Adelaide Suberbs - West or South?

[Guest jlr248]

Hi all, We are a family of 4 hoping to move from Cumbria with twin 14 yr old girls , OH is a self employed Plumber but is hoping to become employed in Oz. I am a primary school teaching assistant but am willing to do anything to pay the bills (am presently also working as a Clinical Support Worker in hospital). After scouring internet for info am torn between two areas. West - have friends in North haven and i think west lakes looks gorgeous but also fancy anywhere from Seacliff to O'Halloran Hill to Hallett Cove down south.

Am looking for a happy balance between easy access to city (driving and public transport - thinking ahead for kids)but not too far out in the sticks. Plenty of work (especially for OH i.e. plumbing). House prices important (decent 3 bed with pool or room for one for $400 k), good public high school, also access to decent shopping, entertainment. Dont want to be too urban and dont mind being away from the beach if we can afford a pool.

Well theres my wish list...now the reality...could all you ozzies and poms already living the dream (or maybe just some of you) please offer your advise or opinions regarding any of the above.

I know theres no substitute for getting out there and pounding the streets but in the meantime...Would love to hear from anyone about anything relevent.

Cheers peeps x

[Anne B]

You won't get a decent 3 bed house with a reasonable garden for that price in West Lakes /West Lakes Shore, only a townhouse or unit/courtyard home.

 

Semaphore Park is a bit cheaper, maybe have a look there. North Haven is much cheaper, but for a reason - it is a long way out - if you want to be reasonably close to the city then I wouldn't recommend it.

 

Have a look on realestate.com.au to get an idea of prices.

[Diane]

Am looking for a happy balance between easy access to city (driving and public transport - thinking ahead for kids)but not too far out in the sticks. Plenty of work (especially for OH i.e. plumbing). House prices important (decent 3 bed with pool or room for one for $400 k), good public high school, also access to decent shopping, entertainment. Dont want to be too urban and dont mind being away from the beach if we can afford a pool.

 

There are plenty of suburbs in the North East where you could find a place to fulfill all these criteria - any reason you particularly want South or West??

[Guest Woody and Jane]

North Haven isn't that far out, it's only a 40 miniute drive to the city. It also has a train line that'll get you into the city if you don't fancy the drive. You're about 15 minutes drive away from a big supermarket though (Coles in Port Adelaide) although the Foodland in North Haven isn't bad but it's a bit pricey.

 

West Lakes is very expensive, especially if you can see water. Semaphore, Largs Bay and Largs North are nice and only a max of 30 minutes from the city by car. They're also on the same train line as North Haven.

[Guest markmet]

Hi there

In my opinion the south is ideal. I live in Flagstaff hill which I find central for getting to many places. There is a good school, local shops and its very easy to get to the city as there are good bus routes. It is also easy to get to beaches with the nearest being only 10 minutes away. There is also the Marion shopping centre which is excellent, with a great cinema complex and good shops for teenagers to go for clothes make up etc. The house prices range from $400/500k for a decent property which for a 3 bed with pool will cost somewhere in between. We drive through o'halloran hill which looks rather nice and again has lots of local shops but not seen much of the houses so cant advise to much on there. In regards to Hallet Cove, you will probably find house prices higher with being closer to the sea. Again it isnt too far to get there from the South so in my book you have the best of both worlds anyway. Its great doing research before arriving as it gives you an idea of price ranges etc, but until you get here you dont really know how you are going to feel about an area. You instantly get a feel for somewhere which im sure you know what i mean. We visited loads of areas but when we went South it just took our breath away. Its such a lovely relaxed suburb within easy reach of everything you will need. Hope this helps. All the best.

Chris

[Rich & Chit]

We moved to Adelaide from Cumbria in August 2009. For some reason we were drawn to the south and initially stayed in Coromandel Valley, since moved to Aberfoyle Park. As previous posts have stated (Flagstaff Hill is just around the corner) this area is well situated for schools, public transport, shops and close to the beach (although 10 minutes is pushing it). Can't comment on western suburbs but can highly recommend the South.

[Guest teamV]

There seems a lot of us wanting too and having moved from cumbria,looking out the window today I can understand why.I've got my trade test(diesel mechanic) next month and hoping to be in adelaide some time next year ,so this is a great post for me and will be keeping an eye on it.

[Guest jlr248]

Thanks for all your opinions, they are really appreciated. Have noticed that West lakes looks a bit out of our price range and expected Semaphore to be the same, being near the beach. Also thought North Haven looks quite close to heavy industry (ASC etc) . Love the idea of being reasonably close to city/hills/beach and south coast beyond in a semi rural setting and reckon Flagstaff etc could tick all those boxes. Am just wondering about public transport? It would appear that Flagstaff, Ohalloran hill, Trott Park ect dont have a local train station. Are those areas well serviced with buses to get to and from the city and other suburbs (the kids will need and want their independence). I know im being quite specific but would like to have earmarked an area prior to arrival (as best i can) so i can focus on high schools for the girls and sorting a rental as soon as possible. We can stay with our friends in North Haven at first but i think its too far away from where we will really want to be and getting the kids in school from there could prove difficult. Finally, after a year of not lookng at property ( because the day we applied for our visa was the day everything came to a stand still with the immigration changes) it would seem house prices have risen further, while those in UK have tumbled. Guess thats called sods law! Hopefully this year uk prices will climb and aussie ones will settle. Thanks again and keep that info coming (especially any about high schools down south- been looking at Seaview, Hallett Cove, Reynella and Alberfoyle). Also good luck to team V and where in cumbria are you from? Regards Jane x

[Guest jlr248]

From what i have seen east looks really pricey and hadnt really considered north because of things id heard about Elizabeth etc and also that north was very industrial.

[Guest t4top]

Hi Woody and Jane,

 

I just want to ask you what you think the job prospects are now in SA for Nurses and Teachers. i am asking you since I just read that one of you is a nurse.

We have already got SA state sponsorship and have lodged our 176 visa application with DIAC since November kast year so we are just waiting now. My wife is an ICU Nurse in London and she has been registsred with the WA Nursing Board for 3 years now. She just renewed her Nusring Registration in Australia as well.

I am a Secondary school Mathematics Teacher with years of experience in London.

My question is what are our chances of getting good jobs when we get to Adelaide hopefully this year or early next year. We both work full time here and my wife do lots of bank shifts here as well. I just want to know that we are not going to get there and just sit around waiting for jobs while we just get through all our savings.

any advice will be very appreciated.

 

Thank you.

[Diane]

From what i have seen east looks really pricey and hadnt really considered north because of things id heard about Elizabeth etc and also that north was very industrial.

 

Look at some northeast suburbs, try Real Estate, Property, Land and Homes for Sale, lease and rent - realestate.com.au and put in suburbs such as Golden Grove, Modbury, Fairview Park, Hope Valley, Dernancourt, Greenwith, Highbury, Athelstone, Tea Tree Gully, Paradise, Wynn Vale... or go onto Australian travel maps, street directory, driving directions & aerial photographs - Whereis.com and put any of those suburbs in to get any idea of location. All have excellent public transport and road links into the City, fantastic choice of schools, range of older and newer properties - the older ones will tend to be on larger plots of land - within your budget, great shopping facilities, good employment prospects, between 30 and 40 minutes to the beach, good sports and social clubs.....

 

Yes, there are some industrial areas in the near north - but I wouldn't say it's "very industrial"; yes, parts of Elizabeth are not ideal - but similarly there are places all over that you'd say the same about!

 

There are also some great suburbs in the South East to consider.

 

If budget is a consideration (and let's face it, these days, who is lucky enough not to have to consider budget?!) as well as accessibility to the City, and beachside is not an absolute must (which I can understand is a big "lifestyle" factor for many), then please don't rule out other areas before you'd had a chance to check them out.

 

I seem to spend my lifetime on here trying to justify why not everything north of the City is "Elizabeth" to those who have never even been there, so please excuse me getting on my soapbox again!

 

Here's a couple of pictures of where I walk my dog everyday, just you can get an idea of how industrial it is round here!

 

 

[Guest lastboyscout]

SSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH Diane ................. don`t tell everyone how nice it is up here