Unexpectedly looking at Yarralulma - help?

[Guest J291B]

Hi all -

 

Was quite happily plotting our families move in Jul this year - looking at living in various suburbs when a curious quirk of fate (that I won't bore you with) ended up with us being offered a place in Yarralumla. This came out of the blue and I have no idea about the area!?

 

We are family of 4 (us: mid thirties, kids: 2 and 3months) needing places for kids to play, nurseries (not worried about schools) and also access to some nice cafes, bars and restaurants for the nights we can afford a babysitter ! Oh and cinema too - I'm a filmy kind a guy.

 

Grateful if anyone who knows the area could pitch in with a little friendly go / no go advice

 

Cheers

 

JB

[restfamily]

Yarralumla is one of the nicest / poshest suburbs in Canberra and loads of people would love to live there. Like all of Canberra is does have its less desirable parts, but generally its large leafy streets. Its very central with good access to Woden and Civic (both with cinemas). Nurseries aka long day care centres are gold dust in Canberra so I'd start to contact them now, especially if you need two places.

 

Good luck with the move.

[Guest edard]

Upmarket, leafy, soughtafter and central - not far from movies, cafes etc. I haven't really spent any time there, but reputation is good.

[nik_kershaw]

I used to live in London and in a comparison with Canberra, Yarralulma is where all the Embassies are. In London the Embassies are located in Kensington, Mayfair, Hyde Park. You get the kinda idea.

[Guest AnnChovy]

Yarralumla is quiet and leafy has ready access to the lake so it is lovely for biking/picnics etc.

 

It is near to the Governor General's Residence and if it is good enough for her..... you'll have easy access to Weston Park with its free gas barbeques, playground and lake beach, kangaroos, the garden centre/nursery and coffee shop and the kids train (which I have never actually seen!)

 

Yarralumla shops have all the basics- a small supermarket that does fine for day to day stuff, a postoffice, chemist, a dry cleaners/alterations place, two hairdressers, a decent bakery, a little gift/card shop, a newsagents, a halal butcher (the mosque is nearby) and a few handy places to eat (although not the type of place you'd get a babysitter to go to I think- more casual- most do takeout)

The Pide House is really good (Pide is a Turkish pizza/calzone type of thing- this place also does good kebabs (no chips though There is a pretty good little Thai place, a chinese, a little pizza/coffee place, Cafe Timor and, my personal fave, Beess and Co, which is good cafe with an interesting menu and good outdoor seating under the trees for those sunny days. The owner is the grumpiest creature on the planet but the food is tasty and their cakes come in big fat slices......

 

Parking at the shops is tricky enough, but in Canberra this just means you have to take a free spot on the street and walk 200 yards, instead of getting a spot right outside the door. I think Yarralumla school might have a preschool attached - otherwise try Deakin, which has an ABC and the Deakin School for Early Learning (a friend tried to get a spot in the baby room there recently and by the time a place comes up her baby will no longer be a baby, so don't delay- got onto this asap)

 

If I lived in Yarralumla I'd be looking at Manuka for bars and cinema- its less than ten minutes by car and Manuka has atmosphere- Kingston is also good for going out. In the other direction you also have plenty going on in the more modern Woden/Philip, which has a big shopping mall and would probably be your nearest place for weekly supermarket shopping.

 

If I was me I'd take it and thank my lucky stars for the chance!