay double for a home which is further away...(not like there are beaches out there )

Queanbeyan is ideal for people working in fyshwick, HQJOC (new Defence base out in Bungendore) and Brindabella Business Park (next to airport). In my research saw the latter two workplaces as reason for improvements in Queanbeyan, and i believe this was proven when i got a tenant in paying $370(place cost me $300k and i did around $15k work on it).

Despite the fact that it only takes 10-15 minutes to get to the city, a lot of people snub their noses at the area because of some of the 'bogans' which are common in areas, such as Karabar. Although i think the area will always have that stigma, i think it is going through a vast change. Personally, i loved always driving past the airport to work in free-flowing traffic as opposed to the banked up (single lane) road from Gunghalin.

On the other hand, mates of mine rented in Woden and Kingston respectively. The one in kingston paid $420 for a 2 bed apartment which was in bad condition, no a/c, only old electric heaters, balcony with view of a bricvk wall, and it was opposite the closed down old government housing block. Cant recall the name of the area, but there were stabbings and lots of drug problems there, as they lumped a lot of the undesirables there thinking they could be monitored easier. Queanbeyan isnt the only place with 'bogans' The other paid $400 and lived in an apartment overlooking the golf course on the way to woden. Was much nicer and trip in to the city took slightly more time than mine.

I think it depends on how much you are willing to pay for rent, travel times you want, and whether you care about the stigma of living in 'not so good' areas. I believe a lot of Canberrans are very much in to 'i live here and i work in this department' and have their own groups depending on these. Would rather rent in a 'nice' area than buy a house in a not so nice area No offence to those on here, as i am sure you are not like that

Sorry for the rant

 

[geoffw]

As i only plan to be there 4 days a week and these will be spent working pretty hard ( i imagine) i am not to concerned about being close to facilities... my main interest at the moment is triathlons and as long as i have my bike i can train just about anywhere.....

Then you'll get along fine with Mooze

You may also want to consider a furnished property. They can start from $200 for a small 1BR in Queanbeyan upwards.

This one is in a block I used to own- I refurbed and furnished it before I sold the block. The target market was exactly people in your situation, and it's done well. However, it does get too hot in summer and too cool in winter, you could do better.

 

[Alabex]

Hey Geoff.. yeah that is pretty much the type of thing i am thinking... fully furnished would be beneficial, but we have plenty of furniture if i have to furnish something. Too hot in summer and too cool in winter - sounds like every other rental i have ever lived in

 

[Athenaa]

If you are going to work in the City Centre yo can try the suburb Bruce, it's a nice suburb in Belconnen (Northside). It is close to the Australian Insitute of Sport (for swim training). You could probably cycle to work.

Share accomodation:
http://www.allhomes.com.au/ah/shareListingList?divid=10009

 

[Alabex]

Anthena thats awesome thanks! and the prices look really good also... this allhome.com.au website looks good.. i hadnt heard of it before, but it looks like the place to be looking in the ACT.

 

[Mooze]

What type of tri are you into? IM, OD or sprint? onroad or offroad? more sociable club or strict training?

Three main clubs in Canberra - Vikings (south side - based out of Tuggernong near the mall there), Bilby's (Northside - lots of stuff based out of Dickson and Civic pools), and Tridents (somewhere in between - very very much in everyone does same sessions and everyone trains together).

Bilby's is a very social club - lots of different sessions, something to cater for everyone, same for Vikings. Bilby's are the largest club in Canberra and as such have the greatest variety.

Also some good cycle racing over at Stromlo (road and crits) - you may be able to pick up a VIP license (low cost) to give this a go.

Plenty of mountain biking around, kayaking the same. Lake is swimmable in summer, AIS pool is fantastic - especially during work hours/lunch times, Dickson and Civic pools also pretty good.