Moving Melbourne to Adelaide

[Gazza1000]

We are looking to move form Melbourne to Adelaide in July and wondered if anyone who had done the same could give us feedback on the good & bad of Adelaide compared to Melbourne

Do you regret the move or was it the best thing you ever did ? Was there anything you wished you had known before the move ? Any recommendations on a removal company to ship furniture etc ?

Any advice gratefully received

 

Gazza1000

[victoriasquare]

Oh my goodness, from the title I thought you wanted to move Melbourne on a huge flat-bed truck!

 

I've lived in Melbourne and I've lived in Adelaide, it is a matter of deciding where you wish to work, and the lifestyle you wish to have, the cities are entirely different. Have you stayed in Adelaide for any length of time and seen how they compare? Remember that if you originally came from Britain, Adelaide is much bigger than most UK cities even though the population is smaller than most other Australian cities.

[NicF]

I've never been to Melbourne so can't comment on the differences but I do think how well a city suits depends a lot on you as a person, what you like, what you dislike and what your expectations are. Some people will never be happy anywhere other than places like London, others prefer somewhere smaller and quieter. Personally I love Adelaide - I love the size and how easy it is to get around - but I'm not a big city person at all. I think you mentioned on another thread that you have been over for a visit previously so you have seen the place and have an idea of what it is like already. Is there a particular reason why you are moving to Adelaide? This might make a difference to how you feel once here as well.

[Gazza1000]

Hi NicF

 

We are likely to be moving due to a tremendous job opportunity for my wife - I would hopefully be able to get a job once we get settled although we should be able to manage on her salary for a couple of months - I understand that the job market in Adelaide is a bit tight though ?

We have had a recce and did like the ease of getting around compared to Melbourne and the ease of getting to the beach and hills for family time

We are originally from a medium size UK city and also spent 3 years in Wellington NZ which we liked due to its small size / friendly large town feel which we felt was similar to Adelaide ?

 

Gazza1000

[Gazza1000]

We are looking for a less frentic lifestyle and less traffic ! It can take 45 minutes to get out of our Suburb onto the Motorway in rush hour whereas we got the impression on our 3 day recce that 30 minutes would get us into Adelaide from just about anywhere ?

 

Gazza1000

[Blossom]

In rush hour your impression is very wrong. I live just north of Anzac highway and work up in burton. That would take me 45 mins- 1 hour in the morning and a bit more on the way home.

Afternoon rush hour is worse than morning, especially if you are going thurther South than Anzac highway. It's one of my least favourite things about Adelaide.

[Diane]

If you are going to be based in the CBD for work, try not to base yourself too far out - either north or south or east You can't get too far away to the west without getting wet!

 

I think you will find Adelaide a lot quieter and less go-getting than Melbourne, but it is a great lifestyle if you are not a bright lights, big city type of person.

[Julia Skinner]

We moved to Adelaide from Melbourne last August, for us Adelaide was always our first choice but we know the IT job market was very limited so thought we would give Melbourne a try first. There was huge job choice there, the public transport is very good and is much larger and more urban than Adelaide. Traffic is much worse there and takes a long time to get around by car. For me I never really gelled with Melbourne, being from a small village in the UK, I found it too busy and built up. It has loads more going on, but that wasn't important to us. It depends what lifestyle you want and what you are into. In Adelaide we can afford to live by the beach, with only a short drive to the hills, wineries, and the city. It does feel tiny but we like it that way, the only worry is the job market and we would never have risked coming to Adelaide without a job offer first. Feel free to ask my any questions about either city.

 

Good of luck with your choice, make the right decision, moving interstate is almost as expensive as moving from the UK!

 

Julia

[victoriasquare]

Julia, I'm surprised that Adelaide feels tiny to you, it covers quite a big area. Perhaps its spaciousness gives a false impression. A friend on the opposite side of the city used to visit me, and said that it took him about 180km return. With 1.3 million people spread over 3258 square kilometres, living in Adelaide certainly has a good feeling of space, very different from UK cities which are tight and cursed with traffic problems.

[Julia Skinner]

I think compared to Melbourne the city centre of Adelaide is a lot smaller, SA in general is a lot bigger than Victoria but traveling around day to day in Adelaide is a smaller and much more pleasant experience (just my perspective and opinion)

 

Julia, I'm surprised that Adelaide feels tiny to you, it covers quite a big area. Perhaps its spaciousness gives a false impression. A friend on the opposite side of the city used to visit me, and said that it took him about 180km return. With 1.3 million people spread over 3258 square kilometres, living in Adelaide certainly has a good feeling of space, very different from UK cities which are tight and cursed with traffic problems.

[Blossom]

Greater Adelaide is about the same size as greater Manchester (where I last lived) and it feels every bit as big to me. I often dream of moving somewhere smaller lol. Especially when I've been places like mount gambier in rush hour..... and there is no traffic!

[victoriasquare]

I think compared to Melbourne the city centre of Adelaide is a lot smaller, SA in general is a lot bigger than Victoria but traveling around day to day in Adelaide is a smaller and much more pleasant experience (just my perspective and opinion)

 

Oh yes I agree with you. I first arrived in Adelaide in 1960 when the population was only half a million, it then felt like a big country town. I watched it grow north and south, but it remained easier for driving than when I lived in Melbourne. When I first moved there I caused a traffic problem at the Flinders and Swanston Street intersection by going to the centre of the road to turn right. Fortunately I still showed an SA number plate, so a nearby police officer didn't approach me. Another time I followed a tram, and ended up with waiting tram passengers staring at me with surprise.

[victoriasquare]

Greater Adelaide is about the same size as greater Manchester (where I last lived) and it feels every bit as big to me. I often dream of moving somewhere smaller lol. Especially when I've been places like mount gambier in rush hour..... and there is no traffic!

 

Well, in area Adelaide is about three and a half times bigger than Greater Manchester. I haven't been to Mount Gambier for a long time, but I remember it being quiet.

[Gazza1000]

Thanks for replies

 

Yes Melbourne is definitely a lot bigger / busier than Adelaide but the traffic is horrible & getting worse and our initial excitement about living in a big city has now worn off and we are looking for a bit more peace & quiet !

We like the fact that it wouldn't take 2 hours driving to get from one side of the city to the other ( unlike Melbourne ) and the rush hour presumably doesn't start at 6am and last until 10

We feel we need to spend more time doing stuff with the kids as they are growing up quick and wanting to get more involved in sports clubs ( soccer / netball / life saving / bike riding etc )

We also feel that Melbourne is getting less safe by the day and less & less fun despite the myriad of things that go on ( & most of it costs money ! )

We agree that the cost of moving is an issue particularly as we moved from the UK to NZ and then to Melbourne

Hopefully if we move to Adelaide that would be the last one !

Gazza1000

[victoriasquare]

Thanks for replies

 

Yes Melbourne is definitely a lot bigger / busier than Adelaide but the traffic is horrible & getting worse and our initial excitement about living in a big city has now worn off and we are looking for a bit more peace & quiet !

We like the fact that it wouldn't take 2 hours driving to get from one side of the city to the other ( unlike Melbourne ) and the rush hour presumably doesn't start at 6am and last until 10

We feel we need to spend more time doing stuff with the kids as they are growing up quick and wanting to get more involved in sports clubs ( soccer / netball / life saving / bike riding etc )

We also feel that Melbourne is getting less safe by the day and less & less fun despite the myriad of things that go on ( & most of it costs money ! )

We agree that the cost of moving is an issue particularly as we moved from the UK to NZ and then to Melbourne

Hopefully if we move to Adelaide that would be the last one !

Gazza1000

 

Driving from Beaumaris to Adelaide I would leave in the early hours to escape Melbourne's traffic, and stop at a lake near Horsham for exercise and something to eat. Returning I could leave Adelaide AFTER breakfast, it was so much easier.

[Diane]

We feel we need to spend more time doing stuff with the kids as they are growing up quick and wanting to get more involved in sports clubs ( soccer / netball / life saving / bike riding etc )

 

I know a lot of people moving here are swayed by the cheaper prices of houses the further out you go, but my recommendation if you have kids would be to not base yourself too far out of the city centre - pick somewhere where you can easily get in and out of the centre in 30 minutes max.

 

When my kids were younger, if we hadn't been as close as we are to the city they would have either had to miss out on a lot of opportunities, or we would have spent hours driving them to and from various activities. As an example, my daughter was in the Australian Girls Choir top level, and got to sing on stage with Hugh Jackman and countless other events - the AGC meet each week in Kensington which is about 20 mins drive from us - she had friends living in the far southern suburbs whose Mums drove nearly an hour each way to get them to and from rehearsals, which only lasted about an hour and a half anyway! She also went on a two week Music Theatre day camp every year which is held just onthe outskirts of the city - driving back and forth to that every morning and afternoon from one of the more distant suburbs in the middle of rushhour would have tested the patience of a saint (which I'm not!). My son got to learn cricket with the Redbacks at the Adelaide Oval, and play Guitar at Elder Hall and the Town Hall in the city on a regular basis - again, 20 minutes drive away or so. As they get older, being within reach of the City opens up so many more job opportunities to them as well.

[snifter]

I know a lot of people moving here are swayed by the cheaper prices of houses the further out you go, but my recommendation if you have kids would be to not base yourself too far out of the city centre - pick somewhere where you can easily get in and out of the centre in 30 minutes max.

 

That's my personal feeling/view too.

 

As much as we liked some of the areas/towns (liked Mclaren Vale lots, small towns up in the hills too) further out, we wanted to be within 30 minutes of the CBD. We are on the cusp of that and drop down into the city via Blackwood and Belair as that is the easiest route for us from where we live. We also have Blackwood train station not too far from us here which is handy.

 

I feel really connected with the city and its amenities but we are far enough away to be in a lovely quiet, hilly tree filled area that is on the edge of open countryside. Best of both worlds. We head into the city with ease when we need/want and then have all the options for beaches and other things we can reach with ease too. About the only awkward place to get it north of the CBD and further north but we don't have much need to go that way too often apart from the odd trip to St Kilda playpark Barossa or Port Adelaide for dolphin spotting or some such and then we just make an afternoon/day of it.

 

I'm sure you'll find somewhere that ticks your boxes when you get here and explore round. It may be further out of Adelaide, may be closer. It took us a few months to slowly work out what we wanted from an area to want to call it home and I'm glad we took our time to explore together, check new areas out and see there were so many options open to us.

Edited May 19, 2015 by snifter
typo

[Gazza1000]

Thanks very much for all your informative answers !

 

Gazza1000