ACT Based Supporters

[dogwatch]

As Hodog says it's an outdoors town. If you like running, riding(mtb and road), hiking this is the place for you. snow 200km away and the coast 150k away. Every sport catered for, and right on your door step. If you need any contacts/intro to any sport/club check in with me, always happy to assist new comers to Canberra.

Me too. I'm big on bushwalking etc and happy to take new arrivals or visitors out for any sort of hike (long/short, flat/steep, national park/urban). Not so much into the biff and bash sports any more but still have a few contacts.

 

[Rookie]

Another Canberra dog here, I'd be keen for a meet-up sometime.

I'm planning on moving to Canberra in May next year. I don't know the place very well but moving to be closer to my wife's family. What should I expect? I'm moving from the Western suburbs of Melbourne.

Absolutely lovely city to live in. Like others have said, it's an outdoor paradise. We live a few minutes walk from one of the suburban mountain trails and the amenity we get from it is incredible. We probably go for a quick 2 hour hike up and down 3-4 times a week. The hiking options on the weekend are also fantastic.

People can be a little cliquey. If your wife has some school friends etc here it'll help. Throwing yourself into as many sport clubs and activities as your schedule allows is the traditional newcomer route to building connections.

 

[dogwatch]

You should expect a lot slower lifestyle - not necessarily a bad thing.
Less (ie no) traffic, less people, more space, fresher air. Nothing is more than 20 min drive away really. Good freeways/roads to get wherever you need to go.
It's a beautiful city. Lots of green space, huge lake in the middle and mountain views surrounding.

Access to bush hikes basically in the middle of the city (Mt Ainslie northside or Red Hill southside), world class mountain bike trails just out of the city. Less than 3 hours drive to the snow or some of the best beaches in Australia (Pretty Beach is a great camping spot btw).

You should expect HOT in summer, and COLD in winter. More polarising than Melbourne's seasons. Autumn and Spring are both really nice but don't really last too long in terms of the temperatures you'd expect for those seasons. From memory it transitioned between summer and winter (in terms of temperatures) pretty quickly.

Socially I would say most people are quite progressive politically/socially and generally pretty switched on. Lots of interesting people IMO. People enjoy talking about politics and their work a lot, as well as current affairs, sport, etc. It's a good city for lively discussion IMO as most people are on the pulse of things that are happening. Some born and bred Canberrans can be a little bit cliquey or just a bit odd sometimes (no offence anyone), but there is a huge number of people that have moved there for work (mostly), so making new friends is very easy. On the whole, it's a very friendly city.

Nightlife on the weekends can be bustling - maybe not a big deal for you with kids now, but it is quiet during the week. For more underground stuff, there is a bit of a scene but it's pretty small and harder to find. There are some amazing quality restaurants and bars, although a little pricey. Finding cheap, hidden gems like say you would in say Footscray or Brunswick is a bit hard. In general, everything costs more as it aligns with the wages there.

I lived all over (Ainslie, Belco, Griffith, Woden, Forrest, Narrabundah) but I personally liked South side better as it was a bit quieter but still had enough to do there. There is a bit of a North/South rivalry.

If you play local footy, get involved with the ANU Griffins. Best club

Biggest drawback for me was the lack of gigs. A lot of bands I was keen to see didn't tour to Canberra.

All in all, great place to live.

Great summary! (Saved me a bit of typing too.)

Disagree about the seasons though.

One of my first impressions of Canberra in the first year I was here was that the winters were so much better than Melbourne winters. Usually cool air but sunny, unlike Melbourne's grey cloudy days. Very cold overnight (usually below zero) but once the sun came out it was great. Then it rapidly gets cold again after 4pm. That said, this winter has been unusually cloudy and not so pleasant in Canberra, but heck the weather (climate?) is becoming so unpredictable everywhere these days. Hopefully next winter will be more like traditional Canberra ones.

Summer CAN be hot but not as hot as Melbourne's peak days. We never used to have days over 40 degrees but that has changed a bit in recent years, but still not as hot as any other capital except tropical Darwin (never goes above 40). More importantly Canberra has low humidity throughout the whole year, so winters don't usually chill you to the bone (like when I was in Melbourne recently) and you can manage the extremely hot days much better in summer.

Autumn is the best season and not all that short. From March right through to at least mid-May is usually fantastic weather. Spring pretty good (and nice to emerge from winter) but can be windy and often chilly right through to the end of September. We once had our front lawn covered in snow in early October but that was decades ago and never happens any more, even in winter. Also I never have to scrape ice off the car windscreen like I did the first decade I lived here. Hardly ever see any severe frosts.

Canberra has one of the highest proportions of restaurants to population in Australia, probably because of the FIFO journos, pollies and diplomatic staff. Maybe not as much grass roots type ethnic dining diversity but still pretty good. Strong coffee culture like most Australian cities.

Canberra people tend to be more politically aware simply because it's the capital. Even if you don't work in politics you may (if a public servant or a supplier to the APS) become very much aware of things like political sensitivities, senate estimates, public spending integrity and so on. Also Canberra has the highest average levels of education in Australia - being the capital it tends to draw in a lot of highly qualified public servants, consultants, lobbyists, journos, academics etc from other cities and overseas. There's also the imposing presence of ANU on cultural and academic life. With so many national institutions there are always interesting talks to go to, book launches (take note Wayniac!), exhibitions etc. And easy access to gigs, theatre, concerts, festivals etc.

Good outdoor stuff. Hiking, sports, cycle paths, organised sports etc as detailed by BEaston. And again, all very accessible.

If anyone wants some tips on the above I'm happy to help out.

 

[BEaston]

Great summary! (Saved me a bit of typing too.)

Disagree about the seasons though.

One of my first impressions of Canberra in the first year I was here was that the winters were so much better than Melbourne winters. Usually cool air but sunny, unlike Melbourne's grey cloudy days. Very cold overnight (usually below zero) but once the sun came out it was great. Then it rapidly gets cold again after 4pm. That said, this winter has been unusually cloudy and not so pleasant in Canberra, but heck the weather (climate?) is becoming so unpredictable everywhere these days. Hopefully next winter will be more like traditional Canberra ones.

Summer CAN be hot but not as hot as Melbourne's peak days. We never used to have days over 40 degrees but that has changed a bit in recent years, but still not as hot as any other capital except tropical Darwin (never goes above 40). More importantly Canberra has low humidity throughout the whole year, so winters don't usually chill you to the bone (like when I was in Melbourne recently) and you can manage the extremely hot days much better in summer.

Autumn is the best season and not all that short. From March right through to at least mid-May is usually fantastic weather. Spring pretty good (and nice to emerge from winter) but can be windy and often chilly right through to the end of September. We once had our front lawn covered in snow in early October but that was decades ago and never happens any more, even in winter. Also I never have to scrape ice off the car windscreen like I did the first decade I lived here. Hardly ever see any severe frosts.

Canberra has one of the highest proportions of restaurants to population in Australia, probably because of the FIFO journos, pollies and diplomatic staff. Maybe not as much grass roots type ethnic dining diversity but still pretty good. Strong coffee culture like most Australian cities.

Canberra people tend to be more politically aware simply because it's the capital. Even if you don't work in politics you may (if a public servant or a supplier to the APS) become very much aware of things like political sensitivities, senate estimates, public spending integrity and so on. Also Canberra has the highest average levels of education in Australia - being the capital it tends to draw in a lot of highly qualified public servants, consultants, lobbyists, journos, academics etc from other cities and overseas. There's also the imposing presence of ANU on cultural and academic life. With so many national institutions there are always interesting talks to go to, book launches (take note Wayniac!), exhibitions etc. And easy access to gigs, theatre, concerts, festivals etc.

Good outdoor stuff. Hiking, sports, cycle paths, organised sports etc as detailed by BEaston. And again, all very accessible.

If anyone wants some tips on the above I'm happy to help out.

Think we're kinda agreeing on seasons. As you say, chilly to Sept/Oct. I could be remembering autumn slightly wrong but springs were definitely short before the summer heat started.

Might have just been my time there, but thought it copped a lot more 40+ days than in Melbourne. Generally the real hot spells lasted longer too, whereas Melbourne's would be broken up by a cool change fairly quickly.
Just checking wikipedia for average high temp:
Dec - 24.8 (melb) / 26.5 (cbr)
Jan - 27 / 28.8
Feb - 26.7 / 27.7

I agree with you that the winters are more pleasant due to the sunshine. Canberra has one of the least number of rainy days of any capital city which is awesome. I believe a lot of the clouds are blocked by the surrounding mountains. So winter sports are still easily doable. Even still, I had never felt cold like that in my life when I went out for dinner at 7pm on the day I moved there (August). I always used go out in just a t-shirt in Melbourne, regardless of season. No chance in a Canberra winter. Once it's snowing in the mountains and you get the wind blowing, that just blows straight into your bones. I also had a glass of water freeze on my bedside table overnight once. So while the sunshine is nice, it's still fking freezing haha.

 

[Rappas]

Think we're kinda agreeing on seasons. As you say, chilly to Sept/Oct. I could be remembering autumn slightly wrong but springs were definitely short before the summer heat started.

Might have just been my time there, but thought it copped a lot more 40+ days than in Melbourne. Generally the real hot spells lasted longer too, whereas Melbourne's would be broken up by a cool change fairly quickly.
Just checking wikipedia for average high temp:
Dec - 24.8 (melb) / 26.5 (cbr)
Jan - 27 / 28.8
Feb - 26.7 / 27.7

I agree with you that the winters are more pleasant due to the sunshine. Canberra has one of the least number of rainy days of any capital city which is awesome. I believe a lot of the clouds are blocked by the surrounding mountains. So winter sports are still easily doable. Even still, I had never felt cold like that in my life when I went out for dinner at 7pm on the day I moved there (August). I always used go out in just a t-shirt in Melbourne, regardless of season. No chance in a Canberra winter. Once it's snowing in the mountains and you get the wind blowing, that just blows straight into your bones. I also had a glass of water freeze on my bedside table overnight once. So while the sunshine is nice, it's still fking freezing haha.

I'm not sure if it's just the mental shock but my first winter here (2015) was the coldest I remember - plenty of -7/-8 mornings though, so maybe it wasn't just me being soft! I did have a couple of days where it snowed at our house that winter too. It has been (relatively) tame other years though, more in line with what Dogwatch said. I'm still washing frost off the windscreens most years though!

It definitely gets hot here in summer - but I think the big difference from Melbourne is that a 40+ day here will pretty much always drop to low-mid 20s once the sun goes down.

Great summary of the city btw

 

[Next Waiting]

Great summary! (Saved me a bit of typing too.)

Disagree about the seasons though.

One of my first impressions of Canberra in the first year I was here was that the winters were so much better than Melbourne winters. Usually cool air but sunny, unlike Melbourne's grey cloudy days. Very cold overnight (usually below zero) but once the sun came out it was great. Then it rapidly gets cold again after 4pm. That said, this winter has been unusually cloudy and not so pleasant in Canberra, but heck the weather (climate?) is becoming so unpredictable everywhere these days. Hopefully next winter will be more like traditional Canberra ones.

Summer CAN be hot but not as hot as Melbourne's peak days. We never used to have days over 40 degrees but that has changed a bit in recent years, but still not as hot as any other capital except tropical Darwin (never goes above 40). More importantly Canberra has low humidity throughout the whole year, so winters don't usually chill you to the bone (like when I was in Melbourne recently) and you can manage the extremely hot days much better in summer.

Autumn is the best season and not all that short. From March right through to at least mid-May is usually fantastic weather. Spring pretty good (and nice to emerge from winter) but can be windy and often chilly right through to the end of September. We once had our front lawn covered in snow in early October but that was decades ago and never happens any more, even in winter. Also I never have to scrape ice off the car windscreen like I did the first decade I lived here. Hardly ever see any severe frosts.

Canberra has one of the highest proportions of restaurants to population in Australia, probably because of the FIFO journos, pollies and diplomatic staff. Maybe not as much grass roots type ethnic dining diversity but still pretty good. Strong coffee culture like most Australian cities.

Canberra people tend to be more politically aware simply because it's the capital. Even if you don't work in politics you may (if a public servant or a supplier to the APS) become very much aware of things like political sensitivities, senate estimates, public spending integrity and so on. Also Canberra has the highest average levels of education in Australia - being the capital it tends to draw in a lot of highly qualified public servants, consultants, lobbyists, journos, academics etc from other cities and overseas. There's also the imposing presence of ANU on cultural and academic life. With so many national institutions there are always interesting talks to go to, book launches (take note Wayniac!), exhibitions etc. And easy access to gigs, theatre, concerts, festivals etc.

Good outdoor stuff. Hiking, sports, cycle paths, organised sports etc as detailed by BEaston. And again, all very accessible.

If anyone wants some tips on the above I'm happy to help out.

How long have you called Canberra home DW? Was Canberra the capital when you moved there?

 

[dogwatch]

How long have you called Canberra home DW? Was Canberra the capital when you moved there?

Close on 150 years now NW. I came up from Melbourne with my horse and dray, around the 1870s I think it was (my memory of dates isn't as good as it used to be) and took up a small holding growing barley, hops, cannabis and poppies which I sold to the local politicians. No idea what they did with all that stuff but anyway it paid the bills. It was a great day when we became the capital of Australia, nearly 100 years ago. Eventually the military took over my land for their dubious purposes so now I live a quieter retired life watching the fads go by and being nostalgic about stuff. How about you?

 

[Next Waiting]

Close on 150 years now NW. I came up from Melbourne with my horse and dray, around the 1870s I think it was (my memory of dates isn't as good as it used to be) and took up a small holding growing barley, hops, cannabis and poppies which I sold to the local politicians. No idea what they did with all that stuff but anyway it paid the bills. It was a great day when we became the capital of Australia, nearly 100 years ago. Eventually the military took over my land for their dubious purposes so now I live a quieter retired life watching the fads go by and being nostalgic about stuff. How about you?

You've lived a life. I cut firewood for the first 50 years of my life to keep 'ouse warm and stove and 'OT water going.

I could only dream of growing cannibis....and barley!...luxury.

 

[Bulldog rick]

Dogwatch would've been beside Lady Denman when she announced the new Capital's name. A pity really the construction of the city ruined a good sheep paddock.

 

[Next Waiting]

Dogwatch would've been beside Lady Denman when she announced the new Capital's name. A pity really the construction of the city ruined a good sheep paddock.

This is my "niece", Lady Denman

Sorry DW, you're a good sport.

 

[dogwatch]

Dogwatch would've been beside Lady Denman when she announced the new Capital's name. A pity really the construction of the city ruined a good sheep paddock.

True (and I've got a story or two about that!) but the good sheep paddocks ruined some fine hunting grounds.

It's all relative.

 

[Dogs 13]

Me too. I'm big on bushwalking etc and happy to take new arrivals or visitors out for any sort of hike (long/short, flat/steep, national park/urban). Not so much into the biff and bash sports any more but still have a few contacts.

I hope you bring these trusting people who you’ve just met you back

 

[Dogs 13]

How long have you called Canberra home DW? Was Canberra the capital when you moved there?

Burley Griffin was just a pond back the.

 

[dogwatch]

I hope you bring these trusting people who you’ve just met you back

Haven't lost one yet. Even the ones who didn't trust me!

 

[Hobdog]

Definitely keen to organise a meet up to watch a game at some stage. I’m really interested in formalising an ACT supporters group at some stage too. Perhaps Capital Dogs? I’d like it to become more than just a football club supporters group. For example, I’m a runner and I can comfortably say that running has become the most powerful tool in my mental health toolkit. It doesn’t need to be running, but overall exercise can be a really powerful thing to help people cope in this crazy world. Groups like football club supporters groups can put some framework around other initiatives. Anyway, probably getting a bit ahead of myself there but without ideas we’d still be riding horses around the future site of Canberra.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Rappas]

Definitely keen to organise a meet up to watch a game at some stage. I’m really interested in formalising an ACT supporters group at some stage too. Perhaps Capital Dogs? I’d like it to become more than just a football club supporters group. For example, I’m a runner and I can comfortably say that running has become the most powerful tool in my mental health toolkit. It doesn’t need to be running, but overall exercise can be a really powerful thing to help people cope in this crazy world. Groups like football club supporters groups can put some framework around other initiatives. Anyway, probably getting a bit ahead of myself there but without ideas we’d still be riding horses around the future site of Canberra.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

Definitely keen to organise a meet up to watch a game at some stage. I’m really interested in formalising an ACT supporters group at some stage too. Perhaps Capital Dogs? I’d like it to become more than just a football club supporters group. For example, I’m a runner and I can comfortably say that running has become the most powerful tool in my mental health toolkit. It doesn’t need to be running, but overall exercise can be a really powerful thing to help people cope in this crazy world. Groups like football club supporters groups can put some framework around other initiatives. Anyway, probably getting a bit ahead of myself there but without ideas we’d still be riding horses around the future site of Canberra.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

I think it's a great idea. I feel like it has even more importance here, with the challenges to build a local social network (as noted by a few in this thread).

Absolutely agree on the exercise thing too. I've been slowly building into cycling the past year (after 10+ years of not much after doing an ACL) and it's made a huge difference to my mental health. Not sure I'll make a good running partner just yet, though!

 

[dogwatch]

After saying it never snows here any more this was a pic from Royalla just south of Canberra (and admittedly 200-300m higher) from a few days ago ...

 

[ScragCity]

After saying it never snows here any more this was a pic from Royalla just south of Canberra (and admittedly 200-300m higher) from a few days ago ...

View attachment 2064842

Pajero? Hard to tell under the snow

 

[dogwatch]

Pajero? Hard to tell under the snow

It’s Canberra mate. Probably a Volvo.

 

[geoffjennings79]

It’s Canberra mate. Probably a Volvo.

So that's not you?! Some people on here I have a mental picture in my head of what I imagine they look like. That photo threw me dw, until I read the next 2 posts!

 

[dogwatch]

So that's not you?! Some people on here I have a mental picture in my head of what I imagine they look like. That photo threw me dw, until I read the next 2 posts!

Naah, I’m not that photogenic.

 

[Hobdog]

Did I see a fellow Capital dog at the Eastlake v Tuggeranong game this afternoon?


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[dogwatch]

Did I see a fellow Capital dog at the Eastlake v Tuggeranong game this afternoon?

Not I.
I was in the vicinity but not at the game.

 

[Rappas]

Not I.
I was in the vicinity but not at the game.

Me neither.

I still find it weird hearing people being out this way - I don't know if I've just become a chippy southsider, but I just assume anyone I don't know personally is from Gunghalin or the inner north/south and couldn't find anywhere beyond Woden if their life depended on it!

Maybe I need to get out more myself

 

[Rappas]

Me too. I'm big on bushwalking etc and happy to take new arrivals or visitors out for any sort of hike (long/short, flat/steep, national park/urban). Not so much into the biff and bash sports any more but still have a few contacts.

What are some of your favourite spots for a hike around here?