Oh wow. I'm suddenly glad I live in Canberra. FWIW, those at City Gateway, that all you can eat buffet someone mentioned in Dickson is upstairs just past the pub on the corner of Wooley Street. It's kinda dodge, but it's cheap if you eat more than one plate. Though whether ANU would be able to get them to agree to a voucher system is another thing (went there once at lunch in college with a large group. They stared over you and made sure you ate everything on your plate otherwise you were wasting food! Fuck oath.)
You should be set if you like Italian. The Fish and Chips at the takeaway are pretty good. There's also a fresh fruit store there, you can get phone credit, etc. You can probs get most of your day to day stuff in Dickson, for the most part. It's a decent walk to ANU, though.
And yeah, the Dickson shops (the pedestrian area, from Woolies to Cowper street) are pretty dodgy, at day you can at least see the crazies. I'd be careful at night lol haha
At least there's a Subway and Civic is a pretty short bus ride away.
Also on the plus side, from your rooms you might even be able to see the window washer dude whose name escapes me at the moment from the Antill/Northbourne intersection. I heard a rumour he was a third year law student at ANU once but he progressed from pot to heroin and now washes car windows every day. That could be bullshit, but you're close enough to ask him!
Haha, welcome to Canberra
The whole thing is so freaking crap though. So far they've stuffed up the offer acceptance thing online, the enrolment forms sent out in the packages, and now they're rushing to find accomodation for all the people they're supposed to guaruntee it to.
Can't believe they're putting people in the Carotel.