2 March 2011

This is why I love the Inner North. Images of Canberra

| johnboy
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unicycle

Big trees, lots of greenery, ratty share house nature strips, and dudes on unicycles hammering past.

What’s not to love?

Got an image of Canberra you want to share with the world? Email it to images@the-riotact.com .

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Jethro said :

milkman said :

So people with a few bucks are all materialistic workaholics.

Gotcha.

No, but people who work unnecessary hours in order to acquire unnecessary products and excessively sized houses are.

Or a house in the Inner North – as it has been established that they cost the same.

Sorry, had to play devil’s advocate.

milkman said :

So people with a few bucks are all materialistic workaholics.

Gotcha.

No, but people who work unnecessary hours in order to acquire unnecessary products and excessively sized houses are.

Jethro said :

shadow boxer said :

Jethro said :

shadow boxer said :

I grew up in Dickson and have owned houses in the inner north but I love my McMansion the most.

Whats not to love about a big house with shiny new stuff all through it ?

The fact that it screams ‘I’m a self-important man who feels the need to big-note myself through my possessions.’

That and the mammoth effort to keep the place clean.

No it doesn’t, it screams here’s a bloke with 4 kids that needs 5 bedrooms, worked hard at school, has a responsible job that doesn’t involve nursing a hangover at 9 am and enjoys nice things.

In the US they celebrate this sort of thing, here we just want to drag it down.

So those of use who choose life over work and are happy to have a smaller house with less stuff because it means we get to spend a few days home each week watching our kids grow up, or that we can chuck the tent and hiking gear into the car on a whim and disappear into the bush for 3 or 4 days are alcoholics who failed school.

Gotcha.

So people with a few bucks are all materialistic workaholics.

Gotcha.

wooster said :

Having lived in the inner north for the last year and a bit, I can tell you I am very keen to get back out to the burbs.

Those tw*ts on the bizarre bikes (the needlessly tall ones) and unicycles are just attention-seekers. I for one am glad that the fall off one of said vehicles would be far more likely and far more painful than compared to a regular bicycle.

Evolution in action.

I cannot help but agree. Walking through Woden yesterday I observed a “hipster” wobbling all over the pavement on a chromed “Chopper” pushbike. The bike was entirely impractical, must have cost a bloody fortune, and was clearly meant to scream; “For god’s sake please give me attention, I’m a totally class and style free pr!ck, who has spent good money on this crap in the vain hope people will give me attention and think me cool.” He also had one of the most punchable faces on the planet.

Wrong rioter quoted in previous post, sorry

Jethro said :

No it doesn’t, it screams here’s a bloke with 4 kids

Hang on – you have five kids and you have a cleaning lady? Unless they are all below seven years old, if you’re going to espouse middle-class standards, you should be making those kids clean the house! You’re emphasising the cultural divide between Gungahlin dunrealgoods and the values in the inner suburbs …

shadow boxer said :

Jethro said :

shadow boxer said :

I grew up in Dickson and have owned houses in the inner north but I love my McMansion the most.

Whats not to love about a big house with shiny new stuff all through it ?

The fact that it screams ‘I’m a self-important man who feels the need to big-note myself through my possessions.’

That and the mammoth effort to keep the place clean.

No it doesn’t, it screams here’s a bloke with 4 kids that needs 5 bedrooms, worked hard at school, has a responsible job that doesn’t involve nursing a hangover at 9 am and enjoys nice things.

In the US they celebrate this sort of thing, here we just want to drag it down.

So those of use who choose life over work and are happy to have a smaller house with less stuff because it means we get to spend a few days home each week watching our kids grow up, or that we can chuck the tent and hiking gear into the car on a whim and disappear into the bush for 3 or 4 days are alcoholics who failed school.

Gotcha.

shadow boxer said :

I have an 800 square metre block and 30 square house.

I don’t want to deflate your hubris, but 30 squares isn’t mcmansion size these days … and 800sm is quite a small block by old inner north standards. “Looking out over golf green verdure” is however definitely some compensation for living in Gungahlin I’m sure!

shadow boxer said :

The cleaning lady looks after most of the cleaning ($70 a fortnight) and its the best money I spend all week, I would pay twice that.

Go on then, give her a payrise; from what you’re saying you can afford it. $70 a fortnight seems a bit cheap. Although I find that people who boast about their wealth often tend to be a little tight.

shadow boxer said :

Jethro said :

shadow boxer said :

I grew up in Dickson and have owned houses in the inner north but I love my McMansion the most.

Whats not to love about a big house with shiny new stuff all through it ?

The fact that it screams ‘I’m a self-important man who feels the need to big-note myself through my possessions.’

That and the mammoth effort to keep the place clean.

No it doesn’t, it screams here’s a bloke with 4 kids that needs 5 bedrooms, worked hard at school, has a responsible job that doesn’t involve nursing a hangover at 9 am and enjoys nice things.

In the US they celebrate this sort of thing, here we just want to drag it down.

The cleaning lady looks after most of the cleaning ($70 a fortnight) and its the best money I spend all week, I would pay twice that.

Well said, it’s a shame we can’t celebrate a bit of success.

shadow boxer6:05 am 11 Sep 11

Watson said :

I-filed said :

I wish these Gungahlin McMansion peasants would work from home … and stop rat-racing through the inner north … waking up musicians and artists with hangovers at an ungodly hour before 9.00 every weekday …
I’ve noticed that every mcmansion I’ve been in, the owners have spent all their money on the mortgage and haven’t been able to afford enough furniture and there are vast “pool table will go here” spaces and “large empty hall being heated at great expense” spaces, and “couldn’t afford good carpet” spaces … not to mention the sorry little gardens. Anyone with money AND a bit of nous will choose a small house in inner Canberra with a big, water-frugal garden …

Err… have you looked at house prices in the Inner North recently? A small house in the Inner North is about twice the price as a new (small) house in Gungahlin. Alas…

Agreed but I think the comparison being discussed is McMansion in the suburbs versus small (ex-govie) in the inner north. Both in the $6-800,000 range

shadow boxer6:03 am 11 Sep 11

Jethro said :

shadow boxer said :

I grew up in Dickson and have owned houses in the inner north but I love my McMansion the most.

Whats not to love about a big house with shiny new stuff all through it ?

The fact that it screams ‘I’m a self-important man who feels the need to big-note myself through my possessions.’

That and the mammoth effort to keep the place clean.

No it doesn’t, it screams here’s a bloke with 4 kids that needs 5 bedrooms, worked hard at school, has a responsible job that doesn’t involve nursing a hangover at 9 am and enjoys nice things.

In the US they celebrate this sort of thing, here we just want to drag it down.

The cleaning lady looks after most of the cleaning ($70 a fortnight) and its the best money I spend all week, I would pay twice that.

Henry82 said :

wooster said :

Those tw*ts on the bizarre bikes (the needlessly tall ones) and unicycles are just attention-seekers.

I’m pretty sure the owner of this site is one of those twits you speak of.

Three-post nut… jeez JB I hope we weren’t chasing you through the streets of Braddon.

wooster said :

Having lived in the inner north for the last year and a bit, I can tell you I am very keen to get back out to the burbs.

Those tw*ts on the bizarre bikes (the needlessly tall ones) and unicycles are just attention-seekers. I for one am glad that the fall off one of said vehicles would be far more likely and far more painful than compared to a regular bicycle.

Evolution in action.

Earlier this year I had an interstate friend round to visit. He drives a dodgy looking black van with all the windows foiled out so that he can sleep in it without the sun getting in. One night at about 8pm we were driving around Braddon and saw for the first time in our lives one of those super tall bikes (it looked like a bike frame welded onto another bike frame) and decided we needed a photo of it, so started chasing him through the streets in the van.

Judging by his panicked reaction I’m sure he thought he was about to get abducted or something.

shadow boxer said :

I grew up in Dickson and have owned houses in the inner north but I love my McMansion the most.

Whats not to love about a big house with shiny new stuff all through it ?

The fact that it screams ‘I’m a self-important man who feels the need to big-note myself through my possessions.’

That and the mammoth effort to keep the place clean.

I-filed said :

I wish these Gungahlin McMansion peasants would work from home … and stop rat-racing through the inner north … waking up musicians and artists with hangovers at an ungodly hour before 9.00 every weekday …
I’ve noticed that every mcmansion I’ve been in, the owners have spent all their money on the mortgage and haven’t been able to afford enough furniture and there are vast “pool table will go here” spaces and “large empty hall being heated at great expense” spaces, and “couldn’t afford good carpet” spaces … not to mention the sorry little gardens. Anyone with money AND a bit of nous will choose a small house in inner Canberra with a big, water-frugal garden …

Err… have you looked at house prices in the Inner North recently? A small house in the Inner North is about twice the price as a new (small) house in Gungahlin. Alas…

shadow boxer5:57 pm 10 Sep 11

I-filed said :

shadow boxer said :

I grew up in Dickson and have owned houses in the inner north but I love my McMansion the most.

Whats not to love about a big house with shiny new stuff all through it ?

I wish these Gungahlin McMansion peasants would work from home … and stop rat-racing through the inner north … waking up musicians and artists with hangovers at an ungodly hour before 9.00 every weekday …
I’ve noticed that every mcmansion I’ve been in, the owners have spent all their money on the mortgage and haven’t been able to afford enough furniture and there are vast “pool table will go here” spaces and “large empty hall being heated at great expense” spaces, and “couldn’t afford good carpet” spaces … not to mention the sorry little gardens. Anyone with money AND a bit of nous will choose a small house in inner Canberra with a big, water-frugal garden …

Well my mortgage is paid off and I could move to a small inner north house with a water frugal garden if I wanted to, sounds pretty dark and miserable to me and wont be happening any time soon.

Each to their own though you might want to look up the definition of peasant.

shadow boxer5:55 pm 10 Sep 11

poetix said :

shadow boxer said :

the word etc is for lazy people who can’t think of anything else to say.

…as opposed to using ‘lol’ ‘btw’ and ‘wtf’?

Really ?, you see them as the same thing, I could type the full expression but I doubt Johnboy would let it through.

Very different to running out of lame points to justify your massive generalisation and just typing etc.

wooster said :

Those tw*ts on the bizarre bikes (the needlessly tall ones) and unicycles are just attention-seekers.

I’m pretty sure the owner of this site is one of those twits you speak of. Anyway, i’d rather people fool around on tall bikes and uni cycles than fooling around in a v8 ute or 4wd on public streets.

2604 said :

Jim Jones said :

johnboy said :

the heating bill?

The sense of hopeless surrender to soulless materialism?

The lack of “soulless materialism” in the Inner North is more than made up for by an overabundance of mindless political correctness.

Ah ‘political correctness’, what exactly do you mean by ‘political correctness’?

In my experience, people only refer to ‘political correctness’ when others call them out for being a bigot or because they’re acting like f%^heads.

Perhaps you could explain how certain areas of Canberra are oppressed by this ‘political correctness’.

gentoopenguin4:08 pm 10 Sep 11

Inner north fan here too. Used to live in new Bruce, it was treeless and without a sense of community. Much happier here where my neighbours are raucous cockatoos rather than student/tradie share house hellions.

D2 said :

I’d love to live in the inner north (or inneer south) if I could afford it. It’s a pity that none of the newer suburbs will ever look as good – and some will forever be McMansion-infested slums.

+1

This is why we can’t have nice things. We used to know how to design beautiful suburbs, but since we’ve let the developers loose all we get is Gungahlins.

shadow boxer said :

the word etc is for lazy people who can’t think of anything else to say.

…as opposed to using ‘lol’ ‘btw’ and ‘wtf’?

shadow boxer said :

I grew up in Dickson and have owned houses in the inner north but I love my McMansion the most.

Whats not to love about a big house with shiny new stuff all through it ?

I wish these Gungahlin McMansion peasants would work from home … and stop rat-racing through the inner north … waking up musicians and artists with hangovers at an ungodly hour before 9.00 every weekday …
I’ve noticed that every mcmansion I’ve been in, the owners have spent all their money on the mortgage and haven’t been able to afford enough furniture and there are vast “pool table will go here” spaces and “large empty hall being heated at great expense” spaces, and “couldn’t afford good carpet” spaces … not to mention the sorry little gardens. Anyone with money AND a bit of nous will choose a small house in inner Canberra with a big, water-frugal garden …

Having lived in the inner north for the last year and a bit, I can tell you I am very keen to get back out to the burbs.

Those tw*ts on the bizarre bikes (the needlessly tall ones) and unicycles are just attention-seekers. I for one am glad that the fall off one of said vehicles would be far more likely and far more painful than compared to a regular bicycle.

Evolution in action.

shadow boxer11:22 am 10 Sep 11

poetix said :

shadow boxer said :

I grew up in Dickson and have owned houses in the inner north but I love my McMansion the most.

Whats not to love about a big house with shiny new stuff all through it ?

The cheap infrastructure?
The lack of greenery?
The lack of garden because the house takes up every centimetre of the 200 square metre block, without the charm of a terrace?
The total surrender to the cult of the ‘shiny new stuff’?
The niggling knowledge that you are really in the westernmost part of Parramatta? (if you’re in Gungahlin)
The massive fuel bills if you want to escape?

etc. etc.

lol, it does seem to drive Lyneham

I didn’t realise this thread still existed, I better adress your points.

“The lack of greenery” I front a golf course so I have about 10 acres on the other side of my fence
I dont understand the cheap infrastructure comment so i’ll leave that one
“the lack of a garden”, I have an 800 square metre block and 30 square house, lots of garden and front lawn thanks.
“The cult of shiny new stuff” wtf ? give me a choice between a quality piece of stuff and an old crappy one, i’ll take the new one thanks.
What’s wrong with Parramatta you snob (btw the inner north is actualy closer)
“The heating bills” I have the biggest slow combustion stove on the market, costs about $600 a winter to keep the house at about 26 degrees throughout, i’m betting that’s less than your electricity bill following the carbon tax panic.
Massive fuel bills ? its 15k’s to civic but pretty much everything I need is out here now

the word etc is for lazy people who can’t think of anything else to say.

Jim Jones said :

johnboy said :

the heating bill?

The sense of hopeless surrender to soulless materialism?

The lack of “soulless materialism” in the Inner North is more than made up for by an overabundance of mindless political correctness.

shadow boxer said :

I grew up in Dickson and have owned houses in the inner north but I love my McMansion the most.

Whats not to love about a big house with shiny new stuff all through it ?

The cheap infrastructure?
The lack of greenery?
The lack of garden because the house takes up every centimetre of the 200 square metre block, without the charm of a terrace?
The total surrender to the cult of the ‘shiny new stuff’?
The niggling knowledge that you are really in the westernmost part of Parramatta? (if you’re in Gungahlin)
The massive fuel bills if you want to escape?

etc. etc.

Jim Jones said :

johnboy said :

the heating bill?

The sense of hopeless surrender to soulless materialism?

Jim Jones said :

johnboy said :

the heating bill?

The sense of hopeless surrender to soulless materialism?

The realisation that the chase for baubles is ultimately dehumanising, and ecologically unsustainable?

johnboy said :

the heating bill?

The sense of hopeless surrender to soulless materialism?

The inner north is fine, except for the houses.

And the lefty smugness.

akinom said :

Inner north is definitely a good place to be at the moment, despite the niggly invasion of a McMansion here and there..

yeah, the lack of parking, sketchy people and being killed for a mobile phone are really things that attract me to that side of town.

Also, whats with living close to work? I don’t want to see my building every time I get in my car!

shadow boxer9:20 am 03 Mar 11

haha, yeh I guess, I did get sick of my wife complaining about always being cold with the ducted gas so I installed the biggest slow combustion wood stove on the market.

Tend to fire it up on a Thrsday night and run it until Sunday and use the gas the rest of the week.

The trouble with ducted gas is it is really expensive and it might be a nice 23 degrees inside but if you are just coming in from the cold it takes ages to warm up. Not really suited to Canberra.

shadow boxer8:07 am 03 Mar 11

I grew up in Dickson and have owned houses in the inner north but I love my McMansion the most.

Whats not to love about a big house with shiny new stuff all through it ?

the heating bill?

Inner north is definitely a good place to be at the moment, despite the niggly invasion of a McMansion here and there. Last Sunday night, we in Lyneham were entertained by a concert at the local Vietnamese buddhist temple (aka Qld flood fund raiser). The food was cheap and awesome, and the amped music was … er … interesting.

Eyl said :

Poor guy couldn’t afford the rest of the bike….

Dont knock him, if is the guy I am thinking of he was riding singletrack at O’Connor ridge the other week.

For us mountain bikers, that is hardcore….

D2 said :

I’d love to live in the inner north (or inneer south) if I could afford it. It’s a pity that none of the newer suburbs will ever look as good – and some will forever be McMansion-infested slums.

Isnt a ‘McMansion’ a large (and thus expensivish) house, thus unlikely to be in a slum? Well, an economic slum as opposed to an aesthetic slum.

Perhaps you are looking for ‘off the plan boxes in aubergine’ (although shades of brown now appear to be the in colour).

As a long time inner norther, let me tell you there are some absolutely shocking houses in the inner north. Its just that they are older style (thus look ‘quaint’ if nothing else) and the greenery hides a lot of problems.

I’d love to live in the inner north (or inneer south) if I could afford it. It’s a pity that none of the newer suburbs will ever look as good – and some will forever be McMansion-infested slums.

el_presidente12:27 pm 02 Mar 11

I recently move from Belcompton to the Inner North and I have to say it’s awesome. Pubs and cafes at the local shops, sub-10 minute trip to work and a sense of community in my street. Love it.

I saw him along the “woden drain” bikepath the other afternoon (the one that goes from phillip college to behind the police station and beyond.

Third world filther from the looks of it.

Poor guy couldn’t afford the rest of the bike….

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