WHILE she was on maternity leave, Amanda Whitley had begun to feel “isolated”. Jenny Bibo was new to Canberra and wanted to meet people in a relaxed way. And for Brett Bennett, it was all about looking for someone outside the realm of noisy nightclubs and “awkward” set-ups.

They are part of a new wave of Canberrans who have joined or formed networking groups with the aim of meeting like-minded people to connect with.

An internet search reveals a long and varied list of local “meet-up” groups that have cropped up in recent years; anywhere from coffee catch-ups, to movie lovers, to art clubs. People can be seeking romance or simply companionship in a city that’s new to them.

For Brett, navigating his way through bustling bars to find someone he connected with was becoming a bit like “finding a needle in a haystack”.
“I don’t drink, so I found my values were very different to the people who go to the common social spots, so it was tough,” he says.

After moving to Canberra last year, Brett joined fitness group “fit2date”, which was created by Sydneysider Erica French five years ago and launched in Canberra in 2010.

The idea behind it is to gather “fit singles” for regular training sessions in a natural, friendly environment.

So far “fit2date” has been responsible for 13 marriages – including Erica herself – and “countless, long-lasting friendships”.

“It’s not just about romance, but really just a fun environment where you can meet people with the same interests as you. It’s refreshing to have that, to feel a part of something,” Erica says.

And there’s been a great response from Canberra residents according to Erica: “They’re ‘work hard, play hard’ kind of people.”

Brett admits he’s been on a few dates and has struck up a “lot of friendships” from “fit2date”, and he’s now a trainer for the Canberra sessions.

“The atmosphere is great because we’ve already got that similarity with our love of fitness, so there’s a closeness there,” he says.

Belconnen resident Jenny started the Canberra model of franchise “A Table for Six” in February this year after realising there was “something missing” for singles in Canberra at the time.

“There was a gap, something missing as a way to meet people in Canberra in a relaxed environment,” she says.

Since then, “A Table for Six” has become a popular weekly event where singles can meet over dinner or a drink.

Jenny believes Canberra can get lonely for some people as “a lot of residents have come here from elsewhere, so they don’t have years of growing up and that history of building social structure.”

She liked that “A Table for Six” took the pressure of “matchmaking” away by offering a more relaxed environment.

“Chatting over dinner is a nice way to get to know people without making any premeditated judgements from a website,” she says.

“Canberra has so many great restaurants, so it’s a good place to do this sort of thing.”

But getting “out and about” can be difficult at times, as mum of two Amanda discovered.

While she was on maternity leave, she longed to build networks with busy mums like herself.

“I was getting frustrated with the lack of information on places to go in Canberra – I remember googling kid-friendly places in Canberra and found nothing,” she says.

Amanda launched women’s website “HerCanberra” in January last year, and recently created an events register on the site which has monthly get togethers – anywhere from fitness classes to learning how to cook nutritious food.

“The thing is, I wanted my site to be a supportive place. When you do become a mum you don’t know how competitive motherhood can be,” she says.

“It can be incredibly lonely, as it’s just you and a baby at home. That’s when I discovered how online can facilitate those connections and it’s an easy way to connect, especially when you’re a mother stuck at home.

“It’s been really successful – I’m glad to have given people the opportunity to interact online and now in real life, too. It’s about getting people to discover things about their city and also strike up those friendships you really need.”

More information at: atableforsix.com.au; fit2date.com; hercanberra.com.au/; meetup.com/cities/au/canberra/