Reccie May/June 2012

[KathleenandCraig]

Hi All

 

We have just booked a 3 week trip to Oz (May 21st to June 6th). We are flying into Melbourne and plan to stay with Craig's sister for a few days before we head over to SA for the very first time. We are currently going through the AHPRA process and speaking to various parties in SA about nursing jobs etc.

 

What we would like to ask is:

 

As a first timer to SA with approx 6-7 days to see if we want to move there early 2013, what should we go and see? We are arranging for Kathleen to visit a few hospitals to get a feel for the job but how do we find the real SA? What suburbs should we visit? Should we be speaking to companies about rental etc? We are not looking at Adelaide CBD but would favor the new housing estates in suburbs within easy commute (<45min), so if anyone could recommend? We have friends at H.cove so plan a visit out there.

 

During our visit is it best to stay in a hotel or can anyone recommend short term rental?

 

We really want to have a detailed plan of what we are doing each day while in SA to maxmise our visit. We are not sure when during the 3 weeks we are going but Jetstar looks like cheapest flights between Mel>Ade. Going to book a car for our visit though we need to test the public transport while there

We need as much advice as we can so any help you can offer will be appreciated.

 

Thanks

[likesshopping]

Hi Kathleen & Craig

 

 

If you are looking for coastal suburbs around 45 mins to the city, then I would recommend such suburbs as Seaford Rise, Seaford Meadows as both have newer houses and are close to the beach and Noarlunga Train station for great city access. We live in Moana, which has a mixture of houses - we love it here, close to shops, Surf Club etc. Other suburbs are Port Noarlunga & Christies.....all the above are good family areas.

 

 

We have a short term rental property situated in Moana, which is close to all the suburbs I have mentioned and right next to the beach and a 5 min walk to the Surf Club - which is a great place to meet the locals and other expats for a sausage sizzle!!

 

 

You will defo need a car to get out and about...do you have children?

 

 

Speak soon

 

 

 

Sarahx

[Rammygirl]

Deffo go for a holiday rental rather than a hotel.

 

You will get a much better feel of what it is like to live there, and it will work out cheaper in the end as you will not Have to eat out all the time! Shopping at the supermarkets and cooking for yourselves again makes it less of a holiday and more realistic and gives you a better idea of the cost of living. Of course you can still eat out all the time if you want to!

 

Hire a car and get out and about

[Guest maxfactornackerlacker]

Hi,

I am going out for my 3 week reccie on 24th March. I am doing it the opposite way to you, by starting in adelaide, and then finishing in Melbourne ! We have decided to drive along the coast, over a few days, rather than fly.

We are spending the first 10 days looking around Adelaide at the suburbs etc, and trying to get a feel for the area that we would like to settle in. We are staying at Sarahs place in moana, and are planning to meet with some friends in Somerton Park while in Adelaide. Apart from that, not really sure which areas to visit.

We are then spending a leisurely week travelling from Adelaide ,along the great ocean road, and plan to stop wherever we like the look of.

 

This type of plan may be an option for you, dependant on time, and costs etc.

 

Cheers

Max

[KathleenandCraig]

Thanks Sarah for the advice. No we don't have children but have 2 cocker spaniels which are worse! Will have a chat with my sister (who will be coming to Adelaide with us). Could you pm me the cost/availability for the week commencing may 29th? Not sure if it will be a 5/7 day trip yet.

 

Thanks Rammygirl your hints make sense. Got to keep telling ourselves that we are not on holiday! Hopefully the weather in May/June will help that sink in.

 

Max, Sounds like we have the same challenges . We have done the GOR a few times when we have visited my sister in Melbourne. Just never went all the way to Adelaide (but went at least half way) but still loved it. We camped out last time at some koala campsite which was very different to the UK. I wish we could spend the full visit in Adelaide this time but as we only see my sister 1-2 times a year we want to spend some time with her in Mel.

 

Are there any other suburbs/things/activities to see/do while we are there? How do we get to see the real Adelaide for example?

 

Cheers

[Diane]

Are there any other suburbs/things/activities to see/do while we are there? How do we get to see the real Adelaide for example?

 

Cheers

 

Base yourself as near to the City as possible - 'Adelaide' is actually a very sprawling city of many suburbs, some of which are quite a long way from the centre, but everything that goes on, all the best entertainment, the greatest choice of restaurants and bars, the greatest choice of things to do, is all centred around the city centre. Head for the Central Market one day, take a stroll through the Botanic Gardens and North Terrace another, spend a night at one of the bars or restaurants in the 'East End' of the city, perhaps go along to a (aussie rules) football game or a Basketball game another. Sit at one of the cafes/bars in Glenelg and watch the world go by, take a walk up to the waterfalls at Morialta, take a picnic to Belair Park, drive up to Mount Lofty and visit Cleland Park, Warrawong, or Cudlee Creek Wildlife Park. Do a couple of trips out to the suburbs on the train, a bus and the O-Bahn as well as driving. Use http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au to plan your travel. The beaches are nice, and all the way down the west side, but beaches are one of the minor aspects of 'the real Adelaide' - Adelaide's charms are in its people, and the accessibility of everything - but if you are staying a long way from the centre you won't really get to experience that.

[likesshopping]

Thanks Sarah for the advice. No we don't have children but have 2 cocker spaniels which are worse! Will have a chat with my sister (who will be coming to Adelaide with us). Could you pm me the cost/availability for the week commencing may 29th? Not sure if it will be a 5/7 day trip yet.

 

 

Hi Kathleen - I love spaniels!! both me and hubby had them when we were kids, but unfortunately my daughter has a severe dog allergy, so we cant have them. I will pm you the cost for week commencing 29th.

 

 

Sarahx

[KathleenandCraig]

Hi All

 

Well it’s taken some time but after speaking to potential employers we have a fair part of our first ever trip to Adelaide planned. What we are really struggling with is looking at property/suburbs etc. We are coming in with a very open mind and I don't think that is helping because it leaves a massive list of places to see and without knowing Adelaide and its suburbs we are finding it an impossible task to cut this list down. Our objective is to leave on the 29th May with a good idea of what Adelaide can offer and a variation of suburbs e.g. North/South/Coast/Hills and hopefully that will help us make our mind up about where we will end up early 2013. Could anyone provide us with a list of suburbs that a) would give us the opportunity to see the variation on offer in SA but b) are nice/safe/family friendly?

 

From our research that could be so many places and we don't want to or have time to visit every single one, so any help people living in/knowing the area can provide would be great. We might be wrong but from all the looking the only thing that seems clear is the places to avoid - Elizabeth???

 

We are not city dwellers so I think close to the CBD would be out but apart from that we really don’t know, we want to find out, we have hired a car but looking at real estate websites, forums, maps and other sources we would need 5 weeks to look round every place that is recommended and we have 5 days in Adelaide. We even looked online to see if we could find a private guide to show us around but they only seem to do the tourist sites - we can do them when we are living there. The Chocolate factory must be very popular as it's on every tour.

 

It’s scary but exciting

[Guest Watkinsfamily]

We have just planned a 4 week reccie to Adelaide in August this year and are looking to move there in July 2013. We are staying at Sarah's property and have arranged car hire with a local guy who owns a garage. I am a primary teacher so have booked onto the 1st aid course and Child abuse and neglect course required in order to register as a teacher in South Australia so that's 3 days taken up but we plan on seeing as much as possible in our 4 weeks and collect as much information as we can to be as prepared as possible for the final move. This post is really useful, thank you and good luck - let us know how it goes so we can improve our visit. Have not been to Australia for about 10 years and never to South so will be a whole new experience for us - also have a baby now which we did not have before! X

[KathleenandCraig]

4 weeks!! wow I so wish that was us. We could only take a max 3 week break from our jobs and as we haven't seen Craig's sister for so long we had to balance our time. Not sure we will get enough in 5 days to make those decisions we need to but its better than no days I guess. Just wish we had a list of suburbs to visit to get that max from our trip.