afterbang Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Hi, We will be on a Reccie trip in December. Received sponsorship from ACT and would like to check the area before we make the big plunge when we've sold the house here etc. Will be starting out in Sydney and end in Melbourne but the main goal is of course Canberra! We would like to get a first feel for the city and the suburbs... And yes again... a question on suburbs We are a couple, 40 and no kids. We like to be close to nature and live in the more quiet suburbs. Currently we own a house on the edge of a small village on a 800sqmtr block in the Netherlands. Something similar or bigger block would be great Oh yes price: not over 500 a week. Not looking for a new or very big luxurious house. Just a house on a nice big block with (hopefully) quiet neighbours. We are not looking for the bogan experience Travelling is not too much of a biggie. We are used to 30 to 60 minute drives to get to work (one way) So I guess that within that timeframe any suburb is reachable by car. For now we've come up with Cook & Aranda. Ainslie, Hackett & Downer. And further south things like Theodore, Chisholm, Gilmore, Banks, Callwell etc. (more or less the south/eastern side of Tuggeranong) This is all based on All Homes and Google Street view And then look at things like block size, surroundings and price. Being the first suburbs more established and leafier (and a bit more expensive but closer to city so less petrol to burn) and the latter ones being a bit cheaper and surrounded by hills (I LOVE hills being from such a flat country!) We will be driving around town for as long as it needs to get a first feel for it BUT any advise, comments or insights are MUCH appreciated. Next to getting a feel for suburbs we will make a holiday out of it and do some walking in the hills, Namadgi, Brindabella's and Tidbinbilla. Maybe rent a Mountainbike to check out Mt. Sromlo and do a morning run a long the shores of a lake. Visiting some museums, War memorial, Deep Space Center and all the other touristy things are also part of the itinerary Also here; if you have any advise, must sees or any other noteworthy stuff, like restaurants to visit, markets to check, pubs to meet up locals and/or ex-pat's, watching a game of cricket, anything goes, just let us know!!! Cheers, Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Capital Region Farmers Market (best farmers market in Oz) Southside Farmers Market Fyshwick Market (retail market) Belconnen Market (retail market) Don't miss Cockington Green miniature village and Federation Square too much else to mention really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bazinga Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Things to see - black mountain (go up the tower), take a trip on the lake on a boat, the area around Questacon is very pretty plus other museums to see, the Australian Royal Mint is worth a visit, Hall markets first Sun of month, the George Inn pub in Gold Creek, cockington green, bus depo markets, the cafe at mt Stromlo, cafe at the botanic gardens, the bonsai display in commonwealth park. Hi, We will be on a Reccie trip in December. Received sponsorship from ACT and would like to check the area before we make the big plunge when we've sold the house here etc. Will be starting out in Sydney and end in Melbourne but the main goal is of course Canberra! We would like to get a first feel for the city and the suburbs... And yes again... a question on suburbs We are a couple, 40 and no kids. We like to be close to nature and live in the more quiet suburbs. Currently we own a house on the edge of a small village on a 800sqmtr block in the Netherlands. Something similar or bigger block would be great Oh yes price: not over 500 a week. Not looking for a new or very big luxurious house. Just a house on a nice big block with (hopefully) quiet neighbours. We are not looking for the bogan experience Travelling is not too much of a biggie. We are used to 30 to 60 minute drives to get to work (one way) So I guess that within that timeframe any suburb is reachable by car. For now we've come up with Cook & Aranda. Ainslie, Hackett & Downer. And further south things like Theodore, Chisholm, Gilmore, Banks, Callwell etc. (more or less the south/eastern side of Tuggeranong) This is all based on All Homes and Google Street view And then look at things like block size, surroundings and price. Being the first suburbs more established and leafier (and a bit more expensive but closer to city so less petrol to burn) and the latter ones being a bit cheaper and surrounded by hills (I LOVE hills being from such a flat country!) We will be driving around town for as long as it needs to get a first feel for it BUT any advise, comments or insights are MUCH appreciated. Next to getting a feel for suburbs we will make a holiday out of it and do some walking in the hills, Namadgi, Brindabella's and Tidbinbilla. Maybe rent a Mountainbike to check out Mt. Sromlo and do a morning run a long the shores of a lake. Visiting some museums, War memorial, Deep Space Center and all the other touristy things are also part of the itinerary Also here; if you have any advise, must sees or any other noteworthy stuff, like restaurants to visit, markets to check, pubs to meet up locals and/or ex-pat's, watching a game of cricket, anything goes, just let us know!!! Cheers, Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 The thing with Canberra suburbs is that most of them include a street or two of Government housing. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing it does increase the risk of living near 'bogans'. When you are driving around looking at suburbs take the time to get out of the car and walk around a bit. Visit the local shops - they are usually a good indication of the 'type' of suburb you are in. Canberra is largely populated by professionals with incomes over the national average - this means we have less 'bogan' elements than other capitals but we do still have them. Having said that - some 'bogans' are actually very nice 'salt of the earth' people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bazinga Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 The % of government housing varies, in one area (I forget the name) there's none, in Charnwood it is 18%. I'd go for north Ainslie or Downer. I also quite like Kaleen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterbang Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 (edited) The thing with Canberra suburbs is that most of them include a street or two of Government housing. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing it does increase the risk of living near 'bogans'. When you are driving around looking at suburbs take the time to get out of the car and walk around a bit. Visit the local shops - they are usually a good indication of the 'type' of suburb you are in. Canberra is largely populated by professionals with incomes over the national average - this means we have less 'bogan' elements than other capitals but we do still have them. Having said that - some 'bogans' are actually very nice 'salt of the earth' people. First of all; I didn't want to be offensive towards anyone. Maybe I was coming on a bit strong with calling people names. Sorry about that. Being a non-native speaker you have to learn your way around with words and their (deeper) meaning. But thanks for the info, your remark about each suburb having it's different style of housing from street to street is a good one. I remember living in an upper class suburb in Rotterdam, but being a student at that time, I didn't live in the upper class streets of that particular suburb I hear positive and less positive remarks about Tuggeranong. Although the suburb talk is always more than a bit subjective I would like to hear all your opinions on that. We will be stepping out of the car and visit the local shops, thanks for that I remember when we checked out Adelaide 2 years back we visited some shopping centers. Gave a good feel for the neighbourhood. Next to that; We will not visit every tourist attraction though, there needs to be something left to visit after our real move OK, keep them coming! Edited November 2, 2012 by afterbang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Where will you be working? No point selecting say Gordon to live and employment is in Gunghalin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I hate recommending suburbs because it is so subjective. I did find this link though that might help you work out which ones might suit you. http://www.suburbguide.com.au/category/home/location/canberra Where you work should dictate to some extent where you end up living. Commute times from one end of Canbarra to the other are fairly short EXCEPT at peak hour when they can double. It's nowhere near as bad as say Sydney or Melb but it can be annoying when you get used to being able to get around really quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterbang Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 Where will you be working? No point selecting say Gordon to live and employment is in Gunghalin. No clue, yet But as I said, we are used to travel to work, currently I am on a contract close by (say 35 minutes door to door) but my next contract could easily be an hour. And my girlfriend is used to travel even further. Although we are not looking for the furthest suburb from work we won't count anything out yet. Just trying to get a feel for the place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I hate recommending suburbs because it is so subjective. I did find this link though that might help you work out which ones might suit you. http://www.suburbguide.com.au/category/home/location/canberra Where you work should dictate to some extent where you end up living. Commute times from one end of Canbarra to the other are fairly short EXCEPT at peak hour when they can double. It's nowhere near as bad as say Sydney or Melb but it can be annoying when you get used to being able to get around really quickly. Having lived in many places here and o'seas we are very lucky. Notice how those born here don't get it until they leave? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterbang Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 I hate recommending suburbs because it is so subjective. I did find this link though that might help you work out which ones might suit you. http://www.suburbguide.com.au/category/home/location/canberra Where you work should dictate to some extent where you end up living. Commute times from one end of Canbarra to the other are fairly short EXCEPT at peak hour when they can double. It's nowhere near as bad as say Sydney or Melb but it can be annoying when you get used to being able to get around really quickly. Thanks, nice one! And as said, liking or disliking suburbs is subjective. But if someone says: suburb X is cool as it is very child friendly with lot's of good schools, I know that, while I'm not looking for good schools, that prices might be higher due to that fact So even subjective opinions mean something as long as you can read between the lines or can see facts and fiction clearly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterbang Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 I'm an avid runner, biker and motorbiker. So wherever I'll end up, there should be a way around traffic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunniecat Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Tuggeranong varies, as a region it covers a huge area, including the town centre. We have a lot of friends around Gordon/Banks/Conder/Gowrie/Isabella Plains. Fadden is lovely, and I really really like the Gordon houses, up the side of the hill. For us, they're too far from the town centre - my hubs cycles into Civic so we drew the line at any more than 12 miles from his workplace! Weston Creek is also worth considering, I'd probably look at Duffy based on what you've said. And bear in mind that there are nature reserves all through the city so you're never actually far away from nature. Pricewise, we're currently renting in one of the more expensive Woden suburbs, and a 3-bed unit on a block rents for around $500/wk. Further south gets you more for your money, as does further north. I don't know north-side well at all to comment further on that though. I definitely agree though, you need to drive around the areas. We were advised to drive round them in the day, but also late on a Friday or Saturday night, and have found that can make a difference. If you don't mind a drive, it may also be worth considering the surrounding places like Uriarra Village, Tharwa, Bungendore...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterbang Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 (edited) Fadden is/was on the list, as are the other ones in Tuggers. Nice to get that one confirmed Weston, is also on the list as it looks nice in between some hills, close to Mt. Stromlo for a bike ride. Found some houses we liked (on the internet...and some say a pictures says more than a thousand words... but pictures from real estate are sometimes 'a bit' misleading I suppose, so let's be careful) in Duffy, Holder, Weston, Chapman & Fisher. Next to the tip of visiting the shopping malls we will take the one of night driving into account! Uriarra and Tharwa hardly have any rentals (at least not on Allhomes) but that would really be nice. Bungendore is NSW, and our vias is state sponsored. Think you are not allowed to live outside ACT for the first two years. But if you guys have info otherwise, more than happy to hear about this as we've seen some nice and not to expensive property in NSW close to Canberra. We would be working in Canberra of course. Happy to hear your take on this! Edited November 5, 2012 by afterbang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunniecat Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 I don't think they'd fuss if you were living in, say, Bungendore or Queanbeyan and commuting into Canberra. As far as I understand it, it's not a legal requirement, more a friendly one. The Weston suburbs are all fine, as far as I know. I lo-o-ve Duffy (we've just been looking to buy, we were looking at North Tuggeranong and Weston Creek), there are some beautiful houses up there and I would've loved to buy there, but nothing came up in the right price range at the right time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterbang Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 Good to know you like Weston. Apart from the fact that it;s not the cheapest area around I think it looks good. In regards to living outside ACT, that would be interessting, makes the search area a bit bigger and more rural/diverse. Probably will end up in the city anyway for the first months. Easier to search for a job, easier to get to know people and socialize, understand how everything works in Australia etc. etc. But to have the option to move a bit out of the city would be nice. Let's see if we can get some statement around this topic from immigration. I know it is not really a legal requirement and they cannot take your visa away or anything, but don't want to run in to troubles at the start or in a later stage when you opt for citizenship. Any experiences on this subject are appreciated of course! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bazinga Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Good to know you like Weston. Apart from the fact that it;s not the cheapest area around I think it looks good. In regards to living outside ACT, that would be interessting, makes the search area a bit bigger and more rural/diverse. Probably will end up in the city anyway for the first months. Easier to search for a job, easier to get to know people and socialize, understand how everything works in Australia etc. etc. But to have the option to move a bit out of the city would be nice. Let's see if we can get some statement around this topic from immigration. I know it is not really a legal requirement and they cannot take your visa away or anything, but don't want to run in to troubles at the start or in a later stage when you opt for citizenship. Any experiences on this subject are appreciated of course! We often go to Stromlo for brunch and we are in Dunlop which is in West belconnen and the edge of Canberra. You can get to pretty much anywhere pretty quickly.I love living in sight of mountains Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 We often go to Stromlo for brunch and we are in Dunlop which is in West belconnen and the edge of Canberra. You can get to pretty much anywhere pretty quickly.I love living in sight of mountains We drive across Coppins Crossing every day on the way to Riverview agistment and the mist hangs in the valley looking like islands in a sea. Snow in the winter looks sensational. A pity Stromlo area is turning into suburbia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bazinga Posted November 15, 2012 Share Posted November 15, 2012 We drive across Coppins Crossing every day on the way to Riverview agistment and the mist hangs in the valley looking like islands in a sea. Snow in the winter looks sensational. A pity Stromlo area is turning into suburbia Completely agree. Takes some of the magic out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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