OAA accommodation

[Trevali]

Hi all,

We are considering OAA when we arrive in Adelaide. Does anybody have any experiences you can share, good or bad, we will take the lot!

Thanks
Alison & Trev

[Martin and Val]

Hi Alison & Trev,

Our personal experience of it was good. While we understand some people are less than happy with their accommodation we ended up with a nice house in Golden Grove.
We had great neighbours and a reasonable size garden. Although we were only there for about 3 weeks they were very helpful and we got our bond back in full within a week of leaving.
It was cheap rent and for a base when you arrive is more than adequate.
As I say we were happy some are not so some accommodation may well be unsuitable.

Good luck
Martin
Martin

[salisbury massive]

Hi

The main problem with OAA is you don't get much say in where you end up. I understand you can ask for a specific area but it all depends on whats empty when you arrive. The OAA at Golden Grove is quite nice as Martin and Val say. OAA is very basic, there is enough stuff to tide you over while you sort out your new life and everything else. Some OAA's are not in such great areas and this can impact your first impressions of Adelaide and your new life. It can also help when deciding on where you might like to live permanently. Have a great OAA in a decent suburb, you will probably buy there.

However if you can treat it as somewhere to leave your stuff and get your head down rather than a "home" then its great, and the meet and greet service is invaluable for imformation and just the joy of having someone meet you off the plane & get you in a taxi makes it worth it. The rent is cheap and being able to stay for 12 weeks gives you more time when renting or buying a house. You don't have to rush into the first place you see just because you need to get out. You can buy a house here in a matter of weeks rather than months so it can work for you very well.

So my advice, take it if you can get it.

Jo

[stufi1997]

the above is good advice...we had OAA in ingle farm and used it for about 3 weeks too. Although it's not the best of areas the neighbours were ok if a bit rough around the edges, and the best thing of all it's cheap. It has everything to get you going, ours was clean although very basic. No problem getting our bond back. I've got to admit when we first arrived there I felt my heart sink but I was jet lagged and in the morning things didn't look nearly so bad. I'd say look on it as a bonus if you get it. Fiona

[melissa and darren]

Hi there

We had a really good experience with OAA - think we had the same place as Martin and Val up in Golden Grove, which was perfect for us when we arrived. We asked for somewhere in the northern suburbs as we had family in that area, and so for us it was great. It was clean and comfortable and CHEAP!!! We were there about a month & got our deposit returned in full very quickly (which is more than l can say for the place we briefly rented in the UK 2 1/2 months later we are still trying to get it back...)

I would definitley apply for OAA if l were you, it gave us valuable breathing space with so many other things to organise when you first arrive, and you never know what may happen. My husband ended up starting work 6 days after we arrived, so then l was on my own with sorting out all the official stuff and at least accomodation was one thing l didn't have to worry about straight away.

Good luck

Mel

[kangomik]

take it, its cheap. not the ritz but has everything you will need, and no extra costs.
If may be in a less desirable area, and you will need to buy bedding etc to get to kip, everything else to live you will have brought.
Spend time to chat to the neighbours, it's colourfull!

[boyonder]

We have just recieved confirmation for our OAA Accommodation its in Novar Gardens, not to sure what that area is like, but what do you want for the price, for us it a place to go untill we find are feet..... if anyone has info on this please let me know..

We fly out on Sunday the 29th March Last day in work this Thursday. :)

Take care

Andy, Zoe, Adam & Alex

[jo_marnes]

We are in OAA now in Port Adelaide and its fine. It's a good size (there are 5 of us), in a fairly good neighbourhood with lots of amenities. Public transport is excellent and shops/ services are a short walk. The house itself is clean enough, has the basics you need and the rent officer is great. Said we don't have to give 2 weeks notice and they have fixed one issue we had with our back door very promptly. $180 a week for a house big enough for us and 3 kids is great.

Our rent officer did say that they only manage to house 60% of applicants, but it is defo worth a try. It's not going to be awful and it will save you some money in the first few weeks. Plus you won't have to go out on the first day to buy plates/ kettle/ cutlery/ beds etc. Things take so much longer when you don't know where to go - having a furnished base is a real help.

[Rachiegarlo]

There is a Kmart in Pt Adelaide if you haven't already found it. It is down by the railway bridge. You can buy bedding and household goods as well as clothes, electrical and toys. It is good for basics and the stuff is reasonably priced.

Novar gardens is a good area, it is 10 mins to Glenelg and 10 mins to the city. I have heard that these OAA are good, basic as everyone says. Kmart just down the road(Anzac Highway) going towards the city is good for houshold bits and bobs. At Forbes shopping centre on Marion Rd, there is a really good fruit n veg shop. They sell the uglies but cheap out the front, and the larger perfect stuff inside. In this strip of shops there is a post office aswell and a good fish n chip shop run by a chatty vietnamese guy.

[jo_marnes]

Yes we are about 3 min walk away, lol. Thanks though. I don't know if I just find it harder than most what with having to drag 3 reluctant kids to the shop with me, but I am just not getting things done as quick as I think I ought to! I'm sure most people would have managed to get all these things by now! xx