Gungahlin Town Centre

2,076 votes

Light-rail, lakefront cafés and high-rise apartments converge in Gungahlin Town Centre, giving residents a true CBD-in-the-north. Shoppers roam two supermarkets, eateries and a medical hub, while Friday-night markets and rooftop bars keep the precinct buzzing long after office hours—no car required.

2

Casey Market Town

617 votes

Casey Market Town anchors the region’s northwest with a boutique grocer, gourmet butcher and buzzing beer garden around a leafy piazza. Easy parking and family-friendly events mean Jacka, Ngunnawal and Moncrieff locals can brunch, bank and grab essentials without driving to the Town Centre.

3

Burgmann Anglican School

251 votes

Split across Forde and Gungahlin campuses, Burgmann Anglican delivers K-12 education with modern STEM labs, performing-arts studios and a thriving rowing program. Dedicated bus services and strong wellbeing programs make the school a magnet for families seeking continuity from preschool through to Year 12.

4

Gungahlin College

202 votes

Year 11–12 students flock to Gungahlin College for its university-style timetable, media suites and partnership courses with CIT. Located beside the light-rail terminus, the campus lets teens commute independently, grab lunch in the Marketplace and duck into part-time jobs straight after class.

5

Amaroo School

190 votes

P-10 Amaroo School blends inquiry-based learning with elite AFL and netball programs on lush ovals. Café-style senior hubs, a community library and adjacent shopping village create a true neighbourhood hub, keeping morning drop-offs and after-school errands within a five-minute radius for busy parents.

6

Margaret Hendry School

162 votes

Opened in 2019, Margaret Hendry’s light-filled “learning streets”, maker spaces and landscaped play zones reflect the ACT’s newest design thinking for primary education. Located in rapidly growing Taylor, the school anchors a family-friendly precinct of parks, bike paths and flourishing community gardens.

7

Harrison School

160 votes

Harrison School spans preschool to Year 10, offering bilingual Mandarin streams and impressive performing-arts facilities. Students cycle along segregated paths from Franklin or Throsby, parents grab barista coffee at the on-site canteen, and weekend sports carnivals energise the surrounding ovals year-round.

8

Mulligans Flat Nature Reserve

107 votes

Home to re-introduced bettongs and quolls, predator-proof Mulligans Flat offers twilight eco-tours, bird hides and family-friendly boardwalks through endangered box-gum woodlands. Residents relish having genuine wilderness just ten minutes from suburbia, creating weekend adventures that start at the end of their street.

9

Ngunnawal Primary School

101 votes

Ngunnawal Primary’s “Walking School Bus”, Indigenous language program and thriving kitchen-garden earn high praise. Safe crossings and cul-de-sac streets encourage active commuting, while neighbouring sports ovals double as weekend gathering spots for markets and community soccer.

10

Gungahlin Marketplace

94 votes

The original undercover Mall still delivers daily convenience with supermarkets, chemists and food court staples. Shaded parking, adjacent light-rail and a Friday-night hawker market keep foot traffic steady, making quick grocery runs or sushi lunches effortless for high-rise residents upstairs.

11

Gold Creek High School

80 votes

Gold Creek High’s Years 7-10 campus boasts robotics labs, Japanese immersion and direct pathways into UC Senior Secondary College Kaleen. Students bus or bike from Nicholls and Palmerston, then often detour to Casey Market Town for bubble-tea before tackling homework.

12

Yerrabi Pond District Park

62 votes

Paddle-board hire, fenced pirate playgrounds and lakeside BBQs make Yerrabi Pond Canberra’s ultimate family picnic spot. Sunrise joggers loop the 4-km path, anglers cast for redfin, and summer movie nights draw crowds—all an easy scooter ride from Harrison terraces and Amaroo homes.

13

Palmerston Primary School

57 votes

Set amid mature gums, Palmerston Primary pairs strong literacy programs with a celebrated chess club that regularly tops ACT comps. Parents enjoy relaxed drop-offs via looping access roads, while the nearby local shops handle coffee fixes and forgotten lunch supplies.

14

Moncrieff Community Recreation Park

56 votes

Known locally as “Moncrieff Park”, this adventure playground thrills kids with giant slides, water misters and a scooter circuit. Covered picnic shelters, free barbecues and toilet blocks make birthday parties easy, and evening lighting encourages safe post-dinner play on balmy Canberra nights.

15

Harrison Public School

55 votes

Harrison’s primary campus blends open-plan “learning villages” with specialist art and science studios. Extensive shade sails, multi-sport courts and a thriving walk-ride program ensure healthy, sun-smart lifestyles, while proximity to the light-rail supports stress-free commutes for working parents.

16

Franklin School

54 votes

Opened 2023, Franklin School’s bilingual streams, rooftop veggie beds and maker labs set a new benchmark for sustainable design. Solar panels power classrooms, students compost lunches, and protected cycle lanes link the campus with playgrounds and the local rapid-bus stop.

17

Gold Creek Primary School

53 votes

Sharing verdant grounds with the high-school campus, Gold Creek Primary offers inquiry-based learning, a petting farm and a celebrated annual fete. Siblings can stay on one site through to Year 10, and drop-offs are eased by generous kiss-and-ride loops and ample bike parking.

18

Neville Bonner Primary School

50 votes

Neville Bonner Primary champions Indigenous perspectives across curricula, honouring its namesake’s legacy. Students grow native bush foods, learn local Ngunnawal language phrases and explore nearby grasslands on country walks, fostering deep connection to place within Canberra’s fastest-growing northern suburbs.

19

Harrison Early Childhood Centre

50 votes

This purpose-built centre offers long-day care, preschool and allied-health services under one roof, giving parents seamless care from six weeks to school age. Spacious shaded yards, veggie gardens and a Mandarin language program set youngsters up for smooth transitions into Harrison School next door.

20

Gungahlin Centre

49 votes

Often used interchangeably with the Town Centre, “Gungahlin Centre” refers to the wider retail-office precinct spanning three blocks of eateries, council services and coworking hubs. Frequent buses, sheltered cycleways and 1,000-plus undercover car parks ensure every errand, meeting or coffee catch-up is minutes from home.

Area Hotlist — Gungahlin ACT