Adelaide Hills or Coast ???? AND Why ???? .......

[Guest dwethe]

We have just arrived home after our fact finding visit, and still ask the same questions hills or coast. can you please help !!!!!! ..........

[snifter]

What is the draw of either of those options for you?

 

Personally for me, the Adelaide hills would be my idea of bliss. However, on a practical level with a young child, its probably not ideal. So we are going for somewhere in Adelaide, south, Glenelg/Brighton onwards but stopping before we get to the further out southern suburbs. Also the cost of property in the hills is expensive and the fire risk concerns hubby and I. Don't mind the living rural sort of thing as we've done that long enough here in the UK and are well used to a good 45 minute - 1 hour drive to the nearest bigger town to shop etc.

 

We don't really want 'coast' so don't mind if we are further in from the coast in a good suburb.

 

It really depends where you will be working, if you need to consider schooling, commute, shopping, access to facilities etc and all the other things. And budget.

[Guest eager6]

We looked at both when we came here first. We are in Brighton and love it. So central to everything,beach amazing, schools excellent and Westfield Marion. The hills are beautiful but some areas get alot of rain and it is generally 4 degrees colder up there. Another factor is commuting up and down Princess Highway. Husband was frightened of forest fires and maintaining all the fallen leaves around the houses would be a nightmare. We are thrilled with our choice but whatever you decide it has to be right for you guys. As said above schooling,commute,shopping etc has to be considered. Good luck with your decision.

[Guest Guest75]

I really is up to you - but practicalities will steer you.

 

For your first year or two don't give yourself too much commuting - why move and not drop stress levels?

 

Work and schools will play a big part.

 

Some parts of the hills are pretty good regarding bush fire risk - but be careful as some areas have one road in and out,I would want more escape routes!

 

We live in Onkaparinga Hills. Great compromise. We have sea views but feel "tucked away". 10 mins drive to the sea.

Not far from all major shops and facilities.

 

 

To those who know us............... looks pretty certain we are not going to be moving for a while. Found we still enjoy it up here!

[Guest Lou]

We did exactly what Tyke said, we chose Aldinga but it was a more stressful journey to the city than my husband had ever had in England. We are very happy with where we are now but still miss being so close to the beach. We have also been happy with the choice of schools around this area too. We are about 10 minutes from beach and less than 10 minutes to Marion.

[Cherrypecker]

I think it's a very personal choice, and depends what your priorities are and what sacrifices you are prepared to make on other things. For us, having young children, being by good beaches was top of the list. However, a good school was also essential. We would of paid the price of a long commute if we had to.

 

Just don't make any long term living committments until you are actually living here. It can be an unhappy and expensive learning curve.

 

Paul

[Guest Jo&Phil]

Personally think it depends if you are looking for country/village type life ... in which case Hills is it ... or beachside suburbs ... in which case Brighton/Somerton Park/Glenelg would suit. Travel wise, it takes around 40 mins or so into most of the city from the the Hills (eg:Mount Barker/Littlehampton/Aldgate etc) and at peak time not much less from Brighton and Aldinga and further south will be longer. Good schools in all areas but depending on your work will depend on your need to go into the city.

[Sears Family]

Hi we stayed in Seaford Meadows for our 1st year, only because we fell in love with the area (holiday let was in Moana) at 1st the commute did not bother me (I work in the city) but it soon became a grind. This April we moved to O'Halloran Hill and LOVE it! It is right for us (think that's the most important word here!) we are 10-15 mins from a beach and 10 mins from the Marion shopping centre, I have also chopped off an easy 20 mins from my drive in every day so perfect!

I do miss the neighbours and friends we made as we do not cross paths so often, plus we are not so close to our fav. beach but we'd always jump in the car anyway (seeing as we'd load the car with towels, boards, picnic etc etc...) so that will be no different!

I'd say it is really difficult until you actually get here and can look at local shops/schools and know where you will be commuting to.

Any regard, good luck

[keldaz]

Hi, difficult to advise people you don't know. For us it was always going to be the western suburbs, we come from a town on the coast in the UK and I like the fact the ocean gives you an edge so to speak (as opposed to land all around). The suburbs here are so different, it can feel like a different city just moving between them, some are yuk, some lovely. In the event we chose midway between city and beach. Work opportunitys increase, less commuting, beach nearby for evening just arrived stress reliving strolls. We would be the first to admit that our suburb isn't pretty, but facilities wise and proximity to beach and city its ideal. To sum up, do you prefer hills or beach?, whichever you choose I would vote, picking a suburb midway between choice and city. By doing this you open up much more of Adelaide for work and your a short hop from hills or beach at weekends. Rent for at least a year, to give you a chance to find your ideal. We live in Findon, but find we love the south, for look and feel at least, Glenelg onward. Good luck.

[Scousemouse]

Depends on what you want, can afford, and expect to get out of the move really;

We stayed in Morphett vale when we arrived almost 4 years ago, but ended up in the eastern burbs.....the only place where we could find a rental big enough for 6!

It was also closer to work for me, as an hour each way on the expressway, anzac highway and the city proved a drag, even short term!!

Ended up buying here in the foothills, about 8klm from the CBD, on a very straight run in, with good bus services, good schools and about 30 mins to the beach.......

the downside, if you want to call it that, is there are fewer expats round here, and so the support network is a bit flimsy; house prices and rental is a wee bit more, but you pays ya money, ya makes the choice.

 

You get more "bang for your buck" they say in the south, and it seems there is more of a community spirit; newer developments are on smaller blocks but more modern housing stock to choose from.

The western burbs have the benefit of the beach lifestyle, but places like Glenelg, Morino etc can be pricey.

 

couldnt tell you about the "hills" proper, but they seem like nice places to visit......quiet, leafy etc.

Likewise, i cant say about the northern burbs, but from what i see, most have excellent shopping areas, although SOME areas are viewed as less than salubrious........

 

Best advise is to keep researching the areas you consider more to your needs, and buget!!

Good luck

[Cherrypecker]

Are you even going to be going to the CBD regularly when you get settled ? We only go up there on the odd occasion, as neither of us work up there. Plus, we have spoken to loads of others who also rarely go there.

[jtct]

We chose Aberfoyle Park - not the Hills 'proper' but a hilly southern suburb - on the edge of the hills, great views, shops and schools nearby and short drive to beach. Good access routes to city by own or public transport so we feel we have the best of both worlds - this area certainly offers everything WE need.

 

Other similar areas include Flagstaff Hill, Happy Valley, Blackwood, Coromandel, Hawthorndene ........

 

We are pensioner so our priorities are probably different. We looked for accessability to shops, local commubnity clubs and organisations to join and peace and quiet!

Edited June 3, 2012 by jtct

[Diane]

As bit of a contrast, we chose Highbury - it's on the edge of the hills. beautifully green, established, great schools, great transport links, great shopping choices, easy reach of everything the city has to offer, great community of mixed nationalities - mix of ages too. I personally don't like the beachside suburbs - the ones within good reach of the city are too flat and boring for me, and the more contoured ones are too far away from civilisation! I'm not a big beach person though - would rather go for a walk in the hills and the wonderful Linear Park then along a beach. We have nice gully breezes in the summer, and where we are I have never had a bushfire fear. We don't get morning mists like the more "in the hills" places do in the winter. Ciming from a village in the UK, we had never lived in a house with anything other than a field opposite our house - and the same applies here, except its the park and the river rather than a field with cows. We did look at Houghton when we first arrived but the twisty hills roads there and back put me off. Also if you go too far out into the hills, you re limited in school choices. Here we have more excellent schools than I can count all within easy reach - state and private, and all the opportunities that the city offers within a sensible reach. As one of our priorities is our kids, this ticked pretty much all the boxes. Beaches are nice for holidays or weekends away, but give me trees, rivers and grass, parakeets and cockatoos above sand, seagulls and salt water for everyday living any day!

[NicF]

We have just arrived home after our fact finding visit, and still ask the same questions hills or coast. can you please help !!!!!! ..........

 

Personally I'd go for neither. My husbands got a job at Mawson Lakes so the beach and hills areas are both a bit impractical for us even if I did want to live there. We're not flying out until July but we've decided to live in or near Rostrever because it's close to my mother in law, not too far for my husband to commute to Mawson Lakes, has good schools, is close enough to the CBD where I'm most likely to find work and is generally a nice area.

 

When deciding where you want to live you need to think about where is going to be best for all aspects of your living. Your job location is going to play a big part - for example there's no point living in Moana if you've got work in Golden Grove as you'll spend half your life commuting. After considering where your job is you should then probably consider what you like in an area and what facilities you want to have near you. And affordability could be another factor to consider.

 

Nicola

[jim and adel]

Tough one. Clearly one shouldn't underestimate the draw of beachside living for most migrating Brits, but for us, places we liked that were near the sea were too expensive. We felt drawn to the hills, so bought half an acre and built our own home – and although we still have much work to do on the block, so far we have no regrets. If we ever want to go to the beach (which is surprisingly rare, actually), we do it at weekends. We're surrounded by fields, vineyards, more wildlife than you can shake a stick (insect) at, lots of friendly people and more peace than we probably deserve. We're five minutes drive into Mt Barker, two minutes away from Thomas' school, ten minutes into Hahndorf, half an hour from the river and just over this for Glenelg in one direction or Victor Harbor in another. My commute (edge of CBD) takes between 30-40 mins and we can get into town quicker than this at weekends. There are so many nearby places we haven't yet explored – little out of the way coffee shops, cafes, pubs, look-out points etc.

As I say, it's a tough one, but there's a lot to be said for them thar hills!

Jim