The Canberra Times has a typically complex planning story on the failed auction of the Baileys Corner car park and the matching one across Northbourne Avenue.
A glut of commercial development space in Canberra and fears of a legal challenge over a planning amendment on City Hill are being blamed for two premium development blocks [...]

[First filed: Jun 9, 2010 @ 9:36]

The new DEEWR building on the corner of Rudd St and Marcus Clarke St is getting the finishing touches and they’ve even given the footpaths back to the public as Civic West’s latest black glass behemoth nears completion.
On Sunday these blokes seemed to be quite enjoying rappelling around the [...]

1. Thuggies out on a spree:
ACT Policing is seeking witnesses to an incident that occurred on Hindmarsh Drive, Phillip about 12.25am this morning (Sunday 6 June).
A member of the public was harassed by the occupants of a 2009 grey Mitsubishi Lancer sedan that had been stolen the previous day from the victim of one [...]

There seems to be a spate of assaults happening in Civic on weekends at the moment.
I know of at least three guys being king hit from behind last weekend.
It seems the coppers haven’t even had time to log them all in ‘the system’. [Ed- or at least put out a media release]
I am [...]

In a fascinating move the Chief Minister is asking for ideas on how to build one mega administrative centre to house all of the ACT Public Service.
Presumably this would mean next time there is a horrendous cockup it’s easier to haul the miscreants before the Chief Minister to explain their indolence and incompetence.
Mr Stanhope doesn’t [...]

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His Chiefliness brings the happy news Canberra CBD Limited is shelling out 6/7ths of the $700,000 needed to refurb West Row Park in Civic (note even the Dear Leader has reverted to the traditional name).
The package of works includes new seats, footpaths, bike racks, street lights and drought-tolerant shrubs. There’s also a special [...]

Last night’s storm was a pretty fearsome piece of weather.
Blingerific was kind enough to be out in the wild weather to capture these images.
Got an image of Canberra you want to share with the world?
Email it to images@the-riotact.com

Is it just me or are the workers at 121 Marcus Clarke St the cheapest guys around?
The Black Falcon Ute has been parked on the road for about the last month with a note saying “Don’t book me. Here’s what happened last time.”  Given he’s there at 8am in the morning  and there’s still plenty [...]

Check this out for cutting edge urban design, a super-duper green development planned for our fair city which is aiming to be the pinnacle of green sustainable living in Australia. And how funky and futuristic does it look!! Very Pandora like even
NewActon Nishi is currently being developed by the Molonglo Group and was [...]

Does anyone know who is responsible for the guys with the “stop/slow” signs who are discouraging pedestrians from using the pedestrian crossings in Petrie and Scotts Streets – the ones that connect the separate parts of the Canberra Centre.
There is no construction work going on.
Cars rule OK! So much for encouraging people [...]

The Canberra Times reports that separated ‘Copenhagen’ style cycle lanes are being considered for Civic, along with a ‘shared space’ zone on Bunda St where all users have equal rights. Pedal Power seem to think it’s a good thing and a bit of digging on their website soon revealed where the idea came from- looks [...]

Grill Fusion in Garema Place received a bad set of reviews here some time ago and closed last week. 
I wandered past today to find it is open again. 
Just had a very good curry. 
Perhaps if the new owners can actually offer some semblance of customer service, the place might be a success and continue to [...]

Do you work in the City?  Do you enjoy the small slice of green space on Bunda Street known as Veteran’s Park?  Well it’s soon set to be trashed by yet another overdevelopment in this increasingly overdeveloped city.  Stockland plan to demolish the AFP headquarters building (plus three others on the block) and construct a [...]

Image: Civic after midnight on New Year’s Eve
The ABC brings word of plans by Simon Corbell to quiet Civic down in the small hours of the morning.
As part of the overhaul, licence fees would rise significantly and would be linked to the risk venues pose to public safety.
Attorney-General Simon Corbell says the changes [...]

Image: The Glaciers rocking out
It was a variable first birthday for the Canberra Musicians Club on Saturday night.
The new venue of McGregor Hall (Corner of Marcus Clarke and Barry Drive in the city) has a lot going for it.
Unusually for a hall it has a high gabled ceiling which does wonders for the [...]

Our Government is currently eyeing up tearing up the tracks and flogging off all the land along the lucrative and attractive rail corridor to Kingston. This is particularly ironic as a large part of the value of that land is the rail corridor.
But for a sense of perspective Aussielyn has sent in these historic photos [...]

[First filed: July 28, 2009 @ 11:37]
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The Canberra Times brings the amazing news that the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal has dramatically expanded the possible scope of operations for Canberra’s night clubs.
Late in May we all thrilled to the outrage of a 13 year old girl found drunk and unconscious in Bar 32 [...]

Last night I was leaving Civic at 2am, which means I’d already made some mistakes.
Looking at the line for taxis my first instinct was to just walk home.
But for reporting purposes I decided to give it a go.
And for a piece of civic infratructure relied on by thousands of Canberrans every week it truly is [...]

The ACT Government is drip feeding quite a lot of its budget in advance. One way to dominate the local news cycle we suppose and it’s not as if the financial markets care much.
The latest is Chief Minister Stanhope promising to spend $12 million sprucing up the paving and street furniture around the iconic Sydney [...]

If there’s one thing we like it’s kids falling off skateboards. Thebigsteaz has posted this fine example of the genre on Youtube.
Anyone want to place the locales?

As chance would have it I came to be in MonkeyBar on Saturday night where one of the singers from the School of Music was having her 21st birthday party.
Fortunately this meant I was able to capture this bit of “Happy Birthday” by the other singers from the school. The lighting was diabolical and therefore [...]

My cousin lives in an apartment on Torrens St and doesn’t own a car.  I’m trying to convince him to rent out his car space as he is paying for it in his rent.
Just wondering…..how much would you pay for this? What’s the going rate?  It’s underground, secure and would have 24/7 access.
 muchos gracias [...]

The Friday afternoon boozing scene in Civic has a new player that seems to be sweeping all before it.
Tongue and Groove on Bunda Street is always so chokkas when I go past that I haven’t even had a chance to go in and find out what it’s like.
The decor certainly seems to feature a lot [...]

[First filed: January 01, 2009 @ 10:12]

If you’re sensible and have a girlfriend – wife – spouse – partner you spend New Year’s Eve at a private party.
Civic is for the terminal ravers and the young and lonely hoping to find someone with which to bump uglies.
But for you dear reader I left behind a [...]

At the risk of monopolizing 30 seconds of someone’s time for my own selfish gains: a few weeks back I was stumbling, er walking home through Civic when I walked past one of the shopfronts on the Northbourne side of the Sydney building. It appeared to be some kind of commercial lab (involving [...]

A good way to upset the Japanese is to suggest there is any similarity between themselves and Koreans. The crimes committed in the name of Japanese exceptionalism are, however, well beyond the scope of this article.
Cocorea is, in any event, far more a Korean joint than anything else despite its claims to “Korean & [...]

I transferred data via Bluetooth to my mobile phone (a Nokia Ngage QD), resulting in an out of memory message. Phone did not allow deletion of files to make room or to do anything else on the phone (giving a message saying that the phone was out of memory) turned phone off and now it [...]

Ambling through Garema Place this lunchtime I was surprised to see buskers playing easy listening covers with a large and sophisticated PA system. They even had a team of sound techs making sure their two guitars were coming out just right. (video of performers included)
The Chief Minister has now announced that this spectacle is actually [...]

The ABC brings word that Simon Corbell Andrew Barr is going to roll out an extra six hundred FREE parking spaces in Civic by the end of August.
Well, near Civic anyway, it’s the Acton car park that’s getting the expansion.
After Floriade (co-incidentally – we’re sure – after the election too) it will be converted into [...]

I work in the city and I’ll be stuffed if I can find a place that will sell me a coffee which hasn’t had the grind burned (the republic), the milk cooked to shit (take your pick) of half filled when they can’t be arsed (the republic again).
If had mostly good coffee at Kaldi [...]

Working around civic i have noticed an increasing number of homeless people sitting in Garema place doing nothing but drinking booze and doing drugs and everytime i wonder where are the cops. In the whole maybe 6 months since that crappy asian christian singer has started feeding the homeless i have seen the cops not [...]

That’s right, Nato Seuala, who died after receiving stab wounds “in the stomach and head in the early hours of July 15, 2006″ outside the Cube nightclub, wounds inflicted by club owner Maurizio Rao, was not murdered. He died yes but Justice Malcolm Gray stated “the prosecution failed to prove Rao was not acting in [...]