People & Places
Suburban twosome
British emigrant Roy Lepper takes us on a tour of two of the best and most recently developed areas to live in the Australian capital
Gungahlin, the newest suburbs being developed in the Australian Capital Territory, is in the north side of Canberra. It already has infrastructure in place, including a 'traditional town centre' with a wide range of shops such as supermarkets, hairdressers, cafes, chemists, doctors and dentists.
Four new villages are being developed around Gungahlin - including Casey, Harrison, Forde and Franklin - to support the increasing population in Canberra. These new suburbs are vibrant and give a feeling of openness and fantastic views across open countryside towards the city and beyond.
Gungahlin comprises of new housing and varies from townhouses and apartments to detached properties of single and double construction. In Canberra, new properties are on small blocks of land, which restricts the amount of open space they have. In part, this suits most Australians. One of the bonuses of the northern suburbs is that car parking is free in shopping centres and all residential properties come with either underground car parking or double/triple integral garages. Gungahlin has its own bus terminus with regular bus services linking all suburbs with the city.
Gungahlin is in the process of further development as the population increases and the new Canberra Institute of Technology is in the process of being built adjacent to the town centre and linked with a tree-lined walkway. A new swimming pool is also in the process of being developed to service the residents and their families. A new school (Harrison) has recently been built and is now serving the children in the Gungahlin area. Plans have been approved for the construction of a Catholic Primary School and new high school to meet the growth in this area.
There are other schools in the Gungahlin area, including Amaroo Super School comprising of separate primary and high schools on the same campus, and Gold Creek Primary School.
Gungahlin also has its own golf course and driving range and built around Yerabbi Ponds (a manmade water feature with cycle/walking track for outdoor enthusiasts, which is also ideal for canoeing).
On the south side of the city, Tuggeranong is one of the main suburbs with a large shopping mall servicing the local community built around 25 years ago. Tuggeranong is situated in a valley surround by mountain ranges and is within sight of Thredbo and Perisher ski resorts.
Tuggeranong is also located adjacent to a large manmade lake with the same facilities as Yerabbi Ponds on the north side of Canberra. The shopping centre is well presented and houses supermarkets, banks, sports shops, book shops and coffee shops. The primary retailers of David Jones and Myers also have large shops located here. Tuggeranong shoppers and visitors enjoy free parking. There is a swimming pool, sports complex containing bowls and tennis courts nearby.
The principle housing in Tuggeranong is city apartments which are well serviced and within walking distance of the shops. A bus interchange is also located adjacent to the shopping centre and services all suburbs and the city on a regular basis. A Canberra Institute of Technology campus is also located in Tuggeranong. Several government departments occupy office space on the periphery of Tuggeranong.
Theodore Primary, Tuggeranong College, Kambah High School, and Lanyan High School are a few of the schools around Tuggeranong.
To read Andrew Collier's Canberra feature, pick up a May 2009 issue of Emigrate magazine – available from a wide rage of newsagents and supermarket outlets
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