MikeW Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Hi, Arrived in Canberra on Tuesday. Have had blue skies all the time! People have been very friendly and it has a nice atmosphere... Anyhow, we're looking for a 6 month rental for myself wife, 9 yr old son and 6 yr old daughter... We're from a small town. The criteria we have is: 1) family friendly area 2) good primary and secondary schools (public). 3) a centre with a couple of cafe\restaurant 4) a good community 5) we are not 'City' people so don't want anywhere mad busy. We have seen some areas we liked, but they didn't have cafes etc. We have changed our tactic now, instead of buying, we are thinking of renting. The reasoning for this is so that we have more options as it's a lot cheaper to rent than mortgage. Has anyone any suggestions for a suburb that matches the above criteria? I know there are options outside ACT but I would rather be in ACT for more schooling options etc. We called into a couple of estate agents today for a chat, all we had was a sheet printed out of what's available. It is very daunting and my wife and I feel very worried tonight as we feel the rentals in the good areas are going to be real tough to get hold of... Would appreciate any help! Thanks, Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Where are you based for work and what sort of money do you want to spend on rent? You've had a good search round on Allhomes? www.allhomes.com.au How close do you want to be to a centre with cafe and restaurants? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 Will be working in Tuggeranong, but it's a contract so not sure for how long. I'm used to a one hour commute in the UK so am not rulling out North Canberra. Rent - would go up to $500 per week, more ($550) if a great location. Cafes and restaurants - 5 mins in a car. Have been looking on all homes - just seen a couple in Griffith that looks great. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurls Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Hmmm, for Tuggers, I'd lean towards Southside suburbs. I think there will be more available as well. Northside (as in Belconnen district) tends to get quite competitive as a heap of people work in either Belconnen or the City, Gungahlin would be a really horrible commute to Tuggers, I wouldn't want to do it if I didn't have to. I don't know much about Southside at all. My husband is a Northsider born and bred. However, I don't think any of the public schools in Canberra would be that bad, certainly not the primary ones. I'm sure Quoll will be able to give you some advice about schools. ETA: Also worth looking through previous threads on Northern Territory, Tasmania & ACT forum as I'm sure people will have asked before. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted June 30, 2011 Author Share Posted June 30, 2011 Thanks for the advice again - really appreciated. I've just looked on this thread by sunrhyms: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/northern-territory-tasmania-act/117736-2-weeks-canberra-our-thoughts-so-far.html McKellar, Curtin and Mawson looks great. Wife and I feel better now :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 I dont know that anywhere in Canberra really fulfills your original criteria to be honest. I am always bemused when migrants demand "family friendly" I have no idea what that looks like - there are some places where younger people tend to go, usually because that is where their starter homes are but whether you want to actually live there is another question altogether. Canberra is the home of the two income family so not much going on in the suburbs during the day. Personally I would stick with inner north or inner south but you probably cant afford it on your budget (always easier to travel out of the centres to get to work than it is to travel into the centres so Civic to Tugg in the rush hour is a doddle whereas Tugg to Civic is a nightmare. If you can opt for places like Ainslie, Hackett, Downer, Dickson (Phil Downunder picked Dickson as the place to buy interestingly enough), Campbell, Griffith (and the Griffith side of Narrabundah eg Caley Cres), Yarralumla (though that is getting a bit expensive), Aranda then you will be doing well. The newer suburbs have bigger houses but are all a bit martian to me - no soul yet. Just avoid Charnwood, Richardson and the Fyshwick end of Narrabundah and you should be fine. Griffith has a bit of an issue with schools - the k - 2 are zoned for Narrabundah early childhood but then go to Red Hill for 3 - 6 which might not appeal (head for Red Hill!) Personally I wouldnt send a child of mine to a Tugg school - they are all open space which was one of those pedagogic fads that drifted into the dust of time but the kids are all still stuck in the geography. Many Tugg parents send their HS kids up the valley to Alfred Deakin HS or Melrose HS or to one of the privates. More than 50% of ACT HS kids now go to private schools as parents vote with their feet. I'd be checking out the myschool website to see what the Naplan scores look like. At the end of the day where you live is probably going to depend on who picks you as a tenant - there is huge competition for homes, especially in the areas that have good schools (eg the Lyneham catchment) so make sure you present yourselves as attractively as possible in your real estate pack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surhythms Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Thanks for the advice again - really appreciated. I've just looked on this thread by sunrhyms: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/northern-territory-tasmania-act/117736-2-weeks-canberra-our-thoughts-so-far.html McKellar, Curtin and Mawson looks great. Wife and I feel better now :-) Hi Mike We looked at these areas and they are pretty expensive. We ended up taking a short term rntal in Tugg (Calwell)and found a house there for a year lease -w e only moved in last night! If you are working in Tugg it might be an idea to live in Tugg - you will get to work in about 10 mins which is fantastic. I work in Civic and it takes me 30 mins to get in regardless of whether i leave at 6.30 or 8am (I work all over Canberra so it doesnt matter where we live) Rentals are really expensive and if you are looking around the 500 mark be willing to compromise. McKellar Curtin and Mawson ARE great but pricey. If you fancy meeting up let us know! Suzanne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JacquiB Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Hi Mike We have been here 2 years now & live in Tuggeranong area. 1st Chisholm & now MacArthur & we love it. Both if us work in Phillip so takes no time to get home great. Gowrie, & Fadden are also lovely. No kids so can't help with schools. Jacqui Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lisamhall5225 Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Hi Mike, We are in Griffith and there i a lovely park area for kids to play in, plus you have the manuka shops and restaurants if you fancy a meal out with the kids... also not far from Kingston should you wish when you get a baby sitter to go to an (english) type pub and also only 5 - 10 mins from City Centre. Its a great location!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeW Posted July 1, 2011 Author Share Posted July 1, 2011 Quoll - thanks as always. Great information. When I said family freindly, I suppose I meant somewhere with lots of cul de sacs, leafy streets with quieter roads that are safe for kids to play on. We're currently in Civic and as great the location is, it's too busy for my children to play outside. Thanks Suzanne - would be great to meet up. Calwell is one of the areas we liked before we came here. Not seen too much of it so will have to have a proper look. Will message you soon for a meet up! It would be great for my wife to meet someone. Jacqui - not seen Chishlom nor Macarthur - will definite check those out. Lisa - we have a friends in Griffith area, she was saying what a great area it is. I drove through the area this evening and loved it! Will look to see if any 3 beds - I'm sure will be way out of our price range though... The search continues... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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