12 December 2016

Is Manuka dying?

| Alexandra Craig
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manuka

The shops at Manuka in Canberra’s inner south have always been a hive of activity. The first work started there in the late 1930s and by the 1960s the shops were flourishing with florists, shoe stores, two supermarkets, clothing stores, a delicatessen as well as two butcher stores, hairdressers, barbers, and even a fishmonger. Nowadays there’s only one supermarket and no butcher or fishmonger, but there are designer clothes stores, several banks, a pharmacy, a newsagency, jewellery stores, and homewares stores. The overwhelming majority of businesses are cafes, restaurants and bars.

While this paints the image of a thriving town centre, it appears to be quite the opposite, with at least four stores closing in the last month – Deli Alimenté (near Coles), Sushi Smith (near The Lawns), Angelo’s Shoes and Andez Gemstones – both were next door to each other, a few stores up from Public Bar (there are, however, reports that these will be renovated and turned into a large chocolate boutique). I’ve also noticed that a store in one of the arcades (I think it was also a shoe store) has closed down recently.

Millers of Manuka closed down in the last year, and the Manuka Pharmacy merged with Priceline Pharmacy moving to the older Millers of Manuka store. The old pharmacy space is still empty. Clothing store Gabby that used to be near The Lawns has also closed down and ONA have opened a bigger cafe there. I have noticed that the RM Williams store on Flinders Way is gone too.

Given that Manuka isn’t a large area, this is a pretty big chunk of businesses to shut down all around the same time. Could Manuka be dying? I’ve certainly found it much easier to get a parking spot there recently, whereas a year or two ago I would have driven around for 10 minutes looking for one. On some occasions even the whole Coles underground carpark was at capacity but now it’s never more than half full.

Deli Alimenté’s Facebook page says it closed down due to trade declining so much in the first three months of 2015 and they couldn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel. As for Sushi Smith, when they opened up (which wasn’t that long ago), I remember thinking that they wouldn’t last long because there were already two sushi shops in Manuka – one of which is hugely popular with a strong regular customer base.

I think the decline of Manuka can probably be attributed to a number of factors including places like the Kingston Foreshore and Braddon taking off, as well as paid parking in the Parliamentary Triangle. Public servants aren’t driving into Manuka for lunch anymore because they’re worried about losing their car spot. There were calls for ACTION buses to provide lunchtime services from the Triangle to Manuka but as far as I’m aware this didn’t get off the ground.

The success of the Kingston Foreshore and the reinvention of Braddon are obviously incredibly positive and they’re injecting new life into different parts of our city, however, what if this is at the detriment to other areas in Canberra? One person I spoke to suggested that the popularity of these new areas is a good thing as it will lower rent costs in areas like Manuka allowing new business to open. However, if Manuka continues to decline, any new businesses surely won’t be able to survive even with lower rent?

I still visit Manuka semi-regularly, I work nearby and often pop down there for lunch. I tend to do most of my grocery shopping there too even though I live on the other side of the bridge. Driving a few extra minutes to Manuka is much more preferable than dealing with the usual chaos at Dickson Woolworths.

Has anyone else noticed the decline at the Manuka shops? Or do you frequent Manuka less, choosing to go to the Foreshore instead?

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dungfungus said :

rommeldog56 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

2620watcher said :

Onceler said :

I was sad to see Kismet, the Turkish place, has gone. Replaced by some sort of cafe, but I really wanted a kebab roll. Everything Kismet did was yummy, and the staff were really friendly. 🙁

The best kebabs in Manuka are up near St George Bank and the post office. Place is called something like Kabul Kebab. Their kebabs are absolutely amazing.

Regarding Manuka, what really turns me off is the undesirables that hang out there all day and night. I assume they live in the flats across behind Coles. Obviously this isn’t the politically correct answer, but if I’m spending big coin on shopping or eating there I don’t really want the hobos fighting or lassoing traffic signs as I walk past.

I know the feeling but I suppose it comes down to the issue of unless they’re actually doing something illegal they’re within their rights to be there too. Though, my partner was approached by someone recently asking for coins for a bus fare. Partner said he didn’t have any on him (he genuinely didn’t), and then the guy said “okay well you’ll drive me to Queanbeyan then”. Partner obviously refused, but it scared me a bit – he might have been less threatening towards him because he is a male, but if it was me by myself or an elderly person, they might have been easier to control. But, like I said, nothing illegal about asking for a lift (as far as I know!)

Yeah – I know what u mean. Very topical because today at Erindale shops, myself and another guy actually had to intervene between a “beggar” and a lady shopper – he wasn’t going to let her pass without a “donation” apparently. He kept on blocking her way every time she tried to go around him. Most unpleasent experience for her I’m afraid. There seems to be a bit of this sort of thing going on in many places in Canberra nowdays.

Re the pan-handlers at Erindale, were you referring to the perpetually homeless guy or the one that is always after the bus fare to Calwell?

The one usually at the rear entrance who has the homeless sign.

Postal said :

rommeldog56 said :

There seems to be a bit of this sort of thing going on in many places in Canberra nowdays.

That’s because there are actual poor people in Canberra, as hard as it is to believe. I find the sheltered and protected outlook of some Canberrans a bit hard to take, to be honest. So what if someone asks you for money? You can either give them some or say no.

Agreed. But in this instance, it wasn’t just asking for money. He was preventing a woman from passing while pestering her for money. Thats a whole different situation and a bit Intimidatory.

Manuka is a testament to one of the worst “planning” disasters in a town famous for them – that horrible area which houses Coles and all the rest. It seems to be designed to make life difficult and unappealing for shoppers – winding, sloped walkways, empty, windswept paved spaces everywhere, and you have to go around the world to get where you are trying to go.

Countless small businesses have foundered there. If it weren’t for Coles, Maccas and the Post Office, it would be deserted.

Urban “planners” and their acolytes have a lot to answer for.

personally I believe Canberra businesses would benefit if Customer Service was considered a priority. When I first came to Canberra some 26 years ago I was horrified at the standard of customer service. It has improved to some extent but there is still room for improvement.

I am mainly referring to cafe and restaurant service. Recently at a Xmas get together with people from my workplace we were at a popular Civic cafe, which I may add does do a reasonable trade. Between each course we had to wait for ages for the wait staff to take the empty plates and take our next orders, in fact a couple of times I got up and went into the counter to disturb the waiting staff from their conversation to prompt them to come and get our next orders!

My conclusion was that this cafe must be making too much money if the staff weren’t alert to the clientele. In my experience prompt attentive service breeds goodwill and more money.

Just a week or two ago I was an Indian restaurant in Civic and the service was tops, the young European waitress was cheery, attentive and lovely. Top marks, someone is getting it right.

rommeldog56 said :

There seems to be a bit of this sort of thing going on in many places in Canberra nowdays.

That’s because there are actual poor people in Canberra, as hard as it is to believe. I find the sheltered and protected outlook of some Canberrans a bit hard to take, to be honest. So what if someone asks you for money? You can either give them some or say no.

rommeldog56 said :

Alexandra Craig said :

2620watcher said :

Onceler said :

I was sad to see Kismet, the Turkish place, has gone. Replaced by some sort of cafe, but I really wanted a kebab roll. Everything Kismet did was yummy, and the staff were really friendly. 🙁

The best kebabs in Manuka are up near St George Bank and the post office. Place is called something like Kabul Kebab. Their kebabs are absolutely amazing.

Regarding Manuka, what really turns me off is the undesirables that hang out there all day and night. I assume they live in the flats across behind Coles. Obviously this isn’t the politically correct answer, but if I’m spending big coin on shopping or eating there I don’t really want the hobos fighting or lassoing traffic signs as I walk past.

I know the feeling but I suppose it comes down to the issue of unless they’re actually doing something illegal they’re within their rights to be there too. Though, my partner was approached by someone recently asking for coins for a bus fare. Partner said he didn’t have any on him (he genuinely didn’t), and then the guy said “okay well you’ll drive me to Queanbeyan then”. Partner obviously refused, but it scared me a bit – he might have been less threatening towards him because he is a male, but if it was me by myself or an elderly person, they might have been easier to control. But, like I said, nothing illegal about asking for a lift (as far as I know!)

Yeah – I know what u mean. Very topical because today at Erindale shops, myself and another guy actually had to intervene between a “beggar” and a lady shopper – he wasn’t going to let her pass without a “donation” apparently. He kept on blocking her way every time she tried to go around him. Most unpleasent experience for her I’m afraid. There seems to be a bit of this sort of thing going on in many places in Canberra nowdays.

Re the pan-handlers at Erindale, were you referring to the perpetually homeless guy or the one that is always after the bus fare to Calwell?

JC said :

rubaiyat said :

Do you remember when the Coles/Woolies duopoly reopened in the Woden Plaza extension with deeply slashed prices, after getting Centre Management to evict their only competition, Franklins?

People have short memories and will take the massive discounts the big chains use to kill the competition before cranking their prices back to higher than they ever were before. There is a reason they keep prices bobbing up and down perpetually. Most consumers don’t notice the progressive ratcheting upward trend if it doesn’t happen all in one go.

Only ALDI which is huge, privately owned and is an extremely tightly run ship, has the deep pockets to take the big two on at their own game.

Good attempt at re-writting history. What killed Franlins was it’s Hong Kong owner (Jardines) wanting to leave the market. They couldn’t find a buyer for the whole lot so sold it off store by store and shut those stores where the couldn’t sell them. Woden and Belconnen were two such stores as both already had a Cole and Woolworths and shopping malls is not normally the domain of IGA.

Not true. You really don’t seem to pay much attention.

The expansion of Woden Plaza was in the nineties. Franklins was sold off years later in 2001, after an unsuccessful massive expansion of its other stores, when Dairy Farm International left Australia in May and that was when all the stores were divided up to whoever would take them.

By that point the Woden store hadn’t existed for years.

Alexandra Craig said :

2620watcher said :

Onceler said :

I was sad to see Kismet, the Turkish place, has gone. Replaced by some sort of cafe, but I really wanted a kebab roll. Everything Kismet did was yummy, and the staff were really friendly. 🙁

The best kebabs in Manuka are up near St George Bank and the post office. Place is called something like Kabul Kebab. Their kebabs are absolutely amazing.

Regarding Manuka, what really turns me off is the undesirables that hang out there all day and night. I assume they live in the flats across behind Coles. Obviously this isn’t the politically correct answer, but if I’m spending big coin on shopping or eating there I don’t really want the hobos fighting or lassoing traffic signs as I walk past.

I know the feeling but I suppose it comes down to the issue of unless they’re actually doing something illegal they’re within their rights to be there too. Though, my partner was approached by someone recently asking for coins for a bus fare. Partner said he didn’t have any on him (he genuinely didn’t), and then the guy said “okay well you’ll drive me to Queanbeyan then”. Partner obviously refused, but it scared me a bit – he might have been less threatening towards him because he is a male, but if it was me by myself or an elderly person, they might have been easier to control. But, like I said, nothing illegal about asking for a lift (as far as I know!)

Yeah – I know what u mean. Very topical because today at Erindale shops, myself and another guy actually had to intervene between a “beggar” and a lady shopper – he wasn’t going to let her pass without a “donation” apparently. He kept on blocking her way every time she tried to go around him. Most unpleasent experience for her I’m afraid. There seems to be a bit of this sort of thing going on in many places in Canberra nowdays.

Alexandra Craig4:22 pm 05 Apr 15

2620watcher said :

Onceler said :

I was sad to see Kismet, the Turkish place, has gone. Replaced by some sort of cafe, but I really wanted a kebab roll. Everything Kismet did was yummy, and the staff were really friendly. 🙁

The best kebabs in Manuka are up near St George Bank and the post office. Place is called something like Kabul Kebab. Their kebabs are absolutely amazing.

Regarding Manuka, what really turns me off is the undesirables that hang out there all day and night. I assume they live in the flats across behind Coles. Obviously this isn’t the politically correct answer, but if I’m spending big coin on shopping or eating there I don’t really want the hobos fighting or lassoing traffic signs as I walk past.

I know the feeling but I suppose it comes down to the issue of unless they’re actually doing something illegal they’re within their rights to be there too. Though, my partner was approached by someone recently asking for coins for a bus fare. Partner said he didn’t have any on him (he genuinely didn’t), and then the guy said “okay well you’ll drive me to Queanbeyan then”. Partner obviously refused, but it scared me a bit – he might have been less threatening towards him because he is a male, but if it was me by myself or an elderly person, they might have been easier to control. But, like I said, nothing illegal about asking for a lift (as far as I know!)

rubaiyat said :

Do you remember when the Coles/Woolies duopoly reopened in the Woden Plaza extension with deeply slashed prices, after getting Centre Management to evict their only competition, Franklins?

People have short memories and will take the massive discounts the big chains use to kill the competition before cranking their prices back to higher than they ever were before. There is a reason they keep prices bobbing up and down perpetually. Most consumers don’t notice the progressive ratcheting upward trend if it doesn’t happen all in one go.

Only ALDI which is huge, privately owned and is an extremely tightly run ship, has the deep pockets to take the big two on at their own game.

Good attempt at re-writting history. What killed Franlins was it’s Hong Kong owner (Jardines) wanting to leave the market. They couldn’t find a buyer for the whole lot so sold it off store by store and shut those stores where the couldn’t sell them. Woden and Belconnen were two such stores as both already had a Cole and Woolworths and shopping malls is not normally the domain of IGA.

rubaiyat said :

JC said :

rubaiyat said :

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

How are we ever going to transform Canberra into Hipster Paradise if we allow big evil companies in??

On the left we have the “Hipster Paradise” with people friendly cities, a living wage, good food and lifestyle.

On the right we have the tax dodging foreign corporations with huge generic warehouses, employing submissive workers on minimum wages, selling throw away junk, surrounded by vast car parks and sucking the money out of our economy.

Above we have the deep thinking excuses for the later.

Your choice. 😉

Well actually the choice lies with the consumer. If they decide to frequent the tax dodging multinational over the local guy then it is THEIR choice.

Same with supermarkets too. Woolworths/Coles only takes business away from other because the customers vote with their feet and wallets. Nothing forcing the customer to go to the big guys. But they do, which clearly indicates they have made THEIR choice.

Do you remember when the Coles/Woolies duopoly reopened in the Woden Plaza extension with deeply slashed prices, after getting Centre Management to evict their only competition, Franklins?

People have short memories and will take the massive discounts the big chains use to kill the competition before cranking their prices back to higher than they ever were before. There is a reason they keep prices bobbing up and down perpetually. Most consumers don’t notice the progressive ratcheting upward trend if it doesn’t happen all in one go.

Only ALDI which is huge, privately owned and is an extremely tightly run ship, has the deep pockets to take the big two on at their own game.

“Only ALDI which is huge, privately owned and is an extremely tightly run ship….”
and doesn’t pay income tax in Australia……..

JC said :

rubaiyat said :

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

How are we ever going to transform Canberra into Hipster Paradise if we allow big evil companies in??

On the left we have the “Hipster Paradise” with people friendly cities, a living wage, good food and lifestyle.

On the right we have the tax dodging foreign corporations with huge generic warehouses, employing submissive workers on minimum wages, selling throw away junk, surrounded by vast car parks and sucking the money out of our economy.

Above we have the deep thinking excuses for the later.

Your choice. 😉

Well actually the choice lies with the consumer. If they decide to frequent the tax dodging multinational over the local guy then it is THEIR choice.

Same with supermarkets too. Woolworths/Coles only takes business away from other because the customers vote with their feet and wallets. Nothing forcing the customer to go to the big guys. But they do, which clearly indicates they have made THEIR choice.

Do you remember when the Coles/Woolies duopoly reopened in the Woden Plaza extension with deeply slashed prices, after getting Centre Management to evict their only competition, Franklins?

People have short memories and will take the massive discounts the big chains use to kill the competition before cranking their prices back to higher than they ever were before. There is a reason they keep prices bobbing up and down perpetually. Most consumers don’t notice the progressive ratcheting upward trend if it doesn’t happen all in one go.

Only ALDI which is huge, privately owned and is an extremely tightly run ship, has the deep pockets to take the big two on at their own game.

Onceler said :

I was sad to see Kismet, the Turkish place, has gone. Replaced by some sort of cafe, but I really wanted a kebab roll. Everything Kismet did was yummy, and the staff were really friendly. 🙁

I spoke to the owner only a few weeks ago. He said it was a refit and the intention was to come back with a different style than the take away counter.

I said fine, so long as the zucchini balls were still on the menu! 😉

Onceler said :

I was sad to see Kismet, the Turkish place, has gone. Replaced by some sort of cafe, but I really wanted a kebab roll. Everything Kismet did was yummy, and the staff were really friendly. 🙁

The best kebabs in Manuka are up near St George Bank and the post office. Place is called something like Kabul Kebab. Their kebabs are absolutely amazing.

Regarding Manuka, what really turns me off is the undesirables that hang out there all day and night. I assume they live in the flats across behind Coles. Obviously this isn’t the politically correct answer, but if I’m spending big coin on shopping or eating there I don’t really want the hobos fighting or lassoing traffic signs as I walk past.

I was sad to see Kismet, the Turkish place, has gone. Replaced by some sort of cafe, but I really wanted a kebab roll. Everything Kismet did was yummy, and the staff were really friendly. 🙁

Mary Jane Liddicoat said :

Sad to say that the bar Pheast (formerly Charlie Black’s) seems to have closed its doors too this week.

Ahh dammit. I walked past there this evening walking back from the shops and noticed it was closed and the outside chairs and tables where missing. I just assumed they were closed for the night or something.

This saddens me, Pheast was out family sat breakfast location and the occasional lunch. I enjoyed the Sunday arvos with the music too. My 2 year old won’t be happy, we would go and listen to the tunes and he would play with his cars in the courtyard. It was also his favourite hot chocolate establishment, especially since it was roughly 200m from our place. We were only there last week.

rubaiyat said :

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

How are we ever going to transform Canberra into Hipster Paradise if we allow big evil companies in??

On the left we have the “Hipster Paradise” with people friendly cities, a living wage, good food and lifestyle.

On the right we have the tax dodging foreign corporations with huge generic warehouses, employing submissive workers on minimum wages, selling throw away junk, surrounded by vast car parks and sucking the money out of our economy.

Above we have the deep thinking excuses for the later.

Your choice. 😉

Well actually the choice lies with the consumer. If they decide to frequent the tax dodging multinational over the local guy then it is THEIR choice.

Same with supermarkets too. Woolworths/Coles only takes business away from other because the customers vote with their feet and wallets. Nothing forcing the customer to go to the big guys. But they do, which clearly indicates they have made THEIR choice.

rubaiyat said :

Mary Jane Liddicoat said :

Sad to say that the bar Pheast (formerly Charlie Black’s) seems to have closed its doors too this week. I own and run a tiny business there. It’s a tough gig. We know that business is business and it’s up to us to make it work. And if the public is no longer interested in places like Manuka then businesses will continue to fold. So if you DO like Manuka – the leafy greenness, the human scale intimacy, the local feel, the quality offerings, then please use it. As one of my guests acknowledged recently: use it or lose it.

Pheast has relocated to the Narrabundah Golf Club.

Same people same chefs.

Speaking of which wasn’t the Capital Golf Club supposed to be being wound up according the Canberra Times, late last year?

What’s happening there?

rubaiyat said :

Maya123 said :

rubaiyat said :

When we first came to Canberra we liked walking to Manuka and catching the bus back.

The Manuka bus was cancelled several years ago. In fact 2 out of 3 routes have been cancelled and the last one left, that only goes to Civic/Woden is down to once an hour for most of the day.

Parking around Manuka is a pain and if you want to dine/drink a car is not a good option anyway.

Losing Woolies and gaining Coles was not a positive, especially given the horrible development Coles is in, which was a disaster from scratch and only gotten worse.

We still go to see the occasional movie or a couple of our favourite restaurants, like Ricetta, the Korean BBQ and Pheast, or the Book Store, but much less than we did previously. If enough people are in the same situation that explains Manuka’s lower patronage.

“The Manuka bus was cancelled several years ago. In fact 2 out of 3 routes have been cancelled and the last one left, that only goes to Civic/Woden is down to once an hour for most of the day.”

Mistaken. Buses 4 and 5 go through Manuka between Woden and Civic five days a week with each running every half an hour, so that’s a bus about every ten to twenty minutes. I regularly catch number 5.
At weekends buses 935 and 938 pass through Manuka. That’s on a reduced timetable, but still, for five days out of seven, there is a bus every ten to twenty minutes.
A hint to bus travellers going towards Woden. Catch number 5 if you can, as 4 appears to take a longer and a more ‘scenic’, winding route. Their route is the same for 4 & 5 going the Civic direction.

I guess that must mean: “If it happens to you, it happens for everyone”?

Not mistaken. The 4 and 5 go nowhere near us.

All we have is the 1 and if we walk a kilometre back to Deakin we might hit lucky and get a 3, but that is an act of desperation.

Fine, but you referred that in general Manuka buses had been cancelled. If you mean the bus to your place, say so.

Mary Jane Liddicoat said :

Sad to say that the bar Pheast (formerly Charlie Black’s) seems to have closed its doors too this week. I own and run a tiny business there. It’s a tough gig. We know that business is business and it’s up to us to make it work. And if the public is no longer interested in places like Manuka then businesses will continue to fold. So if you DO like Manuka – the leafy greenness, the human scale intimacy, the local feel, the quality offerings, then please use it. As one of my guests acknowledged recently: use it or lose it.

Pheast has relocated to the Narrabundah Golf Club.

Same people same chefs.

Mary Jane Liddicoat said :

Sad to say that the bar Pheast (formerly Charlie Black’s) seems to have closed its doors too this week. I own and run a tiny business there. It’s a tough gig. We know that business is business and it’s up to us to make it work. And if the public is no longer interested in places like Manuka then businesses will continue to fold. So if you DO like Manuka – the leafy greenness, the human scale intimacy, the local feel, the quality offerings, then please use it. As one of my guests acknowledged recently: use it or lose it.

Completely agree with MJ – if you love a place, support it! I despair of the number of times someone has said to me ‘oh it’s such a shame that blah blah closed’ or ‘there’s nothing to do in Canberra, why isn’t there more live music / festivals / whatever?’. Yet when I ask them ‘well when was the last time you went to blah blah / saw a local band / supported that event / venue etc?’ they can’t recall or say they never got the chance – well then what did you expect would happen?!

The recent closure of Pheast is a shame not just for Manuka but for Canberra’s music industry as they supported local bands that brought some life back to nights in Manuka. It was also an alternative for those who prefer something different to the (in my opinion) more ‘hipster’ vibe at PubLic. Thank goodness for Polit Bar, which provides a unique and intimate spot to meet and enjoy great drinks, as well as showcasing unique local talent every week.

But Canberra, like every other city and town, experiences ebbs and flows of development and suburbs that were popular and trendy one year (like Kingston and Manuka were when I moved here) lose their lustre as something new and shiny comes along. Enjoy the new, but remember to support your old favourites or they will be no more.

I remember Manuka,’66-’73,the joint was jumpin’.A florist and jeweller were clients.Used to collect a bootfull of autumn leaves from around the oval to use as mulch at Chifley.

Public servants aren’t afraid of losing their spot, they don’t have a spot anymore. They are busing it in.

My friends and I still love visiting Manuka for our regular lunch and shopping trips. Yes, some shops have closed (and this has happened all all over Canberra) but there are always more opening up!
I think Manuka still has plenty if life in it!

Milly Withers3:50 pm 02 Apr 15

I love Manuka and would much rather support the small businesses there than eat out at massive chain restaurants and buy mass-produced gifts from Myer, Big W etc.

I hope there are enough other people who feel the same way so that the places I love stay open… and looking forward to trying the rumoured chocolate boutique when it opens!

Mary Jane Liddicoat3:14 pm 02 Apr 15

Sad to say that the bar Pheast (formerly Charlie Black’s) seems to have closed its doors too this week. I own and run a tiny business there. It’s a tough gig. We know that business is business and it’s up to us to make it work. And if the public is no longer interested in places like Manuka then businesses will continue to fold. So if you DO like Manuka – the leafy greenness, the human scale intimacy, the local feel, the quality offerings, then please use it. As one of my guests acknowledged recently: use it or lose it.

dungfungus said :

The last time Canberra had the same euphoria as IKEA is creating was when the vanished without trace Krispy Cream donut chain came to town.
I wonder how long flat-packs and meatballs will last.

Fascinating is the priorities:

Happily spend hours assembling furniture but can’t whip up our own meatballs. 😀

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

rubaiyat said :

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

How are we ever going to transform Canberra into Hipster Paradise if we allow big evil companies in??

On the left we have the “Hipster Paradise” with people friendly cities, a living wage, good food and lifestyle.

On the right we have the tax dodging foreign corporations with huge generic warehouses, employing submissive workers on minimum wages, selling throw away junk, surrounded by vast car parks and sucking the money out of our economy.

Above we have the deep thinking excuses for the later.

Your choice. 😉

Gosh, it’s enough to make me want to tap a djembe while reciting original poetry while I eat kale.

I guess the kale is doable, the djembe not for public spaces, but the original poetry I think will be a struggle, unless you write for Hallmark.

VYBerlinaV8_is_back2:02 pm 02 Apr 15

rubaiyat said :

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

How are we ever going to transform Canberra into Hipster Paradise if we allow big evil companies in??

On the left we have the “Hipster Paradise” with people friendly cities, a living wage, good food and lifestyle.

On the right we have the tax dodging foreign corporations with huge generic warehouses, employing submissive workers on minimum wages, selling throw away junk, surrounded by vast car parks and sucking the money out of our economy.

Above we have the deep thinking excuses for the later.

Your choice. 😉

Gosh, it’s enough to make me want to tap a djembe while reciting original poetry while I eat kale.

rubaiyat said :

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

How are we ever going to transform Canberra into Hipster Paradise if we allow big evil companies in??

On the left we have the “Hipster Paradise” with people friendly cities, a living wage, good food and lifestyle.

On the right we have the tax dodging foreign corporations with huge generic warehouses, employing submissive workers on minimum wages, selling throw away junk, surrounded by vast car parks and sucking the money out of our economy.

Above we have the deep thinking excuses for the later.

Your choice. 😉

The last time Canberra had the same euphoria as IKEA is creating was when the vanished without trace Krispy Cream donut chain came to town.
I wonder how long flat-packs and meatballs will last.

rubaiyat said :

HiddenDragon said :

Finally, others have commented on Fyshwick – I wonder how long it will be before we have a grand, radical plan for “old Fyshwick”……..

Return it to its original purpose as a Prisoner of War camp? 😀

Is Fyshwick still an X-rated suburb?

HiddenDragon11:19 am 02 Apr 15

rubaiyat said :

dungfungus said :

watto23 said :

dungfungus said :

What is happening in Manuka is happening everywhere else.
Someone mentioned on another thread that the Canberra Centre was becoming the only retail bastion in Canberra City. It’s the same at any of the town centres with even most of them having a growing number of empty shops.
The only ones in the large shopping centres that appear to flourishing are outlets of large national and multi-national chains or franchises, some locally owned/managed. Then there are the cafes/coffee shops and the oversupply of these guarantees “a short shelf-life” due to competition.
There are very few Canberra home-grown businesses left.
The impact of this retail aggregation and on-line shopping together with our government’s shameful support for IKEA and the like ensures the death of village shopping centres like Manuka.
I occasionally go to Caphs (following a movie at Manuka) as it never changes. The other “new” eateries are too noisy and expensive for an old codger like me.

Still beating the Ikea drum….. All the government did was rezone land so that Ikea could build there. They support it because it will create jobs. Sure there may be losses elsewhere, but the net effect will be more jobs as its been shown people will travel to visit Ikea. If Canberrans will travel to Sydney (and make up 10% of Ikea Sales in Sydney), then people from around the region who can’t afford overpriced furniture, will travel to Canberra, visit Ikea and maybe Costco, plus other businesses in Canberra. There is a clear net benefit to Canberra.

If people didn’t choose these places they wouldn’t exist. As a conservative yourself dungers, you’d agree that it should be user pays. That is what Abbott and Hockey say anyway. Clearly users don’t want to pay to prop up local over priced goods, regardless of quality. I support many local run businesses myself on a weekly or fortnightly basis, but I’ll be glad when Ikea comes to town. Furniture is overpriced and really not the best quality either in Canberra. Yes if I want to buy quality furniture there are stores for that, but that is a different market to Ikea. Those businesses can’t blame Ikea, even though some are trying to. If someone is willing to pay $1000 for a bookcase then the $89 bookcase from Ikea is not on their radar.

As for Manuka, its the changing times, people have less time these days. Specialist stores people will travel to, but there is only room for so many in Canberra. Manuka is not suffering any worse than anywhere else. If shops are closing its because people have stopped using their services or buying their goods. You can’t prop up a business because its been there for as long as you remember and it was better 30 yrs ago.

IKEA was given a lot of “incentives” to open in Canberra. The government has not disclosed them – you know, “commercial in confidence”. The same concessions are never extended to locally owned businesses.
IKEA are like a lot of other multi-nationals domiciled outside of Australia. Most do not pay any taxes on profits – our local businesses do but those who will be put out of business by IKEA won’t pay anymore.
Sure, IKEA will mop up a lot of the unemployment it creates but there will be a double whammy for the federal government as not only will they lose the company tax revenue from the failed businesses but it will not be replaced by any income revenue from IKEA.
The “user pays” argument you use goes straight out the window when the large stores achieve domination of the marketplace as their “cheap” prices no longer have a measure to be compared to.
Somehow, you see that as a good outcome for Canberra? What about Australia generally?
I bought a new TV last week (from a locally owned business even though the online price was cheaper). The delivery man said his local delivery volume had dropped dramatically this year. He reckons people are hanging out for IKEA to open so they can get a bargain (something they don’t need at a price they can afford).
On another note, why do you find it imperative to drag Abbott (and Hockey) into your comments when they are not relevant? This what the ABC and Fairfax did in an attempt to get rid of Abbott – they failed, so move on.

“Creates employment” myth is just that.

It doesn’t create it, it shifts and reduces existing employment into lower paid, lower skills positions.

The products it sells is virtually all imported as well, from mostly cheap sources from all over the globe.

As you point out, the government gives away a lot to get the large and visible “New, Big” development in a remote green fields site that requires a long car drive away from all public transport.

So to sum it up the government has interfered in a private commercial development at tax payers’ expense, to induce a large tax dodging enterprise to close down existing businesses, forcing the owners and employees out of work, to pick up only some of those at lower wages to help distribute junky products at an inconvenient location, that uses convoluted accounting practices to take Australian dollars and ship them overseas to foreign manufacturers and IKEA’s tax havens.

Perfect!

Putting out the welcome mat for the likes of IKEA is very much in keeping with the corporatist mentality which is at large in Canberra – big government, big business, and (gesture politics aside) forget about the rest.

Just on the point about the location of new developments, it is very difficult to reconcile planning and land release policies which encourage, if not require, people to travel to inconvenient locations with the constant, sanctimonious official rhetoric about sustainability – I can’t quite imagine the multitudes lumbering onto a tram with their flat-packs.

HiddenDragon said :

Finally, others have commented on Fyshwick – I wonder how long it will be before we have a grand, radical plan for “old Fyshwick”……..

Return it to its original purpose as a Prisoner of War camp? 😀

HiddenDragon10:55 am 02 Apr 15

Manuka, as we (well, some of us) have known it is obviously changing, and its glory days as THE place to go and be seen in Canberra are increasingly in the past. But as others have wisely observed, renewal and reinvention is part of the natural order of things, and there is no reason why Manuka cannot adjust to the new normal for Canberra – more consumer choice and constrained incomes, with much more caution about discretionary spending.

More broadly, the supposedly well meaning efforts of the ACT Government to “prop up” the local economy by maintaining spending may be getting to the point of being counter-productive. There is surely very limited scope for even higher levels of borowing (which is only bringing forward spending from a future which may be even more constrained than the present), and further real increases in taxation (and not just through rates) is only taking more money out of the pockets of already cautious and constrained consumers – with no guarantee that the same money, spent by the ACT Government, will be any more likely to stay in and assist the local economy.

Finally, others have commented on Fyshwick – I wonder how long it will be before we have a grand, radical plan for “old Fyshwick”……..

VYBerlinaV8_is_back said :

How are we ever going to transform Canberra into Hipster Paradise if we allow big evil companies in??

On the left we have the “Hipster Paradise” with people friendly cities, a living wage, good food and lifestyle.

On the right we have the tax dodging foreign corporations with huge generic warehouses, employing submissive workers on minimum wages, selling throw away junk, surrounded by vast car parks and sucking the money out of our economy.

Above we have the deep thinking excuses for the later.

Your choice. 😉

VYBerlinaV8_is_back8:52 am 02 Apr 15

How are we ever going to transform Canberra into Hipster Paradise if we allow big evil companies in??

It would be illuminating to read up on IKEA in Wikipedia.

The “charitable” The INGKA Foundation, that supposedly owns IKEA in a complicated holding structure, is valued at US$36 billion and yet donates a pitiful €45 million a year to worthwhile causes, 0.138% of the investment!

0.14¢ for every $1 for a “charity” officially dedicated to promoting the extremely needy “innovations in architecture and interior design.”

Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, is an exemplar billionaire who extracts money from all round the world because he can tax dodge, twist local government’s arms, and operate at margins that the locals can’t.

Then he hoards his wealth for no particular purpose other than he likes to count it, and does nothing worthwhile with it, let alone let it naturally circulate.

Many of these ultra conservative billionaires use their tax avoidance money to “influence” politicians to change zoning, redistribute tax income from other tax payers to them and rewrite laws and regulations to their benefit, all while complaining about how much their workers cost.

…but that is “commercial in confidence”!

dungfungus said :

watto23 said :

dungfungus said :

What is happening in Manuka is happening everywhere else.
Someone mentioned on another thread that the Canberra Centre was becoming the only retail bastion in Canberra City. It’s the same at any of the town centres with even most of them having a growing number of empty shops.
The only ones in the large shopping centres that appear to flourishing are outlets of large national and multi-national chains or franchises, some locally owned/managed. Then there are the cafes/coffee shops and the oversupply of these guarantees “a short shelf-life” due to competition.
There are very few Canberra home-grown businesses left.
The impact of this retail aggregation and on-line shopping together with our government’s shameful support for IKEA and the like ensures the death of village shopping centres like Manuka.
I occasionally go to Caphs (following a movie at Manuka) as it never changes. The other “new” eateries are too noisy and expensive for an old codger like me.

Still beating the Ikea drum….. All the government did was rezone land so that Ikea could build there. They support it because it will create jobs. Sure there may be losses elsewhere, but the net effect will be more jobs as its been shown people will travel to visit Ikea. If Canberrans will travel to Sydney (and make up 10% of Ikea Sales in Sydney), then people from around the region who can’t afford overpriced furniture, will travel to Canberra, visit Ikea and maybe Costco, plus other businesses in Canberra. There is a clear net benefit to Canberra.

If people didn’t choose these places they wouldn’t exist. As a conservative yourself dungers, you’d agree that it should be user pays. That is what Abbott and Hockey say anyway. Clearly users don’t want to pay to prop up local over priced goods, regardless of quality. I support many local run businesses myself on a weekly or fortnightly basis, but I’ll be glad when Ikea comes to town. Furniture is overpriced and really not the best quality either in Canberra. Yes if I want to buy quality furniture there are stores for that, but that is a different market to Ikea. Those businesses can’t blame Ikea, even though some are trying to. If someone is willing to pay $1000 for a bookcase then the $89 bookcase from Ikea is not on their radar.

As for Manuka, its the changing times, people have less time these days. Specialist stores people will travel to, but there is only room for so many in Canberra. Manuka is not suffering any worse than anywhere else. If shops are closing its because people have stopped using their services or buying their goods. You can’t prop up a business because its been there for as long as you remember and it was better 30 yrs ago.

IKEA was given a lot of “incentives” to open in Canberra. The government has not disclosed them – you know, “commercial in confidence”. The same concessions are never extended to locally owned businesses.
IKEA are like a lot of other multi-nationals domiciled outside of Australia. Most do not pay any taxes on profits – our local businesses do but those who will be put out of business by IKEA won’t pay anymore.
Sure, IKEA will mop up a lot of the unemployment it creates but there will be a double whammy for the federal government as not only will they lose the company tax revenue from the failed businesses but it will not be replaced by any income revenue from IKEA.
The “user pays” argument you use goes straight out the window when the large stores achieve domination of the marketplace as their “cheap” prices no longer have a measure to be compared to.
Somehow, you see that as a good outcome for Canberra? What about Australia generally?
I bought a new TV last week (from a locally owned business even though the online price was cheaper). The delivery man said his local delivery volume had dropped dramatically this year. He reckons people are hanging out for IKEA to open so they can get a bargain (something they don’t need at a price they can afford).
On another note, why do you find it imperative to drag Abbott (and Hockey) into your comments when they are not relevant? This what the ABC and Fairfax did in an attempt to get rid of Abbott – they failed, so move on.

“Creates employment” myth is just that.

It doesn’t create it, it shifts and reduces existing employment into lower paid, lower skills positions.

The products it sells is virtually all imported as well, from mostly cheap sources from all over the globe.

As you point out, the government gives away a lot to get the large and visible “New, Big” development in a remote green fields site that requires a long car drive away from all public transport.

So to sum it up the government has interfered in a private commercial development at tax payers’ expense, to induce a large tax dodging enterprise to close down existing businesses, forcing the owners and employees out of work, to pick up only some of those at lower wages to help distribute junky products at an inconvenient location, that uses convoluted accounting practices to take Australian dollars and ship them overseas to foreign manufacturers and IKEA’s tax havens.

Perfect!

Manuka will always have a fewer rusted on older supporters, who were fortunate enough to buy there decades ago before real estate prices went skyward. I dunno about Manuka dying, but it is definitely being tested. Rough numbers only here, but there’s probably another 2000 or so units to be built on Kingston Foreshore over the next decade. These flashy new developments will continue to lure shops, customers and money away from Manuka.

The thing I don’t understand is the cost of commercial real estate in all of Canberra. It’s hideously expensive. I get that prices will drop when commercial space is oversupplied, and if you look around Fyshwick as a prime example, you’ll see that that day is probably pretty close. Yet they still build more. If leaseholders businesses can’t make a quid, they shut. Pretty simple really. No point getting too emotionally attached to it all, just saying …

watto23 said :

dungfungus said :

What is happening in Manuka is happening everywhere else.
Someone mentioned on another thread that the Canberra Centre was becoming the only retail bastion in Canberra City. It’s the same at any of the town centres with even most of them having a growing number of empty shops.
The only ones in the large shopping centres that appear to flourishing are outlets of large national and multi-national chains or franchises, some locally owned/managed. Then there are the cafes/coffee shops and the oversupply of these guarantees “a short shelf-life” due to competition.
There are very few Canberra home-grown businesses left.
The impact of this retail aggregation and on-line shopping together with our government’s shameful support for IKEA and the like ensures the death of village shopping centres like Manuka.
I occasionally go to Caphs (following a movie at Manuka) as it never changes. The other “new” eateries are too noisy and expensive for an old codger like me.

Still beating the Ikea drum….. All the government did was rezone land so that Ikea could build there. They support it because it will create jobs. Sure there may be losses elsewhere, but the net effect will be more jobs as its been shown people will travel to visit Ikea. If Canberrans will travel to Sydney (and make up 10% of Ikea Sales in Sydney), then people from around the region who can’t afford overpriced furniture, will travel to Canberra, visit Ikea and maybe Costco, plus other businesses in Canberra. There is a clear net benefit to Canberra.

If people didn’t choose these places they wouldn’t exist. As a conservative yourself dungers, you’d agree that it should be user pays. That is what Abbott and Hockey say anyway. Clearly users don’t want to pay to prop up local over priced goods, regardless of quality. I support many local run businesses myself on a weekly or fortnightly basis, but I’ll be glad when Ikea comes to town. Furniture is overpriced and really not the best quality either in Canberra. Yes if I want to buy quality furniture there are stores for that, but that is a different market to Ikea. Those businesses can’t blame Ikea, even though some are trying to. If someone is willing to pay $1000 for a bookcase then the $89 bookcase from Ikea is not on their radar.

As for Manuka, its the changing times, people have less time these days. Specialist stores people will travel to, but there is only room for so many in Canberra. Manuka is not suffering any worse than anywhere else. If shops are closing its because people have stopped using their services or buying their goods. You can’t prop up a business because its been there for as long as you remember and it was better 30 yrs ago.

IKEA was given a lot of “incentives” to open in Canberra. The government has not disclosed them – you know, “commercial in confidence”. The same concessions are never extended to locally owned businesses.
IKEA are like a lot of other multi-nationals domiciled outside of Australia. Most do not pay any taxes on profits – our local businesses do but those who will be put out of business by IKEA won’t pay anymore.
Sure, IKEA will mop up a lot of the unemployment it creates but there will be a double whammy for the federal government as not only will they lose the company tax revenue from the failed businesses but it will not be replaced by any income revenue from IKEA.
The “user pays” argument you use goes straight out the window when the large stores achieve domination of the marketplace as their “cheap” prices no longer have a measure to be compared to.
Somehow, you see that as a good outcome for Canberra? What about Australia generally?
I bought a new TV last week (from a locally owned business even though the online price was cheaper). The delivery man said his local delivery volume had dropped dramatically this year. He reckons people are hanging out for IKEA to open so they can get a bargain (something they don’t need at a price they can afford).
On another note, why do you find it imperative to drag Abbott (and Hockey) into your comments when they are not relevant? This what the ABC and Fairfax did in an attempt to get rid of Abbott – they failed, so move on.

Just to reinforce the original point, I was walking through Manuka tonight and noticed that the relatively new Pheast was closed and had signs up on the window. And in a strange moment of deja vu, the property was very well secured and the signs said “this property has been secured by the landlord”. The bar stocks looked like they’d been well cleared of any moderately valued booze too.

Thinking back a number of months ago, the same signs marked the demise of Charlie Blacks. Disappointing to see (what appeared to be) a much more carefully run business suffer a similar demise. But at least the owners found a way to reuse the same signs…

dungfungus said :

What is happening in Manuka is happening everywhere else.
Someone mentioned on another thread that the Canberra Centre was becoming the only retail bastion in Canberra City. It’s the same at any of the town centres with even most of them having a growing number of empty shops.
The only ones in the large shopping centres that appear to flourishing are outlets of large national and multi-national chains or franchises, some locally owned/managed. Then there are the cafes/coffee shops and the oversupply of these guarantees “a short shelf-life” due to competition.
There are very few Canberra home-grown businesses left.
The impact of this retail aggregation and on-line shopping together with our government’s shameful support for IKEA and the like ensures the death of village shopping centres like Manuka.
I occasionally go to Caphs (following a movie at Manuka) as it never changes. The other “new” eateries are too noisy and expensive for an old codger like me.

So using your theory, what killed of Cusacks in Manuka all those years ago? Ikea wasn’t around then.

dungfungus said :

What is happening in Manuka is happening everywhere else.
Someone mentioned on another thread that the Canberra Centre was becoming the only retail bastion in Canberra City. It’s the same at any of the town centres with even most of them having a growing number of empty shops.
The only ones in the large shopping centres that appear to flourishing are outlets of large national and multi-national chains or franchises, some locally owned/managed. Then there are the cafes/coffee shops and the oversupply of these guarantees “a short shelf-life” due to competition.
There are very few Canberra home-grown businesses left.
The impact of this retail aggregation and on-line shopping together with our government’s shameful support for IKEA and the like ensures the death of village shopping centres like Manuka.
I occasionally go to Caphs (following a movie at Manuka) as it never changes. The other “new” eateries are too noisy and expensive for an old codger like me.

Still beating the Ikea drum….. All the government did was rezone land so that Ikea could build there. They support it because it will create jobs. Sure there may be losses elsewhere, but the net effect will be more jobs as its been shown people will travel to visit Ikea. If Canberrans will travel to Sydney (and make up 10% of Ikea Sales in Sydney), then people from around the region who can’t afford overpriced furniture, will travel to Canberra, visit Ikea and maybe Costco, plus other businesses in Canberra. There is a clear net benefit to Canberra.

If people didn’t choose these places they wouldn’t exist. As a conservative yourself dungers, you’d agree that it should be user pays. That is what Abbott and Hockey say anyway. Clearly users don’t want to pay to prop up local over priced goods, regardless of quality. I support many local run businesses myself on a weekly or fortnightly basis, but I’ll be glad when Ikea comes to town. Furniture is overpriced and really not the best quality either in Canberra. Yes if I want to buy quality furniture there are stores for that, but that is a different market to Ikea. Those businesses can’t blame Ikea, even though some are trying to. If someone is willing to pay $1000 for a bookcase then the $89 bookcase from Ikea is not on their radar.

As for Manuka, its the changing times, people have less time these days. Specialist stores people will travel to, but there is only room for so many in Canberra. Manuka is not suffering any worse than anywhere else. If shops are closing its because people have stopped using their services or buying their goods. You can’t prop up a business because its been there for as long as you remember and it was better 30 yrs ago.

pink little birdie4:26 pm 01 Apr 15

The paperchain bookstore is always well worth visiting local authors and a different range of books. and the wool shop is one of only 2 speciality wool shops in Canberra and carries wool brands that the other doesn’t.
I went to Manuka last week looking for a particular type of paper album but all the shops there I would have thought would have had it didn’t or weren’t there anymore

I have so many childhood and teenage memories of Manuka. It had an identity as a small cluster of boutiques, catering to well-heeled local residents – and those who wished to appear that way. As kids with casual jobs we would easily spend $100 on drinks in Manuka in a night, thinking it was so much classier than drinking in Civic.

All started to go downhill from the time Coles and McDonalds popped up – because it became just like everywhere else. Hence I have absolutely no reason to go there these days. I did take a quick walk around, when the football was on the other weekend – and definitely agree it’s dying.

What is happening in Manuka is happening everywhere else.
Someone mentioned on another thread that the Canberra Centre was becoming the only retail bastion in Canberra City. It’s the same at any of the town centres with even most of them having a growing number of empty shops.
The only ones in the large shopping centres that appear to flourishing are outlets of large national and multi-national chains or franchises, some locally owned/managed. Then there are the cafes/coffee shops and the oversupply of these guarantees “a short shelf-life” due to competition.
There are very few Canberra home-grown businesses left.
The impact of this retail aggregation and on-line shopping together with our government’s shameful support for IKEA and the like ensures the death of village shopping centres like Manuka.
I occasionally go to Caphs (following a movie at Manuka) as it never changes. The other “new” eateries are too noisy and expensive for an old codger like me.

creative_canberran1:08 am 01 Apr 15

Work on the Manuka commercial area began in the early to mid 20s, leases were sold in the early 20s with very strong demand. Over a dozen shops were already open by 1927 including a grocer, butcher, cafes. Many more by the end of the 20s including the Cusack family’s first Canberra store. Gregory Cusack would go on to open his car yard across the road from that store, what is today the Shell Service station, and from their he and the rest of the family built a very expansive business empire across the region. ‘The Arcade’ (where My cafe is) was completed in 1928. The Capitol Theatre, which the present day Event Cinema pays homage to, was opened in 1927 and the Manuka Oval was already open in the 20s too. By the 30s there were professional offices and workshops there too, a hairdresser, clothing boutiques and even a newsroom. Some of these businesses were new, some were annexes to those elsewhere in Canberra or Queanbeyan and some were already interstate traders.

However even in those early days, there were vacancies in Manuka, growth was slow, mainly because the suburbs were growing slowly. Manuka looked to be booming, but meanwhile Kingston was being established and stole the thunder.

Look anywhere around Canberra at the moment and you see areas in decline, other been refreshed. It’s part of the ebb and flow. I think Manuka is still very healthy, but the Plaza has never lived up to expectation, nor did the former Woolworths site. As in the 1930s, the refresh of Kingston is stealing the thunder and that will likely get worse when ‘old Kingston’ is redeveloped in the coming decade. But it’s not the first time Kingston has been refreshed either, and Kingston itself has suffered when other areas like the Canberra Centre were redeveloped in the late 80s. It’s a cycle and Manuka will continue just fine.

Downtown Milk Bar – yeah it’s okay for your standard sandwiches etc. I picked something up from there today for a colleague. But if I am after your standard sandwiches I just tend to make my own by grabbing some stuff at Coles.

The Bakery across the road does a similar sandwich bar set up.

Kate Buscombe3:44 pm 31 Mar 15

Alexandra Craig said :

Ezy said :

One thing that I feel is missing from the Manuka is a cheap, quality sandwich bar – which I feel is why Mee’s is so popular. Something like idelic in Kingston would be good for tasty lunch time alternatives that don’t cost $20+. I was really hoping that the new Kismet would offer something like this, but again – $20 for lunch is way out of reach..

What about the Milk Bar next door to MyCafe? They have a sandwich bar set up where you pick and choose exactly what goes on your sandwich. I haven’t been there in a while but used to go there all the time. I think the average sandwich cost me about $8.

I can definitely vouch for the sandwich bar – I used to work in Narrabundah and would often pop down there for a sandwich during lunch. They have a great range of fresh sandwich bits, as well as daily specials of oven baked goods (such as lasagne). They even stock gluten free bread! Not exactly sure of price,but I would be able to grab a sandwich and a coffee and get change from $15.

watto23 said :

I don’t think pay parking has had an effect. If anything its easier to drive into Manuka now for lunch as you will get a car spot when you return as the car parks all have free parks in them most of the time. Previously if you left your car spot at lunch, good luck finding another one.

Totally Agree

I don’t think pay parking has had an effect. If anything its easier to drive into Manuka now for lunch as you will get a car spot when you return as the car parks all have free parks in them most of the time. Previously if you left your car spot at lunch, good luck finding another one.

Its hard to say if Manuka isn’t representative of wider Canberra in general. I also think building owners don’t care wholeases the store, as long as it is leased. I noticed last night at Erindale, that Cafe Cherry Beans is opening. Inside there is already a Micheles and a Guru and for the less discerning a Donut King. Also a bakery. There is also another hairdressers opening….

Alexandra Craig12:39 pm 31 Mar 15

Ezy said :

One thing that I feel is missing from the Manuka is a cheap, quality sandwich bar – which I feel is why Mee’s is so popular. Something like idelic in Kingston would be good for tasty lunch time alternatives that don’t cost $20+. I was really hoping that the new Kismet would offer something like this, but again – $20 for lunch is way out of reach..

What about the Milk Bar next door to MyCafe? They have a sandwich bar set up where you pick and choose exactly what goes on your sandwich. I haven’t been there in a while but used to go there all the time. I think the average sandwich cost me about $8.

Maya123 said :

rubaiyat said :

When we first came to Canberra we liked walking to Manuka and catching the bus back.

The Manuka bus was cancelled several years ago. In fact 2 out of 3 routes have been cancelled and the last one left, that only goes to Civic/Woden is down to once an hour for most of the day.

Parking around Manuka is a pain and if you want to dine/drink a car is not a good option anyway.

Losing Woolies and gaining Coles was not a positive, especially given the horrible development Coles is in, which was a disaster from scratch and only gotten worse.

We still go to see the occasional movie or a couple of our favourite restaurants, like Ricetta, the Korean BBQ and Pheast, or the Book Store, but much less than we did previously. If enough people are in the same situation that explains Manuka’s lower patronage.

“The Manuka bus was cancelled several years ago. In fact 2 out of 3 routes have been cancelled and the last one left, that only goes to Civic/Woden is down to once an hour for most of the day.”

Mistaken. Buses 4 and 5 go through Manuka between Woden and Civic five days a week with each running every half an hour, so that’s a bus about every ten to twenty minutes. I regularly catch number 5.
At weekends buses 935 and 938 pass through Manuka. That’s on a reduced timetable, but still, for five days out of seven, there is a bus every ten to twenty minutes.
A hint to bus travellers going towards Woden. Catch number 5 if you can, as 4 appears to take a longer and a more ‘scenic’, winding route. Their route is the same for 4 & 5 going the Civic direction.

I guess that must mean: “If it happens to you, it happens for everyone”?

Not mistaken. The 4 and 5 go nowhere near us.

All we have is the 1 and if we walk a kilometre back to Deakin we might hit lucky and get a 3, but that is an act of desperation.

rubaiyat said :

When we first came to Canberra we liked walking to Manuka and catching the bus back.

The Manuka bus was cancelled several years ago. In fact 2 out of 3 routes have been cancelled and the last one left, that only goes to Civic/Woden is down to once an hour for most of the day.

Parking around Manuka is a pain and if you want to dine/drink a car is not a good option anyway.

Losing Woolies and gaining Coles was not a positive, especially given the horrible development Coles is in, which was a disaster from scratch and only gotten worse.

We still go to see the occasional movie or a couple of our favourite restaurants, like Ricetta, the Korean BBQ and Pheast, or the Book Store, but much less than we did previously. If enough people are in the same situation that explains Manuka’s lower patronage.

“The Manuka bus was cancelled several years ago. In fact 2 out of 3 routes have been cancelled and the last one left, that only goes to Civic/Woden is down to once an hour for most of the day.”

Mistaken. Buses 4 and 5 go through Manuka between Woden and Civic five days a week with each running every half an hour, so that’s a bus about every ten to twenty minutes. I regularly catch number 5.
At weekends buses 935 and 938 pass through Manuka. That’s on a reduced timetable, but still, for five days out of seven, there is a bus every ten to twenty minutes.
A hint to bus travellers going towards Woden. Catch number 5 if you can, as 4 appears to take a longer and a more ‘scenic’, winding route. Their route is the same for 4 & 5 going the Civic direction.

When we first came to Canberra we liked walking to Manuka and catching the bus back.

The Manuka bus was cancelled several years ago. In fact 2 out of 3 routes have been cancelled and the last one left, that only goes to Civic/Woden is down to once an hour for most of the day.

Parking around Manuka is a pain and if you want to dine/drink a car is not a good option anyway.

Losing Woolies and gaining Coles was not a positive, especially given the horrible development Coles is in, which was a disaster from scratch and only gotten worse.

We still go to see the occasional movie or a couple of our favourite restaurants, like Ricetta, the Korean BBQ and Pheast, or the Book Store, but much less than we did previously. If enough people are in the same situation that explains Manuka’s lower patronage.

I have worked in Manuka for over 13 years and have seen it change quite a bit over that time. Many business have come and gone – including Woolworths, Starbucks, Abels Music, Sanity Music, various attempts at nightclubs + pool bars, restaurants (Atlantic, Tryst, JusQytly). The rise of Ona in Manuka was good to see – from humble beginnings as Hansel + Gretel to the coffee powerhouse they are today. Over the road it has been interesting/sad to see numerous failed attempts to rejuvenate the nightclub space, Legends even had a go at extending downstairs but that didn’t last. The owner of Kismet was the last to try to inject some life into it with Alchemy. It didn’t last long. People just don’t like to cross that road.

One thing that I feel is missing from the Manuka is a cheap, quality sandwich bar – which I feel is why Mee’s is so popular. Something like idelic in Kingston would be good for tasty lunch time alternatives that don’t cost $20+. I was really hoping that the new Kismet would offer something like this, but again – $20 for lunch is way out of reach.

I do really enjoy a lunch time browse in Paperchain though.

Dame Canberra10:31 am 31 Mar 15

Such a shame that Deli Alimente has closed down. It was one of my favourite shops in Manuka – so much so that I used to do my grocery shopping at the Coles next door instead of at Majura Park so I could visit the deli afterwards.

I’ve noticed that Manuka has been much quieter of late (it has never been so easy to find a park!), but certain stores like Gelatissimo, Public and the new cafe on Flinders’ Way next to/near Mee’s Sushi always seem to be quite full which is reassuring.

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