UKJane

Hello everyone,

Sorry for starting my first post with a question.

My husband has been offered a position in Canberra and we have started looking around at suburbs.

Can someone tell me how long a traffic commute from Belconnen to the CBD (Moore Street, near the Optus centre apparently) should take by car?

Thanks in advance.

quoll

Ah, it isnt the commute you need to be thinking of (about 15 -25 mins all depending on where in Belconnen you are and what time of day it is and it can be longer if there is a prang on Belconnen Way) it is the parking near Moore St which is abominable! If he has a job with a car park he will be home and hosed but trying to find one unless you arrive well before 8am is a nightmare. I work on Northborne (next street up to Moore) and I tend to walk from Ainslie but if I need to use the car I park on the top of the Canberra Centre at $10 a day - it's a 5 - 10 min walk then to the office.

Have you thought of the inner north (Hackett, Watson, Downer for example?) easier commute and good bus services.

UKJane

thanks for your reply !

The company offered him an underground car parking space at $250 per month and he's thinking of taking it.

He hates public transport so I doubt he'll want to use the bus.

I will definitely look into your areas of suggestion. We are a bit lost in all this. We have two small toddlers and want to be in an area that's commutable, yet affordable later when we want to buy. Around the 550k buying mark.

quoll

Well the rooftop at the Canberra Centre would be cheaper (50x4=$200) but also less secure - is his parking spot part of a package which he can salary sacrifice into? In which case it would be worth doing. Also, for the lazy, less far to walk as well! Public transport isnt bad for most of the inner type suburbs, most have buses every half hour. Further out you go the less frequent they are

If he has the car for work, you will need to be a 2 car family especially living out in Belconnen. Aranda, Bruce, Cook, Weetangera would probably be the pick of close-ish Belconnen suburbs. Aranda would be my choice - nice and leafy, 1960 and 70s houses. Cook is OK but no longer has a primary school if that is an issue. Both of them would be tight with a $550k purchase price though.

Dont know when you are arriving but try not to do it between beginning November and beginning March. If you do have to do it then, try and build a month's serviced apartment into your deal (at least a month). The rental market here is plain silly.

Pretty much anywhere in Canberra is commutable though - people come from top and bottom to work in Civic. On a good day, the longest anyone would do is about 45 minutes - that will get you from top to bottom without traffic and generally the traffic moves OK although the Gungahlin Drive Extension is a bit of a car park at rush hour and if there is a prang anywhere then that really backs up the traffic.

SNH

The most beautiful thing about Canberra is the mountains.

You can't see them from Belconnen or anywhere on the north side!

Anywhere in Canberra is close, and people who have lived here too long start complaining about the shortest commutes.

There are plenty of parts of Belconnen only a few minutes from the CBD.

quoll

Of course you can see the mountains from Belconnen or anywhere on the North side. You can see the mountains from anywhere in Canberra!

louH

How about cycling to work?? Really easy and a great way to travel. I used to cycle from Belco to Bardon and it was the best part of my day!

I also hate buses but have to admit the peak hour buses to the city are not bad (and surprisingly a great way to meet your neighbors!)

May not be able to see the mountains from Belco (I never felt easy using that mountains label, in the grand scheme of things they really are just big hills) but the views from Hawker nature reserve are fantastic.

I agree with Quoll $550k will be tight and for that reason would discount Weetangra and Aranda (unless your thinking of living in a bomb and renovating) look more to Macquarie and Kaleen, Flory is okay too but avoid Emu Ridge.

crikey

We're in Florey - nice suburb & 15-20 minutes to CBD (kids very happy in school too)
Quoll is bang on with getting a rental, we arrived in Febuary and spent 3 weeks wholly dedicated to viewings - evenings on the net making lists of places to see & the times then dragging kids around to look at 4-5 a day, applied for at least 35 and usually did not even get a reply.
It was a horrible experience & if you can avoid it I would strongly recomend you to.
Also consider your budget - we set ours at $4-450 a week but if I could go back it would be $5-600 as you will get a much nicer place in that range.

Graham and Maria

more bloody northerners .... I was feeling that thunder lastnight, nearly cracked the windows

paddyo

Canberrans moan if the commute is more than 15 mins!!! In my time there working I found it no worries at all, depending on your OH current commute and if its in a UK city he will find Canberra a breeze.
As for public transport, I was also a hater, but I find that actually here I use it all the time and then let my better half have the family car...also means I can enjoy a beer after work..woohoo!!!

quoll

LOL, aint that the truth. But to be honest we have been having more traffic jams recently! Took me about 10 minutes to get out of the Canberra Centre car park today as it was jammed solid in Braddon.

As for cycling - my DH would agree with that. He used to have a 36km round trip cycle to his last work place but now has only about 10km round trip and bemoans the lack of exercise. Bike paths now on all the main roads but perhaps heading up Black Mt at the end of the day to get into Belconnen may not be to everyone's taste.

Buses to Belconnen are dead simple from Moore St - they are literally at the end of the road.

UKJane

Thanks for all the useful advice. I realise just how little I know. Very daunting...

I've now started looking at the south as well (calwell, Gordon etc). I like the idea of mountain views. Many thanks !

quoll

You might want to check out schools before you go down that path - do you prefer open space (ie 4 teacher units with no real walls between the classes, lost of ambient noise etc) or traditional classrooms. If the latter, you would be better looking at Woden Weston area or back to the inner suburbs or even inner Belconnen.

Gordon/Calwell to Civic is going to be around the 40 mins with good traffic - the Monaro and Tuggeranong Pkwy are hell in the mornings. Belconnen is a better commuter bet.

UKJane

you really are an encyclopaedia of information !!

Definitely don't like that type of classrooms. New search for Woden area now !

Graham and Maria

We live in Kambah which is in Tuggeranong valley and my daughters school is getting rebuilt into a 'super school' and should be ready by the end of the year (starting year 7 children and below 12yrs old and under)

http://www.det.act.gov.au/urambi/new...hool_in_kambah

We have mountain views (snow capped again this morning), Tuggeranong plaza area, huge Tuggeranong lake, Murrumbidgee river (with its own nudist beach ) and nightly Kangaroo raids in summer

We are about 18km from the CBD but the roads from the south are a breeze 15-20 mins in car and an excellent bus service

Sorry to throw another option at you