Leaving 2020 behind, we started the year with some optimism, and January didn’t disappoint, unless you were stuck in Canberra looking for a rental.
Canberra Daily’s January 2021 highlights include Canberra hosting a Hollywood film crew, Manuka Oval rescuing the Big Bash, free Australia Day concert tickets for frontline workers, and more.
Canberra city to host Hollywood car chase
Remember when Canberra had a Hollywood film crew come to town and the city centre hosted a thrilling car chase scene?
The shoot took place for Liam Neeson vehicle, crime thriller Blacklight, written and directed by Mark Williams.
Neeson himself didn’t step onto Canberra streets, as principal photography has already taken place in Melbourne, but a second unit car chase, the “money-making” scene, was shot on the city streets of Canberra.
Filming took place from Thursday 14 to Friday 22 January and required road and footpath closures as well as some bus stop closures, however access remained available for residents and local businesses.
Manuka Oval comes to the rescue for Big Bash League
Canberra once again came to the rescue for the Big Bash League (BBL) after the Brisbane Heat were locked out of Victoria, causing their game against the Melbourne Renegades to be relocated to Manuka Oval.
The game was set to be played at Marvel Stadium on Thursday 14 January 7.15pm but was instead played at Manuka in the same timeslot.
Unfortunately for cricket fans, the game was played behind closed doors with Cricket Australia’s (CA) Head of Big Bash Leagues Alistair Dobson lamenting the fact there would be no fans in attendance.
Later in the season, Canberra played host to two BBL finals when the Sydney Sixers and Sydney Thunder both secured home finals, given the COVID-19 situation in Sydney prevented both sides from playing home matches.
Canberra institution Mee’s Sushi Manuka up for sale after 18 years
Back in January 2021, as Canberrans returned to work, those who frequent Manuka for lunch would have undoubtedly noticed something amiss, with Mee’s Sushi Manuka having temporarily closed.
A sign that’s been on the door since they closed over Christmas on 21 December 2020 explained their flagship store would reopen as soon as “the new management team is ready”, with the institution up for sale after 18 years of serving their popular fare.
While devastating news at the time, the business successfully sold and is now back up and running.
Stage 88 Australia Day concert gives frontline workers free entry
As a gesture of gratitude for their tireless efforts, frontline workers were invited to snap up some of the 5,000 tickets on sale for the Stage 88 Australia Day Concert for free.
Set to be one of the country’s largest Australia Day celebrations, the concert featured a line-up including James Reyne, Daryl Braithwaite, Lee Kernaghan, Kingswood, Fanny Lumsden, and local performers Kim Yang and Lisa Richards.
National Capital Authority CEO Sally Barnes said the gesture was made to frontline workers from ACT Health, Southern NSW Local Health District, doctors and nurses, ACT Emergency Services Agency, and ambulance organisations to acknowledge their tireless work throughout 2020 – a workload that continued throughout this year, too.
Housing crisis: Canberra is Australia’s most expensive city to rent
2021 has most certainly been a great year for property owners and investors. With the average Canberra house price jumping more than $250k since the start of the pandemic and rentals in high demand, it’s also been a difficult time for anyone who doesn’t own their own home.
Right back in January 2021, Canberra was declared Australia’s most expensive city to rent, with an article by CW’s Nick Fuller declaring the local rental market was in a state of “crisis”.
For the first time in a decade, Canberra was named the most expensive city in Australia to rent both houses and units, according to Domain’s December 2020 rental report. Average house rents rose $20 to $600, and unit rents to $495 a week.
The supply of available housing is low, and almost all is expensive. The estimated number of vacant rentals is 24% lower than last year, Domain stated, while less than 5% of accommodation on the market is affordable housing.
Unfortunately, things have not improved for renters since.
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