"There are lots of kids everywhere. There's a real community vibe. If you're struggling carrying your groceries at the shops, someone will come over and help you. People look after one another," she said.

"I mean, you can walk down the street with biscuits all over you and there's no judgement, everyone understands."

The mums who've gathered at the Forde community centre for playgroup are united in their love for Gungahlin, which the 2016 Census this week confirmed is the fastest growing area of the ACT, which, in turn, is the fastest-growing state or territory in the nation. In other words, Gungahlin is going gangbusters, the engine driving Canberra's growth

It's no real surprise to anyone. The Canberra Times almost 20 years ago was labelling Gungahlin "boom town". Gungahlin long ago took over the mantle of nappy valley from Tuggeranong.

What the census did was put hards facts and figures to the anecdotal evidence: Gungahlin is simply the place where more and more families are choosing to build a life.

A couple with children represents 56.4 per cent of the Gungahlin population - almost 10 per cent more than the whole of the ACT which sits at 47.1 per cent.

Its residents are younger - the average age in Gungahlin is 31 compared to 35 in the ACT and 38 in Australia. There were a higher percentage of younger children in Gungahlin compared to the ACT in general . Children aged 0 to 14 made up almost a quarter of the Gungahlin population. Residents were more likely to be married and care for children.

Almost 50 per cent of Gungahlin residents are paying off a mortgage compared to 38 per cent in the ACT generally.

The playgroup mums have contributed to the phenomenal growth of Gungahlin. It is now home to 71,142 people, up from 47,000 in 2011 – an increase of more than 50 per cent.

Felicity Thambyah, mum to Moses, 13 months, grew up in Tuggeranong but is now rusted-on Northside after moving to Amaroo in 2013 with husband Arj.

"Gungahlin is like a little town," she said. "Everything is here. You don't need to leave. There's the shops, parks, bushwalks."

Amy Chan grew up in Belconnen. She and husband Luck Phommaseisy moved to Palmerston in 2006 and then to Forde in 2011. They now have two daughters, Jada, six, and Mya, three.

What enticed her to Gungahlin?

"Basically the price [of housing] and what you could get for that price," Amy, 38, said.

"We would have loved to live in Kaleen then but there's no way we could have afforded it."

And they're not going anywhere.

"It's just a nice area," Amy said. "New and clean and nice and friendly."

Ruqayah Jabi and her husband Mohamed rent in Harrison with their son Salah, 23 months. She grew up in Giralang. They feel much happier in Gungahlin.

"Everything is easy here," she said.

Karen McPherson and husband David moved to Harrison from Darwin 18 months ago for his Defence job. They have two boys, Thomas, 21 months, and Samuel, four months. Friends advised them to look northside for the kid-friendliness and facilities.

"We love it, really love it," she said.

"But we're struggling to find a yard that's big enough for two boys and a 30-kilo dog."

The family will probably move to Bungendore. But with some regrets.

"There is just such easy access to everything and the facilities are great. It's going to be sad to go," Karen said.

Gungahlin has long been lambasted for its cookie-cutter housing, smaller blocks and too-tight-to-turn residential roads. But that might just be the outdated view of Gungahlin. There is evidence of more eclectic housing in the newer suburbs. Wider roads. Good planning that can put residents in easy access of school, shop, park, walking areas. Families say they don't want to maintain a larger block.

The 2016 Census showed that 64.6 per cent lived in a separate house compared to 67 per cent of ACT residents.

The real difference was in residents who live in semi-detached, row or terrace houses or townhouses -almost 27 per cent of Gungahlin residents do, compared to almost 18 per cent of ACT residents.

Nick Paine is someone whose whole job is finding people a home in Gungahlin as a real estate agent in the area for Luton Properties. He's put his money where his mouth is. He and wife Sophie Victory bought a four-bedroom house in Casey for $580,000 just over two years ago.

He agrees "massively" that Gungahlin is the new nappy valley, just as Tuggeranong was the new frontier of growth for Canberra in the 1970s.

"I think it's the only place people can afford a new home," Nick said.

"To get a new home in the established areas costs an arm and a leg. And it's not like Gungahlin is the edge of the earth anymore."

Nick and Sophie, both 29, now have a son, Oscar, five months. They are happy to have a small backyard and use local parks.

"My block is 465 square metres. I don't want to have to look after 800 square metres."

Nick says the demand for stand-alone houses from families is still high.

"In the brand-new suburbs, there's not as much competition. But in terms of Casey, Forde, Franklin, Harrison, there's always multiple people on pretty much every house wanting to make an offer," he said.

All the optimism for Gungahlin is tempered somewhat by the Master Builders Association, which believes the ACT Government is still playing catch-up in providing infrastructure to support the growing northern suburbs.

Master Builders ACT deputy executive director Michael Hopkins said the growth of Gungahlin was due to government land release centred on the north of Canberra. In recent years, land release had occurred in the suburbs of Moncrieff, Throsby and most recently in the new suburb of Taylor.

"When population growth is concentrated in one region it places pressure on local infrastructure. The ACT Government is responding to this pressure by upgrading local roads, such as Horse Park Drive and building more schools. Gungahlin will also benefit from the stage one of Canberra's light rail which will relieve pressure on local road infrastructure," Mr Hopkins said.

"The Gungahlin community has experienced first-hand why it is important that government land release strategy and infrastructure planning must be integrated.

"Master Builders ACT has welcomed the ACT Government's recent announcement to appoint a Chief Engineer. This critical role, can play a lead role in coordinating long term infrastructure planning with land release programs so that population growth pressures are properly coordinated."

Mark Scarborough, who runs the community website My Gungahlin, is more blunt when asked if infrastructure has kept pace with residential development.

"Oh, God no," he said.

"When the census data came out, my first reaction was, 'Well, that explains a lot'. You start to understand the reasons for all the congestion. And that shouldn't be a surprise to the government when it controls the growth through land releases.

"Gungahlin has certainly come of age in the last couple of years. We've got the leisure centre, the shopping centre is being extended, light rail is coming. It's certainly grown up. But basic infrastructure such as roads remain a concern."

And Gungahlin will only continue to grow. Although not to the same extent.

The government's residential land release target is 3440 dwelling sites for Gungahlin over the next four years - about 20 per cent of the entire ACT release. Additionally there will also be 41,500 square metres of mixed use development releases in Gungahlin, encouraging people to live in a range of housing in commercial centres and along transport corridors. That's about 15 per cent of the total ACT release. Almost 130,000 square metres is also set to be released to 2021 for community use. Commercial releases in Moncrieff (2017-18) and Taylor (2020-21) are also mooted for supermarket and other retail developments.

The Canberra Times published a story in April, 2000 about growing Gungahlin with the headline "Boom Town". Back then, the newspaper spoke to the Reid family - Alan and Cheryl and their children Deanne, then 13 and Gareth, then 11. The family had moved from Melbourne to Gungahlin in 1994. They were among the Gungahlin pioneers. Palmerston had been the first suburb developed, in 1992. The Reids enjoyed the community feel of the place, a commute to work that was easier than Melbourne, the access to services in the growing town centre. They were worried, even 17 years ago, about the quality of roads and "houses with no backyard built on top of each other".

While their children are now grown up (Deanne is in Sydney and Gareth is about to move to Bonner), Alan and Cheryl remain in that same Palmerston home. As big a surprise to them as anyone. Winding down to retirement, they had thought about moving to the coast. Not any more.

"We're going to put some money aside and do up the house and stay here," Cheryl said. "We're still very, very happy here. We enjoy the city life and we get the best of both worlds here."