Ask RiotACT: Moving to Canberra 2018

Hi All

I have just returned back to Canberra and requiring accommodation for a period of four months, ( Housesitting, Rental/Share), excellent references supplied.
Any assistance would be much appreciated. Cheers Heather,
P.S Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New year!

Hi everyone,

Thank you all so much for the advice. I’m coming down in late December to do some recon, so will definately have a look at the areas you suggest and re-think the size of the block as well.

Thanks again

Ros

Lucy Baker said :

If your plan is just veggies, fruit trees and chickens you may not need one to five acres – a good half-acre in Bungendore, Sutton etc would set you up well, or even 1000 square metres. Expect to pay quite a lot within 30 minutes of Canberra though. And watch out for dry areas – Canberra hasn’t had a drought for a while but when they happen you can need to truck water in. And focus on established shade trees rather than block size, is my advice!

A suburban block of less than 1000 metres can produce a lot of food if utilised well. A ‘normal’ sized house (not a McMansion) on 600 sq metres, using front and back gardens can produce a lot of food. No need for acres. I have 650 sq metres and have nine fruit trees, three grape vines (plus two ‘borrowed’ ones from the neighbours), two kiwi vines, several berry bushes and vegetable gardens. There is still room for ornamental plantings. I haven’t heavily planted; there is still some available room.

If your plan is just veggies, fruit trees and chickens you may not need one to five acres – a good half-acre in Bungendore, Sutton etc would set you up well, or even 1000 square metres. Expect to pay quite a lot within 30 minutes of Canberra though. And watch out for dry areas – Canberra hasn’t had a drought for a while but when they happen you can need to truck water in. And focus on established shade trees rather than block size, is my advice!

Hey rosk,

Depending on your budget and where you’re working will impact that 30 minute commute. For instance, you could look at Royalla/Little Burra south of Tuggerangong if you were working in Tuggerangong.

For a commute from the city, something out in the Wamboin region might suffice.

For working in Belconnen, Murrumbateman may suit your requirements.

Obviously any of those regions would work if you were prepared to commute a little longer depending on where you worked too.

Most places in Canberra get listed on the AllHomes website, but a growing number are on all platforms (RealEstate.com.au, Domain and AllHomes).

Your best bet would be in the outer NSW regions to get that much space: parts of Queanbeyan (Greenleigh, Kingsway, Ridgeway, Royalla, Mt Campbell, Wickerslack Lane), Bungendore, Sutton, Carwoola, Murrembateman. You’ll be up for big bucks in some of these areas but I guess that’s the trade off for the lifestyle you desire.