My Site: Defence | Library Consulting
See Web Design | Violin Lessons | Base | Tilt Busking Festival 2009 | Civic, Watson, Mitchell and Dickson | Canberra Airport and Brindabella Business Park | Bullet Train between Sydney and Canberra | Mobile Internet | NBN Rollout in Gungahlin and Civic | Business Development | ACT Small Business Innovation Partnership | Building Boom/Bust | Canberra Metro (Light Rail) | Churches
In November 2009, we setup a Flash Website based on a template for Beyond Q bookshop in Curtin ACT. This includes a calendar based on iCal uploaded from Mac OS X. In November 2011, we added more features and cleaned up the calendar and newsletter area of the site.
In 2014 someone else redeveloped that site. As of June 2021 that site has gone.
In August 2017, Beyond Q bookshop moved to Weston when shopping centre at Curtin was sold to developers for residential development. In June 2020 Beyond Q closed down.
In April-May 2010, we had 1 violin student in Kippax via Belconnen. We installed new strings on the student's violin and taught them in their home.
In December 2009, we continued business leads in Canberra. Here we can tender for Australian Government contracts. In January-February, April-June and August 2010, we rebuilt capital, turning the corner on funding.
From September 2010, cost of staying in Canberra got too dear so I am only visiting briefly now. This ends 1 year of work in Canberra with busking and Web development.
In January 2011, I started designing a library for Fusion in Kambah. In November 2011, I finished the setup of the library using Collectorz.com. In June 2012 I finished installing CueCat Scanner and Collectorz software and catalogued over 700 books while staying in Kambah.
In November 2011, we revisited Canberra and did more Web development and playing of violin! This was a 2 year gap.
From 28/9/09 to 11/10/09 I busked as folk fiddler at several locations in the Tilt Busking Festival briefly as part of Floriade and mainly in Canberra Citywalk area.
We stay in YHA Civic and Carotel Watson and visit the National Library of Australia for research purposes. NLA has all the newspapers there. This was for research for S Preston Walker's books 'Enriching Australia through educating indigenous people' on Mt Margaret and NSW and 'The Bible to thousands' for the Bible Society in QLD and NSW. I stay at EPIC in Mitchell.
Local news is in Canberra Times. Public transport is by ACTION buses using MyWay electronic ticketing and Google Maps Transit travel planner. AllHomes.com.au lists real estate. Canberra is expensive to rent or buy a house.
Dickson has a good shopping centre and library but there are petty thieves who steal buskers' money when they busk outside Woolworths as they can escape down a lane on their bike or by foot and police do nothing. Hide all notes in your pocket and don't leave them in the music case for thieves to snatch. Dickson has the 3rd highest rate of theft in North Canberra area after Braddon and City - 50, 79, 157, Jan-Mar 2012. Dickson has a high percentage of housing commission houses - low income, high unemployment.
A new Canberra Airport Terminal is being built for $200M with a Brindabella Business Park only 4 years old right next to it. In April 2017 there are now business parks at Majura Park and Fairbairn ex RAAF airport. Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) is very close to the airport. The road to the airport has been upgraded to a 2 lane highway to cope with the increased traffic to the business park and airport. There is real growth in Canberra with in effect only 2 layers of government to manage the projects so less hindrances than other states who have 3 layers of government. The airport has no curfew so has longer operating hours than Sydney Airport making it very competitive for overflow traffic and southcoast flights.
Webblast was held in December 2009 at ASG Group (ex SMS Management and Technology) at Brindabella Business Park which I attended and met many Web designers and developers in Canberra. In February 2018, SMS has merged with ASG Group.
In April 2012, Barry O'Farrell, Liberal Party premier of NSW, said Sydney could link to Canberra via highspeed train and use Canberra's airport instead of building another airport in Western Sydney which is ridiculous due to pollution and shortage of resources in Western Sydney.
In December 2012, Canberra is looking to build a tunnel through Mt Ainsley to connect a very fast train to Sydney. High speed rail is now on the agenda making getting to and from Canberra much easier and building up Canberra's economy as a knowledge exporter and tourist destination.
In November 2011, Vodafone 3G 850MHz is blazingly fast in Canberra - 4-7MBit/sec for downloads! This is the best in Australia I've found and makes it very good for IT business. This was in Mitchell.
ACT Innovation, Trade and Investment assists business community. This is a very IT savvy, well educated city with a booming construction industry that is not well promoted.
IT clusters and business networks.
Since 2009, Canberra has a $5.2Bn building boom including apartments and refitting CBD buildings.
In 2012, Cotter Dam west of Canberra CBD is being raised.
8000 more units worth $2Bn are going to be built in Canberra over next 3 years by 2013-14 (Belconnen, Braddon, Lyneham, Tuggeranong, Kingston, Woden, Campbell, Gungahlin, Civic, Molonglo) - 2000-2500/year (my observations and Canberra Times 11/11). This is a staggering growth phase for Canberra! Most will be rented to young people moving here for government jobs.
In May 2012, Canberra suffered a building bust.