Guest Mariana Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Hi all, We're moving to Canberra late December this year. We're very excited to live in such beautiful city and celebrating Christmas in OZ with you great people. My kids asked Santa Claus last year to send us to OZ as our next year's Christmas gift, and here we come. Thanks God. We have three sons 9, 4 and 4. We're looking to rent a home or townhouse in Belconnen or Gungahlin suburbs. Our main search factors are safety and good schools for our kids. We're searching for properties on allhomes, we find it excellent source for information. But we need more information from you kind Canberrans which we couldn't gather from the site, please. Belconnen and Gungahlin have many suburbs and I'm sure some suburbs are better than others. Please recommend which area to search in and which places to avoid. Our rent budget is 350-400 a week, do you think we could get a good property for a family with this budget? Cheers, Mariana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted October 29, 2009 Share Posted October 29, 2009 Well just having had a look on Allhomes for houses in that price range, I would be checking out Aranda, Fraser, Weetangera, Kaleen (but not for the local HS in years to come), Latham and possibly Hawker (although the only one there is a townhouse). However most of the ones in that price range were 3 beds and you probably wanted more than that. My favourite would definitely be Aranda - close to the city and to Belconnen with a nice bush surround and a good school both for PS and HS - however you may find it just out of your price range. Avoid Charnwood and Dunlop next door is borderline iffy imho. Gungahlin is OK but it is a bit "new" and some of it, especially Amaroo, Franklin, Harrison, looks like a moonscape as the trees havent grown yet. The schools up there are OK though. Holt and Higgins feed into the new school in Holt which is a k - 10 school and it has had a few teething problems and a lot of people they thought would send their kids there have chosen not to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taff Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I endorse what Quoll has posted already, and would add Cook as a good suburb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 I endorse what Quoll has posted already, and would add Cook as a good suburb. I should have mentioned Cook - I quite agree with you but the only downside is that the school closed so they have to go a bit further afield for that but it may not be an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest beh1972 Posted October 30, 2009 Share Posted October 30, 2009 One of the unsusal things about Canberra is the Public housing was evenly spread across the city. There were some housing blocks from the 70's and 80's which ended up a bit iffy,(Burnie Court, Fraser Court, Melba and Bega Flats etc) but every suburb or district had one. They have slowly been removed over the years. So no one suburb is really bad. And no one suburb was ever perfect either (even Barton, Red Hill, and Turner) I've lived here for the last 20+ years and I've seen Charnwood pick up a lot in that time, it did have a really bad rep once. Dunlop is not bad, but there are no shops or schools. But it was built in the 1990's whe many the older suburbs were closing down their local shops and schools at the time. The malls and larger schools were winning the trade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mariana Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Thank you Quoll, Taff, and beh1972 :hug: I'm keeping an eye on Allhomes. Please wish me good luck in finding a good rent. Cheers, Mariana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulimouse Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Mariana - keep us posted when you arrive as to where you end up and which schools you choose as I have a 6 and 4 year old so very interested in hearing from people who are on the ground. Good luck with the move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sdk999 Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Hi, I have been regularly looking through this forum with lot of interest and of course getting a lot of helpful advice especially thanks to Quoll. Was supposed to have reached canberra by november but as things stand its going to be january.thankfully have sorted admission for my 5 yr old provisionally in grammer school(red hill campus) now looking through the allhomes website....thats where all the confusion begins!!!! keeping in mind my daughters school which suburb should i be looking at?other half going to be working in quean.. looking to pay rent probably till 550 per week. the other question i was hoping to get help is...how do we make up our mind about the house from here?saying that we were told its very difficult to get a house for rent so we should probably arrange that before we get there...any suggestions?thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taff Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Narrabundah would be your best bet, not a great suburb, but not too bad. Phillip/Lyons/Hughes/Garran/Chiffley are within a short drive and have reasonable housing, plus access to the Woden shopping area and some good amenities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sdk999 Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 thank you soo much.i will have a look right away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Doesnt really matter where you live if your child is going to Grammar - kids come from all over the place and, really, it isnt that hard to get to school as it is quite central. Mine went from Ainslie every day and their friends came from all over the place. The benefit of going to a private school is that you arent tied to living anywhere really and the trick will be finding a house that you want to live in at a price you can afford. I seriously doubt that you will be able to get anything before you arrive (you may well have some difficulty finding something AFTER you arrive as well, especially at that time of year) so book into holiday accommodation for 3-4 weeks at least then just look around and see what suits you. Narrabundah is certainly on the way up (especially price-wise) but there are some parts you wouldnt want to touch with a barge pole - stick to the Griffith side if you are going to look at it (Caley Cres side). You could look in Queanbeyan if you wanted to - probably better value for money - and it doesnt take long to drive into town. You will need to be a 2 car family though IMHO. I'd also add Campbell, Reid, Ainslie, Yarralumla, Jerrabomberra (just watch out for the flight path though), Griffith, and the inner North suburbs in general are quite do-able too, Hackett is a bit of a hidden gem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sdk999 Posted November 19, 2009 Share Posted November 19, 2009 Thanks again Quoll for your helpful advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest London Pride Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Both are great areas but not overly sure of rents but try Spence; Evatt; Melba their about 5-7mins away, older type of houses with established gardens, trees and comunities, still have very good schools, local shop's. Belco and Gungalin are very new Palmaston is generally cheep. But your doing all the right things keep looking at allhomes and or Canberra Times.Best of Luck Jules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Taff Posted January 6, 2010 Share Posted January 6, 2010 Palmerston has the biggest collection of sheer ugly houses I have ever had the misfortune to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mariana Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Update .... We've arrived to Canberra three weeks ago. The city is very beautiful, clean and organised. Now, we're more confident that we made the right decision for the family. We like Gungahlin area as most of properties are new. the lakes view is perfect. Canberra is a masterpiece. Unfortunately no tenancy application accepted until now as we have three sons in school age, no rental history, no employment offer and no credit history in Canberra. we're struggling finding a house to rent these days. I've sent email to the immigration staff asking for help, they replied that they can't assist regarding accommodation as the ACT government doesn't provide accommodation, and they advised that I can but their contact details as a referee to explain my situation to landlords -which I did- but no replies yet. We're living right now with relatives in Sydney until we find somewhere to live. The school academic year is on the door step, I don't know whether I should enroll my kids in Sydney until I find somewhere to live in Canberra. I'm very frustrated, I was very excited to start my new life in Canberra but it seems it's not that easy. I'm not used to live without home or work for that long, I can't live with my big family more time with my relatives. Please wish me good luck, and if anyone has an advice regarding housing, employment, or casual employment please do, help and advices are most welcome. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Update .... We've arrived to Canberra three weeks ago. The city is very beautiful, clean and organised. Now, we're more confident that we made the right decision for the family. We like Gungahlin area as most of properties are new. the lakes view is perfect. Canberra is a masterpiece. Unfortunately no tenancy application accepted until now as we have three sons in school age, no rental history, no employment offer and no credit history in Canberra. we're struggling finding a house to rent these days. I've sent email to the immigration staff asking for help, they replied that they can't assist regarding accommodation as the ACT government doesn't provide accommodation, and they advised that I can but their contact details as a referee to explain my situation to landlords -which I did- but no replies yet. We're living right now with relatives in Sydney until we find somewhere to live. The school academic year is on the door step, I don't know whether I should enroll my kids in Sydney until I find somewhere to live in Canberra. I'm very frustrated, I was very excited to start my new life in Canberra but it seems it's not that easy. I'm not used to live without home or work for that long, I can't live with my big family more time with my relatives. Please wish me good luck, and if anyone has an advice regarding housing, employment, or casual employment please do, help and advices are most welcome. Cheers Part of your problem may be that you arent actually residing in Canberra - they dont like it if you arent in the Territory because there are plenty of people who are actually here. Can you take a holiday rental unit for a few weeks and try that way? You can also then use the rental manager as a referee possibly - that you pay up and dont leave their unit in a mess etc. Dont panic about schools, no one is going to get their knickers in a knot if you dont have them ready to go on day 1 of term. Have you tried any agencies for casual work? It isnt the best of times to be looking because this is holiday time and everyone changes time so there are going to be a lot of people out there looking for both accommodation and employment. I know that the shops have posters out for casual employees - Subway in the city is looking for lunchtime hands for example (but that probably isnt what you want to do - what is your field?) Good luck, this is a tricky time so dont take it personally! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mariana Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 Part of your problem may be that you arent actually residing in Canberra - they dont like it if you arent in the Territory because there are plenty of people who are actually here. Can you take a holiday rental unit for a few weeks and try that way? You can also then use the rental manager as a referee possibly - that you pay up and dont leave their unit in a mess etc. Dont panic about schools, no one is going to get their knickers in a knot if you dont have them ready to go on day 1 of term. Have you tried any agencies for casual work? It isnt the best of times to be looking because this is holiday time and everyone changes time so there are going to be a lot of people out there looking for both accommodation and employment. I know that the shops have posters out for casual employees - Subway in the city is looking for lunchtime hands for example (but that probably isnt what you want to do - what is your field?) Good luck, this is a tricky time so dont take it personally! Thank you Quoll for your support -as usual- Many people told us that it is not the best time for employment or accommodation. Great idea to take holiday rental for few weeks, but I'm little bit worry about our financial resources if the period extended to few months. I haven't try any employment agencies yet, all submitted applications were direct contacts. I and my husband are working in the graphic design and printing field for more than ten years. We have no problem to work as volunteers to gain Australian experience until we found a paid job, but don't know where to search for this kind of jobs. Quoll, I really appreciate your concern.:hug: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobandCatherine Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 We're in much the same circumstance as you - arriving in Canberra in Feb with nothing, we have got some references from our estate agents that we have dealt with in the past and our old accountant which will apparently help but we have been told that you cannot secure a rental property without actually viewing it so will have to be based there for a litle while. We have bought a camper trailer for a bit of exploring (on the Great Ocean Road at the mo) so will live in that for a while when we arrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lilypad Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 I've just been looking at house-sitting websites. I don't know how many would accept a family but my parents used to use house-sitters for a few months at a time. I also searched on canberra gumtree but it's not so useful for housesitting. I had a peek at happyhousesitters.com.au and it looks alright. Maybe you could do that for a time. It would give you a Canberra address, a reference at the end and it's free. They generally have pets to look after and basic chores to do. I don't know if that's helpful or just another thing to search! I hope it comes together soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobandCatherine Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Been in Canberra for two weeks or so now and viewed in excess of 22 houses, applied for about 12+ I think. Knocked back for every single one so far. Given the ladies in the ACT ss office as referees, but still nothing. Great fun living in a tent in the rain!!! Guess we will carry on and hopefully have some news soon. Cant even think of getting CVs out or getting kids into school, until we have the prospect of an address!!! Onwards and upwards!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Been in Canberra for two weeks or so now and viewed in excess of 22 houses, applied for about 12+ I think. Knocked back for every single one so far. Given the ladies in the ACT ss office as referees, but still nothing. Great fun living in a tent in the rain!!! Guess we will carry on and hopefully have some news soon. Cant even think of getting CVs out or getting kids into school, until we have the prospect of an address!!! Onwards and upwards!! Gee, honestly? In a tent? Wow this weekend is going to be horrible for you - they are predicting 50 - 100mm (unheard of!!!) Can you venture into a hotel for a few nights? Hope you find something soon, it is really tight out there and the students are flooding the market as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulimouse Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Is it because other people beat you to the houses that you dont get them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mariana Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Been in Canberra for two weeks or so now and viewed in excess of 22 houses, applied for about 12+ I think. Knocked back for every single one so far. Given the ladies in the ACT ss office as referees, but still nothing. Great fun living in a tent in the rain!!! Guess we will carry on and hopefully have some news soon. Cant even think of getting CVs out or getting kids into school, until we have the prospect of an address!!! Onwards and upwards!! It's our second month and nothing yet, we did exactly what you've done and put the ladies as referee on our applications. I offered to pay six months rent in advance and all my applications went unsuccessful. One agent told us maybe because we have three young sons and landlords are looking for smaller families in good employment position. I wish you the best with your applications, if things go the same direction for the next few weeks I'll give up searching and move to another state. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Nicholls is really nice, local english pub walkable and friendly, golf course, leisure club and good kids pool! 10 min drive to gungahlin. also gnunnawal is nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest khodamba Posted February 12, 2010 Share Posted February 12, 2010 Hi Mariana, How about Queanbeyan? It is about 8Miles from Canberra and very cheap(back those old days!). The rental and other stuff were very cheap than Canberra. I lived in Queabeyan for three years when I was doing my PhD at the Australian National University in Canberra. The Queabeyan is in NSW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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