What is your view on living in Goulburn?

Rental market in Goulburn ??

Hi MathewN - I love living in Goulburn. My Mum and Dad were the first of the treechangers in the late 80's and we moved from Croydon Park Sydney to Grabben Gullen (around 45kms further out of Goulburn) before Mum and Dad were able to find the house that they wanted to buy here in town. Like any town or city there is crime, however I would consider the majority of it to be fairly minor (not that I am an expert by any means!) The people are easy going, grounded, salt of the earth people intent on going about their life peacefully. In terms of our local council - they are doing at great job - I am actually pretty impressed with their efforts to revitalise and beautify our town - just check out their facebook page for what they have planned for our wonderful City. Internet service is fine and the town has been wired for NBN which I suspect will be rolled out and live in the near future as we have already started receiving junk mail from ISP's with offers! Area's not to buy in Goulburn - well I am possibly not the best person to ask about that as I live near the jail, but I did grow up in West Goulburn which is a highly sort after and well established area of town. If you want 100 year old homes with high ceilings and loads of charm then look no further then West Goulburn. It really depends on what you are looking for - if you want a new home and view of the local cemetery and power substation then Merino Country Estate is for you, if you want to pass your neighbour a coffee through your kitchen window then Ravensworth Heights is for you. There are crappy areas of town, but you will know when you drive into one - the Department of Housing has been trying to break up the housing commission zones by selling homes privately over the years and the influx of private buyers has seen a marked improvement in the streetscape within these areas. Plenty of great public schools in the district with the local High Schools always having high achievers in HSC etc.In terms of unemployment - you will hear quite often that there are no jobs in Goulburn however rarely had issue with finding employment. The two times I have been unemployed have been because I have chosen to be (kids!) but I guess it depends on what work you're willing to undertake. The Goulburn correctional facility, Essential Energy and NSW police are some of the major employers locally. My husband is an engineer and he commutes to Queanbeyan and there many people who commute to Canberra as well. I love living in Goulburn because we have a City wage, regional living, our kids are two blocks from school, its a friendly town that is big enough to have plenty of conveniences close by. I can drop my kids to school and be at work within 7 minutes! I lived abroad for many years,lived in the big cities, back packed, but I have ALWAYS called Goulburn home!