Guest turners gang Posted September 15, 2011 Share Posted September 15, 2011 Hi sean ! Are you looking for work in the construction market ? if so whats your trade / profession ? I work in recruitment in Canberra and I could try to test the water for you. Cheers Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pptrixibell Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 When I first arrived, we lived in Kippax in an apartment but got to house hunting for rentals and started honing in on Ngunnawal, Amaroo, Gungahlin areas....we got a lovely 3 bedroom house which we pay just over $400 per week in Ngunnawal, our neighbors are really nice and our street is great, it's close to Gungahlin were all the local amenities are and it's out of the city centre (Civic) which suits us, and it's about a 30 minute drive to Civic from where we live (except for the usual rush hour traffic on the GDE :wacko:), it's great for families of any age and whilst we're probably going to go for a larger house next year, I'd like for us to stay in the same area if possible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jamescharls123 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 For me Kingston is the best place to live in Canberra. Luxurious and peaceful life style of this city makes it better than any other city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bazinga Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 Toops - Can I bother you for some application pack details too please?! Sorry to be cheeky. Ngunnawal is looking quite promising. Annoyingly my husband is working every day until we arrive so he can't go to any viewings though may be a blessing in disguise as I'd quite like to choose where we might live too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunniecat Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 we're in woden, paying $490/week for a nice 3-bed in Isaacs. we had a budget of up to $500/week and focused exclusively on woden valley and weston creek. We really like this area, we saw a lot of houses that were nice for that money, some nicer than others of course. I don't know if we were just lucky, or determined, or what, but we went house-hunting with a vengeance, saw 12 houses in 4 days, applied for 8, and got offered one the morning after we applied for it (the last one of those we saw) so then we stopped looking. So if you have the time to put into it and you're not determined to get the *perfect* house (We're figuring we only want to rent for a year or so anyway. we'll be more picky when we get round to looking at buying), it strikes me that you should be ok. I do recommend weekday viewings if you can get to them, they seem to be much quieter and that gives you a better chance of getting your application accepted (the one we got only had us and one other couple at it, and we applied on the spot, so she went back to the office and called the owner first thing next morning). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunshine please Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Hi there We are currently in Aranda, Belconnen and we just found a house in Melba. Aranda and surrounding suburbs are lovely and Aranda school is one of the best, but you really have to live in the catchment area to get the kids in. Not too sure what Melba is going to be like. Looks nice and handy for everything (mind you so is most of Canberra). If your renting be warned 50% of the houses out there are awful!!! We increased our budget as all the houses around Aranda, cook and maquire we looked at were terrible, 70's disgusting, we started looking at houses at the 1k a week thinking they would be better but they soon proved us wrong!!! Anyway we found a newly renovated house out in Melba and were so relieved we almost moved in that day!! So be prepared for some house disappointments. At least out in the newer burbs the houses are almost new, they might be smaller and tiny gardens but the interiors are modern. :-)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesCanberra Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Melba and Evatt are good. The other suburbs in the south are ok, Wanniassa probably the better of them. Just my opinion, the best thing is to just go for a drive around them...most of them are not too big to be honest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Melba and Evatt are good. For my own edification -what is it that stands out about Melba and Evatt? They both seem a little bit too far out, with no decent local shops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 For my own edification -what is it that stands out about Melba and Evatt? They both seem a little bit too far out, with no decent local shops. At least they have local shops!! :biglaugh: They are quite nice and leafy though with decent sized plots. It strikes me that a lot of people here don't mind about local shops etc because everyone pretty much drives everywhere anyway? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 At least they have local shops!! :biglaugh: They are quite nice and leafy though with decent sized plots. It strikes me that a lot of people here don't mind about local shops etc because everyone pretty much drives everywhere anyway? lol. must just be me, I can't consider a house unless it is within walking distance of a shop that I can buy a pint of milk and a newspaper from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 lol. must just be me, I can't consider a house unless it is within walking distance of a shop that I can buy a pint of milk and a newspaper from. I would love to be in walking distance of shops and pubs! One of the things I really miss. So tedious if you want to go out and have a drink you've got to organise taxis or lifts. Our local shops are closed and all we have is a 7/11. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I would love to be in walking distance of shops and pubs! One of the things I really miss. So tedious if you want to go out and have a drink you've got to organise taxis or lifts. Our local shops are closed and all we have is a 7/11. Ah, move to Ainslie!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 For my own edification -what is it that stands out about Melba and Evatt? They both seem a little bit too far out, with no decent local shops. No idea, wouldnt be my choice. Melba has improved since they knocked down "the Flats" of course but .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Ah, move to Ainslie!!! Unfortunately, Inner North is not in my budget, otherwise I would be living there!! I quite liked the look of Ainslie, we had the local Multiple Birth Association Fun Day at Corroboree Park, not sure the standard of insulation would be great in some of those houses though :wink:. I've heard Edgars Inn is a pretty good place to chill out as well, hoping to try it out sometime soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Unfortunately, Inner North is not in my budget, otherwise I would be living there!! I quite liked the look of Ainslie, we had the local Multiple Birth Association Fun Day at Corroboree Park, not sure the standard of insulation would be great in some of those houses though :wink:. I've heard Edgars Inn is a pretty good place to chill out as well, hoping to try it out sometime soon. Yes, Edgars is very popular - the DIL and grandkids often pop down there of an afternoon. The Pulp Kitchen is an interesting restaurant too - shame it moved away from being Canberra's best vego restaurant a few years ago. Insulation is a bit erratic in the older properties to be sure - we have uber insulated our little 3 bed weatherboard but it is still chilly in winter so thank goodness for the wood stove! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesCanberra Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 For my own edification -what is it that stands out about Melba and Evatt? They both seem a little bit too far out, with no decent local shops. The first thing I would do as an english person is to go onto youtube and watch the "Relocation Downunder - Canberra" episode. Phil Spencer's wife is from Melbourne and Phil understands Australia very well. He also recommends Flynn and Macgregor to the family to live in and he finds a nice split-level place in Flynn for them which has views out over the Brindabellas. I don't recall whether they bought the place or not but it was a nice place. Once you work out your budget then you can work out where to live. Personally if you have plenty of cash then I would lean towards Yarralumla, Deakin, Red Hill or Ainslie areas as they are central and normally have big blocks. If you are looking for something newer then I am a fan of Bruce (it is a private suburb so no government/council blocks there). To be honest, I can agree with your statement. What I would say is that most Canberrans don't really live right next to a shopping centre (nor a good boozer unfortunately). If you do want to live near a good pub, then in Nicholls near the George Harcourt Tavern is good or near Dickson and Kingston where there are some nice pubs that serve ale. Most local shops which they had in every suburb at one stage have closed down mainly due to the bigger players squeezing them out...a bit like Tesco in the UK, making it harder for the smaller shops to get by when you can get it all under one roof and with normally free parking for the first 2 hours. Melba is quite hilly and not far from good transporting roads such as Ginninderra Drive and the like. Spence is also nice and near the Mt Rogers walking reserve. Alternatively, McKellar is a newer suburb (along with Bruce and Florey) which is near Lake Ginninderra which is lovely to cycle around, windsail, walk around or to have bbq's. Evatt is also quite nice, again because it is still in Belconnen but not in Gungahlin. Personally, I would avoid Gungahlin...I used to live in Paul Coe Cresent in Ngunnawal and driving to work in the morning to Civic was a nightmare. Driving from Bruce was so much eaiser. Gungahlin has roads which are generally thinner and has smaller blocks with large houses on them. When I was a boy I lived in Latham, next to Melba and both areas were good. Copland College and some of the schools around there I wasn't a fan of, but I went to school in the south. The good schools in the north would be Daramalan, Merici and Radford (please ignore any newer schools I may not know). I personally bought a townhouse in Bruce back in 2000 and the reason I bought there is because it is next to Radford College (private school), next to the University of Canberra, close to Bruce Hospital, next to CIT, next to the AIS, not far from a massive gym and a big shopping centre at Belconnen. But everyone in Canberra drives around, Action Buses seem to be rarely used by anyone over 18 years old. My parents live in Nicholls (at the end of Edie Payne Close) and are only a stumble from the George Harcourt Inn which is worth a look if you haven't been there yet. In the past, they ran the Hansom Cab in Earls Court Road and before that the Olde Red Lion in Cheam so they are a fan of a good local pub Also Cockington Green is worth a look with alot of minature english village scenarios setup. Ultimately you are the best judge and it depends on your own personal situation. If I was a single mid-30's person I would live in Kingston area, if with a family then towards Belconnen way. On the south side Garran to Wanniassa look good. The best thing to do is jump in the car and drive around the areas...that will give you the best feel for the respective areas once you know your budgets. Apoloiges, for a bit of a ramble, but I hope that helps a bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peach Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 The first thing I would do as an english person is to go onto youtube and watch the "Relocation Downunder - Canberra" episode. Phil Spencer's wife is from Melbourne and Phil understands Australia very well. He also recommends Flynn and Macgregor to the family to live in and he finds a nice split-level place in Flynn for them which has views out over the Brindabellas. I don't recall whether they bought the place or not but it was a nice place. Once you work out your budget then you can work out where to live. Personally if you have plenty of cash then I would lean towards Yarralumla, Deakin, Red Hill or Ainslie areas as they are central and normally have big blocks. If you are looking for something newer then I am a fan of Bruce (it is a private suburb so no government/council blocks there). To be honest, I can agree with your statement. What I would say is that most Canberrans don't really live right next to a shopping centre (nor a good boozer unfortunately). If you do want to live near a good pub, then in Nicholls near the George Harcourt Tavern is good or near Dickson and Kingston where there are some nice pubs that serve ale. Most local shops which they had in every suburb at one stage have closed down mainly due to the bigger players squeezing them out...a bit like Tesco in the UK, making it harder for the smaller shops to get by when you can get it all under one roof and with normally free parking for the first 2 hours. Melba is quite hilly and not far from good transporting roads such as Ginninderra Drive and the like. Spence is also nice and near the Mt Rogers walking reserve. Alternatively, McKellar is a newer suburb (along with Bruce and Florey) which is near Lake Ginninderra which is lovely to cycle around, windsail, walk around or to have bbq's. Evatt is also quite nice, again because it is still in Belconnen but not in Gungahlin. Personally, I would avoid Gungahlin...I used to live in Paul Coe Cresent in Ngunnawal and driving to work in the morning to Civic was a nightmare. Driving from Bruce was so much eaiser. Gungahlin has roads which are generally thinner and has smaller blocks with large houses on them. When I was a boy I lived in Latham, next to Melba and both areas were good. Copland College and some of the schools around there I wasn't a fan of, but I went to school in the south. The good schools in the north would be Daramalan, Merici and Radford (please ignore any newer schools I may not know). I personally bought a townhouse in Bruce back in 2000 and the reason I bought there is because it is next to Radford College (private school), next to the University of Canberra, close to Bruce Hospital, next to CIT, next to the AIS, not far from a massive gym and a big shopping centre at Belconnen. But everyone in Canberra drives around, Action Buses seem to be rarely used by anyone over 18 years old. My parents live in Nicholls (at the end of Edie Payne Close) and are only a stumble from the George Harcourt Inn which is worth a look if you haven't been there yet. In the past, they ran the Hansom Cab in Earls Court Road and before that the Olde Red Lion in Cheam so they are a fan of a good local pub Also Cockington Green is worth a look with alot of minature english village scenarios setup. Ultimately you are the best judge and it depends on your own personal situation. If I was a single mid-30's person I would live in Kingston area, if with a family then towards Belconnen way. On the south side Garran to Wanniassa look good. The best thing to do is jump in the car and drive around the areas...that will give you the best feel for the respective areas once you know your budgets. Apoloiges, for a bit of a ramble, but I hope that helps a bit Thanks for the background, we moved to Canberra about a week after the Phil Spencer relocation show was aired in the UK - we watched it religously! We ended up renting in Macquarie, by chance - as the relocation agent that my company provided happened to take me to the Jamison centre for lunch one day. I was smitten by the area. Been to the George Harcourt a couple of times, unfortunately it seemed a victim of its own success. The long queues for the bar and food were off putting. I am happy to sip a pint of Toohey's old in a quiet corner of one of the southern cross clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slean Wolfhead Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 In the past, they ran the Hansom Cab in Earls Court Road Really...the one now owned by Piers Morgan? So is the Harcourt owned by English people (i've only seen Aussies working there but haven't been in much) ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Rick2201 Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Thanks Quoll Very informative and we are delighted to get some good suburb advice. Our budget would definitely be middle-of-the-road approx. 500k - 550k so this will surely dictate what we can afford. Hubby was wondering what Holt, Melba and Evatt in the north are like. I had also been wondering about Wanniassa, Monash, Calwell or Banks in the south, both in terms of neighbourhoods and schools. I suppose we'll find out when we get there - best to concentrate on a rental home first. I'm dreading the idea, as I have always owned my own home since I was 20, and have never rented before. Will it be difficult for people in our situation, who won't be able to provide references from previous landlords? Thanks again for all your help We've been renting in Canberra (Red Hill) since we arrived last July. The rental market is very competitive in Canberra and we were surprised that several others were chasing the same house and the agent got to choose. Luckily we had good friends here who argued on our behalf. There is also an expectation that you attend the inspection day which is obviously tricky from the UK. There's no easy answer to this - you may just need to make multiple applications in the first instance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunniecat Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 We are renting in Isaacs, we saw loads of houses around Weston Creek and Woden Valley in the $450-500 range (we love the southside)... you definitely need somewhere to stay in the short term so that you can attend the inspections, chat friendly to the agents etc. Explain to them your situation, that you've owned your home since you were 20, maybe get letters from neighbours if you can to back up that you're good neighbours to people etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yasminemagdy Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 OK so I plan to move to Canberra in the next 12 months or so under a 176 Visa along with my wife and two daughters (11 and 8) and we are scanning the map of canberra and school websites to find the bext areas to live in. So we need good schools for the girls, plus residential districts with a bit of space and good sized house plots. So all those of you already in ACT - can you recommend where we should be looking for rented houses? Thanks The Cook's This is yasmine,I will be also moving to canberra with my 2 kids in Jan.2014,I really need your help,I never went there before...so I want o ask you ,your opinion & if you happy there or what..pls give me info..my email is yasminemk@yahoo.com..thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yasminemagdy Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 We are renting in Isaacs, we saw loads of houses around Weston Creek and Woden Valley in the $450-500 range (we love the southside)... you definitely need somewhere to stay in the short term so that you can attend the inspections, chat friendly to the agents etc. Explain to them your situation, that you've owned your home since you were 20, maybe get letters from neighbours if you can to back up that you're good neighbours to people etc. hi there ,this is yasmine...moving to Canberra by Jan,I married with two kids & I want to rent smoehting in the range of 500-550 $ /week...but is the areaqs you mentioned are the best areas & it have schools around also & there are shopping center around & public transport near...as I am afraid it will not be easy to have the driving license in the start,as I am used to drive on the other side not like in australia & uk...so hop you can help me,my email is yasminemk@yahoo.com thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 hi there ,this is yasmine...moving to Canberra by Jan,I married with two kids & I want to rent smoehting in the range of 500-550 $ /week...but is the areaqs you mentioned are the best areas & it have schools around also & there are shopping center around & public transport near...as I am afraid it will not be easy to have the driving license in the start,as I am used to drive on the other side not like in australia & uk...so hop you can help me,my email is xxx thanks You might want to remove your email from your message! Anywhere in Canberra is going to be as good as anywhere else really - it's well endowed with schools, shops and services but you probably will need to learn to drive on the left. Finding a place to live will usually depend largely on where you'll be working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie2012 Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 For us it is a bit worry, going into Canberra without set jobs and getting a flat or house. We'll be renting our house out in the UK and so we naturally worry that the agen'ts won't consider us for a property. Any good realtor with some British roots who understands what a migrant goes through? Naturally, we'll have a somewhat healthy bank account but that may not be enough to convince someone. :-( And that is our biggest worry so far.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted August 21, 2013 Share Posted August 21, 2013 British migrants aren't really a big factor in Canberra's thinking. There are a few of course but estate agents are estate agents the world over! If you don't know where you will be working then aim central-ish. The inner North and south suburbs are fine but what you save in transport you pay in rent. I'm an Ainslie girl, Phil Spencer picked Dickson as the go to suburb. I wouldn't live anywhere else unless I had a couple of mill and could get something in Yarralumla. You do get more bang for your buck the further out you go but some of those distant suburbs are pretty soulless. For anyone moving http://www.allhomes.com.au is the place to peruse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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