Moving to Canberra

[Gullible]

I managed to secure an small promotion so I'm uprooting the family and heading to Canberra in 4-5 weeks time. :eek:

Anybody know of a good Land Rover Mechanic in Canberra?
and any where I can get a Pink Slip for a Disco with LPG fitted?

Will be looking to join the ACT Land Rover Club after we've settled in. Any friendly forum people members of the club?

[101RRS]

Moving to Canberra - you lucky boy - was only -1 this morning - the ice wiped off the windscreen - Monday was scrape it off.

There are no decent Landrover specific mechanics in Canberra - some general mechanics can do with depending on the model.

Battalion Motors in Townsville St Fyshwick are good for LPG equipped vehicles - I get my 101 annual LPG checkup there and they have done my roadworthies for the 101 and RRS.

The President of the LRC ACT is on AULRO, as is the secretary, the merchanising officer and a whole lot of us.

Where are you going to live??

Garry

[TerryO]

Your lucky buggers down in Canberra, in Goulburn we have had two -8 days already this week. :(


cheers,
Terry

[Redback]

rrturboD is your man, he's high up in the LROC (ACT) give him a PM, he put you on the right track.

Baz.

[flagg]

Hi Guys,

I was just about to start a new thread saying exactly the same thing :)

I'll be north west..

[Gullible]

We are looking at renting in Watson, franklin or Gungahlin, but we do not know much about where to live in Canberra.

I do know that the only way my wife would agree to the move was to live somewhere with gas heating.....

[flagg]

I do know that the only way my wife would agree to the move was to live somewhere with gas heating.....

yeah you'll need good heating. All houses in the ACT have an ERR number which is their energy rating. High = better. There are lots of places with a low rating which makes for expensive heating in winter. I had a mate who spent more than 100 a month on gas to keep the missus warm!

My old place has a wall mounted split system which is electric but good. Keeps the house warm (ERR 4.5) and doesn't cost too much to run.

[Tote]

Yass is the best place to live in Canberra:p Welcome, I'm in the LR club as well, Although I'm doing aTIG course that conflicts with meetings this year.

Regards,
Tote

[flagg]

Yass is the best place to live in Canberra:p Welcome, I'm in the LR club as well, Although I'm doing aTIG course that conflicts with meetings this year.

Regards,
Tote

Are you doing it in Canberra? I'll be looking at doing a MIG one once I'm settled....

[Zute]

Lanyon Valley is closer to the Mountains.

[MickS]

Your lucky buggers down in Canberra, in Goulburn we have had two -8 days already this week. :(


cheers,
Terry

Ahh Goulburn....where 4 seasons in one day is always on the cards :)

[Tote]

Are you doing it in Canberra? I'll be looking at doing a MIG one once I'm settled....

No, I'm doing it at Yass Tafe but there are courses, presumably at CIT. One of the blokes at work is doing it , I'll find out the details.

Regards,
Tote

[George130]

Yes out yass way is nice to live but traffic is getting heavy on the Barton these days.
As said no Landy specific mechanics to reccommend. I have a few mechanics I trust.
Kevin's Auto's in Fyshwick is good. Tell Mark the new owner Edd sent you. What he won't work on he will tell you where to take it to for good service.

[drifter]

I managed to secure an small promotion so I'm uprooting the family and heading to Canberra in 4-5 weeks time. :eek:

Anybody know of a good Land Rover Mechanic in Canberra?
and any where I can get a Pink Slip for a Disco with LPG fitted?

Will be looking to join the ACT Land Rover Club after we've settled in. Any friendly forum people members of the club?

another forum person signing in! welcome


Moving to Canberra - you lucky boy - was only -1 this morning - the ice wiped off the windscreen - Monday was scrape it off.

There are no decent Landrover specific mechanics in Canberra - some general mechanics can do with depending on the model.

Battalion Motors in Townsville St Fyshwick are good for LPG equipped vehicles - I get my 101 annual LPG checkup there and they have done my roadworthies for the 101 and RRS.

The President of the LRC ACT is on AULRO, as is the secretary, the merchanising officer and a whole lot of us.

Where are you going to live??

Garry
hehe - I am the aforesaid merchandising officer


rrturboD is your man, he's high up in the LROC (ACT) give him a PM, he put you on the right track.

Baz.

That would be Michael - the purchasing officer


Hi Guys,

I was just about to start a new thread saying exactly the same thing :)

I'll be north west..

I happen to be in the north west...


We are looking at renting in Watson, franklin or Gungahlin, but we do not know much about where to live in Canberra.

I do know that the only way my wife would agree to the move was to live somewhere with gas heating.....

We are in one of the side 'suburbs' of Gungahlin - and, yes, we have gas heating/water heating/cooking

If you want to live in a tropical 'house' then the gas bill in winter will average about $100 a month. Drop the temperature back a bit and put more clothes on (and watch out for wide open external doors/windows - no need to try and heat Canberra from your place) and the price drops off quite rapidly.

In summer, the reverse is true. Our gas bill drops to buggerall and the electricity hits around $100 a month as the aircon tries to cope with the middle to high 30ºC temps (except for last summer which was a big disappointment, heatwise).

[drifter]

Hi Guys,

I was just about to start a new thread saying exactly the same thing :)

I'll be north west..

and a 'welcome' to you, too

[101RRS]

I happen to be in the north west...



Where all the Riff Raff live. Very dodgy neighbourhood - full of Kiwis and other undesirables.

[drifter]

:D

There should be an emoticon around here, somewhere, with one firmly upraised finger...

[TerryO]

Where all the Riff Raff live. Very dodgy neighbourhood - full of Kiwis and other undesirables.

You should know the good old saying Garry

...If you don't like the way us Kiwi's run the country you can always leave! ;)

cheers,
Terry

[101RRS]

Hmmm

Like this :2up:

John did you manage to get the engine mod/rego paper work on this wagon?

[drifter]

You should know the good old saying Garry

...If you don't like the way us Kiwi's run the country you can always leave! ;)

cheers,
Terry


shhh, Terry. He's just annoyed that we won't let him visit this area - the passport and money exchange on the GDE stops him every time!

:D

[drifter]

Hmmm

Like this :2up:

You got it!

Now.... go stand in front of a mirror and practise.

:D

[drifter]

Sorry for derailing your thread, Black Betty (why are you named after a teapot, btw?), but if you don't sit on Garry



hard!


he gets outta control...



:D

[Gullible]

Well I can see that Canberra is going to be fun.

I'll be working at Civic so I thought North would make for a quick commute.

I do not want to be too far out as the wife will have no friends a 16 month old and a new born to look after.

I do not want her feeling too isolated or she will not let me go out and play.

[101RRS]

Commuting from the outer North is not good - great compared to Sydney but not good for Canberra. Gungahlin is out in the boonies though - lots of building is underway out that way.

Garry

[drifter]

Commuting from the outer North is not good - great compared to Sydney but not good for Canberra.
Garry

Who told you that?

It takes me 20 minutes in the morning to get to work in Parkes - via the main drag (Northborne Ave). Hit those lights at 62kph and you get green all the way through!

[TerryO]

It amazes me how many people commute from Goulburn down to Canberra everyday. It has meant both rental and property prices in town are way over what they otherwise would be.

cheers,
Terry

[drifter]

Well I can see that Canberra is going to be fun.

I'll be working at Civic so I thought North would make for a quick commute.

I do not want to be too far out as the wife will have no friends a 16 month old and a new born to look after.

I do not want her feeling too isolated or she will not let me go out and play.

The major downside to living out in this area is that the block sizes are very small. Not so bad if you hate lawn mowing but awfully close to the neighbours.

We have close access to good shops, restaurants, etc. Plenty of schools for later on.

As Garry has said, there is a lot of new housing going in - and they are cramming it in!

Look carefully at the area before you make a decision. While most of the internet providers profess to having a presence in this area, a lot of the areas are really Telstra only for any serious bandwidth. Much the same for mobile phone communication, too.

If you are renting, it will come at a price and will be fairly competitive to get. There are more prospective renters than properties.

When we first arrived from Sydney, I spent a lot of time commuting to try and find a place and, in the end, took the first one that was offered to me - in Forrest. After just over a year there (lovely area) we moved out to where we are now.

We came from Cammeray (North Sydney).

We discovered that heating, cooling, rent and food cost us more in Canberra than in Sydney (which came as a bit of a shock).

You would have to use some pretty heavy machinery to drag us out of here now, though.

[drifter]

It amazes me how many people commute from Goulburn down to Canberra everyday. It has meant both rental and property prices in town are way over what they otherwise would be.

cheers,
Terry

Correct. One hour commute each way (nothing compared to Sydney) and the prices in Goulburn used to make it really worth consideration.

[George130]

shhh, Terry. He's just annoyed that we won't let him visit this area - the passport and money exchange on the GDE stops him every time!

:D

Are you saying that it is possible to get of the GDE???
I thought that no one has ever managed to exit once entering.

[drifter]

Are you saying that it is possible to get of the GDE???
I thought that no one has ever managed to exit once entering.

Even moreso now with the current widening project :eek:

Bridge collapsing, road diversions, trucks... it's a worry!

[Zute]

Canberrans think a 20 minute commute is to long and will turn around and go home. I live 23ks from work and it takes about 15minutes Banks to Fyshwick.
$100 buys a small box trailer of wood. Still the cheapest form of heating.
Will you be Buying or Renting ?

[flagg]

ahhahhahahahahhahah 20min.


In Sydney now I regularly spend over 2 hours commuting - EACH WAY.

Sounds like there will be a good group to go one weekend and play in the snow in the mountains soon? :)

[Gullible]

Oooo, I haven't played in the snow since I left the UK 12 years ago :)

[460cixy]

ide be keen on a snow drive. and west belco is the place to be mate

[Gullible]

West Belco looks good.
Only I need to get public transport to work at Civic as the wife will need the car for the 2 little ones.

[101RRS]

West Belco looks good.


:eek:

Westies :o

[drifter]

:eek:

Westies :o
LMAO

You can talk!

[Frenchie]

Haven't been on here for a while.....

I moved to Canberra last year but have been a bit too busy and itinerant to do much Land Rovering. Have just bough a house though, with a shed, so have somewhere to keep all my gear and the camper trailer.

Wouldn't mind getting a day/weekend trip together in a few weeks.

Cheers Tony aka Frenchie

[stevep]

Lots of new comers to Canberra, great to see.

Don't forget that you need a heater in the garage as well - so you can work on the landrover when it's 8 degress at lunch time. :D

regards
Steve

[101RRS]

Don't forget that you need a heater in the garage as well - so you can work on the landrover when it's 8 degress at lunch time. :D


Only sooks need them :o- some of us Ruff Tuff types :cool: work on their landies outside - all year round - in the dark - in the cold - in the rain :(

[Frenchie]

Having ice on the ground makes it easier to slide under the vehicle! :cool:

[bidds]

Just noticed this post and despite what some of the others say, Canberra Motor Works in Mitchell is a Land Rover specialist and an approved engineer. They're not cheap but I've been entirely happy with them for the four or so years since I got my RRC. I like doing much of my own work but do get them involved when I'm out of my depth or don't have the time. I've found them to back their work and Ray and Kath are always friendly, and with great advice.

But welcome to Canberra! Doesn't matter where you live, the Brindabellas are close and have a lot to discover, though the Cotter damn expansion has meant many classic tracks have been closed; still lots to see and do though.
Keep going into the mountains and you can visit the Northern parts of Kossie Nat Park. And heading East, Bendethera is a lovely three hour drive.

cheers,

bidds

[Frenchie]

Just noticed this post and despite what some of the others say, Canberra Motor Works in Mitchell is a Land Rover specialist and an approved engineer. They're not cheap but I've been entirely happy with them for the four or so years since I got my RRC. I like doing much of my own work but do get them involved when I'm out of my depth or don't have the time. I've found them to back their work and Ray and Kath are always friendly, and with great advice.


I'll second the quality of the work at Canberra Motor Works. I'll also second that they are very expensive! However I guess you get what you pay for, I have never encountered a cheap and good LR specialist yet.

If you can, do the easy work yourself and be prepared to pay to get the more critical stuff done properly.

I also heard a rumour that the business was for sale so they may not be around for ever.

[Gullible]

Right, things are getting complex.

Every real estate agent wants me to view the property before I can to rent it.

I live in Sydney, they want me to fly down every time. Why?

I'm a grown man, I know want I need for my family. If it is availably for rent, and I want to rent it then take my application and evaluate it.

If I'm flying down to look at a property I'm not going to say "the baths a bit small. I don't want it". I'm going to open the door and say "I'll take it, here is the application form".

So why ho why don't they just take the application form and save me the flight? :(

[drifter]

We had the same problem. I hate to look back over the number of times we drove back and forth.

An option for you is to appoint an agent to act on your behalf. They go in, evaluate the property, take pics of the property and send them to you...

While we did have an agent to do all that, we managed to find our first place during one of our visits.

Be aware thar some real estate agents can be less than useful, too. Never turn up to meetings, dont return calls...

It's a minefield.

[Gullible]

Don't talk to me about emails. Not one agent has returned our emails.

I'm interested in appointing an agent to view a property for us:
How do I find out which agents do this?
Are they called a special name?

[Tote]

Right, things are getting complex.

Every real estate agent wants me to view the property before I can to rent it.

I live in Sydney, they want me to fly down every time. Why?

I'm a grown man, I know want I need for my family. If it is availably for rent, and I want to rent it then take my application and evaluate it.

If I'm flying down to look at a property I'm not going to say "the baths a bit small. I don't want it". I'm going to open the door and say "I'll take it, here is the application form".

So why ho why don't they just take the application form and save me the flight? :(

Because they are leeches and parasites in a market where they feel they can do as they please and you are merely another sucker to get their commission from. You should have seen how nice the real estate agents were to me in 1997 when the government had just sacked 20000 public servants and Canberra was a ghost town..... Please, get in my car and I'll show you my best five properties sir....:mad:

Regards,
Tote

[Tote]

Have you had a look at this site Real estate properties & homes for sale, rent and share (http://www.allhomes.com.au/) They have the Canberra region covered pretty well for both sales and rentals.
Can't guarantee that the houses will still be there when you ring up though :(

Regards,
Tote

[vnx205]

The best thing about moving to Canberra is that you will be (as bidds has pointed out) within easy driving distance from Bendethra Valley in Deua National Park. :)

Not as close as Tank and I are, but a lot closer than when you live in Sydney.

[drifter]

Don't talk to me about emails. Not one agent has returned our emails.

I'm interested in appointing an agent to view a property for us:
How do I find out which agents do this?
Are they called a special name?

We used a friend (not a real estate agent). She accepted a letter (email) from us appointing her as our agent for property viewing purposes.

[Gullible]

We made it.

We have a town house in Gungahlin, with a double garage (plenty of room to play with the Disco). The 18 month old loves the stairs, and the 4 week old is starting to sleep a bit more though the nigh.

So, where and when does the local Land Rover Club meet?

Even if you are not in the club but you have a Land Rover and young kids and want to come and say hello, lets meet (the kids are not mandatory but if you have them you'll understand the time restrictions).

Come to think of it if you have young kids and would like your partner to get out and meet someone who also has young kids.... They can talk babies in the house and we can talk Land Rovers in the garage. :)

[George130]

Welcome. Be warned a cold front is supposed to hit this week.

[drifter]

Welcome to Canberra

I am probably less than 10 minutes from you.

You have probably noticed that it is getting close to long pants weather.

There is a LRCACT (http://www.lrc.org.au/) meeting this coming Monday night. I possibly won't be there this time - will see.

I don't have room in the garage ;)

Her Citroen, my Disco and 2 x Series 2a's on the front of the property...

[Gullible]

Welcome. Be warned a cold front is supposed to hit this week.

What do you mean, its butt freezing already:o

[101RRS]

Welcome - and maybe catch up at a club meeting - next is this Monday at East Lakes Football Club in Kingston - 8pm.

Sorry I will not be there.

Garry

[Gullible]

I will not be able to make it this Monday, but I do hope to get to a club meeting soon.

[drifter]

What do you mean, its butt freezing already:o

Harden up!

Couple of years and you'll still be wearing shorts...

:D

[drifter]

BTW, I take it that place you got has central heating? Be careful until you get the first bill.

I wasn't. The first bill was something of a shock.

I now remind my wife that her ancestors managed to survive without aircon or central heating. It doesn't get me anywhere but I persevere :)

[KarlB]

You can access current and past club magazines and the current trip calendar from the club website (advised by drifter in earlier post).

Cheers
KarlB
:)

[George130]

What do you mean, its butt freezing already:o

:D:D

It's cold when you have to pull over to get feeling back in your fingers so you can scrape the ice of the windscreen for 4th time.

It's the minus 8 mornings that hurt but they also make you feel alive.

[Tote]

I will not be able to make it this Monday, but I do hope to get to a club meeting soon.

I won't be there either as I'm in Mildura on my way to Poepells Corner and the Hay River Track on a LRC Trip :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
Regards,
Tote

[KarlB]

This is off-track a little, but maybe we southern tablelands (Canberra, Yass, etc) forumites should have a get together in the spring (when we are out of hibernation). Dinner, easy trip to the Brindies or Tuross Falls? There seems to be a few of us and not all involved with the local club. Good idea?

Cheers
KarlB
:)

[Gullible]

I'm in.

My life should be more organised by spring ;)

[460cixy]

me too im over car clubs more intrested in just haveing a good time

[flagg]

Yep, I'm in as well.

[KarlB]

OK, I will keep a list and PM people beginning of September and we can work ouit what we would like to do; and put something in the comming events.

So Far:
KarlB
black betty
460cixy
flagg
Tank
George130
garrycol

[Tank]

OK, I will keep a list and PM people begining of September and we can work ouit what we would like to do; and put something in the comming events.

So Far:
KarlB
black betty
460cixy
flagg
Are us South Coasters invited, would like to meet up with the ACT cousins, Regards Frank.

[KarlB]

Definitely Frank. Your now on my list.

KarlB

[George130]

Add me to the list.

[101RRS]

Karl,

Put me down as a maybe - depends when.

Where you thinking of going??

[KarlB]

There are no plans or dates in mind other than to gather in the spring. I am sure what ever we do and when, won't meet every ones preferences but that is OK. My only thought at the moment is that the gathering should be a little more socially oriented rather than a skill and vehicle testing adventure. Such adventures may come later but lets first meet and greet, and chin wag. Forumites from a little further a field than the Southern Tablelands (eg south coast, southern Cumberland Plain) should be encourage and made to feel as march part of the group as someone living in the Heart of the Bloody Nation. As I said earlier, my intention is to keep a list of those expressing interest, though getting your name on the list now is not important other than to show support for the endeavor, and we have already had enough to warrant a bit of effort. And putting your hand up is not seen as a long term commitment, a definite. In early September, I will PM those on the list with some suggestions, and seeking some more, then make make an executive decision about what when and where. When that is done, importantly, I will put a post in the Upcoming Events. I want to keep this as informal and pain free as possible but accept that a bit of organisation has to be done. I would more than welcome any suggestions and comment on what I have proposed so far and similarly where and what. Probably by PM, but it is often very good to share your thoughts in the open. Synergy is a wonderful thing.

Cheers
KarlB
PS This is who we have so far:
KarlB
black betty
460cixy
flagg
Tank
George130
garrycol

[Frenchie]

Count me in please Karl :)