Ginninderry: Explore Canberra's thriving master-planned community

In the rapidly expanding region of Ginninderry, a holistic community vision is taking shape.

It’s one that thoughtfully combines a prime natural setting with the essential infrastructure and diverse housing needed to create a thriving place to live.

The latest chapter in this story is unfolding at Macnamara Ridge, a premium enclave promising a lifestyle connected to nature.

Macnamara Ridge

Macnamara became Ginninderry’s second suburb and has already had several successful land releases. The latest is at Macnamara Ridge, a premium enclave that holds an elevated position with views of the Brindabellas next to the Ginninderry Conservation Corridor.

The corridor is a haven for native wildlife that provides more than 10 kilometres of scenic walking tracks and access to the Murrumbidgee River.

The generous blocks at Macnamara Ridge range in size from 540 square metres to 873 square metres, with prices from $625,000.

Ginninderry development director Steve Harding says about 300 dwellings of all types are set to be completed in Ginninderry in the next 12 months.

Some 2600 residents now call Strathnairn (the first suburb) and Macnamara home, but it’s estimated Ginninderry will be a thriving community of 30,000 by the 2050s.

Ginninderry head of sales and marketing Marcus Mills-Smith says the developer is committed to being there for the next 25 years or more.

“That’s a statement of belief in what we intend to achieve, but also in the measured way we intend to foster a sense of community over this period,” he says.

Schools and shops

Mills-Smith says it shows in the way key elements are introduced in line with community growth.

“Schools and shops are a great example,” he says. “It would be hard to mount a business case for them without a critical mass to sustain their viability.

“We have planned and timed their introduction in alignment with population growth.”

The first of these local centres with a range of shops is set to open in 2027. Two more local centres and a market centre are also planned to be completed by the time the project is fully matured.

Parents will also be looking forward to the new Strathnairn School, which will begin a phased opening from 2026. It will ultimately be able to accommodate around 900 students from early learning to year 6.

Mills-Smith says parents and students can expect a school that reflects the latest in learning environment design.

“A school often becomes a focal centre of a community, and Strathnairn School has been designed to also provide options for broader community use,” he says. “We believe it will increase the sense of ownership – it won’t just be a 9am to 3pm venue.”

Mills-Smith says Ginninderry is about the people as much as the landscape.

“It’s a place where neighbours become friends, and a vibrant calendar of community events brings even more people together,” he says.

Terrace homes

There’s ongoing home buyer exasperation about the “missing middle” – a part of the residential mix, such as as a terrace home or townhouse, that’s under-represented in ACT housing options.

Supplying the missing middle is viewed as a way to increase housing density without resorting to sprawling development or high-rise construction.

Ginninderry has answered this with its “flexi-living homes” category. These are terrace homes on individually titled blocks, with internal living spaces ranging from about 90 square metres for two bedrooms to 130 square metres for a three-bedroom home. Rear garages are offered in a range of options.

Harding says the approach has resonated strongly with buyers.

“We’ve already delivered 115 flexi-living homes in Straithnairn and are on track to deliver another 60 in the next six months or so,” he says.

“It’s a great option for first-home buyers looking to get onto the property ladder, but who want more space and a stronger sense of privacy.”

Another attraction of the flexi-living option is that a home can be secured on a five per cent deposit with the balance on completion.

Harding says “missing middle” type homes have always been an ingredient in the Ginninderry master plan.

“The plan was an outcome of significant community consultation, and it was clear that terrace and townhouse options needed to be in our dwelling mix,” he says. “Potential buyers wanted diversity in building types.

“That’s certainly been proved by the uptake, but this dwelling option is only part of the Ginninderry mix.”

Harding says detached homes remain the popular choice, but the distinction is narrowing.

“I’d say there’s a 60:40 edge, but the tightness in the ratio demonstrates the appeal of the missing middle,” he says.

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