child-friendly neighbourhood

[jthe]

hi, we will be moving to Canberra from Canada in August. I have a 2 year old son and plan to have another one in a year or so. DH will be working at ANU. Could anyone suggest an area that is suitable for a young family like us? We may rent initially but are thinking of buying eventually. Thanks!

[mmy2b]

Hi! Canberra is generally a very family friendly city, it really doesn't have any "bad" areas as such, but will depend on your budget.

Canberra is kind of divided by the lake to north and south Canberra. If your husband is at Anu I'd say north Canberra would be best. If you have a fairly decent budget then turner is walking distance from anu and a lovely older suburb.

[Shebes]

Hi jthe,
Although originally from Australia (Brisbane), we have been living in the UK for the past year and are due to return to Canberra in August also. We have a 2 year old son and a 4 month old daughter. My partner is in Defence so don't get much of a choice on where we live and will be moving to Bruce. I have heard Gungahlin area is popular for families - it is further out of town (northside) and the houses are bigger. With bigger houses however comes smaller backyards - but from what I know of Canberra there are a lot of parks so not a huge concern to me.
goodluck with the move.... Long haul flights are fun with toddlers!!!

[Stampy]

How long are you planning on being in Canberra for? You may wish to look at suburbs that have a primary school (and pre-school), as a lot of schools have been shut down over the last 10-15 years due to drops in student numbers. Unless you're going private, then I can't really offer much assistance as I wouldn't know where to start.

I live in latham (northside/belconnen) where there is a primary school, pre-school, and something for younger kiddies too, along with a nice green oval (which isn't the case for a lot of ovals). Along with that, there is a creek with bike paths, playgrounds etc.

I'd suggest http://www.allhomes.com.au to see what you get for what price as I don't know what you'd be looking for.

The Gungahlin area is newer, and also has ponds (?) and playgrounds/bbq areas, all over the place.

Turner would be lovely to live in, very close to ANU & the city, however the houses would mainly be older style and more expensive in general (units would be newer though I think).

Anyway, let us know if yo have any other questions :yes:

[davally]

Belconnen (northside) is very family friendly like Gungahlin but because it is older has slightly better/more established services. There are some very new suburbs (Dunlop and West Macgregor) if you like new (but generally smaller blocks) or the older suburbs with bigger blocks if you like lots of garden with a mixture of sized houses. Belconnen has better bus links if public transport is an issue.

Having said all this, if you can afford it, Turner, O'Connor or Lyneham (all very close to the ANU) are beautiful suburbs. You may also want to consider Aranda in Belconnen which is just north (behind) the ANU. It's a really lovely older suburb and you can ride (might be a longish) walk to the ANU.


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[mytwowilldo]

Hi, most places in Canberra are pretty good for kids. I live in Gungahlin and my suburb alone has 7 playgrounds and is close to lakes with ducks, kids play areas etc.
The rental market in Canberra is very tight, so you may not have lots of choice about where you rent. Make sure you have good references etc so you can be high up the list of applicants.
Public transport can be challenging depending on where you live, so take that into consideration if you need it. And good central heating. Today was absolutely freezing here - though maybe as a Canadian you are used to that?!
I went to ANU myself and agree with other suggestions for inner north suburbs like Turner, OConner etc. Will cost more to rent but will save on travel costs, lots of nice tree lined streets. Yes, the houses are newer in Gungahlin but it will take you a good half an hour at least to get into the uni in the morning. And lots of construction going on.

Oh, and off topic, Stampy, good luck, I see you are due any day!

[Stampy]

Thanks, I hope I don't freeze on the way to hospital with this horrible weather! lol

[jthe]

Thanks for your very useful input. We're looking forward to moving there soon, and hopefully will have a chance to meet some of you soon.

[ZumbaMumma]

I moved to Canberra from the states and live on the Northside. I have yet to find a "bad" part of Canberra. The only negative is how incredibly expensive it is...and the average house is 500-700K. It can be difficult to find a place to rent as well. Other than that, I absolutely LOVE it. It's beautiful, friendly, safe, full of wildlife, and there are heaps of things to do for free. I think it's the perfect place to raise a family.

[BreadRoll]

if you want to live close to ANU:

try and get a place in turner/lyneham/ainslie/downer/.. they're nice areas and close to ANU and the CITY

I think gungahlin is the best area ... its new, very friendly and open... although some services are only just establishing.. but its go a big shopping area, lots of doctors, and lots of schools and a few big childcare centres. Its also very picturesque (no powerlines, all power is underground) .. theres some great parks, and a beautiful lake/pond. Its about 25mins drive from ANU (outside of peak hour traffic)

i used to always want to get of canberra when i was young because it wasnt "The big city" like Sydney or melbourne. I moved to sydney to marry my fiancee because i got sick of travelling. I spent one year there and realised i absolutely hated it - and dragged her with me back to canberra. once she got here and realised what life is like... she loved the place, and I agree - its the best place in Aus to raise a family.

Quality of life here is great.. and yes stuff is expensive (esp. hosues), but salaries here are MUCH higher. I would've got paid $20000 year less to do the same job in Sydney. So it evens out in the end.