Queanbeyan, NSW 2620

I went here to visit and found it perfectly uneventful! and nostalgic of how Australia used to be. It's a place to visit but not my first choice in place to live.... unless work is there in which case, i'd rent.

Have lived here 10years now and this side of Canberra has blossomed, so much to love, the council have put in alot of effort to make it enjoyable, definitely worth coming to, cheap housing with the easy access and close travel to almost everything. All of Canberra is close, airport is 9minutes from my front door, Canberra city centre is 15mins. Residential and industrial close by, 5 primary schools to choose from and a high school and a tafe, close to new suburb of googong, close to Bungendore, variety of opportunities, can live in the hills in the bush or in the tree lined streets of centre of Queanbeyan, close to pools, shops, most services, doctors, hospitals. This place offers the lot. It's crazy it's closer to everything than some suburbs of Canberra!!

There are many parts of Queanbeyan that I love, but the homes and areas around the CBD are the ones I love the most. From the lower end of Morton Street to the far end of Thorpe Ave and everything in between. Some of my favorite streets and those held very tightly are Park Street, Meredith Street, George Street, Isabella Street, Lowe Street, Hirst Ave and White Ave. The homes in this area are mainly heritage or federation style homes built in the early 1900s and were among some of the first homes build in the township of Queanbeyan, there is also a peppering of modern homes in this area and large size blocks. Some homes still in original condition and many that have been lovingly restored. These homes pull heart strings, with their timber floors, high ceilings, open fire places and charm. Established streets with large trees and mature rose gardens adorn the front of most homes. This is a real lifestyle location with easy walking access to the main street, shopping, restaurant and cafe precinct and many modern day facilitie. The beautiful town park is also situated in this area and is very family friendly, you will often see families using this area on a warm summers night with playgrounds, bbq's and tennis courts all available to use. If you are in the area, park you car at the main town park and meander the streets, you will see some beautiful homes and you may just fall in love with one to put on your bucket list.

I moved to Queanbeyan from Sydney 20 years ago. I wish I’d moved sooner. Queanbeyan is just over the border from the ACT. Being a border town there are the usual disconnects regarding public transport, and access to services e.g. to access the higher range of services in the ACT you must be a resident of the ACT. Having said that, the river is beautiful and has some lovely safe swimming in summer. It’s friendly, low crime, great schools and health facilities and being rural the farmers markets and wineries are great. The town does not have a cinema, but 8 kms across the border there is a cinema in Manuka. About 1-1/2 hours from the coast and 2 hours from the ski fields provide easy weekend getaways. Mind you the summers are hot, hot, hot (temperatures over40C are not unusual) and winter is cold, cold, freezing. But spring and autumn are gorgeous. There is a great rail service to Sydney, plus buses to Sydney and the coast, and an international airport, in the ACT.

As a long term resident, I can offer some input.

Generally I have some mixed opinions both good and bad. I'll start with the good.
1. Easy access to Canberra (Though I'm not too fond of Canberra myself).
2. Queanbeyan people aren't snobs like Canberran people. Though a lot of the younger Queanbeyanites have picked up on some Canberran habits.
3. It has a reptile shop (forgot the name) and the Tourist Hotel.
4. People say good day to each other in the street (mostly older men over 40 though. Women and younger men ignore you).
5. You can wear anything and almost no one will judge.
6. In some neighborhoods (only the ones with high Mediterranean demographic), the people will try to help each other out.

Now the negatives
1. Buses are expensive for a town that's considered "low-socioeconomic".
2. Why is it that the average women in this town are taller than 175cm? Like what the f! I very rarely see chicks shorter than 155cm around here.... Seriously are the petite girls getting deported in droves and dropped off outside the QPRC border?
3. Seems to be a lot of drugged up hippie guys that walk around barefoot and shirtless.
4. People playing retarded music in front of Woolworths.
5. Some parts like Riverside Plaza/Monaro Street, Karabar and Letchworth can be rough. On the other side of the spectrum you've got Jerrabomberra that would rival Mosman in snobbishness.
6. Queanbeyan seems to be a far-left town (albeit an isolated one in the area. Most of Canberra is generally centre while Bungendore/Yass tend to be more right). If your not a radical Greenie or feminist then you would be out of place.

Queanbeyan is the NSW sister of Canberra- takes about 20 minutes to drive into Canberra Centre. It is cheaper, has houses on bigger blocks for the same price and has all the facilities. Queanbeyans has its own shopping centre, country style cafes and bakeries, 3 supermarkets in the main area and a hospital.

We have lived in Queanbeyan for 4 years and love it and see only potential for the area a lot of young couples and young families are moving into Queanbeyan as rents and housing prices are higher in Canberra and so more cafes are springing up all the time.

I once booked to stay in a motel in Queenbeyan thinking that it was in Canberra. However, Queenbeyan is part of New South Wales and it is very close to Canberra. The funny thing is that it has much more life and character than our nations capital. The streets have more interesting cafes and bakeries for you to grab an early morning bite and I know friends who prefer to stay in Queenbeyan than live in Canberra, even though they work in Canberra. Additionally, rental prices in Queenbeyan are cheaper than Canberra and it is only a ten minutes' drive to get into Canberra from this town. The motels are well kept here and everybody is very friendly

Queanbeyan is about a 3 and ½ hour drive from Sydney or a “hop, skip and jump” from Canberra. This city has much to offer the resident and visitor alike. There are a number of art galleries to visit and a museum to take your fancy such as the Historical museum, the sporting museum, the printing museum or if you are into family histories there is the Queanbeyan Library family History Research Centre. There is an array to shopping centres, and places to eat as well as motels, hotels, guest houses etc for all your accommodations needs. Outside the city there are a number of natural attractions, lookouts and walks for those who love the outdoors. Home prices are still affordable and work is plentiful in Canberra.