ACT Canberra - Looking to move

Hi PC experts,
My husband has got a fantastic job offer in Canberra .I am also planning to get a transfer and since I work for a consultancy it will be easier for me also to move. We have two kids so ideally will look for some nice suburbs similar to hills area in sydney. Initially the plan is to rent for a while but obviously if we continue staying there for longer we would buy a house there.
Could you please suggest suburbs which are suited for family with two kids ( aged 9 and 5) ?Has to be in a good school catchment which is the main factor and also a family friendly suburb with lots of activities for families .

kindly suggest.

 

Inner south region definitely fits you brief. Broad range of housing types and price points across about 8-10 suburbs in this region. All the best schools in Canberra. Considered an expensive area in local terms but probably quite reasonable compared with Hills district.

 

Yep the inner south suburbs are the best and most expensive. After that, the suburbs between the city and Woden town centre are nice, still fairly expensive property prices, and good schools (Curtin, Lyons, Garran in particular).
But also take a look at Franklin in the North. A suburb in a great location (2 mins to Gungahlin town centre, 17 mins to city by car). Also has heaps of parks and open spaces, a newish primary school (other schools nearby in Harrison), a small but thriving shops with a Woolies and the light rail taking you to the city in about 18 mins.

 

Thanks a lot...could you please specify the suburbs so I can start looking at real estate?

 

Thanks Todd.
I am very new to Canberra so will need some guidance with suburbs so I can start looking for a rental. Also if we were to buy our price point would be in the 800k to 1m range. Would prefer to get a rental initially in a suburb we would like to buy.

 

I agree, the inner South suburbs stretching between Kingston/Griffiths to Isaacs would be the premium for off work activities, primary schooling and prestige. It may help to pay a visit and test the ambience around these suburbs with your children especially around the Kingston foreshores of Lake Burley Griffin on a weekend.

 

Ainslee Dickson area is quite nice. Peaceful kinda places

 

My advice is decide on the school, and then look at the suburb. Do you want public, private or catholic schooling. Public transport is pretty crap in Canberra, so think about how your kids are going to get to and from school (walk, ride, bus, drive). Public and catholic schools are zoned, and the good ones can be impossible to get into if you do not live within that zoning. Private schools like st clares have less issues with zoning, but can have issue with waitlists.

The other thing to consider is where your work is actually located. I wouldn't reccomend going to far southside if your offices are going to located in civic. Although peakhour in Canberra is nothing like other capital cities, its still no fun being trapped on the parkway for too long.

Suburbs like Yarralumla, Griffith, Deakin or Red Hill are really nice yuppy areas. Most of the schools within those areas have good reputations.

I personally love the Gungahlin region. Nicholls, Amaroo, Forde, Casey, etc. There are some fabulous schools in the region (I can absolutely reccomend Good Shepherd and JPC). Gungahlin itself is only a 15min drive without traffic into the city. There is a mix of really nice property, and higher density property in the area. There are also fabulous nature reserves and bush trails around (Although in truth these can be found all over Canberra, and I really reccommend getting around and exploring them all, even if they are in different suburbs).

Really though most of Canberra is pretty good. There tend to be pockets of really nice housing spread across all of the ACT. Along with pockets of not so desirable. Often in the same suburbs.

Check out www.allhomes.com.au for either renting or buying. There is also a newer real estate platform that seems to be taking off (Zango??), but 90% of all real estate in ACT will be listed on allhomes. So it should give you a good idea on the variety of what is available where, and pricing.

 

Canberra has 2 parts: old and new. The old parts are closer to the city generally while there are some new parts in the north (Gungahlin and surrounds, Franklin, Crace), west (Wright, Coombs, Denman Prospect). The old parts have larger blocks, 600+ m2, of land with older houses while the new parts have smaller blocks, 300+ m2, with newer houses. It makes a difference: cold winters, old houses can be like glorified tents in terms of energy efficiency and comfort; lots of knockdown-rebuilds happen which throws out the median as you can still pay double for a nice new house in the old suburbs; higher land content where the money is made while the house depreciates.

I'm a north-sider living in a 0 EER house and have plans in the works to do a rebuild on a 700+ m2 block in Watson. Watson is the furthest north I'd go and it has a new part (to the NE of Piddington St) and old part (everything around Majura Primary down to Phillip Ave) with a similar small block/new house vs large block/old house dynamic.

If I were buying or upgrading, I'd aim for the suburbs already mentioned but add the inner north: Watson, Downer, Hackett, Dickson, Lyneham, O'Connor, Ainslie (my favourite, barring the very best inner south suburbs) or Campbell (though those last 4 are getting very pricey). They are all in catchments for good primary and secondary schools, some are close to the light rail, which goes down Northbourne/Federal Hwy and some are at the foot of lovely mountains like Majura and Ainslie. Dickson is like a satellite city with a busy shopping centre FYI.

Watson $877K median for 4 bedder
Downer $975K (4)
Hackett $1M (4)
Dickson $875k (3 bedder)
Lyneham $920K (3 bedder)
O'Connor $1.303M (4 bedder)
Ainslie $1.5M (4)
Campbell $1.37M (4)

Inner South is most expensive (and nice), with places like Red Hill having a median 4 bedder price of $1.6M. Too rich for my blood.

Curtin, Lyons, Garran, Hughes is nice with good schools and stage 2 of the light rail will head through Curtin and Lyons. Not sure if this has already been priced in but construction is yet to commence. Light rail network expansion - Transport Canberra

Curtin $1.073M median for 4 bedder
Lyons $924K (4)
Garran $1.188M (4)
Hughes $1.168M (4)

I'd also look at Narrabundah which has a good high school; $1.325M (4)

Good luck. I moved here from Melbourne 14 years ago and love how easy it is . Traffic does my head in these days. That said, no one should move here. It's boring and I hate it and traffic is getting worse lately. Most people should just stay away

 

That’s a good suggestion...yes we are planning to do that soon but we have to make a pretty quick decision too.

 

That’s so very helpful and detailed appreciate you taking the time to provide the insights. We will be looking for a rental shortly and I need to decide the school . Will do research on all the suggestions of suburbs and schools mentioned here

 

Great suggestion...didn’t know about the new real estate sites other than RE and domain...thanks for your suggestions

 

One thing I learned about Canberra: don't ask locals for advice on what's considered close / far.

What's considered "far" in Canberra is walkable in Sydney terms lol

 

We will be going with public schools hence zoning is important

 

Ha ah true that...

 

Maybe some info for you to browse on this link Find Your Local School - Education (act.gov.au)

 

If you take a look at all the sold prices in 2021 for those inner south suburbs from red hill through to Woden, you are not getting much for under 1 million and prices are rising. Whereas is Franklin , Amaroo, Harrison, Forde, Bonner you can still get good quality, fairly new (10-15 years old) houses with 4/2/2 and 2 living areas. Schools are good in Amaroo and Franklin and Mother Teresa catholic primary school is a good school. Plenty of parks and open spaces and traffic links to city pretty good. But it does depend on where you are going to work. Amaroo to Woden for example is a bit of a hike (for Canberra anyway). Good quality rental houses are highly sought after and can be tough to find. You could rent a large townhouse in one of the Gungahlin suburbs then look to buy down the track.

 

Thank you

 

Hi there, can you provide us with an update where did you buy? And best suburbs you found. Relocating to Canberra soon. Thanks

 

Not OP, but I suggest renting for a while before you buy (even though renting in Canberra is an underwhelming experience).

Consider your lifestyle and prioritize around where you work and want to send your kids to school. That applies everywhere, but in Canberra, you're most likely working directly or indirectly for the government, so relocating to different sites and departments at some point is almost an inevitability. Although working on the other side of town is not a big deal and lots of people do it, it pays to be close transport, either the bus/light rail corridors or the Tuggeranong parkway/GDE.

Opinions on new/old suburbs are very polarizing. Buyers targeting either area constitute almost entirely separate markets. Old is gold when it comes to the suburb itself, but quality stock does not come up very often. And low quality stock are mainly old houses that are not designed for the Canberra climate. For this reason, it makes sense to go new, as building costs are the highest in the country. A volume build in a new suburb is a good way to get a habitable dwelling that does not break the bank.