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Canberra

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Papa G

Papa G

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Apologies to anyone who lives there or likes the place, but after spending 3 days there I almost felt like topping myself.

The place has no style, substance or character. The streets are empty barring the well planned but desolute highways that just lead you to the next isolated suburb. There are no shop frontages on the street. Each suburb just seems to have a well sign posted designated area where there is an IGA and some other assorted shops. There are no pubs. As a consequence of the period it was developed the architecture is terrible. In the areas where we had friends live in Downer, Scullin and Bellconnen the houses they lived in (and the area in general) were comparible to Elizabeth in Adelaide and yet they were worth $4,5,600k for what I would call a council house. What made it worse was they have been on water restrictions for years and everything is yellow - no one seems to give a crap about gardenining as a consequence.

On the last day we visited the area around Manuka where there actually seemed to be a bit of life, culture, style and vibrancy but but that stage it was all too late. I kept asking these people who had moved from elsewhere in Australia why they had moved here (many mainly for jobs mind you) and they said that Canberra had it's good points, but when I pressed them they struggled to identify them.

I just found the whole place rather depressing. I don't want this to turn out to be a my city is better than yours, but I just couldn't find really any redeeming feature for Canberra. Do others feel this way or do some people like Canberra?
 
Papa G said:
Apologies to anyone who lives there or likes the place, but after spending 3 days there I almost felt like topping myself.

The place has no style, substance or character. The streets are empty barring the well planned but desolute highways that just lead you to the next isolated suburb. There are no shop frontages on the street. Each suburb just seems to have a well sign posted designated area where there is an IGA and some other assorted shops. There are no pubs. As a consequence of the period it was developed the architecture is terrible. In the areas where we had friends live in Downer, Scullin and Bellconnen the houses they lived in (and the area in general) were comparible to Elizabeth in Adelaide and yet they were worth $4,5,600k for what I would call a council house. What made it worse was they have been on water restrictions for years and everything is yellow - no one seems to give a crap about gardenining as a consequence.

On the last day we visited the area around Manuka where there actually seemed to be a bit of life, culture, style and vibrancy but but that stage it was all too late. I kept asking these people who had moved from elsewhere in Australia why they had moved here (many mainly for jobs mind you) and they said that Canberra had it's good points, but when I pressed them they struggled to identify them.

I just found the whole place rather depressing. I don't want this to turn out to be a my city is better than yours, but I just couldn't find really any redeeming feature for Canberra. Do others feel this way or do some people like Canberra?
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You are right where it doesn't have any attractions other than Parliment House. My cousin lives there and finds that there is nothing to do.
 
I lived in Canberra for four and a hlaf years for Uni and I have to say that your assesment is fairly spot on. Kingston and Manuka have some sort of style but for the most part, the suburbs are drab and dull.

Having said that, I absolutely loved my time there and enjoy going back to visit. Perhaps that is because when you live on campus with plenty of other students, you will always find good stuff to do.

Canberra seems to me to be the type of place where you have to know exactly where you are going for fun, there aren't that many places that pop out at you. That is porbably why locals (and former locals like me) like it, but tourists and visitors find it dull and boring...
 
I've lived here since the start of last year and I really enjoy it.

Criticisms of Canberra being soulless are valid. Obviously, there are heaps of government jobs and a lot of those people go back to Melbourne, Sydney etc. for weekends and holidays. Or in the summer they go to Bateman's Bay or Thredbo in the winter.

It suits my lifestyle. I've lived in Melbourne for six years and I just can't go back. I don't know how people put themselves through the torture of the roads, tiny houses and the suffocating feel.

A big downside here is the infrastructure. It badly needs upgrading. The roads are good, but can be awful during peak hour. The cost of housing is ridiculous. You really need two good incomes. Renting is just about impossible.

The AFL coverage is pretty ordinary. The Footy Show comes on at midnight. We get Friday games at 8.30pm, but the rest of the weekend is hit and miss. We always get Sydney games. I've taken to the local league, which fills my prescription.
 

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Papa G said:
The place has no style, substance or character. The streets are empty barring the well planned but desolute highways that just lead you to the next isolated suburb.
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That's funny. I felt exactly the same way about Adelaide. I lived in Semaphore for six months. I would go out on the streets at noon and feel like I was the only person alive.
 
bradrowe#32 said:
It suits my lifestyle. I've lived in Melbourne for six years and I just can't go back. I don't know how people put themselves through the torture of the roads, tiny houses and the suffocating feel.
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That's why I live in South Gippy. The wide open spaces of the country yet Melbourne just over an hour away. Not to mention a mortgage that is really affordable and only a level 2 water restriction. It's great.:thumbsu:
 
Raskolnikov said:
That's why I live in South Gippy. The wide open spaces of the country yet Melbourne just over an hour away. Not to mention a mortgage that is really affordable and only a level 2 water restriction. It's great.:thumbsu:
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Yeah it's the way to go. As soon as I graduate, I'm heading off to the country. I'll take lifestyle over the cash any day.
 
Papa G said:
Apologies to anyone who lives there or likes the place, but after spending 3 days there I almost felt like topping myself.

The place has no style, substance or character. The streets are empty barring the well planned but desolute highways that just lead you to the next isolated suburb. There are no shop frontages on the street. Each suburb just seems to have a well sign posted designated area where there is an IGA and some other assorted shops. There are no pubs. As a consequence of the period it was developed the architecture is terrible. In the areas where we had friends live in Downer, Scullin and Bellconnen the houses they lived in (and the area in general) were comparible to Elizabeth in Adelaide and yet they were worth $4,5,600k for what I would call a council house. What made it worse was they have been on water restrictions for years and everything is yellow - no one seems to give a crap about gardenining as a consequence.

On the last day we visited the area around Manuka where there actually seemed to be a bit of life, culture, style and vibrancy but but that stage it was all too late. I kept asking these people who had moved from elsewhere in Australia why they had moved here (many mainly for jobs mind you) and they said that Canberra had it's good points, but when I pressed them they struggled to identify them.

I just found the whole place rather depressing. I don't want this to turn out to be a my city is better than yours, but I just couldn't find really any redeeming feature for Canberra. Do others feel this way or do some people like Canberra?
Click to expand...

Lived here for pretty much my whole life (18yrs) and yes you are pretty spot on. But the places you were visiting are not the whole side of Canberra. Belco is pretty damn popular spot. Manuka is more the posh side of canberra. It has all the nice clothes shops and the cafe's. I think you missed out in the lifestyle part of it. We get pretty bored here, so all we know how to do is drink. The vast majority of people will either be out in civic or down at the pub.
 
Canberra blows. I'd prefer it to Sydney, simply due to how close to impossible it is to get anywhere in Sydney; but its only the money that has me here (I'd take a reasonable pay cut to get out).
Canberra's good points are limited. Short commutes and good roads are about it.
 
Raskolnikov said:
That's funny. I felt exactly the same way about Adelaide. I lived in Semaphore for six months. I would go out on the streets at noon and feel like I was the only person alive.
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Lesbians don't come out till dark apparently;)

Admittedly I have always thought the main street in Semaphore resembles that of a country town.
 
I lived in Sydney, Brisbane, LA, New York, Atlanta and Toulouse and I'd take Canberra over any of them. The best place in the world to live, and the best place to bring up a family.
 
Canberra, what a disgusting little hole. Yuky! Closest place you can find to hell.
 

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Ahh just the way I like it. The less people here the better. Go overfill the big cities and enjoy your congestion, pollution and higher crime.

Like most places you need to look for places to go and things to do, you can't expect everything to be there out in the open for you. Plus with all the tourist attractions and government funded institutions and museums of course it's not going to be to the liking of the 'piss head' wanting low-brow entertainment.
 
Papa G said:
I would suggest living in 3 of America's largest and diverse cities, the south of France as well as Sydney and Brisbane is a life reasonably well lived.
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Merci.
 
cancat said:
Get a life.
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You mean live in Geelong??? The six hours I spent in Geelong was the worst in my life. I'd rather be mugged in NY, knifed in Atlanta or shot in LA.
 
DEVO said:
You mean live in Geelong??? The six hours I spent in Geelong was the worst in my life. I'd rather be mugged in NY, knifed in Atlanta or shot in LA.
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well thats just taking it way to far
 

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Abba Lonie said:
So is Canberra like Adelaide without the weird people?
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Canberra has plenty of weird people, it's just they are all ex-pat Victorians and South Australians.:D
 
The 2 P’s Canberra is know for is…..Politics and pr0n

That’s all Canberra is famous for.


Oh and the AIS :eek:
 
crows98 said:
The 2 P’s Canberra is know for is…..Politics and pr0n

That’s all Canberra is famous for.


Oh and the AIS :eek:
Click to expand...


The War Memorial's pretty famous isn't it???
How about Blue Poles?? One of Whitlam's greatest investments.:D
 

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