Spotlight on Farrer, ACT
Welcome to Farrer, one of Woden Valley’s best kept secrets. With the wildflowers and woodlands of Farrer Ridge Nature Reserve at its doorstep, this tucked-away suburb boasts some of the area’s most stunning homes. Just don’t be too surprised to see a kangaroo or two grazing on your front lawn.
What kind of homes are in Farrer?
If you’re looking for a sizeable block of land in a mellow Canberra suburb, yet don’t want to be too far from the action, then the little pocket of Farrer in Canberra’s Woden Valley may be just what you need.
Most of the homes in Farrer were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s, so there’s now a mix of original and renovated properties. There’s also a healthy number of brand-new homes and dual occupancies; many a result of rebuilds following the Mr Fluffy demolitions of 2016-17. With a handful of blocks still on the market for sale, there’s more change to come within Farrer.
New retirement and aged-care villages have also been built in recent years; reflective of the suburb’s aging population. There are relatively small numbers of units and apartments available compared to the majority of freestanding, separate homes on larger blocks. There’s now a range of options to suit different sized households looking for peace and quiet in suburbia.
What’s it like to live in Farrer?
Have you heard of Canberra described as the ‘bush capital’? It’s a fitting description for life in Farrer. It’s not uncommon to stumble across a mob of kangaroos on your evening stroll. If you’re lucky, you might even spot an echidna waddling down the street. And the birdlife is pretty impressive, too.
Farrer is heaven for nature-lovers, mountain-bikers and hikers alike. And dog-owners? You couldn’t ask for a more picturesque place to walk your pooch.
It’s modest pickings at Farrer shops, with a small supermarket, some niche restaurants, a hairdresser and a dog groomer. But it’s the esteemed Farrer cafe Fox and Bow that keeps the car park full and the coffee addicts smiling.
photo courtesy of Riot ACT
For specialist services and a larger supermarket, Mawson shops (also known as Southlands Mawson) is just down the road. Westfield Woden Shopping Centre and Southpoint Tuggeranong are also a 10-minute drive away. Farrer has excellent access to arterial roads, making the commute quick and easy around town.
Farrer Primary School is one of Canberra’s most popular schools, with plenty of out-of-area families scrambling for a prized enrolment. Live in-area though, and it’s yours for the taking. Other nearby schools include Melrose High School and Canberra College.
Despite being a quiet suburb, Farrer is serviced by a surprising number of bus routes. This is because its location next to Athllon Drive (an arterial road linking Woden to Tuggeranong) means an express bus is never too far away.
What the locals love about living here:
“Farrer is beautiful! It’s established, quiet, leafy, has a good sense of community and is in a great location. We love looking out our window and not seeing our neighbours in their houses doing their thing. Thing is though, our neighbours are nice enough to want to know. All we see out of our windows are trees with gorgeous native wildlife and flowers.
We have an awesome café that is well known called Fox & Bow... delicious food (love the ‘Senorita Fox’ – highly recommended). It has an awesome atmosphere with a great area for the kids to play while we enjoy seriously good coffee. We have a great dog groomer at our local shops, too. We are in close proximity to Mawson shops which has everything else we need and more, and we hear it’s getting an upgrade in the near future.
We love being surrounded by beautiful large established trees and walking through the suburb with our children and fur-kids. We also enjoy taking walks or rides up on Farrer Ridge and Isaacs Ridge and saying hello to our local kangaroos. The local school has a playground, paved area and basketball hoops that we are able to use out of school hours, plus a large community oval close by. Farrer is also getting a new playground next to the Farrer shops in the near future.
We truly love living here - best move we have made so far! ”
What’s sold in Farrer recently?
25 Wagga St
4 Bedroom | 2 Bathroom | 2 Garage
$1.035m on 19/02/2019
36A Spafford Cr
4 Bedroom | 2 Bathroom | 2 Garage
$815,000 on 26/02/2019
10 Dookie St
4 Bedroom | 2 Bathroom | 2 Garage
$875,000 on 12/02/2019
Suburb information:
Median Price: $915,000 (houses), $474,000 (units)
Suburb Growth: +13% (houses), +35.6% (units) *based on sales over the last two rolling 12-month periods
Rented vs Owned: 19.5 % Rented | 80.5% Owned/Purchasing
Dwelling composition: 80.5 % separate house | 14.9% Semi detached | 4.6 % Flat
Household composition: 55% Families | 45% Singles/Couples
Distance to city: 15km / 18 minutes
Distance to airport: 17.3km / 17 minutes
Sources: Pricefinder.com.au (Property Data Solutions Pty Ltd), ACT Planning and Land Authority - February 2019, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Google maps.
What’s on the market right now in Farrer?
117 Hawkesbury Cr
6 Bedroom | 3 Bathroom | 2 Garage
Auction 2nd March
https://www.allhomes.com.au/sale/117-hawkesbury-crescent-farrer-canberra-176329737
12 Dookie St
4 Bedroom | 2 Bathroom | 2 Garage
Auction 13th March
https://www.allhomes.com.au/sale/12-dookie-street-farrer-canberra-176432748
20 Hawkesbury Cr
4 Bedroom | 2 Bathroom | 2 Garage
Auction 14th March
https://www.allhomes.com.au/sale/20-hawkesbury-crescent-farrer-canberra-176399990
60 Drevermann St
6 Bedroom | 4 Bathroom | 3 Garage
$1,049,000
https://www.allhomes.com.au/sale/60-drevermann-street-farrer-canberra-176311311
Wondering what these properties will actually sell for?
That’s precisely our job. We can help you with determining what price you should pay, and exactly how to go about doing it to pay the lowest possible price. There’s no need to go it alone – you’re spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and bringing in some professional advice is a smart move. Speak to the team at Capital Buyers Agency to secure your ideal home.