Suburb Profile: Braddon

BRADDON 2612

Inner North

Median house price $1,250,125*

Median house rental price $710 per week*

Median unit price $565,000*

Median unit rental price $550 per week*

*Source: realestate.com.au updated 8 August 2022

Filled with vegan cafés, handmade stores, cool coffee shops and inviting bars, Braddon is one of Canberra’s more exciting suburbs. File image.

Hip, young, and fresh, Braddon is the epitome of a modern Australian suburb where restaurants have taken over former industrial buildings, artisan coffee roasters run the streets, and quirky, indie stores find a home here.

Agent at LJ Hooker Canberra City, Sam Walker, says he does a fair bit of business in Braddon and has sold around five properties in the suburb over the past 12 months.

“It’s a great location. Obviously, in the last 10 years it’s developed a big nightlife. It’s close to the city, Dickson, and Ainslie, and O’Connor and Turner are starting to explode and redevelop into hubs of nightlife. It’s an unbeatable location,” Mr Walker says.

“Being so close to ANU, a lot of young people live in Braddon – uni students, young executives and couples. There’s not a huge population of families. Thirty to 35 and under is the majority of the population, which brings a lot of enthusiasm into the nightlife – there’s always something going on in Braddon.

“There’s been a bit of a shift towards the older downsizers because there’s a lot of apartments which are easy to maintain and it’s easy to get to the city, they don’t have to mow the lawn…”

Mr Walker explains the suburb used to be an industrial location, and you can still see some small remnants of the old buildings today. One example is the old Telstra building on Lonsdale Street.

“Originally there was a lot of medium density apartment types purchased in Braddon and they’ve been redeveloped into shiny, big buildings. There’s not as much land as in Ainslie, but Braddon has come a long way since its industrial days, and there’s very little remnants of it left,” he said.

“There’s such a range of different developments being so close to Ainslie. Some of the older, more original precincts, the 2000s builds and earlier, have bigger internal spaces and the more recent ones are more refined developments. It’s also very attractive to a lot of people to bring business into the suburb, which has attractive housing options.

“My personal favourite spots in Braddon are: Lazy Su – good location, good food, nice drinks, quiet spot and not too crowded; Black Fire around the corner is a really, really good restaurant; Italian and Sons… to be honest, there’s so much range. Braddon is a great area, and I’d love to live there.”

eat Grease Monkey takes its name from the former mechanics garage that operated on the site. If you’re craving an all-American burger, classic fried chicken, or a cheese-filled pizza, Grease Monkey will hit the spot. They also have some fantastic vegan and vegetarian options and don’t forget to check out the weekly specials.

drink Nicknamed ‘The People’s Pub’, Assembly in Braddon is home to arguably Canberra’s best beer garden. Nestled in the heart of Braddon (and in the hearts of Braddonites), Assembly is a modern pub perfect for a sunny afternoon beer, dinner and drinks with the family, or cocktails and dancing the night away.

shop Every Sunday morning at Haig Park, Canberrans flock to the Village Markets where, along with plenty of fresh produce, artisan bread, deli meats and treats, you can enjoy the music of local talents, multicultural cuisine, handmade jewellery, candles, and more!

café Ask anyone in Braddon for a café recommendation and nine times out of 10 the response will be ‘Lonsdale Street Roasters’. Their range of freshly roasted coffee is delectable and classically Canberra, and their café meals are deliciously gourmet.