The regulars who turned Canberra's parks into their second home

On any given morning at 5:45 a.m., you'll find Marcus Webb stretching his calves near the water fountain at Commonwealth Park. The 67-year-old retired electrician has started his day this way for the past nine years, rain or shine. He's not training for anything. He just likes the quiet before Canberra wakes up.

Webb is one of thousands of Canberra residents who've made the capital's parks something more than recreational spaces—they've become central to how people structure their days, build friendships, and stay anchored in their neighbourhoods. As property prices plateau and young families delay home purchases, outdoor living has shifted from a weekend afterthought to a daily necessity for residents managing tight budgets and thinner social networks.

The shift is visible across the city. Tuggeranong Homestead Gardens, a volunteer-run native garden project on Tuggeranong Parkway, has grown its volunteer roster from 12 to 43 active members since 2023. The ACT Parks and Conservation Service reports that daily foot traffic across major parks—measured at key entry points—increased 34 percent between 2024 and 2026. At Lake Ginninderra near Belconnen, the early-morning tai chi group that started with five participants in 2022 now draws 20 to 25 people most days.

Where the regulars gather

Jenny Okafor discovered the community at Acton Park almost by accident. Two years ago, she moved to Canberra for a nurse manager role at Canberra Hospital and found herself isolated in a rental near Braddon. She started walking around the park's inner loop during her lunch breaks. Within three weeks, she'd met the same group of retirees every Tuesday and Thursday. They now grab coffee at one of the pop-up cafés along London Circuit afterward.

"The park became my friend group," Okafor said during a recent visit. "I knew nobody in this city. Now I can't imagine not doing those walks."

The ACT government's 2024 City Services audit found that residents using parks for social connection—rather than just exercise—had increased from 28 percent to 47 percent over the previous three years. Investment has followed. The Molonglo Green Corridors project, launched in 2025, allocated $3.2 million to improve walking and cycling paths linking Weston Creek to Tuggeranong, creating what planners call "connected green neighbourhoods."

The economics of outdoor living

The timing matters. With median house prices in Canberra sitting above $700,000 and rental costs climbing, parks have become something closer to shared living rooms. Families who can't afford backyards large enough for entertaining are claiming pockets of public green space instead. The volunteer-run Evatt Community Garden, managed through Gungahlin Community Council, has a waiting list of 34 households for the 16 available garden beds—each bed costs $180 per season and produces enough vegetables to offset grocery bills.

Robert Chen manages the waiting list. He notes that most applicants list the same reason: they want to grow food cheaply and meet their neighbours. "Five years ago, we had maybe eight people on the list," Chen said. "Now we're turning people away."

For retirees especially, parks have become central to mental health and staying active without expensive gym memberships. The ACT Health directorate's 2025 wellbeing survey found that residents who used parks three or more times weekly reported 22 percent better self-reported mental health outcomes than those who used them irregularly.

If you're new to Canberra or looking to deepen your connection to the city's green spaces, start with the less obvious spots. Skip the crowded areas near Parliament House and instead head to the quieter reaches of Weston Park on weekend mornings, or check whether your neighbourhood has a community garden through the ACT Parks and Conservation Service website. The regulars are always there. They've already claimed their patches. You'll just need to show up enough times that they start saving you a spot.