ABOUT
TESTIMONIALS
Clyde Rathbone, Rugby Player
I moved to Canberra in November 2002 from South Africa, to join the CA Brumbies. It’s a great city that has a small town feel with all the benefits of a big city. It is very well designed, everything is very accessible and there is also a good public transport network, and it’s also very close to Sydney, the snowy mountains and the south coast beaches. There are plenty of parks and open spaces that promote an active lifestyle.
Come and have a look around – it’s a great place to live and bring up a family, with a community feel.
Natalie Barnes and Nicola Campion, Public Servants
We both moved to Canberra from Sydney in early February 2007 to begin work as Graduate Trainees at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Canberra is a great place to live, largely because of the people the city attracts. We enjoy being surrounded by friends and work colleagues who share our interest in current affairs. We also enjoy all the opportunities that Canberra offers, including being able to hear prominent speakers and following what is going on in federal politics.
Some of our favourite weekend activities include coffee and all-day breakfast in Kingston or Manuka, a nightcap at the Knightsbridge in Braddon, live music at ANU Bar and the odd footy game at Bruce Stadium.
The best advice we can give is to be a “joiner”. Join a sports team, a cooking class or a book club. We have both enjoyed attending various events run by the Live in Canberra campaign, and the Young Professional Alliance’s many networking opportunities.” Our top four benefits of Canberra are great work, great people, great food and the great outdoors.
Victor di Genova, Restaurant Manager
I moved to Canberra from Montreal, Canada, nearly three years ago after I met my partner, who is from Canberra. When I first arrived I spoke little English, and now I’m working as a restaurant manager.
I love the peace and quiet here and I enjoy the much more relaxed pace of life, with more time to spend with my friends and family.
I advise people to take advantage of less commuting times, safe communities and a laid back lifestyle. It’s a great place to raise a family.
Like any city, Canberra has great shopping, entertainment and nightlife but you can drive for 10 minutes and be in the bush. There is a great sense of community here.
Bob McGannon, Program Manager, IT
We moved here from Denver, Colorado, and the opportunity to live amongst Australians is very exciting to us. Canberra is a genuine community, with an obvious sense of civic pride. We have been overwhelmed with people’s willingness to help, and their patience as we ‘learn as we go’ about what it means to live in Australia.
This feels like a BIG small town. It is a relatively small city: however it has an outstanding amount to offer in the way of cultural events, community activities, recreational resources and business growth. There is considerable opportunity here in our field of IT project management.
We’ll keep ourselves occupied for quite some time just by checking out new restaurants, not to mention bush walks, biking, the vineyards, Floriade…the list goes on and on.
David Sillitoe, Business Manager
We attended a seminar in Wollongong prior to moving to Canberra, where we were informed about accommodation, transport, work, leisure, education and so on. Since arriving we’ve been invited by the Live in Canberra team to many tourist attractions to visit and meet other new people to the area.
Canberra seems pretty laid back and easy to get about – everything can be reached within 20 minutes.
There are plenty of things to see and do on weekends. If anyone is considering moving to Canberra, I’d say ‘go for it’.
Jay Mendoza, Accountant
My wife Jenny and I lived in Sydney for the past 13 years with our two young children, now aged 6 and 8. “Three features of Canberra attracted us. First, there was the availability of work and scope for professional advancement beyond the first job. Second, Canberra presented a degree of sophistication, with its people and community as well as with its modern and organised infrastructure. Finally, there was the ease and comfort it offered us as a family.
After his first week at school I asked our six-year-old son ‘Do you like Canberra?’ He answered, ‘Dad, I don’t like it here, I LOVE IT!’. That’s become a standing joke with our family, but it’s no exaggeration.
Julie Sutton, Project Manager, Marketing
My first impression is that Canberrans really embrace sustainability and living the best life they can without compromising the environment. If you love the outdoors, if you love living in harmony with nature then a life in Canberra is for you. “I love to be active, and I have the choice of ski fields in winter, water skiing in summer, bushwalking in between, and beaches that go on for miles without the crowds.
I love to eat out and 10-20 minutes from my home I have the choice of Ethiopian, Chinese, Turkish, Italian and more. I hate driving in stop-start traffic – I don’t have this problem in Canberra. I hate investing in property that is old, small and needs updating - I have plenty of new choices in Canberra.
Through the Live in Canberra team, I’ve made new friends and been taken to places I have never been before in Canberra. They are now working on moving my mum down here too!
Jody Chalmers, Advertising Account Director
I studied at the University of Canberra, moved to Sydney to start my career in marketing, then traveled and worked in London for almost four years before returning to Sydney. After only four months I decided that I needed a better lifestyle, so we moved to Canberra.
I really enjoy living in Canberra, especially all the markets and free tourist attractions. There are plenty of things to do and you don’t have to sit in traffic or on public transport to do them. My friends from Sydney come and visit me more often to escape the city, so it encourages me to plan new things to do on the weekends.
Streets and shops are not as crowded and I can drive and park anywhere easily. All in all, there’s a much better work/life balance. The Live in Canberra team have been really helpful and provided me with useful information on employment, housing and fun things to do.
Gavin Van Zyl, Sales Consultant
I moved to Canberra in 2006 to be with my Australian wife. I am South African, but before moving to Australia I had been living in London for three and a half years where I met my wife.
My first impressions of Canberra were amazing. This city has given me so many opportunities. I am used to the fast city life where you are just a number. Canberra has given me a great job, a relaxing lifestyle, and of course, a beautiful wife.
I would tell potential residents to make the move- you won't regret it.
Stuart Mynard
We moved to Canberra from Brisbane when my wife Christine was contracted with the Australian Electoral Commission.
I was impressed by the wide boulevards, heavily treed areas and well-tended lawns.
We have found that Canberra is a place of hidden treasures. Some of the best places in Canberra are the hardest to find and we have made it our goal to dig them out.
Canberra is not full of politicians and public servants. Christine and I are public servants and we know how to party with the best of them.
Like most capital cities locating accommodation in Canberra can be a challenge. The upside is that you will be hard pressed to find a bad place to live.
Canberra has a diversity of people on par with Melbourne and we made friends from all points of the compass.
Claus and Silke Lemmert, Registered Nurses
We relocated to Canberra after living in Perth for 10 years, having migrated to Australia from Switzerland. We moved because of Canberra’s unique size and great location between Melbourne and Sydney.
Our impression is that Canberra has a clean environment with plenty of bushland. The roads are well developed and traffic is easy to negotiate. It is well placed for day trips to the coast or mountains.
Canberra has good educational facilities and a well-educated population. It is a safe place to bring up kids.
