Victor Harbour

[Guest lee and joanne]

Hi,

Has anyone ever been to Victor Harbour or have chosen to live/go there. Very keen on this part of Adelaide. Any infomation regardings schools etc. Greatly appreciated.

 

JOANNE

[Guest leemi1]

Hi,

Has anyone ever been to Victor Harbour or have chosen to live/go there. Very keen on this part of Adelaide. Any infomation regardings schools etc. Greatly appreciated.

 

JOANNE

 

 

hi

came back from victor harbour last week it is a lovley place but we have been told that it is more for the older end very clean and quiet sorry no idea about the schools

 

mick

[Guest stufi1997]

We've just newly moved here 2 weeks ago....so can't be of any great help, struggling a wee bit to get work but our 9 year old has been in school 4 days and likes it so far....quite a way to adelaide for commuting if you needed to but it is absolutely gorgeous and busy in the school hols. We decided on here because it was closer to the city than port lincoln...we loved it there too, but felt a long way from the airport and big shopping centres. They say it's a retirement town which may well be true but they have at least 3 primary schools all with aparently good reputations, if we can be of any help let us know.

[Guest stufi1997]

p.s. it's harbor without the U, took me ages to work out why rentals weren't being shown on internet searches when i knew they were there....x

[Guest lee and joanne]

Hi,

Thanks for the info, looks like we will have to wait until we arrive to make a decision on the place. It reads and looks great. The primary schools look ok too but i couldn't find alot of info on the local secondary schools. Work I feel wouldnt be a problem for me but my husband is an Electrician who has to attend a course when he arrives so he can get a licence. We are looking for an area that is ideal for the boys but also no too isolated as Lee needs to find work. Oh well, like I said before. We will rent for a couple of weeks in Brighton and then decied where to settle when we arrive. Thanks again for the help and advice.

 

 

Joanne x

Ps Did you contact any schools before arriving or did you wait until you had a rental when you were in Aus?. Theres only so much you can do here in the Uk. I just like to plan a head. Sooo frustrating

[Guest kevscotoz]

Hi,

Has anyone ever been to Victor Harbour or have chosen to live/go there. Very keen on this part of Adelaide. Any infomation regardings schools etc. Greatly appreciated.

 

JOANNE

We moved to oz (victoria) in Jan but came back after 2 months (for a no of reasons) but are going back to give it another go in 2 weeks . This time were going to Victor harbor. We spent 2 nights there last time & really liked it. Its a beautiful part of SA. Mclaren Vale isn't too far away, & if you want to go on a shopping spree/concert etc then Adelaide isn't too far away. Cant help you with schools. Our only reservation is how many employment oppotunities there will be, as its a fairly small place & probably too far from Adelaide to be commutable. On the rental front, there seems to be a good selection of rental properties at the moment.

[Guest lee and joanne]

Hi,

Thanks of the info. I'm om line for most of the day so if anyone wants a quick chat with me I am a good listener:D.

I'll just keep checking my emails while iim cleaning the house.

Great forum by the way, glad to be on here at the moment. So much to think about an plan before we finally go.

 

Joanne x

[Guest Zippy]

G'day,

There's a high school in the area called "Investigator College" which has a fantastic reputation (it's known as a good school, even by people living in Adelaide). Just note it is an independent school so in the upper years you will be paying around $3k a year. If that's too much/not suitable, there are plenty of local high schools in the area.

Some things you may not know about Vic:

- Each November/December this is the location for the end-of-year party for all graduating high school students from around the state;

- Used to be known as a retirement-town, but over the past three or so years many younger people and families have moved there because the house prices are a lot cheaper than in Adelaide, but there is a comparable lifestyle (due to this, house prices have rocketed);

- Victor is the gateway to some of the best/most popular beaches in the state, including Middleton, and Boomer Beach.

Cheers

[Guest KateG]

Hi Guys

 

We have lived in Victor for a year and a half. It isn't the place of oldies as everyone says but could do with some more amenities. It is certainly transgressing towards younger families. We have a 13, 7 and 4 year old.

 

Schools fantastic. Investigator College I wouldn't recommend took both my children out because of bullying and poor facilities. Investigator has a poor reputation within Victor.

 

Encounter Lutheran is a super private school and I cannot fault it, my daughter attends there. Victor Harbor High is also fantastic and my teenage son started there 2 terms ago and is loving it. Academically rates highly and zero tolerance on bullying. Lots more Brits coming to the area now which is nice. Housing market is stagnant at the moment, lots of cheap properties to buy and the rental market is flooded with good properties.

 

It is certainly worth checking out. Tradesmen of most descriptions are needed down here. Electricians were very in demand last year, not sure what the situation is now but presume similar.

 

PM if you need any more info or you can contact me at kategibbons506@hotmail.com

 

Cheers

 

Kate

[Guest Zippy]

I believe the lutheran school is the one I meant to mention... sorry everyone. My mistake there.

[Guest KateG]

Hi Zippy

 

You were probably right, Investigator did have a good reputation some years ago, but has just seemed to have gone downhill. Now it has a terrible reputation. There was some upheaval with teachers and because Encounter Lutheran was more difficult to get in, lots of people opted for Investigator if opting out of Victor Harbor Primary. We chose Investigator because of its good reputation at the time.

 

Now Encounter Lutheran is much easier to access without waiting times as far as I know. Very caring school. I was recently ill as were all my three children. My husband works away for fairly long periods and wasn't here.

 

I was feeling so rough I was wondering how I was going to drag myself and three ill children out of bed to do the shopping. I suddenly got a phonecall to say a parcel was on its way down and yet they had no knowledge of my dilemma that day. My daughters teacher (school) had provided us with a hamper of a huge lasagne, salad, Tim Tams and even a magazine for me to read delivered to our door, knowing that I had been quite ill recently. I was really touched and extremely grateful.

 

My daughter has dyslexia and some other learning difficulties and the school has gone out of its way to get her the best help. She gets lots of individual attention as they have networks of volunteers and a fantastic special ed teacher.

 

I have had some good experiences with schools in Adelaide, some horrendous ones with a rural school, not impressed with Investigator College and am now in awe of the two schools we are using. One private, one state. My youngest son is also in a fantastic kindy in Port Elliot as well.

 

Both schools, primary and secondary have been very interactive with us as parents. My children have fantastic teachers who take a real interest in their learning and well being. They have both had great but different opportunities provided through school. My son academically is flying through, got a great report and is being pushed without being pressurised. My daughter is coming on in leaps and bounds, they focus on her strengths but also ensure that she has the best environment to learn. She was put forward to take part in the Encounter Gift, a sporting event held within the school on sports day. She is an extremely sporty girl and it is kind of considered prestigious to get chosen and it is all part of the school encouraging, supporting and taking a real interest in her, really helping to boost her confidence and self esteem, which had taken a knock from previous bullying and her coming to terms with her learning difficulty. For a seven year old things have been tough and frustrating for her. It is always difficult to accept especially as a child that you are different and struggle with your work.

 

It certainly shows that both state and private can be on a level par. Victor primary is meant to be good, don't know too much about it. Have only heard that most parents who took kids out, were concerned about class sizes. For a small town we are lucky to have some great schools.

 

There is of course the problems that all schools have, but it is the way they deal with them. I cannot fault either Victor High or Encounter Lutheran and we have experienced some bad schools both here and in the UK.

 

Another great school we found in Adelaide was Craigburn Primary School, Flagstaff Hill. I am not sure if it still has a good reputation as when we moved out of Adelaide, the head teacher changed.

 

Kate

[Guest Lulujim]

hi - pls can you tell me how far victor harbor is from adelaide? I watched Wanted Down Under and was disappointed by a family who returned home after living there for only a few months... and I see KateG, you are moving on too... is it because it's a small place mainly or behind the times or neither of these?? We're keen to start afresh, but worried we'll be far from the hub of things and having to drive miles for amenities etc..

One last question... are there good nurseries/day care centres in the area or a need for a good one? We're thinking about setting one up in SA.

 

Thank you, Alexis x

[Guest KateG]

Hi Alexis

 

It is about 70 kms from Adelaide. Could do with some more amenities, lacks facilities for kids etc and shops. We are leaving because not enthralled with SA altogether. Victor is a nice place within SA. I did note a new child care centre had set up the other day, however with most families both parents need to work to cover cost of living, so it would be a good business. I don't know what the need is in Victor, but in Adelaide they are desperately short of child care with waiting lists being 18 months or more sometimes.

 

Cheers

 

Kate

[Guest Lulujim]

Hi Alexis

 

It is about 70 kms from Adelaide. Could do with some more amenities, lacks facilities for kids etc and shops. We are leaving because not enthralled with SA altogether. Victor is a nice place within SA. I did note a new child care centre had set up the other day, however with most families both parents need to work to cover cost of living, so it would be a good business. I don't know what the need is in Victor, but in Adelaide they are desperately short of child care with waiting lists being 18 months or more sometimes.

 

Cheers

 

Thanks for the info. Good to know that Adelaide is short of child care centres!

 

It's a worry about lack of child facilities in VH though. Find that very hard about where we live now. There aren't any soft play centres, music groups, tumble tots, toddler groups etc.. and they tend to be your lifeline with 2 littleys!

Will have to do lots more research, but thanks for your help, Alexis x