Charny Carny 2007

ah good ol’ Oaks Estate – the forgotten suburb of Canberra or shall it forever be called ‘lower qbn’ ?

“I don’t like the Charny Carny. but I live here and find the term “Charny” degrading 😛

but I agree with leaving your car at home, we had someone burn a car at the end of our street just last weekend “

gold pure gold

I consider myself quite the bogan, and I’d live in the Oaks Estate anyday than the shit hole that is Charwood.

I don’t like the Charny Carny. but I live here and find the term “Charny” degrading 😛

but I agree with leaving your car at home, we had someone burn a car at the end of our street just last weekend

Charnwood has changed a lot since housing went up and yuppie couples moved there cos it is more affordable. The old reputation lives on though.

I have recently moved from Kingston to Charnwood. Kingston has far more drunks and druggies, in fact that is one of the reasons we moved from Kingston. The areas of disadvantage in Canberra are not readily comparable to other cities because there are pockets of public housing all over Canberra, in marked contrast to the other capitals. The average income for Charnwood residents is around 45k pa, and unemployment less than 5%. To suggest that is comparable to some of the concentrated pockets of disadvantage in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane is to defy logic, reason and the ABS, and betrays a sheltered life in the bubble of the ACT because if you had any experience of the relevant areas in Sydney, Melb or Brisso you wouldnt draw the analogy. Woodridge in Brisbane is around 30k pa and 20% unemployed. Macquarie Fields maybe even worse.

I have nothing specific against Charnwood – I just dislike places with burned out cars in the front yards of houses and drunks lying on the footpath outside the local shops – so Charnwood, Macquarie Fields and Braodmeadows are places I avoid.

The thing I’ve noticed about Canberra (being a blow in from Brisbane of around 4 years) is that there are pockets in just about every suburb where there could be a criminal element, or low socio-economic housing. Manuka and Kingston have the causeway, where a majority of my clients lived whilst working in child protection.

Living in the west belco area, I often want to move…especially after having my stereo stolen…but the reality is that crime, or people you may not like due to behaviour or class, well thats just about everywhere. Having said that, if I can find somewhere else to live thats around the same price, I will definately move.

On any given day of the week, towns/suburbs like Queanbeyan/Charnwood etc can be described as: “derelict ghettos filled with smackheads, druggos and degenerates” or “thriving communities embracing aspirational values and multiculturalism fulfilling the dream of the Aussie Battler”. It’s all just spin.

But I must add that some places do all they can to perpetuate the image of boganism.

geez Bobbo, at those outrageous prices, I think I’ll stick with the Soccer Club! 🙂

I admit Charny hasn’t been the same since the Charnwood Inn went all upper class as the Ginninderra Labor club..

How dare they put schnitzels up to $7.50

They were never big on checking ID there, even when we were wearing school uniforms

I resent being implied that cause I grew up in QBN as well that I am similar to Charny… My torn up flannies is much classier then theirs, we have a LOWES after all !!!

Of course you did Bobbo – the lads from Queanbo and Charny are not that dissimilar…

VY.. fair enough mate

Growing up on the other side of Canberra.. we said the same things about QBN as you did about us.. all good fun

I have yet to visit/tour/go on safari through Charny.
Where is it?

Johnboy
I think you’re right.
Goodluck with your site.

It’s not all about you JB..

Bobbo – as you’ve probably realised by now, some people take this site more seriously than others.

I will say, however, that growing up in Queanbeyan (including having my teenage years there during the recession) means I do have some understanding of the problems communities like this face.

We do our best to tread the line between being informative and being dull, but if you’re holding third party comments against us then maybe this site isn’t for you.

Snahon
That was my point.

“This isn’t a mature debate on issues affecting Canberra.” – when is it ever ?

VY.. the point is, as nemo indicated, it might be struggle town, but there is a community in Charny of value.. Just because it’s different from your world it doesn’t mean it deserves derision.

‘Labelling’ people from there as bogans, druggos and scum is just as idiotic as ‘labelling’ kingston/manuka types as chardonnay sipping wankers, although the irony has been missed by most.

Johnboy – have a look at the comments before you got called a wanker.

It wasn’t an unprovoked comment.

One quiet month does not a trend make Nemo and we have only just begun marketing as advertisers.

We give the charny carny a free plug AND get called wankers for our troubles and that makes us bad people does it?

Some wishful thinking on your part there my friend.

Is it any wonder there is a drop in return visitors to this site and little advertising.
This isn’t a mature debate on issues affecting Canberra.
Its all about putting people down – rightly or wrongly.

There are bad parts everywhere and sometimes those parts get labelled (rightly or wrongly), charnwood is currently one of those parts – deal with it.

I’ve been there a few times. I didn’t like it.

The people were strange, and wore these funny flanalette shirts. Some of the chicks seemed to be wearing their clothes backwards, with their hair swept forward over their face, walking in reverse.

Have to agree with Bobbo. Those of you who just knocked Charnwood have probably not been there in years, if at all.
I’ve lived in Canberra for 30 years. For the last 5 years I have lived in West Belconnen – sure there are bad parts, but there are bad parts everywhere. The sense of community and friendliness of the people far outstrips anything I have experienced in other parts of Canberra.

So what is the point?

Also, do they supply pony food?

la mente.. it’s pretty crusty tucker I know.. but that’s not the point..

Is May Sum one of those places where you ask for sauce (thinking soy) and get tomato?

No wuckin’ furries.

May Sum….have sampled the food there, hence my suggestion

Not my event and not my cause..

Just nice to show an alternate view to the sniggering aren’t we witty, sopisticated, and privilaged attitude of multi dwelling types.

Perceptions of places like Charny, Narrabundah and Queanbeyan remain because they fit the little order model of the world you wankers like to embrace.

Chip on the shoulder? maybe..

As for the May Sum.. once again, why not have a feed there and sample some perspective along the way.

bobbo123: you have just reinforced every preconcived, stereotypical, cliched idea I ever had about Charny.

“yeah, just make sure nothing of value is left in your car. “

I think you are misinterpreting Bonfire, what you have observed is their suburb-wide community transport scheme. Instead of each person owning their car and not sharing, people just take the car nearest to them. Since no-one ever leaves charnwood anyway, it works perfectly. Sometimes you even get to use the same vehicle more than once.

You do get the occasional mistake, though, like when some young gentlemen tried to utilise a really big orange car with “ACTION” written on the side.

bobbo123, that’s one hell of a big chip sitting on your shoulder. On the other hand, you may be an intolerant wanker, no different from the city dwellers you deride.

BTW: If May Sum is the mecca for ‘dimmies’ and ‘springies’ I suggest you need to broaden your horizons.

Hey Bobbo – I’m sure you love the Charny Carny, but the perception that Charnwood is a drug-addled crime-infested drunken-bogan unregistered-car-on-front-lawn craphole ensures that not many of us snooty-nosed types want to venture there. Bagging us on the web doesn’t help your cause.

You better watch out or a few of us might decide to buy up a whole lot of the available property in ‘Charny’ and turn it into a pony club for our daughters.

mmm yes, call me a wanker and then ask me to come to your event, brilliant marketing.

I live not far from Charny.
There are lots of families moving in because they can afford to buy a house there. Housing have sold a lot of their old houses.

You get the odd junkie scum, but on the whole its not too bad.
Having said that, the ‘Charny Carny’ reinforces the stereotypical view of Charnwood. Dont waste your time.

Can’t find a proper program … does anyone know what time the mullet competition is on?

Charny is tops.

It provides a rare bit of texture to sanitised suburban Canberra.

Great to hear all you multi story dwelling inner city wankers regularly putting the boot into a community you’ve probably never seen or know anything about.

Does looking down your nose at others reinforce your fragile feeling of superiority?

Why don’t you take your bottled water and margaret river chardonnays and shove them up your arse.

Maybe even head down to the Charny Carny for a healthy dose of perspective and a crack at the world famous Charny Idol talent quest.

I feel more comfortable the charny shops than dodging the smackies and methodone freaks in the city or woden.. or the SUV driving imbeciles and pubes in Manuka or Kingston.

Charny is:
*Multiculture in action
*The odd battler
*Committed, enthusiastic teachers and staff at schools and church
*Great fish and chips at Bernies
*Quality dimmies and springies from the May Sum for the past 23 years
*Bakery with top shelf pies
*Cheap schooies and schnitzel at the Charnie Inn

west heidelberg ? I was thinking more thomastown 🙂

charnwood – the west heidelberg of canberra!

Even better – don’t take the car at all!

yeah, just make sure nothing of value is left in your car.

I rate the Charny Carny. Apart from the kids throwing rocks at the stage performers, it’s an all round easy day out with the kiddies.