Moving to ACT in around 6 months or so

[wild at heart]

Hi :wave:

I hope everyone is well.

I am sending out this post in a fact finding mission in an effort to be prepared for my move..


I am trying to work out a few things like:
Which are the more affordable areas to look for houses to buy? We have struggled looking over the net at houses (i know we will have to go down to look..)
Any recommendations for playgroup/ swimming/ 1 year old (well he'll be about 18 mths) activities?
Do you need to book in early for kindergarten?
I'm noit sure of enaything else I need to ask. Hubby and I have moved a bit but mostly around Qld and never with bubs so any and all information gratfeully received.

Thanks so much.. :flowerz:

[lovingmotheract]

here is a link (http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=112165&highlight=moving+canberra) that i posted some time ago hope it helps

[candiee]

:wave: i'm Candice and i too found it daunting moving from QLD.
www.allhomes.com.au is a great site for real estate.
houses seem to be expensive all over canberra, and the rental market can be hard too around this time of year.
child care, it depends on where you live but DD has been on a waiting list since she was 4 months old (she is now 20 months old.) but you can get into some of the smaller ones and there is a few occasional care centers.
if you need help with anything else just PM me and i will be happy to help out.

[mummybunny]

:wave: Im Kim and i have a little man Riley who is one today so we will have bubs a few weeks apart in age so we could have play dates!!

as for the living cost in Canberra, i would say that there is no cheap area in Canberra anymore, you will find a cheap place in a nice area or and expensive place in a **** area all the time now, there isn't just one area thats cheap, they are scattered.

As for activities for a 1yo it depends on what you are looking for and where you are living, most swimming pools have lessons for little ones, there are plenty of play centers around and there is alway us we are all always getting meets and things happening..

do you have any area in particular your looking at??

if you need any help or advise feel free to pm me...

i would be asking Bec and Candice what they used for their tools to get around and find what they needed around Canberra, as they are both from QLD, ive been here 12 years now, maybe more (ive lost count) and i know the move will be scary so like i said im here if need be!!

good luck with it all, hope to hear from and meet you soon!!

[Isaac's Mummy]

:smiliedance: Another Queenslander moving to the ACT :smiliedance:

Hi :wave: I'm Bec and I moved down here in June/July last year - so around the time you're looking at coming down here.

As the other girls have said - real estate in Canberra is ridiculously overpriced, and there are no real "cheap" areas as such. Even the dodgier areas of Canberra - not naming any names! - are still quite expensive, especially compared to what you can get in Queensland for the same price. My advice to you would be to rent for a few months - suss out the area, see where abouts you want to live, and hopefully, by that time, with the interest rates set to rise again and the government slashing public service jobs, the housing market will be a little bit more affordable down here. That's our plans at the moment - we'd really like to buy down here but we're holding off another 6 - 8 months to see what happens.

I'm about to start attending a playgroup this Thursday with my little boy - so will let you know how it goes :D As far as playgroups, swimming, gymbaroo type activities - there are lots and lots of places to go, it's just a matter of finding a group / swimming centre / etc that suits you and your little one. We go to swimming lessons at Gold Creek and absolutely love the classes and the instructors.

Can't help you with kindergarten I'm afraid - but I'd imagine the sooner you put your name down at one with a good reputation the better:yes: Maybe I should start thinking about that....!!

Hope this helps a bit - feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

[draught]

Hi - I also moved down from Qld last year but have the advantage of having lived here previously so we knew where to look etc. As the others have said - house prices aren't cheap. There are areas where new land is being released and houses are being built and they can be cheaper than others - and are quite well serviced with shops and schools etc, so that is worth considering.

The others have given you lots of info already - I will just agree that there is a huge range of activities for children here - one of the many good things about Canberra is that it is well resourced for families. For kindergarten - I assume that you are talking about three year old kindy. Here it is called "playschool" and you only need to put your name down in the year prior to them starting. It is privately run and costs vary depending on the centre but is normally around $20 a session. A good link is HERE (http://canberrapreschools.org/default.asp?contentID=692). For four year olds the government provides pre-school for 12 hours a week so kids either attend for 2 9 - 3 days or three 9 - 1 days. As it is government run you just need to put their names down the year before with the preference of which one you want them to attend. THere are private schools with pre-school that you pay for as well, but again the lists seem to only start the year before.

Good luck with the move. You will be arriving in winter by the looks of it but don't be too scared - you do adapt quickly and then spring is just delightful!

[wild at heart]

thanks everyone!!!

Not that I want to get ahead of myself but Candice are you using the public health system or the private hospitals for your bubs?

They are all things I need to consider.

Yes, I was referring to the three year old kindergarten draught so thanks for giving me that information.

I don't know which area we will move to but all the homes I have looked at that are nice are on like 300 m2 blocks... we have a tiny yard here and our block is more than double that- whoo! I think hubby will be working in city so anywhere is not far from city (compared to other states etc). I think we want to buy as we will probably rent out our place.. at this stage anyway.

thanks for the information and for making me feel welcome!

[candiee]

Not that I want to get ahead of myself but Candice are you using the public health system or the private hospitals for your bubs?


yes i am just using public and i have no problems with it, all the staff at the hospital are fantastic, and a lot more organized than Brisbane.

we are renting out our house in qld and we are paying almost $90 more in rent here, if we bought here our repayments would be double on what we pay on our house in Brisbane.

where will your hubby be working?
my DH works in Barton ( city) and we live on the south side and it takes him around 15mins to get to work and about 25mins to get home.
there is a lot more on the south side, more shops etc, but there is some nice places on the north side.

if i can help with anything else just let me know..