Looking for opinions on Suburbs - have done a little research already!

[Guest surhythms]

Hi Guys

 

I have been doing a bit of research around suburbs in Adelaide. After thinking long and hard we decided that we would like to live beside the sea. I picked out a number of suburbs and was just looking for an honest opinion in relation:

 

1. Good Secondary/High Schools in the area - my daughter is interested in Photography, Swimming, Music, Art & Marine Studies - so if there are schools in the area strong in these subjects she would like to go to these.

 

2.Nice Beach - can you swim in the sea??? :-)

 

3. Good facilities or youth clubs for young teenagers (she will be about 12/13 when we move)

 

4. Nice parks - (for running and walking), restaurants, pubs (1 decent one will do )

 

5. Shopping Centre - a fairly large on will do!! :haha

 

6. Transport (bus tram train) in and out of the city centre - we dont want to be travelling more than 45 mins on public transport.

 

7. Is there public transport from suburbs to schools or do the kids walk.

 

8. Resonably priced houses - we are not looking to live in an extremely wealthy area - we dont want to stick out like a sore thumb :lol: - somewhere nice and middle of the road with families that have kids and teenagers around so it is easy enough to make friends for my daughter.

 

The areas we have been looking at are:

 

Henley Beach

Glenelg - I know I know its pricey there so might be a wish more so than anything else

Brighton

Seacliff

Hallett Cove

 

Are there any other areas near the sea that are ok?

Thanks for your help

Suzanne

[Guest MACDONALDO67]

Sellicks Beach? never been but there was a house there I liked and it has been sold. About an hours drive from Adelaide I believe.

 

http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8922

[Guest surhythms]

HOLY MOLY - FAB house - wonder how much it costs!!

[Guest The Steeles In Adelaide]

Hi Suzanne

We have been here for 9 months now, when do you arrive? We are currently living in Woodcroft about 40 mins out of the city (south)

I will try to answer some of your questions

firstly the areas you have researched Henley is nice,Glenelg is exspensive for small property, but beautiful for a nice stroll down the esplanade, and loads of good resturants and cafes. Hallet cove is pom central!! it is quite elevated so can become quite windy, we have friends there and every visit it has been windy but some gorgeous houses most with sea views. We found that the closer to the beach the more costly the property, if you move inland by say 5 kilometres the price of a rental can drop by 50 dollars or so per week.

My wife used to commute on the tram and it is reasonable price but can get seriously packed at rush hour.

Shopping centres there are plenty!! the big one close to areas that you have chosen would be Marion.

Swimming in the sea, Sharks are what you are thinking right!!! dont wear speedos made from red meat! lol. Henley beach has had shark sightings but then most have, We like to go to port Noarlunga beach there is a reef there, and not heard any bad things yet, lets put it this way you have as much chance of being run over as being eaten by a shark. anyway sharks only eat surfers LOL.

cannot comment on schools in that area, you will have to do some more research.

 

Hope this all helps, and this is only my view, some other poms may have different views.

Dave and Family

[Guest mayjess]

Hi Suzanne

We have been here for 9 months now, when do you arrive? We are currently living in Woodcroft about 40 mins out of the city (south)

I will try to answer some of your questions

firstly the areas you have researched Henley is nice,Glenelg is exspensive for small property, but beautiful for a nice stroll down the esplanade, and loads of good resturants and cafes. Hallet cove is pom central!! it is quite elevated so can become quite windy, we have friends there and every visit it has been windy but some gorgeous houses most with sea views. We found that the closer to the beach the more costly the property, if you move inland by say 5 kilometres the price of a rental can drop by 50 dollars or so per week.

My wife used to commute on the tram and it is reasonable price but can get seriously packed at rush hour.

Shopping centres there are plenty!! the big one close to areas that you have chosen would be Marion.

Swimming in the sea, Sharks are what you are thinking right!!! dont wear speedos made from red meat! lol. Henley beach has had shark sightings but then most have, We like to go to port Noarlunga beach there is a reef there, and not heard any bad things yet, lets put it this way you have as much chance of being run over as being eaten by a shark. anyway sharks only eat surfers LOL.

cannot comment on schools in that area, you will have to do some more research.

 

Hope this all helps, and this is only my view, some other poms may have different views.

Dave and Family

 

It amazes me that many say Hallett Cove is full of pommes, we lived in Hallett Cove, I only knew one other UK family living there, all our neighbours were Aussie!!! Hallett Cove is quite a large suburb, you cannot class it pomme city when I know of loads more Pommes living in Henley Beach area!!! the OP should look around when they arrive and make their own minds up, get a feel for the place 1st & then decide!!!!

 

Mayjess

[Guest Jo&Phil]

Have a look at Grange too (nr Henley Beach) .................

Other nice surburbs with public transport, access to shops, city, school choices in vicinity include ....

Flagstaff Hill (v nice but I'm biased as this is where we live), Seacombe Gardens seems quite popular too, Brighton (but might be pricy) so try Hove (next door), Marion (nice bits), Glengowrie

These are all south

Northern suburbs are further from the beach in general though access to the city can be quicker

[george&mildred]

I too get a little p***** off when people refer to Hallett Cove as "pom central".We have lived in Hallet Cove for 4 years, yes there are a lot of poms, but I am afraid we are all over SA. Have you been to Blackwood recently or Happy Valley or Flagstaff, it is a fact that we have all migrated and have to live somewhere!!! I love Hallet Cove and have chosen to live here, are others just jealous of the fact that we live in a lovely suberb . Each to their own !!!

[Guest guest569]

Nothing wrong with living in a large pom community. Thats something the UK can't offer anymore !!!!

[bill]

I too get a little p***** off when people refer to Hallett Cove as "pom central".We have lived in Hallet Cove for 4 years, yes there are a lot of poms, but I am afraid we are all over SA. Have you been to Blackwood recently or Happy Valley or Flagstaff, it is a fact that we have all migrated and have to live somewhere!!! I love Hallet Cove and have chosen to live here, are others just jealous of the fact that we live in a lovely suberb . Each to their own !!!

I agree that it is a lovely suburb, but hardly dominated by the British. However, look out for our Tesco shopping bags in the shopping centre! You can't really swim at the beach here unless you are very determined, because it is rocky, though it is a fantastic beach for views and natural rugged beauty. The nearest swimming beach is Seacliff, 5 minutes (literally) drive down the hill, but Seacliff, like all suburbs with swimming beaches that are reasonably close to the city, is much more expensive to live in. So Hallett Cove is a great compromise for us.

[Guest Guest75]

Nothing wrong with living in a large pom community. Thats something the UK can't offer anymore !!!!

 

[Guest cazzie]

I just LOVE living in Hallett Cove. The views from our house are million dollar - fantastic. We are walking up and down the hills and loving it. As Passionate Pom says - there is nothing wrong with living amongst lots of Brits, we are all here for the better lifestyle after all. So many people have commented on my Tesco bags, the Aussies love them! I would highly recommend Hallett Cove - the only thing I don't like is the graffiti - the police need to be more vigilant I think, but otherwise Hallett Cove is convenient for the gorgeous Southern beaches, rail transport, shopping centre, schools etc. Good luck in your searching.

[minkyme29]

I agree with Bill...HC beach is fab but not a swimming beach. My kids love the beach combing, rock pooling and beautiful walks in the nearby conservation park. The other thing I love about HC is that wonderful feeling of escape that comes from driving up Brighton Road and Ocean Boulevard on the way home...something that is magnified if the train is taken also as there is a lovely stretch of countryside between Marino and HC. with amazing ocean views too! What more could you want.

 

There are a lot of Poms in HC but as someone else said it's a big suburb and the only way I met any other Poms was through my daughters school. All of my neighbours are Aussies. Our research in the UK almost wrote off HC because of the Little Britain mentality but this all changed when we arrived and looked around...it really is a special place and can't be beaten for affordable living with sea views thrown in too. Plus the new shopping centre is a real bonus too.

 

Good luck with your search.

 

PS Look out for Sainsbury's orange fold up bags too, and that'll probably be me!

[minkyme29]

I just LOVE living in Hallett Cove. The views from our house are million dollar - fantastic. We are walking up and down the hills and loving it. As Passionate Pom says - there is nothing wrong with living amongst lots of Brits, we are all here for the better lifestyle after all. So many people have commented on my Tesco bags, the Aussies love them! I would highly recommend Hallett Cove - the only thing I don't like is the graffiti - the police need to be more vigilant I think, but otherwise Hallett Cove is convenient for the gorgeous Southern beaches, rail transport, shopping centre, schools etc. Good luck in your searching.

 

Couldn't agree more!

[Guest The Steeles In Adelaide]

It amazes me that many say Hallett Cove is full of pommes, we lived in Hallett Cove, I only knew one other UK family living there, all our neighbours were Aussie!!! Hallett Cove is quite a large suburb, you cannot class it pomme city when I know of loads more Pommes living in Henley Beach area!!! the OP should look around when they arrive and make their own minds up, get a feel for the place 1st & then decide!!!!

 

Mayjess

 

Sorry for giving my opinion, most of our friends are poms from hallet cove!!! But yes you are right there are a lot of poms everywhere

Dave

[Guest Jo&Phil]

Apparantly the Onkaparinga council area has more Poms than any other council .......... Phil reckons I've set up a homing beacon!

 

 

I too get a little p***** off when people refer to Hallett Cove as "pom central".We have lived in Hallet Cove for 4 years, yes there are a lot of poms, but I am afraid we are all over SA. Have you been to Blackwood recently or Happy Valley or Flagstaff, it is a fact that we have all migrated and have to live somewhere!!! I love Hallet Cove and have chosen to live here, are others just jealous of the fact that we live in a lovely suberb . Each to their own !!!

[Guest guest569]

Apparantly the Onkaparinga council area has more Poms than any other council .......... Phil reckons I've set up a homing beacon!

 

 

he must have miss heard people. Its the beautifull beaches NOT the the beautifull bitches !!! ( sorry. Just my sence of humour !!!)

[Guest katsmajic]

I cant get down to HC beach (crap leg) but oh tells me its nice but rocky - rock pools however put me off big time as they can contain nasty lil critters like blue ringed octopus - see our issues with that...my kids are banned from rockpools.

 

Also, not lived there, but have friends/colleagues that do and they recommend HC, Seacliff and Marino - nice older houses, nice areas etc.

[Guest surhythms]

Thanks guys that gives me a few options alright - I dont have any big issues living beside poms to be honest and I guess by the sea attracts people who arent used to it. I live beside the sea at the moment so it would be nice to stay on the coastline. We are coming over for a visit next July so we can have a good look before we decide where to settle

 

Suzanne

[Guest surhythms]

Hi Dave

 

Thanks for the info - we are planning to come over next July ( purposely in winter time to see Adelaide in Winter.) We are at the very early stages of the process and will probably be looking at SS but it might be Dec 2010 or Jan 2011 before we arrive.

 

Thanks for the heads up on all of the nice areas

 

 

My wife used to commute on the tram and it is reasonable price but can get seriously packed at rush hour. - I dont mind commuting - sure we dont even have a proper Tram system in dublin as yet!!

 

 

Shopping centres there are plenty!! the big one close to areas that you have chosen would be Marion.- I will have a look at the Shopping Centre

 

Swimming in the sea, Sharks are what you are thinking right!!! dont wear speedos made from red meat! lol. Henley beach has had shark sightings but then most have, We like to go to port Noarlunga beach there is a reef there, and not heard any bad things yet, lets put it this way you have as much chance of being run over as being eaten by a shark. anyway sharks only eat surfers LOL. - Wasnt thinking of sharks but now that you mention it!! Do kids usually swim in pools I guess?

 

 

Thanks for helping

 

Suzanne

[Guest Izhevsk]

Hi Suzanne,

 

Henley Beach has got some trendy restaurants and has big old houses.

Glenelg has got some very nice restaurants, cafes, all kinds of shops, tram that goes into the city.

Brighton is just about the pick of the bunch. There is a good public high school (Brighton High School) with respectable students and also private schools (Catholic), a few restaurants, very large shopping centre (Westfield Marion) just up the road and the beach is excellent. You can walk 2 metres from your car and you are literally on the beach itself and there is the Brighton Jetty. There are also express trains in the morning that run from Brighton Station into the city that take about 20 mins.

Hallett Cove can be recommended too, as it has a younger population than the others. It is spacious with schools, newly improved shopping centre with the Cove Tavern next door, beach is ok but not recommended for swimming, better suited to the views and the Hallett Cove Conservation Park that has a very unique rock formation from millions of years ago. There are express trains in the morning running from Hallett Cove to the city that take on average about 30 minutes. There are many parks that are very large and there is a bus running from the train station to Lonsdale Road (main road) and even further.

Seacliff is the cheapest of them all, but the houses are quite average. Although keeping in mind that Seacliff is located literally just up the road from Brighton. You would be saving money by buying in Seacliff and at the same time still have the facilities of Brighton next door to you.

[bill]

Hi Suzanne,

 

Henley Beach has got some trendy restaurants and has big old houses.

Glenelg has got some very nice restaurants, cafes, all kinds of shops, tram that goes into the city.

Brighton is just about the pick of the bunch. There is a good public high school (Brighton High School) with respectable students and also private schools (Catholic), a few restaurants, very large shopping centre (Westfield Marion) just up the road and the beach is excellent. You can walk 2 metres from your car and you are literally on the beach itself and there is the Brighton Jetty. There are also express trains in the morning that run from Brighton Station into the city that take about 20 mins.

Hallett Cove can be recommended too, as it has a younger population than the others. It is spacious with schools, newly improved shopping centre with the Cove Tavern next door, beach is ok but not recommended for swimming, better suited to the views and the Hallett Cove Conservation Park that has a very unique rock formation from millions of years ago. There are express trains in the morning running from Hallett Cove to the city that take on average about 30 minutes. There are many parks that are very large and there is a bus running from the train station to Lonsdale Road (main road) and even further.

Seacliff is the cheapest of them all, but the houses are quite average. Although keeping in mind that Seacliff is located literally just up the road from Brighton. You would be saving money by buying in Seacliff and at the same time still have the facilities of Brighton next door to you.

I agree with all that, except for Seacliff being the cheapest. Hallett Cove is cheaper than Seacliff, like for like, whether renting or buying, by quite a bit.