News

Property

Imagine the look on my face when I made a new friend at a baby shower last weekend who told me she’d grown up in “Canberra’s Vatican City”.Hang on … Sorry …. What? Where was this sacred area of the capital she was talking about? How had I never heard of it?It turns out she was talking about Canberra’s tiniest suburb: Oxley. Postcode 2903. Sandwiched between Wanniassa and Monash, a triangle-shaped locality fronting Drakeford Drive (and Lake Tuggeranong) on one side and Erindale Drive on the other. The miniscule suburb is just 1.08km2, consisting of 649 private dwellings and home to 1703 people. (Vatican City is just 0.49km2).<img alt="Screen Shot 2024-03-26 at 4.23.02 pm" class="richtext-image full-width" height="332" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Screen_Shot_2024-03-26_at_4.23.02_pm.width-800.png" width="643">It’s basically one single street – Newman-Morris Circuit – running parallel to the sides of the triangle with a series of cul-de-sacs running off it. Like the Vatican, it’s a mini city within a city (though non-religious, of course) and an area very much coveted by families in Canberra’s deep south.According to sales agent <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/colin-blunden/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Colin Blunden</a> from <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/mcintyre-property/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">McIntyre Property</a>, homes in Oxley, which was officially established in 1985, “rarely come up for sale”.<img alt="14-dalgarno-close-oxley-act-2903-94688-image-0-20240317233211006308-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/14-dalgarno-close-oxley-act-2903-94688-image-0.width-800.jpg" width="800">“Statistically, Oxley is the Canberra suburb where people stay in their homes the longest,” Colin says.“So when homes do come up for sale, you get interest purely from people wanting to come and see what life there is like.”Colin held the Oxley suburb record in 2012 for a cavernous six-bedroom home he describes as “like something from Gone With the Wind”.Oxley is nothing like its giant neighbours Wanniassa or Kambah, Colin says, but more like another tiny Tuggeranong suburb down the road: Macarthur.<img alt="1-connibere-crescent-oxley-act-2903-89860-image-0-20231106001648672459-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/1-connibere-crescent-oxley-act-2903-89860-imag.width-800.jpg" width="800">Housing in Oxley is a mix of townhouses and standalone dwellings; and while the McMansions on huge 1000sqm+ blocks along Newman-Morris are plentiful, it’s a suburb with limited amenity, including the lack of a set of local shops.Do those who live there care?“Not at all,” Colin says. “You’re a 10-minute walk from South.Point and the restaurants along Anketell Street, and just minutes from Erindale and Wanniassa shops.”<img alt="1-connibere-crescent-oxley-act-2903-89860-image-0-20231106001646228291-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/1-connibere-crescent-oxley-act-2903-89860-imag.width-800_48nDAcw.jpg" width="800">Sales agent <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/maya-rourke/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Maya Rourke</a> from McIntryre Property describes Oxley as the “hidden gem of the south”.“If you want supreme location, this is it,” she says.“It’s the ultimate location in Tuggeranong: so close to the town centre without being in the hustle and bustle of Greenway.”<img alt="6-lamble-place-oxley-act-2903-95839-image-0-20240316030136501646-thumbnail-1920x1920-70" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/6-lamble-place-oxley-act-2903-95839-image-0-20.width-800.jpg" width="800">Maya loves selling in Oxley because it mostly includes helping families settle into a home they’ll likely stay in a very long time.“You can’t compare 2903 to any other suburb in Canberra,” she says.“It’s got its own vibe, and it might be small, but it’s very well known down here in the south.”<a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/search/?listing_type=buy&amp;address_suburb=Oxley,%202903,%20ACT&amp;surrounding=true&amp;order_by=price&amp;property_status_groups=current,underOffer,includePrivate&amp;page=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View current listings in Oxley, ACT.</a>

'The Vatican City of Canberra': welcome to the tiny suburb of Oxley

There are people who love the suburb they live in and then there are people from Wanniassa. The more Canberrans I’ve met from 2903 over the years, the more intriguing it’s become. They rave about living there but they never really quite say why. On the surface, it looks remarkably like any other working class suburb in the Tuggeranong Valley (sorry people who live in Wanniassa Hills) but Wanniassans are way more vocal about how good it is.<img alt="wanniassa sign" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/wanniassa_sign.width-800.jpg" width="800">So what’s the secret sauce? The extensive range of schools on offer (which draw in students from right across the ACT)? Great amenities? I did some digging last week and discovered this: life in Wanniassa sounds distinctly like life in a small town I know only too well.“It’s honestly like a little town within a big town,” says Fiona Lester of Wanniassa, her home of 30 years.“The sense of community here is just incredible. I felt it when I moved here in 1994, and I still feel it today.”<img alt="Screen Shot 2024-02-06 at 9.00.50 am" class="richtext-image full-width" height="435" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/Screen_Shot_2024-02-06_at_9.00.50_am.width-800.png" width="776">Fiona owns and runs The Markets Wanniassa, a collective of handmade and innovative Australian products showcased under one roof at the Wanniassa shops. She and husband James raised nine kids in the suburb, but it was actually during COVID that she felt the absolute spirit of her suburb shine through.“During the lockdowns, the shop really struggled,” Fiona says.“And I had people calling me every day to say, we want you to survive. We want to make sure the shop stays open during this. How can we help?“So I’d send them to our online store and they’d buy from there.“It was just unbelievable, I don’t know if shop owners in other suburbs have the same connection with the people of their suburb but I’d love to think so.”<img alt="wanniassa playground" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/wanniassa_playground.width-800.jpg" width="800">The more Fiona talks about 2903, the more it feels like she’s describing a small NSW town. Many of Fiona’s kids scored their first jobs in Wanniassa – at Coles or Red Rooster – and there’s a cast of local characters that everyone knows. Like “Chicken Man”, who’ll grab a BBQ chook the moment he enters Coles and eat it while he walks around shopping.Fiona’s friend Margaret Larkin bought a house on Rylah Crescent in 1984 and has never left. She remembers paying $57,000 for the small three-bedroom brick home, and making instant friends with the other parents of kids attending Wanniassa Primary School. She’s friends with many of them today.<img alt="wanniassa-school-810x540" class="richtext-image full-width" height="533" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/wanniassa-school-810x540.width-800.jpg" width="800">It’s Wanniassa’s location – smack bang between Woden and Tuggeranong – that Margaret says is the suburb’s best kept secret.“It&#x27;s just so convenient,” she says.“When we moved in here, we had the shops very close to us. Woden was very accessible. Of course, Tuggeranong didn&#x27;t exist. But now we’ve got the best of both town centres.“School options for families living here are really good.“It&#x27;s also the bushwalks that are close, including Mount Taylor, and the sports ovals are close. We just feel so spoiled with lovely open areas and bush close by.”<img alt="halloween house" class="richtext-image full-width" height="600" src="https://d2t3vhau9g43uy.cloudfront.net/media/images/halloween_house.width-800.jpg" width="800">The creative force behind Canberra Halloween House Wanniassa, Connie Warburton, describes life in 2903 in a single sentence:“We&#x27;ve been doing the house for around eight years now and people come in their thousands ... we&#x27;ve watched the kids grow up each year when they come to visit - it’s awesome.&quot;Does Wanniassa sound like your dream suburb? <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/search/?listing_type=buy&amp;address_suburb=Wanniassa,%202903,%20ACT&amp;surrounding=true&amp;order_by=-created&amp;property_status_groups=current,underOffer,includePrivate&amp;page=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">View homes for sale in 2903 now.</a>

Why on earth do people who live in Wanniassa love it so much?

An impressive new record has been set for the suburb of Gordon in Canberra’s south, following the sale of <a href="https://zango.com.au/sale/23-hickenbotham-street-gordon-act-2906-32926/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">23 Hickenbotham Street</a>. At $1,190,000 it tops Gordon’s previous 2016 record of $1,085,000. The stunning architecturally designed home went under offer immediately following its auction in early November 2020, with exchange taking place this week. 23 Hickenbotham Street sits on an elevated 981sqm block and features 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. The house boasts breathtaking views over the south, plus a fully enclosed resort style heated swimming pool, gym, and self-contained granny flat. Prestigious inclusions adding to the property’s appeal include a cocktail bar, gourmet kitchen, and generous master bedroom with walk in robe, ensuite and bay window offering spectacular views. Agent and auctioneer of the property, <a href="https://zango.com.au/agents/michael-martin/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michael Martin</a> from <a href="https://zango.com.au/agencies/luton-tuggeranong/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Luton in Tuggeranong</a>, says he knew from the moment he first saw the property that it was a record breaker. “It’s been a long time coming with the previous record set in 2016. The couple who bought it are long time clients of mine who fell in love with it as soon as they walked through the door. When it passed in at auction, they put in an offer which was accepted that day. “The wow-factor of this property is immediately evident. It has very light and open living spaces, and was purposefully designed to capture the stunning views over the valley to Black Mountain. With an open kitchen, bar, entertaining area, huge indoor self-cleaning pool, balcony and more, this house has everything you could ever want.” Michael says the home’s previous owners had lived there for many years and decided to downsize because their children had left home. “The owners moved from this 463sqm home to a property half the size. They absolutely loved it, but it didn’t suit their needs anymore. “They weren’t in a rush to sell so we were happy to wait for the right price. At auction there were 4 registered bidders and we had pre-auction offers as well. It was just a matter of waiting for the right offer to come through – and it did.” Of setting a new record, Michael says “It’s exciting to achieve the first suburb record for 2021 and we expect a lot more this year. It’s the second record price I’ve achieved in 12 months, and the ninth record sales price achieved by Luton Properties in 12 months. As a company, we strive to break suburb records because that’s how you keep the market moving. “We’ve seen an enormous increase in buyers looking to settle in Tuggeranong. They can see the incredible value for the land they’re buying and the proximity to a huge range of amenities. It’s impressive to see how much the community is evolving, and we’re certainly excited to see what happens in 2021.” Michael also set the record price for Gordon “Stage One” in November 2020; selling 1 Donohoe Place, Gordon prior to auction for $966,500 – well exceeding the seller’s expectations. “Setting the record price for stage one, stage two and the whole of Gordon in the space of 3 months is a career achievement I am proud of. And I’m excited to break more records moving into the New Year!”

3 news articles with tag suburb

'The Vatican City of Canberra': welcome to the tiny suburb of Oxley

Why on earth do people who live in Wanniassa love it so much?

New record sales price for Gordon