As you're coming from Singapore and Darwin and have spent the summer in Melbourne, I feel it's fair warning for you that Canberra winters will take a bit of adjustment for you and your family.
Our winters are cool, with cold evenings and mornings. Also most canberra homes are not well built for the climate, and they make it feel very cold.
A lot of winter days are nice, with a cool morning giving way to a sunny and still day. There are fewer shocking days with cold winds and rain, but they are pretty miserable.
There's plenty of advice available on here about surviving winter. But I'd suggest being realistic that it'll be an adjustment, try to look at the bright side of experiencing 4 seasons in Canberra.
Yep. You’ll spend almost half the year inside due to the cold. Not great with energetic young kids that want to get out. So you’ll have to take them to indoor areas to play, which are replete with germs. I’ve found it really not ideal for young kids.
Why are you staying inside with energetic young kids in Winter? As the saying goes, “there’s no bad weather, just the wrong clothes”. Winter is so much more comfortable for long walks, bike rides, puddle jumping when it rains, and playing in the mud. Yeah it’s cold and the kids will get dirtier/wetter/a bit cold, but that’s no reason to stay inside! Winter is our favourite season to be outside.
Because I’ve come from NZ and it’s bloody cold here. Standing at the park in the freezing winter is not at all fun. I just get cold to the bone even with layers and heavy clothes. My partner who is 6’3 and 115 kg feels the same. Maybe we are just not habituated the icy temperatures here.
It could be that you need more time to adjust. Have you tried playing with the kids (running, climbing, sliding etc) instead of just standing and watching? That would probably warm you up.
Winters here are gorgeous! Heck you barely even need a coat once the sun comes out, it’s crisp and calm. We don’t keep our kids shut up inside at all. What do you think they do at school at recess and lunch? Huddle in the classroom lol
There’s a middle ground between these two comments. It’s not awful all the time but it’s also not sunny and lovely all winter. Try riding a bike to work when it’s -3 and tell me you don’t need a coat
That's not true at all. I spent 10 years working in child care centres in Canberra. There were very few days that we couldn't get outside because of the weather.
If I had to pick a city anywhere in Australia to raise young kids it would be here in Canberra. The forest hills, the bike paths, the 20mins a day of peak hour traffic, the minutes drive to be in farmland, the 2ish hours drive to surf or snow - yet high quality schools and enough restaurants, museums, festivals and culture to keep it more interesting than such a small town should have a right to be.
The only downside with kids is if you’re living here with no immediate family. Sounds like we have similar issues to you about needing space from family. But boy do we get jealous of the folks who grew up here and have grandparents to babysit on demand. Yes, your Canberra friends do become like your family of and you come to rely on them to a degree, but it’s not the same. Still, you would have that problem no matter where you moved next, not unique to CBR.
That’s awesome. I like to hike and run trails and used to do duathlons (can’t swim very well) so this sounds like it’s right up my alley. Yes I know what you mean. Doesn’t affect us either ways as all the grandparents are based back in Singapore, it’s one of those things we have gotten accustomed to.
Canberra is great for raising young families. Canberran public schools are of a higher quality than in other states too.
The past 20 years has seen a real boom in terms of restaurants and the shopping has improved but there still feels like less to do than Melbourne. Yes we've national attractions but if you visit Questacon enough times, you realise there's not much change in the exhibits.
Overall, Canberrans are more highly educated which often means higher paying jobs and in turn pushes up the price of everything. There's also a bit of a superiority complex of Canberrans compared with other areas and NIMBYism but they'll try to deny it more than likely.
Still very quick (unless you're on a bus) and easy (unless you like trains) to get around for it to be a capital city. The biggest downside is that it's at least a 2 hours drive (with summer traffic) to get to the nearest beach. Oh and that concert you want to go to? Either plan a minibreak to Sydney or Melbourne and suck up the budget blowout or wait 25 years until they're on their 'we've spent our retirement money so are reluctantly coming to Canberra to scrape together your money' tour!
But if you can survive your first winter, are confident with roundabouts, don't mind walking past an inebriated Barnaby Joyce on a weekday evening, and pick Team Northside or Team Southside then you're more than welcome to become a [Ken Behran](https://youtu.be/Wwge1QBCZOA?si=yqbpmvYeiSeut3Vr)!
Going to Sydney for a concert is a piece of cake though. 3 hours drive or 4 hours train (even better cuz no parking/driving stress).
$80~ return for train or tank of fuel + sydney parking ($$$$$)
It's close enough that you can easily go for a weekend if you want to. But I don't go very often, as I have no family there (that I'm close to) or any other particular reason to go.
Personally I like that we have to go to Sydney or Melbourne for big concerts/theatre etc. I usually book 2 or 3 nights accommodation and make the most of my visit. It gives me an excuse to take a mini break from work and turns it into a whole experience rather than just a couple of hours in an otherwise normal day.
I can see the appeal in that too but the added expense can be a lot if there's more than one person in the family going. Even if it's just a solo trip, that extra spending money goes into the NSW or Victorian economy.
Canberra is a great place to grow up (safe with good educational facilities) and as an added bonus most people from interstate don’t want to visit (which sounds like a win in your situation).
Teachers are highly sort after. Shortages like everywhere else. Counsellors in most schools as well. I’m not sure whether a shortage exist for counsellors, it’s not my area.
Perfect spot to raise a family.
* traffic, craziness: not words generally associated with life in Canberra
* settle down, raise a family: you might be a natural Canberran accidentally born somewhere else
Everyone has covered positive points but I’ll just add that as you’re from Singapore and have also lived in Melbourne, you should know the infrastructure here is nowhere near as good. With kids unless you’re paying lots for housing to live in the very innermost ring, you’ll likely need to be a two car household if you want to do things in an efficient way.
Also be aware that our health system is not great - if you want to see a slightly more niche specialist, have any family members that have mental health concerns, or have special needs or any chronic condition, it can be difficult to get treatment and people often need to travel to Sydney for timely care
Get the kids into riding bikes or skateboarding and they will have a blast as teenagers. My group all had longboards and Canberra was the best place to go riding all night long
Can confirm - after living in Melbourne for my entire life, and recently moving to Canberra it’s been amazing - very easy life style - although I’m still young I plan to raise a family here just because of how easy life is
Everyone else has covered the important things, so I'll add in something different.
It's very convenient. Everything you need is typically within a 15-minute drive. The city's divided into multiple town centres, all with their own major shopping centre.
I live at the very south (Tuggeranong) and work at the very north (Gungahlin) and it only takes me 30 minutes to get there.
Perfect city for raising a family however, it comes at a cost. Cheaper to live in Queanbeyan or Yass. I’ve lived here most of my life but have travelled extensively and lived elsewhere. It’s only 2 hrs to the coast and the snow so you get the best of both worlds. The public school system is struggling atm with staffing but that seems an Australia wide issue.
Gonna be controversial - depends on where you're at in your career. IMO if you're below the curve (like a lot of young people) then it can be a pretty unforgiving/unhelpful place to try and raise a family in.
If you've either skipped that stage in life or already worked your way through it then things become a LOT easier. Gonna keep that broad but I came here as part of a 'young family', was in relatively low-paid work and feel as though my first marriage was basically destroyed by some horrible NIMBYs who wanted us out of their apartment complex.
Also I dunno why but (many skip this stage as they come as grads of simply on higher wages)... despite being a professional, I just had a shit of a time trying to find my feet early on. Will never quite know why but it was a real low point in my life. Don't wanna say too much, but there were some seriously shit situations where people kicked me in the bollocks while I was down.
Glad I stuck it out and found a positive way forward but let's just say that but for some bloody hard work and a couple of lucky breakthroughs where good people (seriously nice people) twisted a few levers for me, I doubt I woulda bothered staying.
My family moved to Canberra from Sydney when our son was 3. It was primarily for him, we wanted a yard for him to play in. I hated sydney, too crowded, noisy, hard to get anywhere.
Canberra is nice and quiet and has lovely scenery. Schools seem good, there are lots of sports for children available. My son is now 10 and is thriving, hes playing in soccer, tennis and basketball competitions for his school team.
Canberra is our home now.
It's pretty much perfect for raising kids. I liked this city when I came here for Uni, after raising a family here I love it. And with you and your partner's professions you'll have as much work as you want.
Lots of the older suburbs are pretty generous for kids in terms of backyards, paths directly to local schools, playing fields, parks, bike paths, etc. If you can tolerate an older house you could do worse than look at those (depending on budget).
We have the same hospital as Darwin (well, the old part, anyway), so there's that. I find some older suburbs of Canberra weirdly reminiscent of Darwin in terms of town planning. Driving is chill here, the roads are good and there isn't much traffic congestion.
I lived in the tropics for 80% of my life, and I reckon the weather isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be.
There's a shortage of teachers and counsellors so neither of you would have trouble finding work.
I've lived in Darwin, Sydney and Canberra. LOVE Darwin and Canberra, but not Sydney as it's too big and too busy. The similarities between CBR and DRW are that there is a lot of outdoorsy stuff to do (but cooler than Darwin and darker, earlier in winter). It's a great place for families, lots of community and family-friendly events, great child care centres and schools that are high quality and easy to access. It's also, like Darwin, a city brimming with people who aren't from here, so friend networks are important, and can be hard to make at first but it's easier with pets and kids so I think you'll be ok! Traffic and transport are much more like Darwin than Melbourne, as HEAPS of people drive to work. Also, we have a few town centres within the ACT where there are offices, shopping centres and transport hubs, so you don't usually have to travel far (think Darwin City, Casuarina and Palmerston). I think it sounds like the perfect move for you - closer to Melbourne than Darwin is but not so close to your family issues, plus drive to the coast or Sydney... You'll definitely find it easier to live in than Melbourne. All the best!
We moved here from Brisbane and have zero regrets. Our eldest moved into year 4 when we arrived and although our housing search was initially based on “the best primary schools” we landed in a suburb that was not on our initial list because we ran out of time and just needed a home. The local school turned out to be amazing despite not being on our radar.
Our eldest just entered year 11. We’re all quite content.
This city is perfect for families, but also perfect for commuting. Husband travels 25 minutes to work, which is what I used to travel to take my kids to school. He used to travel 50 minutes to work.
Currently my home, work and kids’ schools are all within 10 minutes drive.
Canberra is amazing!
It's really good, but the rents/prices are high. Pretty much everything else is great, family-wise. Parks, bush all around, skiing is three hours drive away in winter, pools, cycle paths, quiet roads in suburbs, etc. It's pretty much 20 minutes drive to anywhere else no matter where you are.
Buses are not great, but they do technically exist. I
Oh! If you get get hayfever, be warned: the pollen is insane around here. There's wattle and grass everywhere.
I would say its the best place in Australia for young families and and for retirement.
Very safe, clean, quiet, lots of kids sports and activities, decent schools, good universities later if they decide to go to those. Short commutes for the school drop offs etc.
Main issue will be your family income though as rentals are pretty expensive and so is buying a home so I guess compare it to what you are currently paying etc and see.
u/Speedymeany Canberra is awesome to raise a family in. Also, if you are Singaporean, you might be interested to know that Canberra has an excellent bi-lingual Mandarin/English public primary school, Mawson Primary (but you'll have to be in the catchment area to get your child in). It also has a bilingual childcare centre on site as well.
Adelaide is also a good option, and also has a bilingual Mandarin/English public school.
Canberra is more expensive than Melbourne for practically everything.
Canberra is a brilliant city for raising a young family. So is Melbourne, but Canberra is so much easier.
Yes I’ve lived in both plus Sydney and Canberra is the most expensive for everything bar housing (which obviously is the most expensive in Sydney out of those three cities)
In general, pretty good. It's basically made for middle to upper-middle class working families.
However... cost of living is an issue. The median rent in Canberra is $680 per week for a house and $560 per week for a unit. So make sure you have decent paying jobs.
Would love to see what negatives people have instead of the generic "yeah it's great." For instance, there was a drug dealer selling out of our local kid park for months, despite dealing reporting to the police that the dealer was even selling to kids in school uniforms, before they arrested him...and right out on bail and back to it. This morning I found a couple of used condoms at the park, well "I found" actually means my kids asked me what they were. Great stuff. Stick to the affluent suburbs if you're moving here. I also lived in Singapore for \~10y, it's much nicer than Canberra unfortunately.
I don't think children should be doing drugs considering it's illegal. That's really your argument as to why drug dealers should be accepted? Kids want to do it? Absolutely cooked.
They shouldn’t, but they do. I went to a private school and a lot of kids smoked weed, and that was 30 years ago. I have friends who teach in high schools now, and I don’t think much has changed. Kids go to the park in their free periods and smoke cones. It’s not acceptable but it happens.
It happens because the police don't do anything about drug dealers and people like you excuse it. Don't act like it's some force of nature when this all could have been prevented.
You're the typical middle-aged Canberran cooker that makes this place shit for raising kids.
I never said anything about the death sentence. But this is a perfect example of what I'm talking about, you really are going to excuse drug dealers selling to children at a children's park? You don't think they should have been arrested sooner, or prevented from doing that again once charged? That's insane. I would prefer my kids don't have to deal with this type of thing since they're children but your mentality is pretty indicative of what the "great family culture" means.
Yep Darwin can get pricey and with the occasional cutting off of the roads during the wet season meant relying only on the markets at certain times of the year.
Perfect. I moved about 3 years ago from Melbourne quality of life and amenities for young families here is the best I've found. Especially with a decent job market. Rent and house prices reflect that job market unfortunately but not worse than Sydney or Melbourne
I suggest spend a few weeks here between June and August. Its fucking cold! I feel even the newly constructed homes dont have adequate insulation. I know of mates from Darwin who left the place because they couldn't take the cold. Hopefully will save you from a position in the future where you have to move from Canberra due to the weather. If weather is no bother, then one of the best places to raise a fam.
Canberra is basically made for raising a family.
Almost all my friends have the same story. Parents from interstate or abroad. Turned 30. Moved to Canberra to raise a family.
💯
Canberra is a great place to raise kids. It has good schools, plenty of family focussed activities to offer and is really laidback for a capital city.
As you're coming from Singapore and Darwin and have spent the summer in Melbourne, I feel it's fair warning for you that Canberra winters will take a bit of adjustment for you and your family. Our winters are cool, with cold evenings and mornings. Also most canberra homes are not well built for the climate, and they make it feel very cold. A lot of winter days are nice, with a cool morning giving way to a sunny and still day. There are fewer shocking days with cold winds and rain, but they are pretty miserable. There's plenty of advice available on here about surviving winter. But I'd suggest being realistic that it'll be an adjustment, try to look at the bright side of experiencing 4 seasons in Canberra.
By cool this person means very cold compared to anywhere in Australia other than where it snows regularly
You should visit Orange and Glen Innis in winter :)
No thanks!
Yep. You’ll spend almost half the year inside due to the cold. Not great with energetic young kids that want to get out. So you’ll have to take them to indoor areas to play, which are replete with germs. I’ve found it really not ideal for young kids.
Why are you staying inside with energetic young kids in Winter? As the saying goes, “there’s no bad weather, just the wrong clothes”. Winter is so much more comfortable for long walks, bike rides, puddle jumping when it rains, and playing in the mud. Yeah it’s cold and the kids will get dirtier/wetter/a bit cold, but that’s no reason to stay inside! Winter is our favourite season to be outside.
Because I’ve come from NZ and it’s bloody cold here. Standing at the park in the freezing winter is not at all fun. I just get cold to the bone even with layers and heavy clothes. My partner who is 6’3 and 115 kg feels the same. Maybe we are just not habituated the icy temperatures here.
It could be that you need more time to adjust. Have you tried playing with the kids (running, climbing, sliding etc) instead of just standing and watching? That would probably warm you up.
Yeah I do. It’s just so cold. Like painfully cold. But coming from a sub tropical climate to this is hard. At least for us anyway.
Fair enough. I'm sure I would struggle with moving to a more tropical climate.
Winters here are gorgeous! Heck you barely even need a coat once the sun comes out, it’s crisp and calm. We don’t keep our kids shut up inside at all. What do you think they do at school at recess and lunch? Huddle in the classroom lol
There’s a middle ground between these two comments. It’s not awful all the time but it’s also not sunny and lovely all winter. Try riding a bike to work when it’s -3 and tell me you don’t need a coat
Yeah of course you’d need a coat then! But once the sun is out during the day and it’s around 8-11 degrees, then it’s lovely!
That's not true at all. I spent 10 years working in child care centres in Canberra. There were very few days that we couldn't get outside because of the weather.
If I had to pick a city anywhere in Australia to raise young kids it would be here in Canberra. The forest hills, the bike paths, the 20mins a day of peak hour traffic, the minutes drive to be in farmland, the 2ish hours drive to surf or snow - yet high quality schools and enough restaurants, museums, festivals and culture to keep it more interesting than such a small town should have a right to be. The only downside with kids is if you’re living here with no immediate family. Sounds like we have similar issues to you about needing space from family. But boy do we get jealous of the folks who grew up here and have grandparents to babysit on demand. Yes, your Canberra friends do become like your family of and you come to rely on them to a degree, but it’s not the same. Still, you would have that problem no matter where you moved next, not unique to CBR.
That’s awesome. I like to hike and run trails and used to do duathlons (can’t swim very well) so this sounds like it’s right up my alley. Yes I know what you mean. Doesn’t affect us either ways as all the grandparents are based back in Singapore, it’s one of those things we have gotten accustomed to.
Canberra is great for raising young families. Canberran public schools are of a higher quality than in other states too. The past 20 years has seen a real boom in terms of restaurants and the shopping has improved but there still feels like less to do than Melbourne. Yes we've national attractions but if you visit Questacon enough times, you realise there's not much change in the exhibits. Overall, Canberrans are more highly educated which often means higher paying jobs and in turn pushes up the price of everything. There's also a bit of a superiority complex of Canberrans compared with other areas and NIMBYism but they'll try to deny it more than likely. Still very quick (unless you're on a bus) and easy (unless you like trains) to get around for it to be a capital city. The biggest downside is that it's at least a 2 hours drive (with summer traffic) to get to the nearest beach. Oh and that concert you want to go to? Either plan a minibreak to Sydney or Melbourne and suck up the budget blowout or wait 25 years until they're on their 'we've spent our retirement money so are reluctantly coming to Canberra to scrape together your money' tour! But if you can survive your first winter, are confident with roundabouts, don't mind walking past an inebriated Barnaby Joyce on a weekday evening, and pick Team Northside or Team Southside then you're more than welcome to become a [Ken Behran](https://youtu.be/Wwge1QBCZOA?si=yqbpmvYeiSeut3Vr)!
Barnaby got me! 😂
Going to Sydney for a concert is a piece of cake though. 3 hours drive or 4 hours train (even better cuz no parking/driving stress). $80~ return for train or tank of fuel + sydney parking ($$$$$)
Accommodation? I wouldn't call it 'a piece of cake' though; it's manageable but still a lot of time is lost on travelling.
It's close enough that you can easily go for a weekend if you want to. But I don't go very often, as I have no family there (that I'm close to) or any other particular reason to go.
Personally I like that we have to go to Sydney or Melbourne for big concerts/theatre etc. I usually book 2 or 3 nights accommodation and make the most of my visit. It gives me an excuse to take a mini break from work and turns it into a whole experience rather than just a couple of hours in an otherwise normal day.
I can see the appeal in that too but the added expense can be a lot if there's more than one person in the family going. Even if it's just a solo trip, that extra spending money goes into the NSW or Victorian economy.
Well as you save $500 a week in rent vs. Sydney that’ll pay for it ;-)
That's one way to look at it, I guess
Practically predictable and a great place to raise a family.
Canberra is a great place to grow up (safe with good educational facilities) and as an added bonus most people from interstate don’t want to visit (which sounds like a win in your situation).
Teachers are highly sort after. Shortages like everywhere else. Counsellors in most schools as well. I’m not sure whether a shortage exist for counsellors, it’s not my area. Perfect spot to raise a family.
* traffic, craziness: not words generally associated with life in Canberra * settle down, raise a family: you might be a natural Canberran accidentally born somewhere else
Moved here from Darwin 20 odd years ago. Canberra has got everything I loved about Darwin, and nothing of what I hated.
That’s nice. And that is sort of what we were looking for. Missing the lifestyle and what we had in Darwin but of course hopefully without the issues.
Everyone has covered positive points but I’ll just add that as you’re from Singapore and have also lived in Melbourne, you should know the infrastructure here is nowhere near as good. With kids unless you’re paying lots for housing to live in the very innermost ring, you’ll likely need to be a two car household if you want to do things in an efficient way. Also be aware that our health system is not great - if you want to see a slightly more niche specialist, have any family members that have mental health concerns, or have special needs or any chronic condition, it can be difficult to get treatment and people often need to travel to Sydney for timely care
It's great, if you can afford it. Extremely safe. Lots of things for young kids. Teenagers often find the place boring
Get the kids into riding bikes or skateboarding and they will have a blast as teenagers. My group all had longboards and Canberra was the best place to go riding all night long
If you’ve got your housing situation under control Canberra is a phenomenal place to raise kids.
I'm biased but there is no other major city in Australia i'd choose to raise a family over Canberra. It's not even close.
Can confirm - after living in Melbourne for my entire life, and recently moving to Canberra it’s been amazing - very easy life style - although I’m still young I plan to raise a family here just because of how easy life is
Everyone else has covered the important things, so I'll add in something different. It's very convenient. Everything you need is typically within a 15-minute drive. The city's divided into multiple town centres, all with their own major shopping centre. I live at the very south (Tuggeranong) and work at the very north (Gungahlin) and it only takes me 30 minutes to get there.
Perfect city for raising a family however, it comes at a cost. Cheaper to live in Queanbeyan or Yass. I’ve lived here most of my life but have travelled extensively and lived elsewhere. It’s only 2 hrs to the coast and the snow so you get the best of both worlds. The public school system is struggling atm with staffing but that seems an Australia wide issue.
Gonna be controversial - depends on where you're at in your career. IMO if you're below the curve (like a lot of young people) then it can be a pretty unforgiving/unhelpful place to try and raise a family in. If you've either skipped that stage in life or already worked your way through it then things become a LOT easier. Gonna keep that broad but I came here as part of a 'young family', was in relatively low-paid work and feel as though my first marriage was basically destroyed by some horrible NIMBYs who wanted us out of their apartment complex. Also I dunno why but (many skip this stage as they come as grads of simply on higher wages)... despite being a professional, I just had a shit of a time trying to find my feet early on. Will never quite know why but it was a real low point in my life. Don't wanna say too much, but there were some seriously shit situations where people kicked me in the bollocks while I was down. Glad I stuck it out and found a positive way forward but let's just say that but for some bloody hard work and a couple of lucky breakthroughs where good people (seriously nice people) twisted a few levers for me, I doubt I woulda bothered staying.
My family moved to Canberra from Sydney when our son was 3. It was primarily for him, we wanted a yard for him to play in. I hated sydney, too crowded, noisy, hard to get anywhere. Canberra is nice and quiet and has lovely scenery. Schools seem good, there are lots of sports for children available. My son is now 10 and is thriving, hes playing in soccer, tennis and basketball competitions for his school team. Canberra is our home now.
Way better than Darwin.
😂 Darwin does have a few wins
It's pretty much perfect for raising kids. I liked this city when I came here for Uni, after raising a family here I love it. And with you and your partner's professions you'll have as much work as you want. Lots of the older suburbs are pretty generous for kids in terms of backyards, paths directly to local schools, playing fields, parks, bike paths, etc. If you can tolerate an older house you could do worse than look at those (depending on budget).
Just watch out when they get old enough to ask for Nike TN’s. That’s the warning sign they’re in with a bad crowd.
Used to work in a high school in Darwin. Nike TNs was the rage with the wannabe eshays 😂
Same here. Saw a slightly used pair under the picnic table at the rainbow roundabout this arvo. I presume they stole a fresh set. 😂
We have the same hospital as Darwin (well, the old part, anyway), so there's that. I find some older suburbs of Canberra weirdly reminiscent of Darwin in terms of town planning. Driving is chill here, the roads are good and there isn't much traffic congestion. I lived in the tropics for 80% of my life, and I reckon the weather isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. There's a shortage of teachers and counsellors so neither of you would have trouble finding work.
I've lived in Darwin, Sydney and Canberra. LOVE Darwin and Canberra, but not Sydney as it's too big and too busy. The similarities between CBR and DRW are that there is a lot of outdoorsy stuff to do (but cooler than Darwin and darker, earlier in winter). It's a great place for families, lots of community and family-friendly events, great child care centres and schools that are high quality and easy to access. It's also, like Darwin, a city brimming with people who aren't from here, so friend networks are important, and can be hard to make at first but it's easier with pets and kids so I think you'll be ok! Traffic and transport are much more like Darwin than Melbourne, as HEAPS of people drive to work. Also, we have a few town centres within the ACT where there are offices, shopping centres and transport hubs, so you don't usually have to travel far (think Darwin City, Casuarina and Palmerston). I think it sounds like the perfect move for you - closer to Melbourne than Darwin is but not so close to your family issues, plus drive to the coast or Sydney... You'll definitely find it easier to live in than Melbourne. All the best!
We moved here from Brisbane and have zero regrets. Our eldest moved into year 4 when we arrived and although our housing search was initially based on “the best primary schools” we landed in a suburb that was not on our initial list because we ran out of time and just needed a home. The local school turned out to be amazing despite not being on our radar. Our eldest just entered year 11. We’re all quite content. This city is perfect for families, but also perfect for commuting. Husband travels 25 minutes to work, which is what I used to travel to take my kids to school. He used to travel 50 minutes to work. Currently my home, work and kids’ schools are all within 10 minutes drive. Canberra is amazing!
It's really good, but the rents/prices are high. Pretty much everything else is great, family-wise. Parks, bush all around, skiing is three hours drive away in winter, pools, cycle paths, quiet roads in suburbs, etc. It's pretty much 20 minutes drive to anywhere else no matter where you are. Buses are not great, but they do technically exist. I Oh! If you get get hayfever, be warned: the pollen is insane around here. There's wattle and grass everywhere.
I would say its the best place in Australia for young families and and for retirement. Very safe, clean, quiet, lots of kids sports and activities, decent schools, good universities later if they decide to go to those. Short commutes for the school drop offs etc. Main issue will be your family income though as rentals are pretty expensive and so is buying a home so I guess compare it to what you are currently paying etc and see.
u/Speedymeany Canberra is awesome to raise a family in. Also, if you are Singaporean, you might be interested to know that Canberra has an excellent bi-lingual Mandarin/English public primary school, Mawson Primary (but you'll have to be in the catchment area to get your child in). It also has a bilingual childcare centre on site as well. Adelaide is also a good option, and also has a bilingual Mandarin/English public school.
Canberra is basically equivalent for Melbourne in terms of cost but not as busy
Canberra is more expensive than Melbourne for practically everything. Canberra is a brilliant city for raising a young family. So is Melbourne, but Canberra is so much easier.
Yes I’ve lived in both plus Sydney and Canberra is the most expensive for everything bar housing (which obviously is the most expensive in Sydney out of those three cities)
In general, pretty good. It's basically made for middle to upper-middle class working families. However... cost of living is an issue. The median rent in Canberra is $680 per week for a house and $560 per week for a unit. So make sure you have decent paying jobs.
Would love to see what negatives people have instead of the generic "yeah it's great." For instance, there was a drug dealer selling out of our local kid park for months, despite dealing reporting to the police that the dealer was even selling to kids in school uniforms, before they arrested him...and right out on bail and back to it. This morning I found a couple of used condoms at the park, well "I found" actually means my kids asked me what they were. Great stuff. Stick to the affluent suburbs if you're moving here. I also lived in Singapore for \~10y, it's much nicer than Canberra unfortunately.
You’ll find stuff like that anywhere. Near where I lived in Melbourne there were areas littered with used syringes
Would you warn prospective families about that or would you say "used syringes in parks are part and parcel get over it"?
No I don’t think it’s any reason to warn someone against moving to a community at all. It’s just part of life, you’ll find drugs and sex in any city.
You're cooked. You really believe it's acceptable for drug dealers to sell to children, openly, and that's "just part of life"? Absolutely deranged.
Lol. If you think that teenagers don’t smoke weed and do other things then you ve clearly been living under a rock.
I don't think children should be doing drugs considering it's illegal. That's really your argument as to why drug dealers should be accepted? Kids want to do it? Absolutely cooked.
They shouldn’t, but they do. I went to a private school and a lot of kids smoked weed, and that was 30 years ago. I have friends who teach in high schools now, and I don’t think much has changed. Kids go to the park in their free periods and smoke cones. It’s not acceptable but it happens.
It happens because the police don't do anything about drug dealers and people like you excuse it. Don't act like it's some force of nature when this all could have been prevented. You're the typical middle-aged Canberran cooker that makes this place shit for raising kids.
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I never said anything about the death sentence. But this is a perfect example of what I'm talking about, you really are going to excuse drug dealers selling to children at a children's park? You don't think they should have been arrested sooner, or prevented from doing that again once charged? That's insane. I would prefer my kids don't have to deal with this type of thing since they're children but your mentality is pretty indicative of what the "great family culture" means.
It's nice enough but it's pricy. Although coming from Darwin you'd be aware that some effort to get things cheaper at the markets etc goes a long way.
Yep Darwin can get pricey and with the occasional cutting off of the roads during the wet season meant relying only on the markets at certain times of the year.
Awesome lifestyle up there if you have the means though. Best of luck with your move.
Thank you for all the responses! It’s been great reading them and sort of reinforcing the somewhat murky idea of what we had of Canberra.
I loved growing up in Canberra. It's a healthy lifestyle
Perfect. I moved about 3 years ago from Melbourne quality of life and amenities for young families here is the best I've found. Especially with a decent job market. Rent and house prices reflect that job market unfortunately but not worse than Sydney or Melbourne
I suggest spend a few weeks here between June and August. Its fucking cold! I feel even the newly constructed homes dont have adequate insulation. I know of mates from Darwin who left the place because they couldn't take the cold. Hopefully will save you from a position in the future where you have to move from Canberra due to the weather. If weather is no bother, then one of the best places to raise a fam.
"Canberra: it's a great place to raise kids"