Trisha32 Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 Hi all, I posted this in the renting forum but someone said, I should repost: My husband and I are moving to Canberra in October this year. We are really excited and incredibly happy about the move but as Londoners (essentially big city kids :biglaugh:) we are somewhat daunted about moving to a smaller city that we know very little about. My husband and I are in our early 30s, without kids, and are looking to rent in areas which are close to the centre (inner north or inner south), multicultural (Ben's Danish and I am Indian), close to bars/pubs/cafes ( it'd be nice to have our own 'local' and meet new people for a drink after work), and we'd love to have a home in a more salubrious part of town. I suppose we just want a nice apartment in a nice area where we can make new friends, something that'll remind us of the big smoke. Good public transport would be a plus! Can you all recommend where we should be looking for homes? Many thanks to all! Trisha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 Its the weekend here so sometimes answers can be slow coming through. There are people who live in the ACT and hope they come and answer your questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clickettuk Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Hi Guys, You must be very excited - not long now! We live in inner north on London Circuit so very central with lots of shops, bars and restaurants within walking distance. Take a look at allhomes.com.au and search for "city" or "acton". Inner south has "kingston" or "manuka" which are trendy areas. Cheers, Mark and Michael. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cmdatar Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trisha32 Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 Thank you so much, Mark and Michael. Do Kingston and Manuka have good public transport? Someone mentioned that we should stick to the inner north if we want reliable buses. Is that true?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clickettuk Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 I think Inner North is better as it has the main bus interchange. The bus company is called Action Busses if you want to know more. M&M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 I'll go with the Kingston and Manuka options offered, and would add O'connor and Dickson. But the size of your budget will be a major determining factor. Canberra is reasonably served by public transport, (buses.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anotherfinemess Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 My wife (28) & I (30) chose to live in Kingston when we came over in October last year & love it so far. We live on Giles Street close to Canberra Avenue which is right in the middle between the Kingston & Manuka shops, cafe's & Bars. The Kingston Hotel is a 2 minute walk for a pint/food & the new East hotel will be opening soon. My wife gets the bus into the city every day and just walks 5 mins to wentworth avenue to get either the 4, 5 or 200 (Red Rapid) service into civic. She is never waiting long for a bus. We have met a few young couples who all live in the area and regularly go out for dinners/drinks with them as everything is so close. Rent is a bit pricey for what you get but your probably used to that based on your post. I couldn't recommend it enough Best of luck Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martincburgess Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Hi Trisha, Dont panic! A lot of people over here will happily joke about Canberra. It is actually quite a small City and I liken it to Milton Keynes, which gets a bad press in the UK but everyone who lives there seem to like it! We started life in Oz in Sydney - full or romantic dreams about a fantastic City. Visiting a City as a tourist and living there is different and in practice we found Sydney more of a pain than London for getting around. It also is quite polluted and with a mild to warm climate is not that well suited to people with resporatory ailments like Asthma. Whilst Canberra is "inland" you can be back in the Coast within 2.5 hours which, once you have lived in Oz for a while, is a day trip! Canberra is well placed for all capital cities and because all the "pollies" (Politicians) come here for their work, the airpot is fantastic (Sydneys is a poor relation due to being under capacity). Public transport within Canberra is not so good; you will need to pick your location carefully to be close to a bus route - weekend services are very limited. We chose to live in Civic, which is an area close to the city centre. Canberra is known as the civil service capital for Australia, and believe me, its like going back to the 70's in the UK, when the public sector rules - I am staggered the number of public servants over here. Because of this the city is busy between 9 and 5 Monday to Friday...and completely dead at the weekend! We have now relocated to Kingston, which is in an area with plenty of weekend activities; cafes, bars and restaurants. Manuka, within walking distance, is another popular area. Beware though, they just don't do proper beer here, although the wine is good, albeit you can get Oz wine. cheaper in the UK! The accommodation is also more expensive in the City. However if you are prepared to commute 30 minutes then there are good deals for both rented accommodation and if buying. Even if considering buying, I would strongly suggest renting for at least 6 months, to allow you to find your feet and explore. Commuting in Canberra is so much fun! Avoid the rush "hour" between 8.30 and 9am and 5 - 5.30 and you will be anywhere in about 20 mins at the worst. The rush hour is matched by the 9-5 lifestyle in ACT (public sector again!) If coming to Oz beware, the cost of living here is expensive, and in the short three years we have beeen here, its been getting greater. We are heading back to the UK at Xmas and will come back with empty suitcases, to fill up with cheap Tesco Jeans!!! We love Canberra, but still get our City "fix" in Sydney and Melbourne, as work takes us there. Canberra's climate is well suited to Brits and I would fully recommend Canberra for a fantastic lifestyle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trisha32 Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 Thank you all, I am so very grateful for the replies. Martin- Thanks for the reply. Incidentally, the hubby is a civil servant! :biggrin: So I know what you mean about the '9 to 5' culture. Stephen- thanks for the public transport tips, I don't drive (it is on my 'must learn' list) because frankly never really needed to in London. Good to know that the South is well served by buses. Could I bring my cycle over and bike around, is it a bike friendly city? We've given ourselves a month to get a feel of the city before deciding on where to rent but yes, Kingston, Manuka, O'connor, Dickson and Civic are all on my list. Someone suggested Braddon and Ainslie, would you recommend these areas? Thank you all once again, I feel so reassured :biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bazinga Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 Learn to drive now. Seriously I passed 4 days before flying out and it was the best thing I've ever done. As a Londoner I hadn't needed to but glad I have now. Don't learn here, horrifically expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bazinga Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 But yes it is bike friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thom Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 It's a VERY bike friendly city Trisha. http://www.bikemap.net/regional/Australia/Australian%20Capital%20Territory/Canberra%20Bc#lat=-35.28697&lng=149.11743&zoom=13&type=6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 Personally, I'd avoid Braddon like the plague. There are some less than desirable ares of Braddon for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest katec89 Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 Thank you all, I am so very grateful for the replies. Martin- Thanks for the reply. Incidentally, the hubby is a civil servant! :biggrin: So I know what you mean about the '9 to 5' culture. Stephen- thanks for the public transport tips, I don't drive (it is on my 'must learn' list) because frankly never really needed to in London. Good to know that the South is well served by buses. Could I bring my cycle over and bike around, is it a bike friendly city? We've given ourselves a month to get a feel of the city before deciding on where to rent but yes, Kingston, Manuka, O'connor, Dickson and Civic are all on my list. Someone suggested Braddon and Ainslie, would you recommend these areas? Thank you all once again, I feel so reassured :biggrin: Hi Trisha, Sorry for the late reply, hopefully this information will help anyway! Canberra is a beautiful place to live, especially if you like a laid-back lifestyle. In regards to your bike question - Canberra has first-class bike paths all over the city. These paths are extremely safe if you're worried about passing cars, and heavily used if you're concerned about physical safety. If you look online, you should be able to find a booklet of all bike paths. Super useful and easy to use. Also, Braddon and Ainslie - yes! Lovely suburbs, but they don't come cheaply. However, Braddon is within walking distance to the city centre and a great culture of cafes/bars along Lonsdale St. Ainslie is within easy bike distance, and both suburbs are relatively close to the city bus interchange. I hope some of this helps, and enjoy your time in Canberra! Regards, Kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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