Where to Settle... Canberra

If you’re looking to move to Australia, the obvious first place to look is the capital city- after all, they must make the city a capital for a reason, right? Okay, well in the case of Canberra, that reason was to settle an argument between Melbourne and Sydney, who both thought they should have the honour of being Australia’s capital city. But despite this, Canberra is still a place with a lot going for it. So, let’s take a closer look at where you’ll be working, living, and spending your spare time in the city known as the Bush Capital.

Work
In a time when you’re probably sick of hearing the word “unemployment” Canberra is a city that gloats 97 percent employment- among the highest employment rates in the country. It’s work you’ll be well paid for as well, as this city boasts the highest average full-time income of any city in Australia at $1,443 a week, a full two grand higher than the £1,243 national average.

Being a capital city, you will find that the major employers are the Australian and ACT Governments. However, with 24,000 businesses operating in the region, from huge multinationals to micro businesses, there’s plenty of opportunity in the private sector, which employs over 50% of the Canberra workforce.

Working in Canberra brings a whole range of advantages with it. Known as a “twenty minute city” virtually everything you need will be only a short distance away- perhaps as a side effect of the whole city being planned out from day one after Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin won an international contest to design the city. While you’re here, you’ll also find a complete absence of tunnels and tollways, making navigating of the city something of a pleasure.

Rest
Once you’ve found work in Canberra, you’ll want to find somewhere to live. Prices are reasonable by capital city standards- if you’re looking to buy, a three bedroom house will cost you on average around $510,000 while a two bedroom place will be in the region of $410,000. Renting on the other hand will be around $440 a week for a three bedroom house, or $410 a week for a two bedroom place.

Unlike most places in Australia, while you’re here you will experience four distinct seasons- if enough they do all come in the flavour of “Sunny”. Summers are hot, winters are clear and crisp, springs are colourful and autumns are balmy, and the whole time you’re going be enjoying more hours of sunshine than Sydney or the Gold Coast.

There are several regions you can look at when deciding where in or near Canberra to live, each with its own advantages and appeal. A few kilometres south of the city you’ll find Woden, which offers a variety of established or new houses and apartments. Here you’ll be close Canberra hospital and be able to enjoy the thriving clubs, commercial precinct and recreational facilities. If you’re moving here with your family, you may want to move a little further South to Tuggeranong, where you’ll find plenty of open space and large blocks, along with affordable houses old and new.

To the Northwest in Belconnen, which is probably where’ll end up if you come here to study. Here is based the University of Canberra, the Canberra Institute of Technology. If you’re a sports fan, Belconnen is also home to the Australian Institute of Sport as well as Canberra Stadium. Belconnen has plenty of apartments, but also freestanding homes and some great fresh food markets.

But perhaps the most exciting opportunities are in Gungahlin, the newest town centre in Canberra, and somewhere that is already proving popular with young families and first home buyers. Twenty minutes out of the city, here you can buy finished homes, but also have the chance to start building your own dream home through one of the land or house and land packages available in this area.

Wherever you choose to live, you will have access to excellent health services, short commutes and the best school system in Australia. The schools of Canberra, whether they are Independent or run by the ACT Government, will offer your children supportive, well-equipped, modern environments for high quality learning, fuelled by a $90 investment in upgrading publishing schools, and another £20 million to ensure they are outfitted with the latest information technology. This might be why a larger percentage of Canberra students complete secondary schooling, and go onto university, than anywhere else in Australia.

Play

As well as being a great place to live, you’ll also find there are tonnes of things to do here.

If you love shopping your choices range from the huge Canberra Centre to all kinds of trendy, out of the way boutiques you can find out in Kingston and Manuka, the city’s cosmopolitan café suburbs. Meanwhile, the city’s shopping precinct has recently undergone a massive renovation, making it more buzzing and vibrant than ever!

If you’ve a taste for the grape (and you must know Australia is a great place to come for a taste of the grape) you can enjoy the produce of any of the more than 50 regional wineries, while fine dining is available everywhere from Chinatown to Dickson. Fancy some culture? The city hosts the National Gallery of Australia, the National Library- which houses a copy of every book every published in the country, as well historical landmarks such as Parliament House and the enigmatically named Shine Dome of the Australian Academy of Sciences.

Likewise, Canberra’s calendar is choc-a-block with exciting events, from huge New Year’s Eve and Australia Day parties, to the Balloon Fiesta in April, the Chamber Music and National Science Festivals in May and August, and jet ski and national sailing titles in November.

Canberra is a beautiful, spacious city, with lots going on and bountiful opportunities for newcomers. It could easily be the change of scenery that you have been looking for, for you and your family.

-Chris Farnell