Possible Return to ACT

[MACBETH]

Hi everyone

 

We had a very happy 2 years in Canberra in 2012 before moving further overseas for 2 years and then back to the UK for the past 3 years...... There is a slight possibility that a return to Canberra may be on the cards....eeek. I just wondered how life was in Canberra now a days? Has anything changed? I heard about the light rail system...very fancy....does it work?

[Quoll]

It's bloody hot and very smokey at the moment. The Braddon flats have  gone and new swanky apartments (and a new Road) take their place. The bus timetables have changed yet again and for some that's apparently a disaster. Can see no reason why I would ever need the tram but we don't live out in Gungahlin. I'm back on a short holiday before a permanent return and the biggest shock  to my system is the cost of everything. Still lots of building going on but otherwise, the nature strips are messier than I remember, the shopping centres are much the same (except the food Hall in the Canberra Centre now seems to be a slots arcade). I still struggle to get cream with my coffee but there are more water fountains about. If I didn't have to come back I wouldn't - Cambridge offers so much more but them's the breaks!

[Bulya]

Changed in so many ways since 2012.  You can PM me for any specific info.  

[afterbang]

We did our Reccie trip in 2012, then the GFC hit us in the Netherlands so we were stuck for a while (mortgage/house issues) but arrived Jan 2017. The last few weeks have been a hard (smoke) but can't complain compared to what the coast gets.

We (couple in their 40's) love it here, could be a bit warmer in winter, bit colder in summer. But hey, the last few days reminded me of NL (Fog/Rainy weekends locked up in your house - Here it is smoky/hot) But the previous summers were good. So apart from the bushfires and politics in general in Australia, we still love Canberra after 3 years.

 

[TiaCapan]

I’m one of the posters who have dogged Canberra in the past. That is mostly due to my circumstances rather than the place itself.

In reality, it is still generally a safe place to live. Easy to commute still (people are spoilt in the ACT in terms of commute times and maybe haven’t experienced or forgotten what commuting is like in one of the big cities). There appears to be plenty of work. The scenery is still beautiful. If you are healthy (i.e. get out and about and like sports etc) it’s a great place.

Lots of building happening, new suburbs up in the North and out to the west. And the new tram  service (haven’t used it, unlikely ever to as I rarely venture into Civic). 

I think I’ll even miss it when I move on, which is on the cards for the next couple of months. I never thought I’d say that. 

Edited January 9, 2020 by TiaCapan

[Quoll]

21 minutes ago, TiaCapan said:

. If you are healthy (i.e. get out and about and like sports etc) it’s a great place. 

Its alright unless you go Base over apex walking down the back side of Mt Ainslie like I did this morning - anyone seen a few acres of skin out there in the bush? Thought I had a broken wrist but now think it's just a humungous bruise!  So if you're  healthy and like to get out and walk in Canberra, go down the front side of Mt Ainslie and not the back side!!!!

It certainly could be a much worse place! The DH is getting the bus to Sydney tomorrow for the day - now that would be much worse!!!

[TiaCapan]

1 hour ago, Quoll said:

Its alright unless you go Base over apex walking down the back side of Mt Ainslie like I did this morning - anyone seen a few acres of skin out there in the bush? Thought I had a broken wrist but now think it's just a humungous bruise!  So if you're  healthy and like to get out and walk in Canberra, go down the front side of Mt Ainslie and not the back side!!!!

It certainly could be a much worse place! The DH is getting the bus to Sydney tomorrow for the day - now that would be much worse!!!

Ouch! Hope it’s better soon. 

I only went to Mount Ainslie lookout for the first time recently. I’ve lived here for 4 years! Impressive views.

[Quoll]

7 hours ago, TiaCapan said:

Ouch! Hope it’s better soon. 

I only went to Mount Ainslie lookout for the first time recently. I’ve lived here for 4 years! Impressive views.

Yeah, when it's not smokey the view is lovely. I walk up it regularly 

[Slean Wolfhead]

On 31/12/2019 at 02:11, MACBETH said:

Hi everyone

 

We had a very happy 2 years in Canberra in 2012 before moving further overseas for 2 years and then back to the UK for the past 3 years...... There is a slight possibility that a return to Canberra may be on the cards....eeek. I just wondered how life was in Canberra now a days? Has anything changed? I heard about the light rail system...very fancy....does it work?

It works but it's full and is espoecially useful for those living within walking distance of a stop.  Those that do, love it.  Those that don't have a use for it, bag it.   The next stage is starting soon around London Circuit, then should reach Woden in about 5 years.

It's more like a proper city since 2012 when i think they allowed them to build higher than 4 storeys,  the scale of apartment building is stunning, which has vastly improved the restaurants and small businesses opening up on the ground level.  Lots of Chinese students, better Chinese food and a more ethnic feel to the City on the ANU side.  The economy is being shaped deliberately to get people out cars, which is a big ask.  Jobs are still great with very high pay if you have skillsets.  It's the easiest place to live, but not the cheapest.

[Quoll]

1 hour ago, Slean Wolfhead said:

It works but it's full and is espoecially useful for those living within walking distance of a stop.  Those that do, love it.  Those that don't have a use for it, bag it.   The next stage is starting soon around London Circuit, then should reach Woden in about 5 years.

It's more like a proper city since 2012 when i think they allowed them to build higher than 4 storeys,  the scale of apartment building is stunning, which has vastly improved the restaurants and small businesses opening up on the ground level.  Lots of Chinese students, better Chinese food and a more ethnic feel to the City on the ANU side.  The economy is being shaped deliberately to get people out cars, which is a big ask.  Jobs are still great with very high pay if you have skillsets.  It's the easiest place to live, but not the cheapest.

I’m really surprised that the emphasis is on getting people out of cars, doesn’t seem like that’s working too well. I have seen light rail thing though - twice - since we’ve been here and not, apparently, that well patronised but that may have been time of day of course.
 

The buses would be good if they left on time - trying to catch one from civic today was a bit of a challenge as one failed to materialise leaving an hour between buses. I walk wherever I can and see almost nobody else doing the same. Will try the bus down to Woden tomorrow but will probably need a lift out of civic (light rail sod all use to me and probably the majority of Canberrans).
 

I’m surprised, too, at the number of people using bikes as functional transport - far fewer than I recall than back in the day when the DH and DS used to use their bikes all the time. I’ve seen the odd Lycra gang but not as many regular folk using their bikes to get from a to b.
 

We will still need a car when we return, obviously, but this week I’ve only used it a couple of times apart from today when I needed to go to Fyshwick and to drop the DH off at the Bus Station at some Godforsaken hour. 

one good thing though is that the car parks are quite cheap and I love the little green light thingies in the Civic car parks so you know where the spaces are! 

[Slean Wolfhead]

4 minutes ago, Quoll said:

I’m really surprised that the emphasis is on getting people out of cars, doesn’t seem like that’s working too well. I have seen light rail thing though - twice - since we’ve been here and

It doesn't work well in the neglected South where they have no tram , but then the South is pretty much filled apart from the doubling up on knockdown rebuilds. Much lighter traffic.

The better houses in the North are really good but you're paying 1.2 million+ for a good one on the edge of the bush 30mins from work, when you might be better of paying 1.5mill in Hackett/Downer for a good old one and a better location. 

Civic govvy car parks will all be going around London Circuit.  The Wilson one by the QT was shut the other month and is now a massive hole for thousands of apartments, on the other side the new hotel and Govvy block has taken the Assembly car park....and the ones opposite both Sydney/Melbourne are going to be a bus turnaround interchange in the next few years, when the tram comes around the corner off Northbourne.   The only way it can work is if they force people out of their cars by removing the parking.....hence living in the City Centre suddenly looks reasonable and why they're forcing the apartment builds.  It's a constructed economy all contrived with the builders and pollies.

 

[Quoll]

7 hours ago, Slean Wolfhead said:

It doesn't work well in the neglected South where they have no tram , but then the South is pretty much filled apart from the doubling up on knockdown rebuilds. Much lighter traffic.

The better houses in the North are really good but you're paying 1.2 million+ for a good one on the edge of the bush 30mins from work, when you might be better of paying 1.5mill in Hackett/Downer for a good old one and a better location. 

Civic govvy car parks will all be going around London Circuit.  The Wilson one by the QT was shut the other month and is now a massive hole for thousands of apartments, on the other side the new hotel and Govvy block has taken the Assembly car park....and the ones opposite both Sydney/Melbourne are going to be a bus turnaround interchange in the next few years, when the tram comes around the corner off Northbourne.   The only way it can work is if they force people out of their cars by removing the parking.....hence living in the City Centre suddenly looks reasonable and why they're forcing the apartment builds.  It's a constructed economy all contrived with the builders and pollies.

 

The apartment living in Civic has certainly boomed since we left. Do the apartment buildings not have their own car parks? Somehow I can't imagine that they're going to be that attractive to young families though, so they're going to be the ones hit by squeezing cars out of the centres.  

The Civic profile has certainly changed massively over the past 40 years! When we arrived there were big dirt car parks between the Lakeside (or whatever is called now - ah the QT you mentioned!) and University Ave and nothing on the lake side of that other than the old ex Migrant hostel buildings. The building up of Braddon into apartments was a big deal when it happened first but they're miniscule in comparison with the new builds. We are certainly incredibly lucky to have our quarter acre within easy walking of Civic!