Living North Haven to Glenelg - Advice please

[Guest Xhako]

Hiya

We are looking to rent along the coast at some point between North Haven and Glenelg, we did a reccie of Glenelg when we visited and loved it but all along the coast looks nice on Google maps. We are aiming to arrive some time between June and August this year.

Want to be no more than 10 mins walk to shops, bars, restaurants, beach and we have a fairly decent budget, the problem (!) is that there's so much to choose from on Realestate.com.au and want to narrow it down

We've no kids and one dog, any areas you can recommend or avoid? We understand it might be difficult with the dog of course.

HB has job offer on North Terrace, so we also need good public transport links. We are concerned that trains coming through certain areas might be a bit 'edgy' if he comes home later at night (9pm ha ha) if he goes for beers after work.

Any advice most welcome.

Thanks guys x

[jimmyskinner]

We live in Grange, nice area 2 minutes walk to the beach and 2 mins to the train station with a direct line into the city really close to everything. it takes about 20 minutes to drive into the city at around 7 in the morning and about 30 minutes home in the evening rush.

[soo_the_panda]

You're right, all the coast is really lovely - we're very spoilt here =) If you want to be walking distance to shops, bars, restaurants etc I'd focus on Glenelg, Henley or Semaphore. Whilst all the beaches are lovely, some have very little in terms of shops etc - more just a nice beach and perhaps a cafe, bar or couple of small shops. Glenelg and Semaphore in particular feel like small seaside towns in their own right, with shopping, wide range of food options and bars etc.

 

I have lived in Glenelg since I've been here (just over 5 years) and am a big fan. If you can afford it, I highly recommend. Public transport is great as you're on lots of bus lines plus the tram runs from about 5am - after midnight all week which is very convenient. The bus or tram take around 45 mins for a 9-5 type job in the city - buses take nearer 20-25mins outside of peak times. Glenelg definitely has the most shopping of all the coastal spots within your range - you'd know from visiting there's a decent range of shops- not just supermarkets, fruit and veg etc but also gyms, beauty salons, hairdressers, clothes shops, gifts/homewares, etc. I rarely shop in the city unless it's for a really big clothes stock up as most things are in Glenelg. You're also a 5 min drive to a lovely outdoor swimming centre (Marion) and the new SA aquatic centre, plus Marion shopping centre is a 5-10 minute drive away for more suburban shopping, plus cinema, big DIY store etc. You're also the right side of the city to make winery trips to McLaren vale within 35-40 minutes drive at the weekend

 

Food wise, lots of the restaurants, bars and cafes can be average (aimed at tourists, don't need to wow locals to keep their business going) but there are some definite gems (PM me more more details if interested!) and also definitely the most choice of these kind of places out of all the seaside spots you've identified.

 

To be honest, everywhere between Glenelg-North Haven would be a lovely spot to live, i'd imagine. Happy hunting!

[Anne B]

The coast is a nice area, and if you don't have kids and want a more lively environment then Glenelg is probably ideal. I lived there for 3 years (a long while ago) and used to catch either the tram or the bus into work, but to be honest in the end I found it was just as cheap and more convenient to drive (not so good for the environment though!). The tourists and day-trippers got on my nerves after a while.

 

I have also lived in Grange which is a very nice spot, more family orientated and a lot quieter than Glenelg, with a good train service. There are only a few small shops there, but West Lakes mall is only 5 minutes drive in the car, with loads of shops, cinemas etc (not as big as Marion though). Henley Beach has more in terms of restaurants and bars around Henley Square but not many shops, no train but regular buses. Semaphore has improved a lot in recent years in terms of shops and restaurants (I also lived there briefly in Semaphore South). The shops are more boutiquey/alternative/veggie (no chains), but again West Lakes is only 5 minutes drive away. I used to catch the train from Ethelton into the city, you might get some dodgy characters late at night on the North Haven line as it goes through Port Adelaide, but you can get that anywhere really (a friend of ours used to be a train security guard here in Adelaide and he had some interesting tales to tell). As you go further up the coast from Semaphore the suburbs get quieter, Largs is nice, North Haven always strikes me as a bit too quiet and a pleasant place to retire, or great if you have a boat.

 

The beaches from Glenelg up to about Tennyson are really nice, north of that it gets a bit more seaweedier in the winter and is shallower for swimming. The beach at North Haven is great for walking dogs but it wouldn't be my first choice for a swim. Semaphore is popular with kite surfers. You pay a premium for being near the sea, it's probably best to live a few streets back as the houses get cheaper the further you go inland. I rented on the North Esplanade in Glenelg for 2 years and after that I said I never wanted to live on the seafront again. It's much windier, you are constantly washing your windows because of salt spray, eveything gets rotted by the salt (bad for your car) etc, plus you have people walking past your window all the time (and stealing your towels off the washing line!).

[Guest Xhako]

hmmm... lots to take in, thanks for the info, very much appreciated. I know where I my heart lies and that is Glenelg, just a matter of finding the 'right' property, I love the seaside and all the stuff that comes with it, a few streets back from the main drag would be good for space away from the madness in the summer but close enough to feel like I am living on the beach with good access to the supermarket and tram into town. We had a special hour when we visited, watching the sunset with drinks in a fancy hotel right on the beach, well it shut me up for a bit which is a miracle. The only thing that spoilt it was the 'Asia changed me' posh kids/travellers on the tram back to the CBD...