Renting & Living in Elizabeth & Surrounding Areas

[Boxertony]

Please can someone who has emigrated from England to Adelaide provide me with a blunt and down - to - earth opinion of finding rented property in the Suburbs of Adelaide. I have read some threads on here and most of them have mentioned to stay away from the regions of Elizabeth, but not actually gave an explanation to why it may not be suitable to settle their. I have researched the suburbs and tend to find that most suburbs are expensive to rent - a decent accomodation being $400 - £180 per week, which compared to rental prices here in Newcastle upon Tyne is $200 - £90 per week. Yes I must admit that the quality of the rented homes in Adelaide far excide of those here in England. But to me the rental prices in Adelaide are expensive, so I have been looking at suburbs of Elizabeth and surrounding areas of Elizabeth and found that rental is far cheaper than anywhere else around Adelaide, its obvious that they are a lot cheaper, probably because people dont want to live in Elizabeth. But I have looked at the quality of the homes and they are excellent and a couple of hundred dollars cheaper to rent than other areas. The location is great - it's near the coast and the CBD.

 

I have found that there are a lot of families on these type of forums and these families on emigration programs on tv have a lot of money to emigrate with, so they have more options in gaining quality rental homes and which suburb they choose to settle in. I will be bringing hardley anything probably about £10k. Since I left home at 17 years old I have lived all over England, as well as Turkey, Spain and France. Almost all of these areas have been rough Council House estates, but to me, you make the best of where you live and from my experience its just the stigma of the area what is actually bad.

 

In addition I am entitled to the full Meet and Greet service which the South Australian Government provide, because I have gained the South Australia State Sponsorship Visa (Subclass 475), which to me I am well happy with, in-fact overwhelmed with. Because they will hopefully provide my family and I with very cheap furnished accomodation for the first 12 weeks of being in Australia. Who cares where it is, as long it helps me soon as I arrive, no worries about looking for property, buying furniture, etc. Too me the home is what you make of it. You know what readers I am seriously considering the Elizabeth suburbs to start off with and then when I get settled find a suitable job then I will hopefully move to my ideal suburbs of City of Charles Sturt.

 

Tony (39), Jane (38), Nathan (20), Shannon (16), Charlotte (10)

[Rachiegarlo]

Hey Tony,

there are parts of Elizabeth that are better than others. There are parts with more private housing, and parts with more state housing. The area has a bad name in general because of the problems caused by long term unemployment across generations, coupled with drugs, drink and low education levels. There are many other types of people who live there of course. People just don't want to end up in the street that is notorious down at the local nick. If you don't care and are thinking cheap then go for it. If you don't like it you can always move. Main thing for all migrants is to stay afloat with whatever money you can bring.

[Anne B]

I would say go and have a look for yourself when you are there. It's as good a place to start as any, and if you don't like it you can always move on later. Elizabeth does have a reputation as a dodgy area, and used to suffer high unemployment, but to be honest nowhere in South Australia is bad, certainly not in comparison with some of the rough areas in the UK. There are no tower blocks or awful 60's housing estates. When we lived in Adelaide I got my husband to drive me round part of Elizabeth one day, just to see what it was like and to be honest I couldn't see what all the fuss was about, there were a few grotty looking cars and some old lounge chairs in the front yards of some houses but the bits we saw were quite pleasant, plenty of trees, much much nicer than a lots of UK council estates. My OH's cousin moved to Elizabeth Park when she got married and has quite happily lived there ever since, they are good people with nice kids. I am sure you could find yourself somewhere decent and cheap there, but as I say have an open mind and go and have a look round for yourself.

[Boxertony]

Hey Tony,

there are parts of Elizabeth that are better than others. There are parts with more private housing, and parts with more state housing. The area has a bad name in general because of the problems caused by long term unemployment across generations, coupled with drugs, drink and low education levels. There are many other types of people who live there of course. People just don't want to end up in the street that is notorious down at the local nick. If you don't care and are thinking cheap then go for it. If you don't like it you can always move. Main thing for all migrants is to stay afloat with whatever money you can bring.

I totally agree with you on that, I assumed that it was down to unemployment, education, drink and drugs, like you said there are good and bad places everywhere. My concern is that I am worried that I gain an excellent rented property in an amazing suburb and then struggle with employment and hence cannot afford it. At this moment in time I am governed by my household income which will be zero (apart from savings I bring over etc.) once I have arrived in Adelaide. In your opinon where is best to start looking for a four bedroom property in lively area near the CBD and near the coast and of course the cheapest. Of course your opinion !!!

[Rachiegarlo]

most of the inner city housing is older and a lot except the big old houses are 3 br. sometimes they have a study you can make into a fourth, but maybe your girls will just have to share. To me looking at the age of your kids you are probably looking for somewhere where your older 2 can go out easily and safely. Well where I live in South Plympton there is good transport to town with buses, train and the tram and the tram also goes the other way to Glenelg. Buses also go to Marion shopping centre which is a big shopping mall, with cinemas, an Irish themed pub and cafes. In my area there are also a couple of pubs within about 20 min walking distance. A taxi home from town doesn't cost an arm and a leg, plus if you have to go and pick up your kids from town its a 10-15 min drive. Kids who live in the popular southern beaches also come into town, but taxis cost a lot more. The outer suburbs generally have hubs where the pub, shops etc are and your house may be some way away from this. I can recommend my area and are happy for my older teens to walk round late at night. It depends how much you can afford.

 

A quick look on real estate shows properties for rent in my area for a 3-4 br are asround 290-350 which is pretty standard I think. Anywhere between the city and the coast should be ok. Between the city and the hills except towards the North East it gets pricier.

[Boxertony]

Thanks for your reply I will now explore the area of South Plympton, being from the outskirts of Newcastle upon Tyne, we currently live on the coast and 7 miles from the Newcastle City Centre where there are an abundance of activities for young adults and teenagers. As a family we are so use to being busy and living in an extremely busy city but have the delights of the coast, even though its freezing lol. We are looking for something similar in Adelaide

[Guest Lisado]

Hi Tony

 

Where about in Newcastle are you from. We live in Washington. This whole finding houses, schools etc. bit is soooo stressful!!! We are looking at the Port Noarlunga region.

 

Lisa

[Guest jorose]

I would say go and have a look for yourself when you are there. It's as good a place to start as any, and if you don't like it you can always move on later. Elizabeth does have a reputation as a dodgy area, and used to suffer high unemployment, but to be honest nowhere in South Australia is bad, certainly not in comparison with some of the rough areas in the UK. There are no tower blocks or awful 60's housing estates. When we lived in Adelaide I got my husband to drive me round part of Elizabeth one day, just to see what it was like and to be honest I couldn't see what all the fuss was about, there were a few grotty looking cars and some old lounge chairs in the front yards of some houses but the bits we saw were quite pleasant, plenty of trees, much much nicer than a lots of UK council estates. My OH's cousin moved to Elizabeth Park when she got married and has quite happily lived there ever since, they are good people with nice kids. I am sure you could find yourself somewhere decent and cheap there, but as I say have an open mind and go and have a look round for yourself.

 

We too drove up to Elizabeth and we couldn't see what the problem was either compared to some of the areas we lived near which were complete no go areas. Find out for yourself Tony and make your own opinion and stay afloat

[Rachiegarlo]

Also look at Novar Gdns, Oaklands Park, Morphetville, Marion, clarence Gdns, clarence park, Edwardstown, Kurralta Park. Camden Park. These are all the surrounding suburbs to where I live.They are all in the Inner South West.

[Guest Aussie pat]

Hi Tony,

 

I think the others are right in directing you toward areas other than Elizabeth, which is probably further from the coast and the CBD anyway. I know of 2 teachers who have taught at schools in Elizabeth who say that most of the lessons were disrupted by undisciplined pupils. One said she only had 2 kids in her class who sat quietly and wanted to learn and they had recenlty arrived from the UK. She said it broke her heart to see these 2 children, who's parents had moved all this way to give them a better life, missing out on the education they deserved.

 

I work at Woodville in the City of Charles Sturt and have met some nice people who live locally. Hope this is of help.

[ozzieclare2be]

ive also drove around Elizabeth to see what all the fuss was about. I also feel its no worse on the outset than a large council estate in the uk , i was also brought up in a council house. But personally i still wouldnt want to live there. My husband has regular contact with the police through his job and he asked a few of them which was the worst area. They unanimously said Elizabeth and largely for the socio-economic problems that were mentioned earlier, drugs, alchohol, car theft, burgulary etc. We came here to hopefully escape those problems, its also no-where near the coast.

 

If your applying for on arrival accomodation then wait until you get here to decide on an area. People on here can only advise based on their own opinion, lifestyle etc. 12 weeks is a good time to have a base and look into what you want. I would never make any decisions based on anything but my own opinion:)

[Guest Django]

Tony,

 

Elizabeth is just like any other suburb. It has its good points and it has its bad points. Also, one thing I learned very quickly on this and other forums is that there is a lot of suburb snobbery. I was actually told when I was in the UK that Morphet Vale was one of the 'no go' areas of Adelaide. I can't find anything wrong with it. Mind you I was brought up in The Bush in London so how I see an area is slightly different from someone brought up in say Henley-upon-Thames. I should imagine living in Elizabeth would figure the same along with the other so called 'no go' areas of Christie Downs, Hackham and Salisbury. All of which are okay and no where near as bad an area as places I have lived in in the UK.

Go for it dude. If you find its not for you, when your lease runs out move on.

 

Pete

[Guest caoimhe]

Hi Tony, We live in Hillbank which is 10mins from Elizabeth. I use the shopping centre there quite a bit. There are other areas near Elizabeth that would be reasonable rent but maybe not classed as bad like Salisbury etc the transport is very good to the city for your older one's social life, my aunt has lived in Salisbury for 20 years and has always been very happy, she brought up 4 kids there all who have never been in trouble with drugs etc and have great jobs now. I don't know what the state schools are like as all her kids went private. We have met a lot of her friends who brought up their kids in Salisbury and surrounding areas and again have grown up decent people and in good jobs.

Once in OAA drive around all areas that you find reasonably pricesd and look into the schools as I think that would be a big factor with you still having a couple at school age.

Starting out here is financially very hard so I know where you are coming from not wanting to waste too much money on rent. We are in a house let to us by friends of my family and paying $150 pw, the house was only bought for the size of the land as my landlord plans to tear it down and build 3 houses, so he is doing us a favour till we get on our feet. The house is tribute to the 70s but its is somewhere to live cheaply till we get our own place. Why waste loads of your money that you will need to establish yourself.

Good luck with your choice and remember if you are happy in a suburb thats what matters.

[ozzieclare2be]

Tony,

 

Elizabeth is just like any other suburb. It has its good points and it has its bad points. Also, one thing I learned very quickly on this and other forums is that there is a lot of suburb snobbery. I was actually told when I was in the UK that Morphet Vale was one of the 'no go' areas of Adelaide. I can't find anything wrong with it. Mind you I was brought up in The Bush in London so how I see an area is slightly different from someone brought up in say Henley-upon-Thames. I should imagine living in Elizabeth would figure the same along with the other so called 'no go' areas of Christie Downs, Hackham and Salisbury. All of which are okay and no where near as bad an area as places I have lived in in the UK.

Go for it dude. If you find its not for you, when your lease runs out move on.

 

Pete

 

its not the look of the area that would put me off elizabeth, its the crime. agree with you about christies and morphetvale, cant see much wrong with them depends on your own background i suppose.

[Guest lastboyscout]

I find it quite ironic about the `suburb snobbery` on here

 

As many of you know, Elizabeth and Salisbury and most of the north suburbs were where the UK migrants originally settled around 20 or so years ago, and many of the people that live in those areas work locally, and to work in the Holden plant. At the time they were prosperous areas with lots of money arriving all the while due to the influx of migrants.

 

Skip forward those 20 years and all the migrants seem to head to the South of Adelaide! What I`m trying to get at is, lets skip forward another 20 years and see what the southern areas are like!!!!!!

 

There shouldn`t be any snobbery really, the material things count for nothing as you can`t take them with you, and where you settle in Adelaide you shouldn`t look down on someone who comes from a rougher part of the city, these people are the core of Adelaide!

 

Sorry about the rant but it really p****s me off

 

Wherever you go , enjoy it and make your own mind up, as your needs will be totally different from the next person

[Guest Django]

Could not agree more Lee. It winds me up something cronic but I don't let it get to me anymore.

 

 

Pete

[ozzieclare2be]

I find it quite ironic about the `suburb snobbery` on here

 

As many of you know, Elizabeth and Salisbury and most of the north suburbs were where the UK migrants originally settled around 20 or so years ago, and many of the people that live in those areas work locally, and to work in the Holden plant. At the time they were prosperous areas with lots of money arriving all the while due to the influx of migrants.

 

Skip forward those 20 years and all the migrants seem to head to the South of Adelaide! What I`m trying to get at is, lets skip forward another 20 years and see what the southern areas are like!!!!!!

 

There shouldn`t be any snobbery really, the material things count for nothing as you can`t take them with you, and where you settle in Adelaide you shouldn`t look down on someone who comes from a rougher part of the city, these people are the core of Adelaide!

 

Sorry about the rant but it really p****s me off

 

Wherever you go , enjoy it and make your own mind up, as your needs will be totally different from the next person

 

no-ones looking down on anyone from what i can see, the crime stats are there for all to see, im sure people there are salt of the earth, doesnt mean everyone has to want to live there. I came from a council estate , my parents are from what was the roughest part of dublin. Wanting something better for your own kids doesnt necessarily make you a snob, and even people who own posh houses can live like slobs, you'd be suprised what you see as a district nurse.

[Guest kangomik]

if you are used to "rough" areas in the UK then Elizabeth will be a walk in the park. Use ya noggin and you will be fine.

Your work will be the major deciding factor, but most of the industrial stuff is up north anyway.

Craigmore, sailsbury are in the surrounding areas, theres a large area to look at really.

[Guest cornish Busdriver]

G'day Tony.

I drive busses around Elizabeth and surrounding area's and its like everywhere else, it has its good and bad area's but the people there always come across as very friendly.

I know of a few incidents up there but nothin realy compared to the UK.

Home is where you make it and what you make of it.

Im down at Christies Beach coz ive always lived by the beach and cant stand living the inna city life style "would drive me insane" but thats what im used to.

If your used to living that kind of life style then i should imagine you would feel quiet comfertable there with no-worries.

[Diane]

inna city life style .

 

Don't think I've come across anywhere in, or around, Adelaide that would qualify for that description!

 

Still chuckling here at the thought of it!

 

D

[Guest Django]

Don't think I've come across anywhere in, or around, Adelaide that would qualify for that description!

 

Still chuckling here at the thought of it!

 

D

 

 

Depends on your definition of the phrase, I guess. There is certainly no areas like White City, Hackney or Bethnal Green in Adelaide. But some people live in the inner city and have a lifestyle.

 

Pete

[Guest harper210267]

:wacko:Just joined the site and was lsitening to Boxer Tony's points on moving.

 

We haven't been accpeted yet but am researching anyway.

 

We have a meeting with a company that supports your move, in a couple of weeks and hopefully my hubby can get state sponsorship, as the company have said his profession is on the list.

 

Any ideas?

[Guest cafehag]

Rents may look expensive compared to the UK but bear in mind that the quoted weekly rents include all council taxes and (usually) much of the water bill.

[Guest massive]

Just my opinion but I don't think areas of Elizabeth are any worse than other areas in adelaide . Yes its not without its social problems but its always gets slated lets not forget that biggest part of it population originated from england as i an quickly reminded by people in my works everyday !!!!

 

I wouldn't choose to live there but then i wouldn't choose to live in lots of areas here that people think are fantastic.

 

you need to come look and try it for yourself what one person love another hates thats just how the world works .

[Chands]

hello

 

my story is different, my parents emigrated here to Adelaide with three children who have now grown up and we were placed in flats close to Elizabeth, thankfully for me my mum and dad built a house at Athelstone. If you was to speak to SAPOL (south australia police) and ask if they thought you should move there i am confident they wouldn't recommend it. Crime, drugs, domestic violence, umeployment, homelessness, poverty to say are a few of the problems.

 

Adelaide is an awsomeplace and check out rental properties in Woodcroft, Seaford, Lockleys, Hallet Cove, Old Reynella, Bridewater, Mt Barker, McLaren Vale, Paradise, Highbury.

 

not wanting to offend anyone

Susanne