wy do Australians talk about central busness districts?

[WarrenPeace]

as if they are living in some mad geography GCSE courswork world

with a bit of lateral moraine and a roche moutonee

You are right ANU is excellent. Lovely Lakes. 2 hours to the snow or the beach (would rather be on a beach) Lovely bushland and river corridors.
But rent and property prices are unbelievable! Apparently because we have the highest average income in Australia, but I'm a teacher LOL

Can I ask, without being horribly rude, why you live there?

I've often wondered this about Canberra people. Can understand it with the pollies, defence etc.

Funny thing - know where Adelaide is, even know some things about it. But know nothing at all about Canberra. Except that when I was younger I thought it was in Canada.

I was never very good at Geography.

No not rude at all, understandable question.

Moved here when my parents emigrated from the UK, I was 9. I fell pregnant in my late teens and so had to stay here so she could have access with her father.

Now am recently divorced from a 15 year marriage and have a 5 year old, so same problem all over again.

It is a pretty city and isn't too busy, nice access to the country etc. without losing all the city amenities.

And now that I am stuck here it is ok, I love my job and my friends,and my family is still here, so would be a wrench to leave even though I would prefer a country town with a big garden, veges and chickens.

Thank you AllThreeWays. I think anywhere that your friends, family and job are can be lovely, equally you can live in the most wonderful place in the world, but if you don't have friends and family there, it's going to be lonely.

To be honest, i think if Canberra was in the UK people would be much keener to live there. I think it's just when you compare it to places like Sydney or Brisbane that it gets the rough end of the deal.

Sydney Uni WAY better than ANU.

Though when UNSW closed its Singapore campus last year, I did think it was a shame that ANU couldn't step in and fill the gap, becoming ANUS.

Ozziegirly, your earlier comment about Canberra made me smile (where is it, etc). I always feel like that about most modern cities I have visited (in US, Australia & Canada). They just don't have the equivalent of our high streets. It's the lack of decent city centre shopping that always throws me but I guess most residents live & shop in the burbs....

ummm

I don't think so

Isn't Canberra all round-a-bouts and round-a-bouts (well apart from the kick arse Uni I'd go to in a flash if I could and the round-a-bouts)?

Personally I never understand why Brits are alway going on about the High Street. They all seem to be at the bottom of hills and so not very high at all.

I personally love Melbourne with it's CBD, inner suburbs and outer suburbs. Just don't get me started on the over grown town that is Christchurch NZ. Call itself a city indeed!

Why the issue in the first place? You have CBDs in the UK - they're even in the bloody GCSE! Sometimes they're called CBZs as well - it's town planning terminology.

What else is anyone supposed to call it??

Yes, when someone says "I work in the City" what do they mean? I mean, it doesn't mean the whole city, so where do they work? CBD is all precise and stuff.

In Adelaide (designed by military man), it's a square mile surrounded by parks, so it's very clearly delineated.

Never quite got the hang of what an 'inner' v 'outer' suburb is, though. There should be some sort of border control to make it clear.

AllThree, there is more than an outside chance that we'll be moving to Canberra in the next few years (husband is researchy academic type for government funded project, Researchy HQ is in Canberra) - shall I let you know, and you can buy my house in a country town? We don't have chickens but we do live near wineries and cheeseries.

GetOrf, Australians haven't really come to terms with the fact that nobody knows what, or where, our capital city is. Even Australians mostly know it as the place you can buy porn and fireworks.

(Is that still true, ATW?)

Isn't Canberra a bit like the Aussie version of Milton Keynes? Or am I being too hard on it?

No, thumbwitch, that is what it's like. Miles of concrete and no centre.

tortoise I think City is weirdly more precise (although also less so) because it's not a geographical distinction (even though it traditionally meant the City of London). But now would also apply to Canary Wharf, and probably other areas too.

I see CBD as a useful geographic term though, and do think I will end up calling the City the CBD if I go back to the UK. I will of course be laughed at.

And also when I refer to a "park" instead of a "parking space".