O'Connor vs TurnerTwo Canberra suburbs compared for a home loan
O'Connor (ACT 2602) is approximately 4 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, near the ANU. Turner (ACT 2612) is approximately 2 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, beside the ANU. At the 2021 Census, O'Connor had 5,917 residents with a median age of 35, and Turner had 4,470 residents with a median age of 31.
The most common occupied dwelling was separate houses in O'Connor and flats and apartments in Turner. Flats and apartments made up 18% of occupied dwellings in O'Connor and 73% in Turner, while 38% of O'Connor households rented compared with 55% in Turner. These differences matter for finance, because lenders assess apartments, strata buildings and houses on land differently.
Both suburbs are in the same state, so transfer duty is calculated on the same scale and the difference in upfront cost comes from the purchase price. The panel below applies that scale, and an estimate of lenders mortgage insurance, to the prices you enter.
ACT 2602 · North Canberra
O'Connor
O'Connor is an established inner north suburb gazetted in 1928, built mostly of houses, with a student population from the nearby university.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 4 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, near the ANU.
Read the full O'Connor guideACT 2612 · North Canberra
Turner
Turner adjoins the Australian National University, where apartments make up 73.2 per cent of homes and renting leads at 54.7 per cent.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 2 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, beside the ANU.
Read the full Turner guide
What buying in O'Connor and Turner would mean for the loan
The difference between two suburbs is usually a difference in price, and price drives the deposit, the transfer duty, any lenders mortgage insurance and the repayment. Enter the prices you are seeing and the panel works out each of those for O'Connor and Turner.
Your prices and deposit
Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.
Enter a price for O'Connor to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Turner to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Warning: The interest rate used here is an example only. It is not a comparison rate and is not a rate offered by any lender, and it does not include fees and charges. Different rates, terms, fees or loan amounts will give a different result.
Estimates only. Repayments assume a principal and interest loan at a constant rate, which is an assumption and not a current market rate. Transfer duty is indicative for established homes, first home buyer relief depends on eligibility, and upfront cash includes an allowance of $3,000 for conveyancing and inspections. Lenders mortgage insurance is an estimate and is added to the loan. A lender makes its own assessment.
O'Connor and Turner: Census profile compared
Figures are from the 2021 Census, so rents, repayments and incomes have moved since. They are most useful for comparing one suburb with another and with Australia as a whole.
| Measure | O'Connor | Turner |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 5,917 | 4,470 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 35 | 31 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,518 | $2,330 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $451 | $480 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,500 | $1,901 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 38% | 55% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 29% | 26% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 32% | 17% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 66% | 13% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 16% | 14% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 18% | 73% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 31% | 69% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 32% | 8% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 7% | 11% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0). Tenure shares exclude households that did not state their tenure. Dwelling shares are of occupied private dwellings.
Home loan considerations in O'Connor and Turner
Lenders treat houses on land, townhouses and apartments differently, and some apply extra conditions to small apartments, high-density buildings or particular postcodes. These are the points each guide raises.
O'Connor
- Upgraders
- Investors
- Downsizers
- Purpose-built student accommodation is specialised security many lenders refuse.
- A house let room by room to students is assessed differently by some lenders.
- Older houses warrant a check of the loose-fill asbestos register.
- Density potential should be confirmed rather than assumed from corridor suburbs.
- Black Mountain Nature Reserve to the south fixes part of the suburb's boundary.
Turner
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- One-bedroom dwellings can fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Purpose-built student accommodation is specialised security many lenders refuse.
- Body corporate levies are counted in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing power.
- A remaining house may be valued partly on what its Crown lease purpose clause permits.
- Renting at 54.7 per cent means most purchases are assessed as investment lending.
Housing stock in O'Connor and Turner compared
O'Connor
- Established detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,486 at the 2021 Census, 66.0 per cent of occupied homes.
- Three and four bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 822 dwellings had three bedrooms and 556 had four, with 163 having five or more.
- Apartments and townhouses
- The 416 flats and 353 townhouse dwellings counted at the 2021 Census.
Turner
- Apartments
- The 1,565 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 73.2 per cent of occupied homes.
- One and two bedroom dwellings
- At the 2021 Census, 819 dwellings had two bedrooms and 658 had one.
- Remaining detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 268 at the 2021 Census, only 12.5 per cent of occupied homes.
Official sale price and rent figures for O'Connor and Turner
Only figures published free of charge by a government agency are shown. Where none is published the space is left empty rather than filled with an estimate. Each guide charts the full series.
O'Connor
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for O'Connor, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Turner
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Turner, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Transport, schools and amenities in O'Connor and Turner
O'Connor
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Macarthur Avenue (road)
- Dryandra Street (road)
Amenities
- O'Connor shops
- Black Mountain Nature Reserve
- Australian National University
Turner
Transport
- Turner light rail stop (light rail)
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Northbourne Avenue (road)
Amenities
- Australian National University
- Haig Park
- Canberra Centre
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the ACT education department.
Compare O'Connor or Turner with another suburb
Change either suburb, or add a third.
Related comparisons
Request a free assessment: O'Connor or Turner
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in O'Connor and Turner, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.