Have you recently arrived in Canberra?

[richselina]

Hi,

 

We are getting closer to our initial visit to Canberra and would like to hear from newly arrived families with young children to find out where you have settled and your thoughts on the areas you have settled in.

 

We are planning to make our permanent move in june and will be there in Feb, so want to make the most of our time there to see some primary schools, houses, parks etc so we want to make sure we are looking at the right suburbs ahead of arriving.

 

All advice would be most welcome.

 

Thanks so much

 

Richard and Selina

[Quoll]

Canberrans usually select their suburbs based loosely on where they will be working - ie if you are working in Tuggeranong then you wont really want to be living in Amaroo and similarly if you are working in Harrison then Banks is probably out of the question. So, that's a good starting point.

 

Then, how much can you afford to spend on rentals is the next question - the further out you go, the cheaper the rentals (generally although there are some exceptions to this eg O'Malley and Isaacs).

 

What sort of house do you want? Big house? Garden? Apartment? Again, the further out you go, generally the bigger the houses but the smaller the blocks. Also the further out you go the newer the houses with all mod cons but probably a more sterile suburban environment.

 

We've lived in the inner North for decades and I wouldnt think of going anywhere else - quarter acre block, walking distance to Civic, excellent amenities, schools dont do too badly on the NAPLAN scales etc BUT grotty little 3 bed weatherboard, no ensuite, no family room and costs more than a 4bed+ in outer Banks or Dunlop.

 

Canberra is small enough that you can schmooze around the suburbs and coffee shops quite easily - start at the top and work your way down if you dont have a job or start at your workplace and work your way out in ripples. You'll find something that floats your boat eventually - just avoid Charnwood, Richardson and Lower Narrabundah (although one of my friends has just moved to Lower 'Bundah and for a very status conscious girl she is managing quite well there in a nice little house)

 

Schools are like the curates egg - but not to worry, if you dont like the local govvie school then almost half the population sends its kids to private schools in Canberra anyway. Start with the Grammars and Radford and work your way down.

 

You will probably be surprised that the parks are well underutilized - there isnt nearly as much spontaneous street/park play as you imagine there will be.

 

There are plenty of extracurricular activities around if you look for them but be aware that most Canberra families are two income (to make ends meet) and you will have to work to get out there and make connections with other mums if you are a SAHM

 

Good luck!

[Jurls]

It's so hard to advise people on suburbs because it really depends on what's important to you as a family. Proximity for work is important to some, others are happy to commute further to work but find that the school is the deal breaker for them. Some prefer new build, some prefer older style houses. They tend to have different pros and cons.

 

I know people who have settled all over. We are in Giralang, a Belconnen suburb. Basically our criteria at the time was that it had to be Northside (due to my DH being a Canberran and therefore couldn't possibly ever "live on the other side") and budget. Inner North and South properties are pretty expensive, especially if you have one of you staying at home (as in our case).

 

There are pros and cons to Giralang. I quite like it in that the plots are a good size and it's in a good location being pretty much between Belconnen and Gungahlin, good access to the city etc. On the downside there are no local shops (they've been sitting empty for years which is another story) so only a Seven Eleven petrol station. Kaleen Plaza is probably 20 to 30 minutes walk depending on what side of Giralang you're on. My kids are only 2 so can't comment on the primary school but I think it's reasonable. Buses to Belconnen and the City are pretty regular which is good. Having said that, we ended up with two cars anyway lol.