29 April 2010

What's Duffy like?

| skiddy
Join the conversation
21

My family is moving over from Perth and you guys have helped me out with advice on schools – thank you! We’re keen on Duffy – it seems cool and is in our price range.

I’d love to know your opinions on Duffy as a suburb, Weston Creek in general and what you know about Duffy Preschool?

[ED – Of all the one night stands of my life, 80% have been with women from Duffy. I don’t know exactly what that means, but I certainly have a fondness for it.]

Join the conversation

21
All Comments
  • All Comments
  • Website Comments
LatestOldest
WonderfulWorld9:00 pm 02 May 10

Skiddy – Canberra is a lovely town and quite spread out. It doesn’t have the “best” transport system but with clever planning and scheduling it it not a problem either, as long as you are aware and prepared.
I’ve live in CBR all my life but not in Weston area. From an “outsider” it has demonstrated to be a great part of town. Kids/Adults I’ve played sports against and met with have always been sportspeople and respectful. The shops (when I get there) are not full of young kids hanging around.
Duffy is an outside suburb as some see it so I would advise on a car rather than local transport.
You could pick much worse suburbs, like anywhere in the Belco region.

cookkosciusko4:46 pm 02 May 10

My family recently moved to Duffy from another suburb on the northside. We have a child in Duffy preschool and we are very happy. The preschool teacher is lovely and our daughter loves it there. We also enjoy living in Duffy and the mountainbiking at Mt Stromlo (only 5 minutes ride away) is excellent.

Thanks everyone. Duffy sounds like a great place to live and it sounds like Duffy preschool is a good choice. Pretty concerning though to hear about some of the other school problems. I’m hoping that on the whole Canberra schools are better than Perth ones. You know Ed, if my daughters have to have one night stands in 20 years time (shudder) then I’d be happy if it was with a rabble rouser like you. This forum makes me excited about Canberra – Perth is so conservative it would be torn apart by the talk back radio killjoys.

My 2 cents…

I also have a son in Year 7 at Stromlo High and am VERY HAPPY with the improvement in his attitude and school work. He spent primary years at Taylor primary which seems to have the same issues Chapman primary has: patronsising senior staff, staff ignoring parents’ concerns etc. Taylor was fantastic prior to the school closures a few years ago. I used to recommend it to other parents, now I’m embarressed that my kid went there.

Oh and speaking of Weston Creek, apparently there a Seige going on in the area between the Holder shops and Dixon Drive. add that to the crime stats?

Any comments on Duffy primary, then, since many of you don’t like Chapman?

There’s also St Jude’s in Holder, if they’re Catholic-ed inclined. Or the Montessori school also in Holder and Orana (Steiner) in Weston.

SKIDDY, I think you would find Duffy a great place to live. We love it here although our house should be considered as being more in Stromlo than Duffy but get in as soon as possible if you can. Purchase opportunities do not come up that often and when they do they can be at the higher end. There’s good shopping, great vistas, friendly folk, bush all around and lots of alternative schooling for the kiddies within walking distance. We also bought in Curtin recently which could be an option for you.

My nephew is at Chapman primary, and my neice finished there a couple of years ago, and their stories from the past few years are not very positive. Apparently the principal is a big part of the problem.

Duffy was great to grow up in. Lived there until I was 26 and then moved out when I bought my own house. It was perfect up until the fires wiped out all the forest etc as it lost it’s appeal a bit because it was so tranquil and you felt like you were nestled in your own private forest. Just a shame all the greenery has gone.

Don’t remember much about the pre-school but Duffy Primary was fantastic when I was there in the 70’s and early 80’s. When I 18, it was nice and close to Civic where the action happened so catching a taxi wasn’t too bad. Close to all amenities such as Woden etc and you really get the best of both worlds being in the middle of the north and south sides.

I have wonderful memories of Duffy and hope that if anyone moved to that suburb, they would have them too. Good luck.

Lazy I said :

The senior staff at the school are awful, patronising people.

I must admit, I heard very similar from another parent about 6 months ago (I don’t have children there personally.. yet) but thought it was a one off.

I might have to tone down my recommendation in future 😉

Yes, we’ve spoken to many parents now about Chapman…they’re all singing the same tune. There were several kids who did indeed move & now that my son’s year have hit high school, there are several more now saying “should have moved schools years ago”.

It’s perfectly understandable that some teachers are better/more to your liking than others. The problem with Chapman Primary was that the senior staff would not accept ANY critisism of their teachers, nor do anything about any issues…even when raised by many parents.

The way the headmaster spoke to us as parents was disgusting & it got to the point where we would not speak to the school without a Dept of Education rep present.

The senior staff at the school are awful, patronising people.

I must admit, I heard very similar from another parent about 6 months ago (I don’t have children there personally.. yet) but thought it was a one off.

I might have to tone down my recommendation in future 😉

Duffy is a great suburb to live in. Friendly, quiet, close to everything. I grew up in Fisher, have lived in Chapman & now 6 years in Duffy. All great suburbs to be in.

> It would be worth looking at getting your children into the Chapman school if possible. It has a great reputation and quality facilities that are now expanding again.

Speaking from personal experience, I’d say give Chapman Primary a BIG miss. Sure, they have a good reputation (which is why our son went there). However, reputation is all they’ve got. Our son did have a couple of good teachers, but also several terrible ones. The senior staff at the school are awful, patronising people. Thankfully our son is in high school now (at Stromlo, can’t say enough good things about it!) & is rapidly improving with his school work. It’s only since he’s been in year 7 this year that we’ve realised just how bad Chapman was. We should have moved him to Duffy years ago.

Clown Killer10:33 am 29 Apr 10

Not sure about school catchment boundaries etc but anywhere in Duffy, Chapman, Fisher, Weston is a pretty safe bet. Woden used to be the geographic centre of Canberra (might have changed a little with the expansion to the north) so its pretty central to just about anywhere.

I thought I could make some typically longwinded faux analysis of the pros and cons of Duffy over anywhere else to try and mask how parochial I am. But why beat-around the bush, eh? Duffy’s awesome!

Seriously, I’ve lived in London, Cambridge, bits of Maryland, Sydney and all-over Canberra and I personally prefer the Weston Creek township over anywhere else for the fact it’s damn near central, but still quiet and on the edge of the city. There are several really good restaurants in the Cooleman Court area and a couple of decent clubs a stone’s-throw away.

Duffy is then again at the edge of Weston Creek and that much quieter again.

Sorry, I can’t find the details anymore, but there was a newspaper article a little while ago listing Duffy amongst the top up-and-coming suburbs in Australia for property investment, so pay attention to Sloppery above: Prices are possibly going to accelerate upwards (Full disclosure: I only own my own home in Duffy and will not sell any time soon).

Creekgirl said :

I grew up in Duffy and currently still live in Weston Creek. I think it is the best part of Canberra. The best thing about Duffy and Weston Creek is the sense of Community. I can’t walk into Coolamon Court without seeing 10 people I know and have a chat too. The community feel has only gotten better since the Bushfires.
Coolamon Court also has some great restuarants – Try My’s for some great vietnamese.
Duffy is also great because it is 15 minutes or less from everywhere in Canberra.
I am not sure about the pre-school. Is was great when I went there 22 years ago. I still run into my old pre-school and primary school teachers and I (and many others) still go back to the school fete every year.
I think you would be very happy there.

So you’ve lived in the Weston Creek area for 20+ years and don’t know how to spell Cooleman? Perhaps Duffy Pre-School isn’t the best starting point for the OP’s children 🙂

Weston Creek is a great place to live, but would have to agree that Cooleman Court Woolworths has been substandard for many years.. it’s now even worse thanks to ‘self checkout’.

It would be worth looking at getting your children into the Chapman school if possible. It has a great reputation and quality facilities that are now expanding again.

I do have some concerns about how the Molonglo land release will impact the road infrastructure getting onto the parkway in the morning, but that really isn’t a reason to put you off buying in such a fantastic area.

I am torn between telling you how good it is and keeping quiet.

I haven’t lived in Chapman. It has better shops and a MUCH bigger school but TBH I like my child being in a smaller school and Duffy is really well resourced with a great community feel.

I like how quiet it is in Duffy on weekdays. I like running into neighbours and people from school down at the shops or at Coolo.

Duffy is different to what it was before the bushfires, the big influx of new (mostly much larger) houses as well as original residents reaching their 60s and 70s has brought more young families.

Duffy is a great suburb. Get it while its still affordable.

DeadlySchnauzer9:36 am 29 Apr 10

Chapman is just next door, and imo nicer. Its also only marginally more expensive (unless you want to live in one of the mansions up on the hills).

Weston Creek in General is a nice area. The woolworths in weston creek is below average. The store gets very busy yet most of the checkouts are empty. Shop at Aldi instead. Also parking at Coolaman will get worse once the new Molonglo land is released.

I grew up in Duffy and currently still live in Weston Creek. I think it is the best part of Canberra. The best thing about Duffy and Weston Creek is the sense of Community. I can’t walk into Coolamon Court without seeing 10 people I know and have a chat too. The community feel has only gotten better since the Bushfires.
Coolamon Court also has some great restuarants – Try My’s for some great vietnamese.
Duffy is also great because it is 15 minutes or less from everywhere in Canberra.
I am not sure about the pre-school. Is was great when I went there 22 years ago. I still run into my old pre-school and primary school teachers and I (and many others) still go back to the school fete every year.
I think you would be very happy there.

ZOMB Johnboy there’s such a thing as too much information!

Although in this case you may have supplied the parent of a preschooler with exactly the right amount of information: choose Duffy at the risk of having your child show up on Canberra Slutz in 10 years.

Daily Digest

Want the best Canberra news delivered daily? Every day we package the most popular Riotact stories and send them straight to your inbox. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.