Suburb #6 Fadden - the reboot edition

The 6th suburb that I visited back in 2014 was Fadden and I must admit that I do not think I had visited since....

Fadden was established in 1981 and about 3,000 people live there...last time I was there I nicknamed it 'Agrestic' (was watching Weeds at the time), so what was I to find this time in this possible 80s paradise?

I began my walk at the somewhat non-existent local shops....it all seemed very quiet and rather sleepy...

But there were some fun splashes of colour and an impressive mailbox that was designed to reflect the shape of the house behind it...

But its when you walk up the hills...the steep hills....of Fadden that the real beauty of this suburb begins to emerge...

At one point I felt like I had entered a different country...

But looking in other directions, it was very much the bush capital...

And, at the top, I found Mt Wanniassa - which I must admit I didn't know existed ha ha

The weeds 'ticky tacky' houses were still there - but looking pretty impressive from up above...

But it was time to wander down the hill and see what I could find...

Portal door? 

I decided not to risk it. But with the afternoon coming to an end..

It was time to pass by one more puppy ha ha....

And check out Fadden Pines... the pines were a little bit creepy to be honest...

But there was some other colourful fun to experience before my Fadden adventure ended :)

Suburb #5 - Beard - the reboot edition

The fifth suburb that I visited back in 2014 was Beard - a suburb that I didn't even know existed at the time. There wasn't much to photograph then, so I was wondering if this had changed...

Beard wasn't established until 2009.  Apparently only three people live here....it is also referred to as Fyshwick East Industrial Estate. 

Abattoirs operated in Beard from 1944 to 1997, so not somewhere I was overly keen to visit as a vegetarian. But it is now an industrial estate..

Not a lot seems to have changed since I last visit.

It is still a desolate place...which largely seems to be utilised by people doing burnouts...

But at least it has a real suburb sign now, not just the fake one..

There are also some plants and animals trying to survive amidst the industrial landscape...

And the street names are still pretty cool :p 

There is also always still a friendly reminder that you are still in ye olde Canberra town :) 

Suburb #4 - Oaks Estate - the reboot edition

Some time ago before winter bitterly descended on Canberra, I had a lovely walk around suburb number four, which was Oaks Estate. While this suburb has a somewhat mixed reputation, I think it is fabulous so I was looking forward to this one.

Oaks Estate - although a place of much history - was officially established as a suburb in 1984, but actually predates the ACT by about 80 years. Less than 400 people live here.

Like last time, I started my walk at Gillespie Park in the centre of the suburb, but this time it looked even prettier in autumn colours.

Oaks Estate was not part of the Canberra plan and certainly feels completely different to the rest of the ACT. It is almost like a small country town albeit only 15 minutes from the rest of Canberra. It has a different feel to it and is just full of history...with many of its buildings dating from the mid 19th century. I was also pleased to see that its heritage listed bus stop is still standing :)

I decided to take a walk down and along the Queanbeyan and the Molonglo rivers...

At first I was a bit worried about what I was walking in to...

But I was glad I persevered....past the bridge over the Queanbeyan River. It was such a beautiful day to walk along the riverbank and I felt like I was in a completely different world.

And soon I found myself in a sea of brilliant yellows....

Heading back up the stairs from the river bank, it was like someone had rolled out a yellow carpet just for me.

And there were interesting plants everywhere I looked...

It started to get a bit chilly as I headed back up the hill to the main part of the suburb...even the poles were rugged up ha ha.

Alas the actual old estate is private and out of bounds...

But I love that the locals seem proud of their history and strong in the face of clear neglect from the ACT government. I was pleased to see the new public toilets in Gillespie park since my last visit - but apparently even a federal government grant was required to build these.

In many ways, Oaks Estate really is a hidden and neglected world behind Queanbeyan train station...

Where you can stand with a foot in NSW...

But I do think that is what makes it kind of special....and the locals are certainly not giving up. The bottle shop is still there...and is now accompanied by an Indian takeaway food outlet. Plus there is lots of new colour and life everywhere :) 

Maybe its not really Canberra - but its canberrability rating is high :)