# Moving to Canberra



## IanMichelleEthan (Aug 2, 2010)

Hi to you all....myself and my husband and son of 9 are hoping to move to Australia....we have never been to Aussie but i originaly come from South Africa so can only guess that it will be a very similar way of life. My husband is in the building trade and are finding life very hard in the UK. We chose an area Canberra. Which was due to the fact that they say its very good for families and work. Please could any one advice us on a good area, work availability and general life and perhaps a good suburb...I don't drive and this is a big worry......Please do help us....Thank-you Michelle


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

Hi Michelle,

Welcome to the forum.

I've moved your post to a new thread, hopefully you will get more answers!

Dolly


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## SNH (Aug 26, 2008)

IanMichelleEthan said:


> Hi to you all....myself and my husband and son of 9 are hoping to move to Australia....we have never been to Aussie but i originaly come from South Africa so can only guess that it will be a very similar way of life. My husband is in the building trade and are finding life very hard in the UK. We chose an area Canberra. Which was due to the fact that they say its very good for families and work. Please could any one advice us on a good area, work availability and general life and perhaps a good suburb...I don't drive and this is a big worry......Please do help us....Thank-you Michelle




If you’ve done some research on Canberra’s history you’ll understand why people in Sydney in particular but also Melbourne say a lot of terrible things about Canberra. Don’t let them put you off!

Canberra has the highest everything in the country. Highest IQ, level of education, number of cafes, restaurants, movie theatres, bowling alleys(!) per capita. We have all the national monuments and museums and galleries. There are mountains and national parks, and the snow’s nearby in winter, and we have hot, dry summers. And there are literally kangaroos jumping down the street and cockatoos taking over the gardens.

I personally much prefer the south side to the north side. Apart from anything else the south is prettier, surrounded by the Brindabella Ranges. The north is a little flat and bland, but is also home to much of the new development.

Canberra’s a planned city, so on top of the city centre (get used to calling it the CBD!), there are ‘town centres’ for suburb clusters. Town centres have their own shopping malls and restaurants and things. However – thanks in part to the planned major roads, and also because of the small size – everything is within easy reach. You can live anywhere in Canberra and be within easy reach of any other part of the city.

I grew up In Canberra, and the lifestyle was fairly outdoors-focused. The city is called the ‘Bush Capital’ because it is literally in the bush, with big strips of bushland and national park running right through the city. We did a lot of bushwalking with school, and went on school camps at Namadgi National Park. Though there are no beaches (obviously!), there are a number of natural pools and rivers to swim in.

We definitely have four distinctive seasons, but the temperatures almost never get below freezing, and summer days are usually warm and sunny enough to sit outside in. Summer can get hot – sometimes too hot (up around forty degrees Celsius) – and there are bushfires occasionally (the entire city nearly burnt down in 2003).

Work opportunities I’m not much of an expert on, as my work is a little unconventional – being in the journalism and the arts.

I don’t drive either, and this is a bit of a problem in Canberra, as the public transport system isn’t so great. However there are fairly direct bus routes that run between the town and city centres, so if you find somewhere to live close to one of these routes it shouldn’t be a huge problem. Take note that suburbia in colonial countries is different to Britain. You won’t find pubs and corner stores within walking distance – it seems this is one of the biggest problems people have when moving here.


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## hari999999 (Mar 17, 2009)

Our Moderator Anj....has lot to say and advice you about Canberra
..................................................................................................................................
Applied Visa 175 April 2008 (Paper visa MODL, CSL ,)
Got CO and Medicals 30th July 2009
Job Verification November 10th 2009
175 VISA GRANDED 22nd December 2009
Arrived on May 26th 2010


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## n30nra1n (Mar 5, 2011)

Any recommendations on family friendly suburbs? We have seen a few houses in the Tuggeranong region but can't find at present to much about it  We fly out in Sep this year.


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