Canberra - what is is really like??

Having spent a year in Australia 2007-08 on a working holiday visa and never visiting Canberra because everybody we met advised us against it, I'm now in a position where I may have to spend 6-9 months living there when we first arrive in Australia next year on our 189 permanent visa's and I don't know anything about the place.

I have of course spent a good while researching stats and basics online but I'd much prefer to hear from somebody who lives/lived there and get a first hand view of the place.

My husband and I are both early 30's with no children, we like to eat out (probably a bit too often), we like to drink and to party on weekends (but not in excess) and we also like walking, animals and general sightseeing - we're not the type of couple who sit indoors watching TV - are we going to struggle and find Canberra horrendously boring? I believe everywhere shuts at 11pm - is this true?

Also, in comparison to the other major cities how does the weather compare?

Thanks for your help

Hi aconcannon,

We have applied for 190 SS to Canberra and just awaiting on our visa grant. Heard different views from different people.

It all depends what you do in your occupation as most of the work is Government and require citizenship to get most of the work. Unless your in a trade then i'm sure its not as bad.

If you don't mind me asking...why are you planning on goign to Canberra when you have a 189 visa which can take you anywhere in Australia?

Hi NeeID

It's a bit of a long story really but basically a friend of ours will be applying for a 190 for ACT based on the off-list programme which requires her to spend 6-9 months in ACT whilst the visa process is going through. my husband is an engineer and hoping to secure work in the mines on a fly in and fly out basis and so we're looking at the option of initially basing ourselves there so that I have her company whilst he is away and so she's not isolated on her own either (she doesn't have a partner). Once my friend secures her 190 visa the plan is to move to the Gold Coast... really need help in knowing what Canberra is really like before we make our decision in whether we'll support her initally by moving to Canberra with her.

Can I ask what you've heard about the place please?

I lived there between March and August before work took me away. It is a very nice place, but very quiet (although I came from London so really anywhere would seem quiet after that) Its really nice but you are correct that things shut early. I lived in a very quiet suburb (Evatt) and even the local takeaway shut at 8pm. Not sure about the nightlife in the centre though, think its fairly lively. Its a very outdoorsy place but almost impossible to navigate without a car, so you would need access to one I think. I used to travel by bus a lot which was very slow and took a lot of planning. There are some very nice restaurants and overall I do think its place worth staying in for a bit. Not sure about the summer but the winter was genuinely very cold at night.

Lived there for 32 years. It's actually not a bad place to live despite reports to the contrary! If you are a bit of a social animal I'd suggest apartment living near Kingston/Manuka/Civic rather than out in the burbs which, like all burbs are very burby!

There re are loads of nice restaurants, a few bars but not "pub like". Lots of activities for spare time if you have social interests - art, music, theatre, sport, dance, pools whatever. It's the bush capital so you can see green from everywhere so going for bush walks is easy and you can get nice views without too much hassle. It's 2.5hrs to the snow 2 hrs to the beach, 2-3 hrs to Sydney (along a road that is boring as batshit!). It's not the flashy touristy glitz of the GC nor with so many retirees!

You could do much worse but finding friends could be tricky - it's quite an insular place but, then, most cities are. Even if you live centrally you'll probably still need a car although public transport isn't too bad and there are bike paths everywhere. Biggest negative is employment - or lack thereof. It's a public service town and with cuts to the PS that's put pressure on the employment market which is already tight as the largest employer only takes citizens!

 

Also, in comparison to the other major cities how does the weather compare?

 

 

It's the coldest of the capital cities in winter and can be very hot in summer, but it's a dry climate....so cold, frosty nights in winter are often followed by beautiful sunny days... and the dry heat of summer is not nearly as oppressive - IMHO - as the humid heat you experience on the coast (and which you will get on the Gold Coast in summer).

It's been a planned city from the very beginning...and it's very obvious. Lots of facilities, very good roads - easy to get around with a car - lots of parklands and bike paths. You could do a lot worse!

This shows you climate averages for Canberra:

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_070282.shtml

Lived there for 32 years. It's actually not a bad place to live despite reports to the contrary! If you are a bit of a social animal I'd suggest apartment living near Kingston/Manuka/Civic rather than out in the burbs which, like all burbs are very burby!

 

There re are loads of nice restaurants, a few bars but not "pub like". Lots of activities for spare time if you have social interests - art, music, theatre, sport, dance, pools whatever. It's the bush capital so you can see green from everywhere so going for bush walks is easy and you can get nice views without too much hassle. It's 2.5hrs to the snow 2 hrs to the beach, 2-3 hrs to Sydney (along a road that is boring as batshit!). It's not the flashy touristy glitz of the GC nor with so many retirees!

 

You could do much worse but finding friends could be tricky - it's quite an insular place but, then, most cities are. Even if you live centrally you'll probably still need a car although public transport isn't too bad and there are bike paths everywhere. Biggest negative is employment - or lack thereof. It's a public service town and with cuts to the PS that's put pressure on the employment market which is already tight as the largest employer only takes citizens!

Hi Quoll,

It's great to know someone has lived there for so long, so can't be that bad

I am currently waiting for my visa grant to come through as i'm in the construction trade. Work as a carpenter and joiner. Where would you say is the best place to live which is booming in this industry yet not too expensive. Planning on bringing our car with us aswell so will wait upon that. Will be coming with wife and 2 year old son.

Work as a carpenter and joiner. Where would you say is the best place to live which is booming in this industry yet not too expensive.

This is a really broad question. Canberra really isn't that big and there are large developments in the North, South and around the middle and nowhere is too far from anywhere else. Just need to find a spot you like and can afford.

Hi Quoll,

 

It's great to know someone has lived there for so long, so can't be that bad

I am currently waiting for my visa grant to come through as i'm in the construction trade. Work as a carpenter and joiner. Where would you say is the best place to live which is booming in this industry yet not too expensive. Planning on bringing our car with us aswell so will wait upon that. Will be coming with wife and 2 year old son.

Nowhere is cheap, there is expensive and very expensive. Rentals are currently far cheaper than buying, but there's the old adage about dead money. However, i'd rent for at least 12 months....you can drive good bargains right now.

An option.

Look at Queanbeyan or Jerrabombera for living and Googong for work, they're close. Some decent plans around showing the extent of the building works planned for the next 15 years...5500 homes?

http://googong.net/

I must say that it is rather sad not to have visited a place because everybody you met advised you against it? (They all sound somewhat thick.) I mean, it's the nations capital city. Even if you cannot 'party' there, and I'm sure you can find places once you move from being a 'tourist' to a 'resident.' The Parliament buildings (both old and new), the War Memorial, the various museums. That would be reason enough to make at least one visit.

I read somewhere that when public servants were posted there from Sydney and Melbourne, the Sydneysiders went home every weekend and the Melbournians (?) every month, until they got settled. My brother likes Canberra, so I must ask him what he likes about it, though I am sure it must be the lack of traffic, as a bloke who spends his working week driving all over the Hell that comprises Sydney's traffic!

Actually, that is one ****ing good reason to go to Canberra! I absolutely LOVE living in Sydney, but the traffic can be INSANE, and worse at weekends than during the working week peak times.

I don't go to Canberra very much myself, and now I come to think of it, I don't think I've been since I came back to Sydney over five years ago, which marks me down as somewhat of a stick in the mud!

I'll try and think of the advantages (over Sydney) of living in Canberra.

1) Easy to commute and get about because of the lack of traffic.

2) Much closer to the ski fields if you are into skiing and snowboarding.

3) Much easier to get out into the countryside because of said lack of traffic and the much smaller size of the city.

5) Sydney is only four hours drive if you want a weekend of depravity.

6) No beaches, but Batemans Bay (Canberra-on-Sea?) is only a couple of hours away for weekends on the coast?

7) A reasonable amount of 'culture' given that Canberra is the nation's capital, so there are plenty of museums, art galleries, theatres, restaurants, etc?

8) You can always live at Queanbeyan which is in NSW, but close to Canberra, if you want to get away from the stultifying effect of coping with 11pm shutdowns (although that does not seem very different from much of the UK. Do most of the pubs even in London still close at 11pm? In my village in Hants - Marchwood - all the pubs closed by 11pm, though my local - the snooker club - has a late licence, till midnight.

We've had our wings clipped in parts of Sydney with this 0130 lock out! I've got to be in the Triple Aces tonight before that time to guarantee I'm in place for the North London derby.

My husband and I are both early 30's with no children, we like to eat out (probably a bit too often), we like to drink and to party on weekends (but not in excess) and we also like walking, animals and general sightseeing - we're not the type of couple who sit indoors watching TV - are we going to struggle and find Canberra horrendously boring? I believe everywhere shuts at 11pm - is this true?

 

Also, in comparison to the other major cities how does the weather compare?

 

The weather is desert-like - hot in summer but cools down quickly in the evening so you can get out for a stroll and cool down. It can be freezing in winter (by Australian standards). I really like Canberra - there are very few bogans (Oz equivalent of chavs) as the bulk of the population are government employees (i.e. citizens and probably with degrees), university lecturers or students. Because so many of the population are incomers, I found it easier to make new friends there than anywhere else in Oz (where most people are settled and already have an established circle of friends).

Should have said - it is definitely a place with seasonal weather - spring and autumn are most liveable IMHO. Houses, especially the older ones, aren't built for summer and winter - they're not well insulated as a general rule so keeping hot in winter and cold in summer can cost you heaps! However we do have goos displays of spring flowers (see Floriade) and the street trees are pretty in autumn.

Unlike Marisawright I found friendships with longevity very hard to develop and even those that did stand the test of time were largely with long term expats like myself. Other "friendships" were more "acquaintanceships" and very transient and usually very shallow, often based more on what they can get out of you than what they can put into a friendship. If you don't care for longevity then casual interactions are fine.

Hi Quoll,

 

It's great to know someone has lived there for so long, so can't be that bad

I am currently waiting for my visa grant to come through as i'm in the construction trade. Work as a carpenter and joiner. Where would you say is the best place to live which is booming in this industry yet not too expensive. Planning on bringing our car with us aswell so will wait upon that. Will be coming with wife and 2 year old son.

Doesnt really matter where you live TBH. What else do you want out of your home - type of home, garden or no? Services near by? Affordability of rent? When you arrive, have a smooch around the suburbs and see what floats your boat. I'm fortunate in that we bought in the Inner suburbs decades ago, they're now expensive for small old homes but the access to everything and general development is IMHO better than the arid outer burbs.

Why bother with all the hassle of bringing your car? They're easy to get in Aus.

Lived there for a few years and my entire family still does. I would move back permanently in a heartbeat if it was an option. A very clean, well planned city with lots of greenery and little traffic. There are lots of museums and places to go, and lots of restaurants. Like someone said earlier, Kingston and Manuka is probably best if you enjoy the night life.

For the size of it, Canberra is spread out. The suburbs all have their own little shopping areas, and each cluster of suburbs have malls and town centres, then there is one big centre/CBD which is known as civic. Canberra, in my opinion, is a very safe city. One thing I loved about it was that you have everything you need around you - a good selection of shops, Ikea is being built, Costco arrived not long ago and even if that wasn't enough you can always hop onto the Hume highway to Sydney for the day. Someone else mentioned that the South Coast is a couple of hours away too, and there are lots of walks and small towns not too far that can be explored.

I'm not going to lie, it's not for everyone but with it having a reputation of being boring and in the middle of nowhere, a lot of Australians don't give it a chance. I guess the worst that can happen is you try it and don't like it?

Lived there for a few years and my entire family still does. I would move back permanently in a heartbeat if it was an option. A very clean, well planned city with lots of greenery and little traffic. There are lots of museums and places to go, and lots of restaurants. Like someone said earlier, Kingston and Manuka is probably best if you enjoy the night life.

 

For the size of it, Canberra is spread out. The suburbs all have their own little shopping areas, and each cluster of suburbs have malls and town centres, then there is one big centre/CBD which is known as civic. Canberra, in my opinion, is a very safe city. One thing I loved about it was that you have everything you need around you - a good selection of shops, Ikea is being built, Costco arrived not long ago and even if that wasn't enough you can always hop onto the Hume highway to Sydney for the day. Someone else mentioned that the South Coast is a couple of hours away too, and there are lots of walks and small towns not too far that can be explored.

 

I'm not going to lie, it's not for everyone but with it having a reputation of being boring and in the middle of nowhere, a lot of Australians don't give it a chance. I guess the worst that can happen is you try it and don't like it?

Woo hoo, they're building an Ikea?!

Woo hoo, they're building an Ikea?!

Yep, at Majura Park next to Costco. Majura Road is also getting a well needed upgrade too.

Woo hoo, they're building an Ikea?!

Now that's an exciting development...Careful Quoll, I'm concerned about you. You now sound like your considering a return !

Best place to live in the world isn't it? ;-)

I'm sure I read something in one of the papers yesterday about Canberra winning a poll of the most liveable cities in the world.

I'm sure I read something in one of the papers yesterday about Canberra winning a poll of the most liveable cities in the world.

These things are always a nightmare because everybody has an opinion....usually seen between Sydney arguing with Melbourne, Adelaide coming top, everybody knocking Canberra, everybody forgetting to include Perth.

The difference in this poll is that it's based on fact and measurable statistics on 9 environmental factors, so they're compared exactly like for like Health, Longevity, Environmental, Jobs, Incomes, Service Access etc...

It's funny watching all the Canberra knockers out this week...completely missing the point. You can have an "opinion", but an opinion cannot outweigh "facts"; there is no argument to be made and you can safely ignore the ranters.

If they added on "access to a beach", then Canberra wouldn't have come top.

If they'd have included, "ability to find a pub, get smashed, then walk home with kebab and chips and not require a taxi", then Canberra wouldn't have been top.

If Australia didn't have compulsory voting laws, then civil engagement wouldn't have scored as highly against the rest of the world and Australia would be lower on the list.

If you're a young person, looking for clubs, hiding from your parents, big city living in a high density urban environment where you can disappear for 5 years, a bit of seediness and life learning, then Canberra wouldn't be the best place to experience that....go to Sydney or London!

If you've already seen that and done it, Canberra's the perfect place to progress to for a high quality life and a great wage.

But just going on the facts and the measures in the OECD ratings, it can't really be disagreed with.

These things are always a nightmare because everybody has an opinion....usually seen between Sydney arguing with Melbourne, Adelaide coming top, everybody knocking Canberra, everybody forgetting to include Perth.

The difference in this poll is that it's based on fact and measurable statistics on 9 environmental factors, so they're compared exactly like for like Health, Longevity, Environmental, Jobs, Incomes, Service Access etc...

It's funny watching all the Canberra knockers out this week...completely missing the point. You can have an "opinion", but an opinion cannot outweigh "facts"; there is no argument to be made and you can safely ignore the ranters.

 

If they added on "access to a beach", then Canberra wouldn't have come top.

If they'd have included, "ability to find a pub, get smashed, then walk home with kebab and chips and not require a taxi", then Canberra wouldn't have been top.

If Australia didn't have compulsory voting laws, then civil engagement wouldn't have scored as highly against the rest of the world and Australia would be lower on the list.

If you're a young person, looking for clubs, hiding from your parents, big city living in a high density urban environment where you can disappear for 5 years, a bit of seediness and life learning, then Canberra wouldn't be the best place to experience that....go to Sydney or London!

If you've already seen that and done it, Canberra's the perfect place to progress to for a high quality life and a great wage.

 

But just going on the facts and the measures in the OECD ratings, it can't really be disagreed with.

That's a good post Slean Wolfhead and I agree with most of what you say. Fact is fact on paper, but because we are all different and are all at different stages of life it means living in the most liveable city in the world is not necessarily right for anyone. I gave up the on the 'most liveable city in the world' because it didn't suit me or my family (despite it being 'the most liveable city in the world'), and swapped it for a rain thrashed little coastal town in the South West. Fact is, where I am offers me more, and I am much happier being here than I ever was in Canberra. So in my case my opinion is my fact. So look at stats and reports and this and that, but at the end of the day the only thing that matters is how people feel, so suddenly based on what you see and hear it doesn't appear to be the most liveable city in the world.

That's a good post Slean Wolfhead and I agree with most of what you say. Fact is fact on paper, but because we are all different and are all at different stages of life it means living in the most liveable city in the world is not necessarily right for anyone. I gave up the on the 'most liveable city in the world' because it didn't suit me or my family (despite it being 'the most liveable city in the world'), and swapped it for a rain thrashed little coastal town in the South West. Fact is, where I am offers me more, and I am much happier being here than I ever was in Canberra. So in my case my opinion is my fact. So look at stats and reports and this and that, but at the end of the day the only thing that matters is how people feel, so suddenly based on what you see and hear it doesn't appear to be the most liveable city in the world.

Your post made sense right up until the last comma.

Now that's an exciting development...Careful Quoll, I'm concerned about you. You now sound like your considering a return !

Unfortunately it is on the cards but hopefully my olds will give me a few more years of living in the best country in the world before then! Ikea might help when I am dragged back (LOL). Actually, am going back in 4 weeks - for a fortnight's holiday. Need to see the grandkids as it's been 3 years! DH goes back for 4-6 weeks every year to see the kids and his mum. At least I no longer want to throw up when I see pictures of Australia so that's an improvement!

I'm sure I read something in one of the papers yesterday about Canberra winning a poll of the most liveable cities in the world.

I saw the morning news and Virginia Trioli did nothing but take the p*** out of the poll. Her offsider Michael Rowland was sticking up for it to be fair, but it was all a bit tongue in cheek stuff.

If they added on "access to a beach", then Canberra wouldn't have come top.

If they'd have included, "ability to find a pub, get smashed, then walk home with kebab and chips and not require a taxi", then Canberra wouldn't have been top.

So the important things were left out then.:wink: