ACT Policing arrested three men early this morning following an assault on a shop manager in Civic (Saturday, September 10).
About 1.50 am the men entered the Quick and Go convenience store located on the corner of Northbourne Avenue and Alinga Street, City. They were observed by a shop attendant to place a number of items [...]

Two men have been taken to the Canberra Hospital by the ACT Ambulance Service after sustaining burns in a Civic resturant.
The ACT Ambulance Service and ACT Fire Brigade where called to Hogs Breath Cafe on London Circuit just before 5 o’clock this afternoon.
Intensive care paramedics arrived to find two male patients in their twenties. One [...]

To a non construction worker it’s fascinating watching a modern building going up. The new ANU Exchange seems to be using more prefabrication than most of the other buildings that have been going up around Civic.
But it looks like a smarter way to do things.

Well what else would you expect to see on East Row at lunchtime?
And what giant things would you like to see?
Got an image of Canberra you want to share with the world? Email it to images@the-riotact.com .

I had a few minutes to kill this morning in Civic and I was struck by the growing number of empty shops in the city, especially in the Centrepoint complex.
Is this just a repeat of the boom/bust cycle for Civic or are we seeing a long term trend emerge?

The Economic Development Directorate has published a pdf of proposed works on Veterans Park in the heart of Civic.
Interesting to see that building marked as “future Stockland Development”.

John has sent in another great shot of the construction of the forthcoming Manhattan apartments in Civic with this dramatic note:
What Fowell Mansfield Jarvis & Maclurcan shall design with podium to lessen turbulence, so shall another mob rent asunder, for the temporary reprieve of chaotic Binara winds.
Their toil is nearly complete, and yet [...]

Two ACT Policing officers were exposed to blood and saliva by an aggressive, abusive 28-year-old male outside a Canberra nightclub in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Around 2.15 on Sunday morning (July 31), members of the City Beats Team approached a small group causing a disturbance in Alinga St, Civic, and where one man was [...]

ACT Policing has arrested an 18-year-old man and charged him with intentionally inflicting grievous bodily harm, following an incident in Civic on Sunday morning.
Police will allege that around 5.30am on the corner of Northbourne Avenue and Alinga Street in Civic, the alleged offender callously struck the 41-year-old Irish tourist in the face, causing the victim [...]

ACT Policing is seeking witnesses to an incident in the city early this morning (Sunday, 24 July).
About 5.30am police received a report of an unconscious man lying out the front of the Quick and Go convenience store on the corner of Northbourne Avenue and Alinga Street.
Upon arrival police found an unresponsive man lying on the [...]

The Canberra Times brings word of plans by QIC to convert the last carpark left on Cooyong Street into apartments, office space, and another slew of retail.
The development application proposed demolishing an existing outdoor car park along Cooyong Street and building a mixed-use development with multiple towers up to 14 storeys high.
They will comprise [...]

As seen in Civic this afternoon.
Got an image of Canberra you want to share with the world? Email it to images@the-riotact.com .

The demolition on Akuna Street to pave the way for the Manhattan Apartments has been a subject of ongoing fascination.
John has sent in another great set as the diggers in the sky come down to earth with this note:
Here ya go, today’s ground-breaking activity. You can see where the digger is breaking through into [...]

Canberra CBD has tweeted that the much loved Mamas Trattoria has re-opened in the Melbourne building.
Meanwhile the old Mamas site in Garema Place is being re-fitted to emerge as a new, much needed, bar under the name of Honkytonks.

ACT Policing has arrested a 22-year-old Nicholls man after a man was stabbed in Civic overnight.
Police will allege an altercation occurred between the two men outside a pizza store on London Circuit around 3am today (Saturday, July 16).
Police attended the store shortly after the incident occurred, where the alleged offender had been detained and disarmed [...]

The Australian pub seems to have shut its doors and stolen away into the night.  Outdoor furniture gone, windows covered over, no more repetitious 70′s and 80′s soundtrack.  Gone forever?
The ice skating rink has really injected some welcome life and colour into the space, but as someone who’s worked here for about six years, I [...]

Territory And Municipal Services are warning that they’re digging up roads around Civic again:
The ACT Government wishes to advise motorists and other road users that the following roads in the City will be temporarily closed (weather permitting):
- Bunda Street (between Petrie Street and Binara Street) and;
- Akuna Street (between Cooyong Street and approximately 60 metres [...]

I have a bit of a quandary, I’m living in an apartment building that doesn’t supply me with a car park.  I live in the city and have checked out the Target carpark (expensive and have a looong waiting list), and also the Convention Centre (also pretty expensive, plus it’s insecure – I’ve had my [...]

ActewAGL are warning that their maintenance program, and the discoloured water it brings, is coming to the Inner North with Reid, Campbell, Braddon, Turner, Ainslie and the City expected to be hit.
If you’ve still got mucky water on Wednesday call 13 11 93.

Garema Place is getting pretty crowded with all the activity setting up the ice rink this afternoon.
More details on the Canberra CBD page.
It’s all meant to be kicking off on Friday.

The Canberra Times has the intriguing news that the owners of the Uni Pub (and the Civic Pub and Kingston Hotel) are planning to duplicate the facility on London Circuit.
The new hotel, which is yet to be named, will comprise three storeys and a basement housing cloakrooms and toilets. Mr Dawn said he expected it [...]

More as it comes to hand.
UPDATE 1: We’re hearing new acton completely on fire. Will check.
UPDATE 2: As you can see the Hotel Diamant is really blazing away. More as soon as we know.
UPDATE 3: Fire brigade believe they’ve got it under control.
UPDATE 4: We’re hearing the fire started in the roof above the hotel [...]

Threepaws has sent in these pictures of Canberra in the 80s. Your correspondent has then spent part of this morning running around Canberra trying to match the shots. I’ve monochromed to match where appropriate. Above is the old bus interchange administration centre where one could seek guidance and assistance on buses and even buy tickets.
And [...]

Richard has sent in some fisheye lens photos he took of Civic in the sunnier yesterday of, er, yesterday.

Following on from our earlier explorations of the ambitious demolition project on Akuna Street, John has sent in another big set of pictures.
Got an image of Canberra you want to share with the world? Email it to images@the-riotact.com .
Here’s the full slideshow of this set:

“babingtonfilms” has posted a piece explaining Andrew Babington’s photography project of late night photography in Civic.
There’s a lot of striking imagery there.
The book “Before The Morning” is available on Blurb.

Facebook has the sad news that the Red Herring Cafe has ended its brave experiment with running a different sort of coffee shop in Civic.
Dear Loyal Patrons of the Herring,
I’m afraid I have bad news. Probably the worst news I’ve ever had to break to anyone. Sure, no one’s died, nothings burnt down or been [...]

ACT Policing is seeking witnesses to an alleged ‘glassing’ incident in the city in the early hours of Sunday morning (June 5) which left a 19-year-old man with lacerations to his face.
Around 3am Sunday, police were called to a night club in the city in relation to an altercation between two men. Prior to police [...]

Canberra CBD are informing us that their wildly anticipated ice skating in Garema Place is now taking telephone bookings on 0400 505 284.
It’s going to be running through July.
Apparently there’s some sort of hitch with booking over the intertubes.

We haven’t seen any announcement as to why the Australian Aboriginal Flag (that’s its name) flies proud over Civic this morning.
Anyone?
UPDATE: We’ve been informed that it’s for reconciliation week.

Car drivers and bike riders cop a lot of flak when it comes to road accidents but civic pedestrians seem to have a death wish when they illegally cross the road (corner of Northbourne Ave and London Crt.).
The next corner at Alinga St and Northbourne is even worse.
Has anyone tried to enforce Jay [...]

About a month or so ago I was introduced to The Hermitage, off Civic Square, across from the Legislative Assembly, next to the Canberra Museum. Being impressed with my $30 lunch special that day (i.e. an imaginative antipasto entree, a scotch fillet main, and a glass of wine from a bottle that sells for $17 [...]