Boring Canberra
 

Having planned to come to Canberra for the past 3 months.....i have lasted 2 days....it is dull and boring.....i know i should probably give it more time but first impressions and all that and i just feel i am in a dull american city in the middle of nowhere!!! were heading back to sydney today to reconsider our options

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Hi
Never been to Canberra so cant comment really but hope the rest of your trip gets better:)

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Really? I cant for the life of me see why anyone would think it dull and boring:sneaky: All depends what you want out of a place I guess. Sorry you arent liking it!

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Canberra is the nation's political capital, chock full of politicians and civil servants. Just how exciting did you expect it to be?

I imagine it's like living in a perpetual committee, with no toilet breaks. :blink:

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Oh no, we do get loo breaks and latte breaks and brainstorm breaks and ciggie breaks:rofl:

Obviously the OP hasnt been to Charnwood on a pension pay Friday night - all the excitement any normal person could ever dream of:rofl:

Edited to say - I do take offence at the dull AMERICAN city - wah? Dull, probably, city, definitely, in the middle of nowhere, yup, but American nope.

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How offensive.....'idea showers' please. Tsk. ;)

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Mea culpa and me from the home of PC too:rofl:

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As they say in fyshwick you have to 'suck it and see' :rofl: .Small country town with flourescent lights, and plenty money floating about, and no traffic probs. will take you longer to cross Sydney than to drive from Canberra-Sydney.
Good luck with your journey

Re: Boring Canberra
 

With all that porn, pot and fireworks, how could it be boring? :lol:


Or maybe that's why they have all that porn, pot and fireworks

Re: Boring Canberra
 

exaclty... fireworks at home in canberra

canberra is a wonderul and beautiful place to live..

heaps to do also.

I like my 15 minute commute in Canberra ... a 1 hour plus each way in sydney gets pretty boring and annoying after a while..

if ysomeone doesn't like the outdoors, art galleries, no traffic, low crime, plentiful public facitilies, low pollution levels, decent schools, day trips to the snow etc.. then maybe canberra wasn't for the person who started this thread..

each to their own i guess..

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Have found a cool rental in Northern Beaches :D
Loving Sydney and i think my 2 boys are enjoying being 5 mins from the beach :)
Canberra made me and my wife feel depressed :frown:

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my OH might be offered a post in Canberra what is the cost of living like?? Can you recommend any nice subarbs/schools??? Canberra was never really an option but if it is where the work is then we are willing to consider it - any advice will be great!!!:thumbsup:

Re: Boring Canberra
 

My OH too!

Not sure about Canberra myself either, I suppose its just not the coastal life I dreamed of!!! But I'd give it a go anyway, it sounds quite idealilic really,just have to settle with a big Pool.

eve x

Re: Boring Canberra
 

hi eve - glad someone else is feeling the same as me - where is your OH being offered a post?? It isn't what I was looking for either I am with you more the coastal life I was looking for and not too sure how my 12 year is going to take it that this may not be what we are going for!!!

Re: Boring Canberra
 

The coast is just 100km away and Canberrans tend to flock there in the holidays and occasionally at weekends. In reality it is not that much further than you have to travel from Brisbane or Melbourne for top quality surf beaches. We also have the added advantage of being a couple of hours from the snow fields as well in the winter.

My version of a good suburb may not be yours. Personally I dont much like the soul-less new build suburbs which tend to be big houses on small blocks. My preference is for the inner suburbs - all depending on how deep your pockets are - Reid, Campbell, Yarralumla, Forrest, Red Hill (parts of), Griffith, Ainslie, Hackett, Aranda are all ones that spring to mind as being nice suburbs, well established, reasonable houses - in parts - and all within easy access of the city. The rental market here is tight and the sales are plateauing at the moment but they keep on saying they are getting better - www.allhomes.com.au is the place to check them out.

Schools are up and down and there are one or two to avoid but generally much of a muchness. About 50% of high school students actually go to private schools, mainly systemic Catholic, and that is something to consider.

Weatherwise we have it good - well, today was a bit of an aberration at only 5C but usually in the winter it gets up over 10C and is always sunny (not today). We dont get nearly enough rain which is fine if you dont like rain but it does mean we have water restrictions.

Lots of pools here - big swimming pools that is, actually, fewer homes with pools than there used to be - what with water restrictions and the hard work in maintaining them people are just not as interested in pools as they were a few years ago they go to the public pools instead. Lots of sporting activities for kids, a range of artistic type endeavours, usually a music program (band) in pretty much every school, quite a few horses on the outskirts. We also have several lakes and sailing and rowing are quite big as is waterskiing (on the river).

You could do much worse!

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Thanx Quoll, sounds just fab the way you put it:thumbsup: might see you there!

Faircity - The OH has been contacted by the Australian Tax Office, we first got in touch with them at an EXPO in London - he is in IT, currently works as Network Manager and IT Security specialist in a College, I reckon I would give anywhere a go really and thanks to Quoll he has given us a nicer opinion of Canberra and if we do end up there and are having trouble settling we will just nip round quoll's house for a barbie by his pool and drink all his Ozzie plonk to cheer ourselves up:rofl:


Eve x

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Just two days to come to that conclusion. No doubt those two days were Monday and Tuesday. Just what were you expecting, Bright lights, Live music, Dancing girls. Come on, give the place a chance.

We who live here in Canberra like the place very much. It is not so full of pollies and Public servants as some on here would have you believe. There are one or two plumbers and electricians, waiters, refuge collectors, postmen, Taxi Drivers and every other employment that you would come to expect in a civilised world. It may be the capital of Australia but really it is just a large country town.

If you found it dull here in Canberra, I guess you didnt look very far for entertainment. There is lots to do and see and most of the major tourist attractions here are free.

I visit Sydney on a regular basis and I think Sydney Harbour is one of the most beautiful places on this planet but there is no way I would live there. Give me "country town Canberra" over any major city, anywhere in the world.

Barney:thumbup:

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LOL Quoll is a tea totalling "she" with no pool and a tiny little weatherboard on a quarter acre block with a very big vegie garden and no deck:eek:

However, always up for a latte!!!!

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Go Barney:thumbsup:

Re: Boring Canberra
 

If you mean the queing up on the road to Batemans Bay with everyone else on a bank holiday......
Whats wrong with catholic schools!!!!!!!
Think whatever part off australia your in it's more fun than a gloomy, cold and rainy part off England in an over priced house.

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Absolutely nothing at all wrong with Catholic schools - or independent schools of any other hue. What is in question with so many people voting with their feet is what is wrong with ACT government High Schools (your answers on the back of a postage stamp please!)

Batemans Bay isnt the only option - lots of my friends have places down at Marlo and other places on 90 mile beach - not a bad drive and usually not overcrowded on the road. BB is OK for a quickie - one of my sons even used to cycle down there (but he got a lift back up the hill!!!)

Canberra house prices are verging on the over priced as well - unless you want to live out at woop woop you are going to be up for $450K at least and even that is very ordinary. Rental is going to be at least $1800 a month even for something half decent. As one of my friends has noticed too - many Aussie homes do not cope well with the cold weather because of their construction and you have to put quite a bit of effort into insulation or pay a fortune in heating bills/cooling bills.

As for fun - well, I am fully expecting my month in UK to deliver more fun than the entire rest of my year in Aus as from next week!!!!! Each to their own I guess!

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Couldn't agree more with you quoll.
Having turned the job down three times before finally accepting (under pressure!) we decided why knock something we haven't tried?
So, Canbera it was and for us, it couldnt have been a better choice.
We live 20 mins out of the city (south) and surrounded by mountains and lakes etc. Truly stunning.
We totally love it here and to be honest do not ever see us moving anywhere else.

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Quoll - always up for a latte! Though I am not tea total! :rofl:

Eve - OH has also been contacted by gov for a post he also meet them at the Expo! My OH was quite shocked when I said I was coming round to the idea of Canberra as I had always said Brisbane area - housing is bound to be a bit more expensive it is the Capital! ;) Kind of prepare for that tho - if only we can sell our house for a reasonable amount:curse: As for the quote about it being a town full of civil servants and politicians - sounds like a home from home for me as I am a civil servant in this country and can tell you we are not all that bad!!!:thumbup: Let me know what happens with your OH and if he hears anything!

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If its any consolation Faircity, I wanted to emigrate to OZ since age of 8 and a now ** well, old but still in double figures! LOL:D
Somehow the ship took my stuff to NZ and then bu**ger me, if the pilot didn't take a wrong turn and went to NZ as well!
It took us 6 years to escape.:ohmy:
Having set ur hearts on Brisbane/Gold Coast, there was no place else for us, or so we thought!
Ended up in Canberra, and we love it!
As for homes being cold...OMG, No, No, No...not here! At least not the one we are in!
Solid brick top to bottom, clay tiled roof, and REAL heating inside.
Got our first bill and it was less than our last one in NZ, which was during summer (in NZ) and we did not have heating apart from in one room only!
So, for us, we use a lot more power for much less $$$$.
House prices are not as bad as I expected them to be, depends on area like everywhere I suppose. But for a capital city, I think they are reasonable.
Parking is cheap, $2.40 for 2 hours in city! Where can you park in any capital city for $2.40???
Further more, I think Canberra city centre has been well planned and well designed, even upside down map readers like me finds my way around!:rofl:

Re: Boring Canberra
 

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Latte it is then, I'll bring the cakes!!! you do cakes dont you:lol:

eve xx

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Rome is free to park in and the rest of Italy it about to follow suit :rofl::rofl::rofl:

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Oh yes, cakes are definitely on the menu!!!

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I have to say as a newbie QLD girl I didnt think Brizzie was 100k fro the beach!! Nowhere near that far!!

And I am so over the cold of winter!! I havent come to the other side of the world for 10 degrees I can tell you!!

Go Queensland for me!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Re: Boring Canberra
 

I would consider Canberra. Reasons I have gleaned from others here: Acreage living 20mins from work. Great for kids. Australia's best educated workforce.

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Did you not know it was like any other city in Aus? Boring to some perhpas but lovely to others. I can't wait to live there.

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hiya S!!!
Are you still in killamarsh???
Get in touch if you want to,
sue xxx

Re: Boring Canberra
 

No of course not distance wise - but not that different in terms of driving times:sneaky:

Ah, so you havent been in Queensland in summer - get back to us after a few months of hot humidity - 10C will seem like paradise:sneaky:

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Hi all Canberra peeps.....we too are hoping to be in Canberra asap. Not our first choice either but after a few probs with visa application (Quoll knows about those Me thinks?!) I have a job waiting in a Just Cuts salon, so not a civil servant type, just an expert on "going anywhere nice for the hols?" type.

Up for a laugh with others going or already there if we ever make it??!!! Like cake too...yeah.:thumbup:
Claire

Re: Boring Canberra
 

:rofl:We were headed to NZ at one point as well - never my choice OH had the possibility of work out there! Nice to read such positive stuff about Canberra - it really is changing my mind about it all - my OH is relieved :thumbsup:

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Sounds good to me - always up for a bit of cake and a latte/beer and making new friends - hope it all goes well for you! :thumbsup: Have you had your visa granted yet??:confused:

Re: Boring Canberra
 

We went to Canberra this weekend, and had a really good time. I certainly wouldn't describe it as dull and boring.

We did a short pub crawl around Civic - and I really liked the atmosphere of the places that we visited, particularly the Wig & Pen and the Phoenix. If only we could encourage more pubs like this in Sydney instead of the monstrous tiled/chrome/brushed aluminium/pokie ridden places that we do have...

I know pubs aren't the be all and end all of life (though there are some who may disagree), they are certainly a good starting point.


S

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Hi Faircity...no not got visa yet.....meds tomorrow....big deal for us as this stage as this is where we came unstuck last time round!! I must admit Canberra has grown on me since we first looked at it...never gave it a look in originally!! The things that people write about not liking just encourages me....Oh dear must be getting old!!! I like quieter pubs etc. and "friendlier" places rather than the busy banging clubs etc...that def. more for me in my 20s. Have a young family now...8 and 9 year olds.....so family life required!!!
What "s" wrote about the pubs is all good to me!:)
Faircity...how far down the visa line are you?
Claire
P.s is there a cheesecake shop in Canberra?

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Oh yes, several of them! But they arent the best cake shops in town by any means - they are good for birthday cakes but we have a very nice selection of alternatives. You could go on a cake crawl just to try them all!!!

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I'll have to get a second mortgage for all these cakes! any preference! I'm quite partial to an almond tart, or custard tart!:thumbsup:

Eve x

Re: Boring Canberra
 

Hi Claire we are the same young family - got a boy just turned 12 so not looking for the banging club scene just a nice pub on occasion will be nice!!!:thumbsup: Not near as far as you are - only sent the info to our agent the other week for our TRA to be accepted so not looking until next year at least now :thumbdown: However if OH gets the job he has applied for i am guessing it will be a shorter lead time?? :confused: Nice to hear there are cheesecake shops, pubs oh it is all sounding more appealing!!! :rofl: Let me know how you get on with your meds tomorrow will keep everything crossed that they go ok!!!

Lx