Canberra: A Great Place to Live…If You Can Afford to Stay
The last few months have felt like a literal financial scam and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.
Without wanting to give a stereotypical “Canberra bubble whinge,” I’ve honestly never felt so much financial pressure before.
With a near-double electricity bill compared to previous years...
Car registration,
Fuel,
Groceries,
Coffee,
Rates
it’s all up and up. And for the first time, it’s starting to feel like this just isn’t working out.
It all really hit in July, right after tax time. Like many millennials and Gen Zs, that “tax bill shock” was real TikTok is full of people venting about it. I always plan ahead and set some money aside from my small business income, but this year’s bill was unreal payment-plan-level unreal.
Then came the snowball.
- Electricity prices in the ACT jumped again in 2024, contributing to a 22% rise in housing-related costs over the past five years (ACT Cost of Living Report 2025: )
- Fuel prices have hovered stubbornly high; Canberra regularly ranks among the most expensive capitals for petrol (NRMA Fuel Reports:).
- Food prices rose around 21% since 2019, so a quick shop of bananas, milk, bread and two extras can easily hit $50–$100 (ACT Cost of Living Report 2025).
Even healthcare feels tighter. Our family GP thankfully still bulk bills, but with Canberra’s bulk billing dropping down to near nothing (at least it feels like that) It is so hard to get into our regular doc. Recent stats show bulk billing rate down according to ABC the lowest in the country. (ABC News:).
It’s actually so stressful especially with sick babies when appointments now take 1–2 weeks in advance, just to see someone who knows our history.
When you zoom out, some of the data I’ve seen seems to back it up.
- Canberra now ranks as Australia’s most expensive city to live in, with average monthly living costs around $2,049 per person (including rent) (LivingCost.org: https://livingcost.org/cost/australia/canberra).
- Over the last five years, overall inflation in Canberra hit ~19.6% higher than national averages for essentials (ACT Cost of Living Report 2025).
I mean, is this enough to justify my “feelings”… I don’t know :/
It leaves me wondering:
“Is the cost adding up to the value I’m getting here?”
Don’t get me wrong I love this city. It’s clean, calm, and community-focused. But there are so many beautiful places across Australia with strong communities and that classic beach-or-bush lifestyle that’s starting to feel more appealing.
They say the grass isn’t always greener on the other side but hey, at least there might be a beach.
I know a lot of this comes down to policy, economics, and global chaos things way above my pay grade. Still, I can’t help but ask:
“Are we really getting value here?”
Because even with two full-time incomes and a roof over our heads, it’s starting to feel harder to actually live comfortably.
Maybe it is just a Canberra bubble whinge. Or maybe, like me, you’re wondering if this is just the new normal.
What do you think — am I overreacting? Or are you feeling it too?
Let me know in the DMs → The Mortz
This blog was written with the assistance of AI for things such as grammar, spelling, SEO restructuring and research purposes.
This One DM Nearly Made Me Quit (But I Didn’t)
I want to be upfront about something that kind of irked me recently. I’ll save some of the fluff and get right into it. You’ll probably even eye roll as soon as you read the next paragraph and I get it.
I’d simply liked a post. That’s it. A simple “RIP Charlie Kirk” post. No caption. No politics. No agenda. Just acknowledging that someone had passed away, particularly around the part about being a husband, a father.
Not long after, I got a DM from a fellow Canberran tearing into me. They accused me of supporting school shootings, American gun culture, wars overseas and made mention of my faith as if it was the main determining factor.
All from a single “like”.
The messages felt long and heated. They took my action as a statement when it was never meant to be one.
I wasn’t endorsing anything. I wasn’t choosing sides. I was simply being human.
And yet, in that moment, it felt like my empathy had been weaponised against me.
Why It Hit Hard
I’ve had negative comments before, I actually laugh at them for the most part because they are directed at Canberra and sometimes are true, sometimes not. But this one (and some comments that I delete straight are away)
It was private.
It was personal.
And it assumed things about me that couldn’t be further from the truth.
For a split second, I thought about quitting. Because if even a “like” can get twisted into a political fight, what chance do any of us have?
Why I Didn’t Quit
I responded politely, however it escalated further, so I stopped. took a breath.
I reminded myself:
My intent was clear.
The majority of you know what I stand for.
And I don’t owe explanations to someone looking for a fight.
I’m just here to take photos of things I like, and make myself and (hopefully) others laugh at something they can relate to that’s in amongst the darkside of the algorithms.
So instead of giving up, I blocked the account and kept going. After all, we shouldn’t be controlled by a one or two negative comments.
What I Learnt
We’re living in a time where everything gets politicised. Even sympathy. Even grief. Which is WILD.
But you’re allowed to:
Show empathy without endorsing someone’s views.
Separate humanity from politics.
Keep creating, even when people misunderstand you.
Not be afraid to be your unique self.
For Other Creators
If you’re a Canberra creative whether you’re making coffee, painting murals, scootering, food vlogging, or posting reels you’ll know this feeling. Someone will take your work out of context.
Don’t let them silence you.
You don’t need everyone to get it. You just need the right people to see it.
Heck, don’t do it for others, go out and create because you have a creative brain that just wants to get content out into the world because you love the grind of it, the art, the getting out doors and disconnecting to make something with your own unique spin.
Still Here
So yeah, that DM nearly made me quit. But it didn’t.
Because creating still fuels me. Because one angry DM or someone disagreeing with my creative approach wont phase me.
I’m still here. Still posting. Still laughing. Still creating. Still boring little old me
And I’m very thankful to everyone who’s joined along the ride and made some sort of a community within a community.
And for anyone else that wants to consider getting into creating content, I say just post it and have fun. Don’t do it for views or likes, do it because you have fun and enjoy it!
If this resonated, share it on your socials or send it to another creative who might need the reminder today.
This blog was written with the assistance of AI for grammar, creative and SEO purposes.
My Thoughts on Floriade 2025
It's that time of year
where the sun shines, the puffer jackets begin to disappear, and the antihistamines are flying off the shelves as Canberra enters the Fake Spring → Spring season of September.
And with that comes the annual and well-attended Floriade.
For those who aren't in Canberra, new to Canberra, or contemplating visiting Canberra for this event, here are some quick statistics from my lovely AI Assistant about the event (And yes, I've verified them independently, chill.)
Here are five shorter points on the history of Canberra's Floriade:
Started in 1988: It began as a one-off event to celebrate Canberra's 75th birthday and the Bicentenary but became annual due to its popularity.
Dutch Inspiration: The festival was conceived by Dutch-born landscape architect Christiaan Slotemaker de Bruine, inspired by the Keukenhof gardens.
Million-Bloom Display: Each year, over one million bulbs and annuals are planted in themed garden beds in Commonwealth Park.
The Great Big Bulb Dig: The festival traditionally ends with the "Great Big Bulb Dig," allowing the public to take home plants from the displays. (FREE STUFF!!!)
A few days ago, I was blessed and honoured to be picked as one of the people to attend the media preview, which I certainly don't take for granted, and I note this review isn't skewed because of it. But I am thankful to attend because you get somewhat of an insight into the work that truly goes into pulling these events off year in, year out.
From the preview opening, they stated that last year saw over 400,000 visitors bringing in over 63 million dollars into the economy, which is certainly a lot of dosh, which is great for locals, and they anticipate 500,000 this year (and it already has had record-breaking attendance for the opening weekend.)
I think one thing few people know is that there's a mirrored event of Floriade held at the Lanyon Homestead
which offers its own unique talks and events, which is great. It's a lovely little spot in the south if you've not been.
My overall review isn't going to be super grand or detailed because that's not who I am, and I could just get AI to write up something of that nature.
But let's cut straight to the point – what are my honest thoughts on Floriade 2025?
It's free, and it's felt a lot more open
I'm now entering my dad era, and anything that is free is a big win for me and the family, so I have zero complaints about that.
There were plenty of flower displays and a lot of great QR codes for information, as well as the interactive maps, which were good – they let you plan out what you want to see and do when you arrive and find out what you want to eat, etc.
The walkways are spacious, giving you enough room to stop and take some photos, which is massive (especially for those of us with prams/twin prams and kids), and as little as that sounds, it's big.
It's bold and bright
The theme for the event is Science and Nature, so you will see some activities for the kids and talks that intertwine these themes together.
The garden displays are bold and bright and go among many scientific themes, which you'll find on the map, but also you can view them here - https://floriadeaustralia.com/garden-bed-designs/
I'm not much of a flowers guy, but, as a photographer, I did enjoy the leading lines that they made with planting a lot of these displays – makes for a challenging shot to get low during the bright sunlight, but they looked great, especially early morning.
WHERE'S THE CHIP ON A STICK?
I get a lot of messages saying that Floriade isn't about flowers anymore; it's a food display with flowers.
I can understand this sentiment, but I do think it's pretty well balanced overall – though, I am yet to spot the chip on a stick, which is truly the main attraction of any Canberra local event.
There's a great range of food, some local, some not, but you'll find something for your taste buds – just come with the expectation that it may be expensive.
You could do what we do and go full parent mode and bring a packed lunch. Cold ham, tomato, and cheese sandwich hits hard.
Local vendor opportunity missed
There are some incredible paintings and art on display this year. From woodworks to metalworks and incredible lifelike paintings.
There are also lots of things for sale like jams, food, arts and crafts, and token Canberra items, which are a must for any visitor.
But I might suggest one vendor that isn't on display and would seriously bring in some cash for a budding young entrepreneur, and that is... antihistamine medicine for those of us affected by hay fever.
It's brutal this year – I'd bet those tablets would fly off the counter if you sold them. (Note: I do not recommend you actually do this, but hey, I'm totally OK to be proven wrong)
Where do I park???
OK, I've gotten a lot of DMs about this, and sure, it's a minor annoyance that there's no parking at the location due to the Canberra Tram being built, but there's plenty of parking around the area – it just means a slight walk, which you'd probably be doing anyway because the car parks that are no longer available are quite the walk anyway.
I suggest parking near the CIT area because there's a tunnel that goes under Parkes Way and literally pops you out near one of the main entrances.
Parking is only $2.00 an hour (compared to somewhere like Sydney, this is literally a bargain).
Or, you could chuck a sneaky bus trip to the event, or park near Questacon and snap a few pictures with the displays on the other side and then catch a ferry across via the Love Boats - https://www.loveboats.com.au/floriade
Should I go?
Sure! It's something to do, and with some cracker spring days coming up, it makes for a nice outing no matter who you are, even if you're a local or travelling from NSW.
Overall, I think Floriade gets a knocking from locals because of its other ventures like the food and stalls, but if you just take it from the perspective of being free and something to do, I implore you to grab a picnic rug and lay it out near Stage 88 somewhere and just chill out, turn the phone off, and relax in the beautiful spring Canberra weather.
The world's super hectic at the moment, so it's nice to take some time to relax and smell the fresh air (or deep-fried air depending on how close you sit to a vendor).
Need a photographer? Want to chat about AI content creation?
We'd love to showcase your moments authentically through our services.
What Those Protests Really Made Me Think About Being Australian
"As someone who’s half Australian and half New Zealander, I’ve always felt caught between two cultural conflicts.
Me: “hmm, to throw my Australian flag fridge magnet in the bin or not…”
Proud to Be Part of Multicultural Canberra
This weekend's events have left me reflecting on what it truly means to call Australia home. Watching the news coverage and footage from the protests has stirred up questions I've wrestled with before: "What does it mean to be Australian?" "Why do I sometimes feel conflicted about our national identity?"
As someone who's half Australian and half New Zealander, I've always felt caught between cultures. Learning about the rich Indigenous histories of both countries and the ongoing injustices our First Nations peoples face adds another layer to that complexity. let alone anything to do with migration (Which is kind of ironic to me) loving our country whilst acknowledging its flaws and working toward something better.
But here's what I've learnt through genuine conversations and experiences I’ve had.
The Real Stories That Matter
Through friendships and my church community, I've had the privilege of sitting down with people who've come to Australia for reasons that would break your heart. I've heard stories of fleeing war, escaping terrorism, surviving famine, and searching desperately for work to support families back home. When you hear these real experiences - not the headlines or the political rhetoric, but actual human stories - it puts everything into perspective.
These conversations have shaped my understanding of what Australia can be: a warm welcome, a safe home from home, a place of genuine opportunity and connection. Yes, some people experience the complete opposite, and that's something we must continue addressing. But for many of the people I've been fortunate to meet, Australia has offered them something their weren’t able to at the time.
Why Canberra Gets It Right
I can't speak for other cities, but living in Canberra fills me with gratitude every day. We're not just multicultural in name - we live it. Our embassies aren't just buildings; they're symbols of the world coming together in our backyard. Our year-round cultural events aren't just festivals; they're celebrations of the vibrant multicultural vibes we come to love.
And then there's the Multicultural Festival The colours, the food, the music, the languages all mixing together in one incredible space. It's Australia at its absolute best, and it happens right here in our city.
Building Bridges Through Authentic Connection
What strikes me most is how connection happens in the most unexpected ways. Some of my Instagram followers have told me that my content - yes, even the silly memes - has helped them understand Canberra's unique character and cultural quirks (and errrks). For people who've just arrived after escaping difficult circumstances, or coming for work etc whatever it is, these small insights into local life can be surprisingly meaningful.
It reminds me that authentic storytelling - whether through photography, social media, or just genuine conversation - has the power to build understanding. Every authentic moment we capture and share contributes to a broader narrative about who we are as a community.
Moving Forward with Purpose
This weekend's events were deeply troubling. Seeing extremist rhetoric wrapped in our national symbols feels like a betrayal of everything our flag could represent. But I refuse to let those voices define what it means to be Australian.
Instead, I choose to focus on the Canberra I know: diverse, welcoming, and constantly growing stronger through our differences. I'm proud to call this multicultural city home,.
To everyone who follows along with my work and shares in this community: thank you for being part of something bigger. Whether you've lived here your whole life or arrived yesterday, you contribute to what makes Canberra special.
Our strength isn't in spite of our multiculturalism - it's because of it.
Turn off the news, talk to someone, be kind, have a laugh and make memories - life is too short to be divided and against one another, there’s so much to be learnt from one another, including myself, and I know personally that I can and need to be better at this.
And. if anything, we can all come together under a green banner after the massive canberra minor premiership win… now that, is special :P
Ready to share your authentic story?
Business owners: Let's document the real heart of your business - your team, your community connections, your genuine impact
Event organisers: Planning a cultural celebration or community gathering? Let's capture those authentic moments that truly matter
Community groups: Your work building bridges in our city deserves to be seen and celebrated
I'm currently booking for autumn shoots, and I'm particularly excited to work with businesses and organisations that share these values of inclusivity and authentic community building.
Get in touch: Send me a DM or visit www.themotzmedia.com/contact to chat about how we can tell your story in a way that celebrates the multicultural spirit that makes Canberra special.
Blog was written by Daniel Morton-Jones with the assistance of AI for the purposes of SEO and formatting
The Accidental Influencer: When Your Photography Side Hustle Turns Into Laughs and Giggles for all.
First of all, that title was very click bait. I don’t see myself as an influencer, nor do I even like the term Influencer. I prefer the term “A person of influence” or even better “Hey, you’re that guy with the funny videos”.
It’s been a wild ride over the past 3 years since I first started to post random videos that I thought was hilarious in and among my passion of taking photos of our wonderful city and beyond.
During that time, I’ve since became a father of twins and what a wild adventure that has been thus far. (I salute the parents of multiples, ya’ll are MVPS)
And with that my priorities have changed from being able to take photos to now taking photos of my kids are they achieve multiple milestones each month it seems which is certainly enjoyable!
I’ve still been creating content, just a little different and not as frequent as I’d like to, but I thought I’d share a bit about how these ideas come to me.
More recently I’ve had a lot of friendly interactions with people as I’ve been walking in the shops or out at events about my videos that made them laugh and that is so strange yet enjoyable to hear from others. Because it’s what I’ve wanted to do - to make people laugh, distract them from the drudgery of what life is sometimes and take a serious situation into a not so serious, funny 10 second clip that’s relatable.
“Do you work for the APS?”
The answer to this question is no. But, as most people who have been in canberra long enough, you will always find yourself having a friend or family member who’s in the APS.
And listening to their conversations about work provide me enough insight and key terms to understand how funny some situations are that they go through.
And honestly, that is kind of how a lot of my ideas come to me - things that are painful, annoying, challenging, or even personal and painful experiences I’ve been through, they are often translated from real life experiences to 10 second “LOL THATS SO TRUE” clips.
Given how our city is so small, it’s quiet easy to relate to them, especially for those of us who have acclimatised to the “Canberra bubble”
The Canberra Bubble Is Real (AI Generated Picture)
Personally, I love making fun of myself and also some aspects of our city. I only did it because everyone in Australia makes fun of this city, and if there’s anyone that’s going to do it well. It’s someone who lives here.
Equally, I want to show that living here is not just a government infested, questacon-sliding roundabout driving city. We’ve got so much good going for us and we should be shouting it from the roof top! Weather, scenery, multicultural aspects, great food scenes etc. What’s not to like! (Some comments and aggressive DM’s will say otherwise but poo poo to them.)
The Real MVPs: You Beautiful Legends
But here's the thing – none of this would exist without you absolute legends who decided my random brain dumps were worth your time. When I started posting these silly videos, I genuinely thought, “I think that’s hilarious and i’m going to post it because its just funny, and if someone likes it, great.”
To all those who follow along – you're not just numbers on a screen. You're the new Canberran that says “I thought I was the only one that thought this about canberra”. You're the public servant who nearly choked on coffee laughing at the "APS 6 vs Action EL1" video. You're the Canberran who moved interstate and said my content makes you homesick for our “boring” city.
Every view, like, and comment means something real. When life gets heavy and adulting is hard, knowing a 10-second video can brighten someone's day keeps me going. You've turned my procrastination into purpose.
The fact that I can walk through Civic and have someone say "Hey, you're that guy with the funny videos!" still feels surreal. But what gets me is when they follow up with "Thanks for the laughs, mate. I really needed that."
So this isn't just my journey – it's ours. Thanks for letting this slightly unhinged dad with a camera be part of your day.
Keep being legends, Canberra. The algorithm might be unpredictable, but you mob are absolute gold.
How a coffee shop makes a canberra suburb %100 better.
Ok, so this blog post is from personal experience and I hope to share this with any future house hunters or rental prospects as you find a home in the canberra suburbs.
My wife and I when we first got married had a very small two bedroom apartment rental spot in a 1980s-1990s built design which for the most part was very cozy yet freezing in winter due to the solid brick / air gaps.
Though it was older, we loved it and it was perfect for us at the time. It was a quiet suburb, not much happening other than the occasional speeding commodore or screaming neighbours and the occasional street cat fight (Actual cats, not people).
But one thing we always found frustrating was that the local shop we had which was a 5 minute walk, had zero purpose.
“There was a local shop on the street corner, it looked normal at first, until you realise the fridge section is full of ugg boots. I went to get milk and it was 9 days out of date. The alcohol section was literally half of the store.”
That’s exactly what we found. A suss as store, a takeaway spot (Which was decent) but it was clear that once was a thriving spot in the 90s was clearly dead and lifeless.
This was even more so the case when Covid hit, and with that, came a lovely surprise. A coffee van.
I’m not exactly sure how it started, or how it came to be. But when it came, it was a light in a dark place, a glimpse of community that arose from the depths of a quiet dead suburb.
Not only did the coffee van bring a sense of community, it was actually something you could look forward to in COVID. To go outside, explore your own suburb and get a nice sweet treat and coffee to make the day a bit better.
Sadly, the coffee van didn’t last. But it did spawn a community project to restore the shops as the suss as shop owners seem to have been closed down and now was to be refurbished into a fancy yoga place.
We’ve since left that suburb, but after visiting a couple of times, there’s a wonderful brand new coffee shop called “Sweet Bones Cafe” which is very popular and made us slightly jealous because of how much foot traffic there was.
But it got me thinking. Can a simple coffee shop make a difference in a suburb? Short answer. Yes.
Hospitality has done it tough over the past few years, and some have Innovated to survive and thrive, and opportunities have arisen for new ventures to pop up and some of those ventures appear in the middle of suburbs.
These key spots are such good community builders. It’s like a fresh pulse in a suburb. A place to walk to, a place to stop in on the way to work, a friendly face to see before you get to the office for example.
I think if a suburb doesn’t have a coffee place or some sort of morning stall / shop. It’s a massive missed opportunity.
When house hunting or looking for a rental property, I highly recommend doing a quick check to see what’s near by. For us, it’s a nicely little family activity to go and get a coffee together at our local. Even if we can make one at home, it’s just nice to get some sun and have a chat with the lovely owners. (They look after us well.)
So it left me with this question. Are you in a suburb that has a coffee place? Does it make a difference? Maybe have you lived in a boring canberra suburb, but then a new coffee shop or something like it popped up and it’s no longer boring? I’d love to hear from you! DM ME @themortz
My top 3 Canberra walking tracks
1 - Oxley Hill
Oxley hill, my old stomping ground.
There has been many a time I’ve found myself on this hill as a kid but even now as a little nostalgic trip down memory lane.
This little spot doesn’t seem like much, but for those that know, the location actually is quite nice and is situated with a view point that overlooks Tuggeranong lake and the hyper dome area.
There are multiple starting points where you can start this walk and most of them are just off various streets which you can find on the map.
I’d say its a light 10 minute walk from the bottom to the top if you come from McKibbin Place that goes on the path straight up from the car park / playground area.
It’s also a really nice Mt Bike track from top to bottom but also all around the whole hill.
Definitely worth a visit, but during summer be careful of the snakes because there’s plenty.
2 - The Pinnacle
The Pinnacle is situated in Hawker and is very subtle but a very nice walk with a great view point (especially for a photographer like myself)
This was one of those lockdown finds when we were all looking for fresh air.
The walk from the car park situated off Springvale dr is approximately 20 minute walk from the bottom to the top and there’s a couple of other options that don’t include the pinnacle (more of just around the block type walks).
It’s an underrated walk in my opinion - there’s been a couple of times where we’ve seen the endangered Gang Gangs and plenty of grey kangaroos which love to just lay and chill and observe as you walk around.
This walk would also be great for the family as there’s plenty of rocks and tree stumps to jump off (of course being careful of the path and what not.)
As a photographer, there’s plenty of textures and colours and “golden hour” spots that are great for family photos or just hitting that golden glow on our city landscape.
Highly recommend checking it out if you haven’t already!
3 - Cotter Caves
Now this one is one of my personal favourites and admittedly I haven’t been able to do it in a long time, but a light walk to the cotter caves is seriously a fantastic and not well known spot I think anyone in Canberra should seriously check out.
Here’s a Parks ACT information link to get a better idea of the overall walk (as it can be hard to find if you aren’t using the offical tracks”.
It’s so memorable to me because of the sounds and visuals such as the cotter river flowing, the wind flowing through the branches and the shade covering most of the track.
There’s a very well built set up stairs up to the caves (Which has been sealed off for obvious reasons) however when I lasted visited there’s a small
little cavern you can go in if you dare (heavily graffitied and creepy)
There’s a great vantage point from the top and makes for some great photos, this would take probably about 30-45 minutes tops from the car park.
A lot of people are surprised to know that there’s caves just around the cotter bend so if you haven’t seen this or looked at the map, take this as a sign to go on an adventure to find this spot.
Sadly I’ve lost all my photos of this wonderful location which means I’m due for another visit soon.!
These are just my top 3 and aren’t overly special but to me they are because of certain photos and moments spent here.
Let us know if you checked out any of these spots :)