Advice on where to start looking at Suburbs

Hi Everyone

I've been browsing this site for a few weeks and it really has been invaluable! Thankyou!

So now i'm jumping in and looking for some advice please:cool:..

My husband has been offered a job in SA and it is likely to be in south/eastern suburbs initially. We will be on 457 visa if all goes to plan and i wondered if anyone would be able to point us in the direction of suburbs to consider?

I totally understand that opinions will be subjective and it's a hard one to answer but to give it a bit more context

• We have 4 children so ideally need 4 bedrooms
  
• We will be renting, and looking for nice but ultimately affordable areas as we will be keeping on our home in the UK for the time being, but need to budget for times when this may be void
  
• Ideally, we would prefer to be somewhere with shops/cafes/schools within walking distance but getting into the CBD daily is not a big priority
  
• MOST IMPORTANTLY we are looking for somewhere with good, welcoming schools and playgroups and lots of variety in terms of activities to get the children settled quickly.
  

We won't have to opportunity to do a reccie visit beforehand but will have a few weeks in a short term rental to sort out a long-term place to stay. As we will all land at once it would be useful for us to have a short-list of areas to look at before we arrive

Thanks in advance for any replies

Welcome to the forum. Just so you are aware your first few posts will not appear until they have been approved by a mod.

In terms of suburbs pretty much most places I know meet your criteria to some extent. Some have more shops etc, some less. Any of the Eastern suburbs would be fine although they can be pricey but you don't mention how much you are looking at spending on rent per week. If your OH is going to be working south and East then I would recommend basing yourself somewhere south east. Getting across or around the city can be a real pain, so the best place to be would depend on exactly where south and East he would be working.

Thanks for the quick reply Nic,

The location is yet to be settled, all we have is southern and eastern suburbs so far, and rents we would want to keep as low as we can to achieve a big enough property in a nice family friendly area.

Any suggestions where to start looking to get ideas?

There are so many opinions when it comes to where to settle! There are so many different areas as as NicF has said it may depend upon budget, schools and lifestyle that you are looking for.

There is a section on this site that has info on some of the suburbs.

I live in the south and have a bias towards this region but that doesn't mean that there aren't some wonderful areas elsewhere. There are popular areas in the east, country living with easy access to all amenities, and a range of beachside suburbs that will all tick your boxes.

A 4 bedroomed rental will be more expensive (most are 3 beds).

Many new migrants do decide to live along the coastal belt from Henley to Aldinga! Best bet is to rent for a few weeks, get a hire car and do some exploring when you get here. I have encountered many people who were adamant that they were going to live in a specific location...only to change their minds when they arrived and had a look around.

Thanks Tamara that's really helpful. Unless we could find a very big 3 bed i think we would probably be looking for 4, as we have a 9 year son who is seriously outnumbered by his sisters

Yes, am trying to keep an open mind and not getting set on areas as probably even a few weeks isn't a great timescale to get a real feel for places but that said i don't really want to set up the children in school to move them again in 6 months Plan is, as you suggested to have a few weeks in a short term rental and car hire while we sort out transport, a long term rental and school.

Thanks for the replies

The tricky part about south/east is that the eastern suburbs are the more established ones (and therefore quite pricey) but south covers quite a lot of area - especially if you need to be getting back up onto the eastern side of the city regularly. Adelaide looks easy enough to drive around (and mostly it is) but it's the traffic lights that can slow you down. Places like Flagstaff Hill, Happy Valley and that sort of area are probably your best bet to begin with rather than coastal south (Hallet Cove, Seaford etc).

http://www.realestate.com.au/rent/with-4-bedrooms-between-0-500-in-flagstaff+hill%2c+sa+5159%3b/list-1 These for example are in that general area and have 4 bedrooms (and obviously vary in price per week). Most suburbs have a central shopping area but car is most definitely king so being able to walk to school and shops depends on how far you're happy to walk... We live in McLaren Vale (probably too far south for you at this stage) and one of the reasons for that was because everything (on a daily needs basis) is walk-able but everything else is a drive, including the high school.

Trying to choose somewhere to live in a city you don't know is really overwhelming and you really can't know until you arrive what works for you. Changing schools isn't ideal but it's not so unusual - we started off in the city for our fist year and then moved south when we bought; moving the children again, it was unsettling but we promised them we wouldn't move area again until they'd all finished at high school giving them a bit of stability after 18 months of uncertainty and we've been in this house now for 2 years and it seems to be working.

Good luck with your move.

Flossybeth covers a lot of points I was about to

I'll also second that moving schools to a preferred area later on is not a bad thing. We moved our son after 7 months when we moved from Glenelg up into the foothills and its been a great move school wise. We also keep in touch with 4 of his mates from his first school here, plus their parents. And he's loving his new school, made new friends there and IMHO its a much better standard of school all round. I also know someone who moved their kids abour 2 years in when they moved further out and eventually the extended school run got too much so they transferred to a school nearer to their home. Their kids are happy and settled in well though it did take a little while for one of them to find their feet and all good now.

Cheaper suburbs can be found in the south along the coast. The closer to the city, the more the rents tend to be.

A 4 bed down south will be a lot less than one in the eastern side.

Happy Valley, Flagstaff Hill and a few others round there might tick your boxes to begin with. Often 4 beds can be found in Flagstaff Hill but not sure of the rental prices. And location wse

I really don't know your budget nor will ask but I'm going to offer up a mention to the Eden Hills, Blackwood, Coromandel Valley, Hawthorndene area. Property will cost a bit more rent and to buy wise but there are some lovely schools in the area (primary and high schools). Its also an area that would give you decent access to the south and also the east. You could take the Coromandel Valley road and cut across from there to get anywhere south. They are older suburbs, some with some lovely shopping areas, main streets and so on. Also easy access into the hills, Belair National Park (I recently discovered it as a great place to head with kids for a wander, play park and other things).

You've probably already seen this but its worth a read and to check out the links in it http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/kids-down-under/44624-useful-links-schools-primary-high-school.html

Eden Hills and Blackwood areas wouldn't be too bad. Be wary of going anywhere too far south until you know how often and where in the east your OH will be working. As someone who lives in the east and has travelled south on many occasion I can confidently say that travelling to the eastern suburbs from the south, and especially from the south west (and from the east to the south), can be a real pain. And I've never done it at rush hour. Somewhere around the south eastern corner, like Mitcham, would probably be the best bet but those suburbs can also be very pricey. I'd have a think about budget for rentals and then have a look on realestate.com.au at what you can get in the way of 4 bed houses for that money. Then have a look at schools in those areas to see what you think. We ruled out a few areas because we weren't impressed with the schools.

Hiya - what they say ^^ !

But also with your son being nine, do consider high schools in the area as well as primaries. He is probably in Year 4 or thereabouts (?) so you have a few years yet, but ifyou go further out for cheaper rent, you may find yourself having a more limited school choice.

Hiya - what they say ^^ !

 

But also with your son being nine, do consider high schools in the area as well as primaries. He is probably in Year 4 or thereabouts (?) so you have a few years yet, but ifyou go further out for cheaper rent, you may find yourself having a more limited school choice.

That is very true unless private was an option.

Just going to add that the reality of living within walking distance of local shops, playgroups and so on... might not be what you are used to.

The way the newer suburbs are designed, how they sprawl and so on, many people don't walk to the shops or playgroups etc. Car is king here and honestly, in many of the suburbs I visit or that we looked around when we were looking to buy a house, the shoppping centres was a car drive away and defo not somewhere you'd walk, especially in the hotter months or in the hotter parts of the day. We live a 5 minute drive from local shops but its a 40 minute hilly walk. I've walked it a few times and its horrible in the warmer weather.

Some of the older suburbs have main town streets with lots of shops off them, small malls and so on (I rather like Blackwood for this) but still somewhere most will drive to and then walk round the shops.

Playgroups are dotted all round, often at churches so its again a drive to many of them. I'd not walk the 20-30 minutes to some nearby ones in summer or on a 30C day with a little one in a pushchair with the sun beating down. I'd drive. Alas. Its one of the downsides of living here for me but I've got my work around and having the dog means we get our walks in and we also walk to school a lot (15 minutes or so) and so long as its not stinking hot, we'll walk home too, but I leave the dog at home if its warm then.

Corner shops in some of the newer suburbs don't exist. Its not like there is a small local PO and store round the corner although if close enough to the shops in a suburb you can experience that but often those houses are in demand and hard to come by. Or its a local servo with an On The Run store based at it

Its not to say its horrible or that we hate this, but it is noticeable. Our first 7 months were spent in Glenelg and we lived across the road from Jetty Road and all its shops and I was able to walk to the shops every day. However, this was the exception as if we had lived 4 or 5 streets further away, in hot weather we'd never have walked in the daytime to carry shopping home. It'd have melted or cooked before we got it home And I'd have had to slather myself in sun screen and been out in strong UV in the middle of the day. Not my ideal.

I think i lost my last reply somehow.

Thanks so much everyone for taking the time to give such comprehensive replies it's brilliant food for thought and we will take a look at the areas you have suggested. Instinctively i think we default to what our priorities are here in the UK and the reality is they may be different when we get there. Here we bought a house so that it is in the catchment for an outstanding high school and primary school. Our children have lots of schoolfriends who are neighbours as do we in their parents. I think we probably have to try not to get too overwhelmed by the details of everything but i am most guilty of this at the minute, and trying to research everything and every possibility when in reality we will only get a feel for what we like and dont when we have been over a while.

Our biggest priority will most likely still be school & having talked it over, on the occasions we have moved before, we have always gone for older, established areas rather than newer developments. That said, we dont want to live in a fab pile of brick in a zone for a great school with no budget to fully throw ourselves into activities, making friends and getting to know our new home.

Our children go to Catholic school at the minute so we have considered whether budgeting for this might make the transition easier on them but again it is a big chunk of change with 4!

We need to heed all your advice, it has been great thankyou, and not try to pre-empt our decisions.

You make a great point Snifter. Much as I love walking to school and then a stroll to the park and shops i dont fancy a 40 minute melt in the searing summer heat just for the sake of a coffee or a little shopping.

Your comments have all been really helpful folks thanks so much again.

Our son goes to a zoned school now. One thing that has been nice about it is because they enforce the zone, it means the kids he is at school with who become his friends, all live in the area. His old school here they came from all over. Only one of his friends at his old school lives within a reasonable distance of it, all his other friends, their parents opted to not go to their nearest primary as they didn't like them and so went further afield. It means many kids are not so local. Including us at the time. What I'm enjoying with the new school is that we can walk to friends houses, some live quite close by and we can also get them to meet up in the play parks and other things. We can also walk to school, walk home with kids in his class and other things.

Guess what I am saying is that if a school isn't zoned, you could find kids from all over so making friendships possibly a little more interesting if you were hoping for more local friends.

We have plenty to do even though we are not on the flat or that close to the city. We don't mind jumping in the car to go places, are often out and about and I love to head to places like Blackwood and Mitcham for coffee with friends or a bit of shopping. We have local parks, ovals, a BMX track not too far away, access to the hills and city but also the peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle. And the beach is about 10-15 minutes in the car when we want it. Took us 3 months of looking to work out everything we wanted and find what we were after but sure glad we did.

Also lots of bigger playparks and activities and things for kids will mean a trip in the car or train to get to them. Its not a biggie once you are here and zipping round. We've done things in the CBD this school holiday, headed north to Port Adelaide and on to St Kilda playpark. Also visited up in the hills, headed down to Glenelg and the beach a few times, done the cinema, a few clubs run for kids around the city and other things. Also a fair few playdates.

hi, i need your opinion about Brighton Secondary school and Unley High School.

Thanks

hi, i need your opinion about Brighton Secondary school and Unley High School.

Thanks

Both schools have really good reputations and are generally considered to be among the better high schools in Adelaide. I don't have any personal experience of the schools though so cannot really comment further.

which suburbs would you recommend for an elderly couple no longer driving a car, transport to medical facilities and friendly environment. We could only afford up to $300,000.

which suburbs would you recommend for an elderly couple no longer driving a car, transport to medical facilities and friendly environment. We could only afford up to $300,000.

If you're completely dependent on public transport, the only areas I would really consider would be Glenelg, Norwood, Adelaide, North Adelaide and perhaps Henley Beach or Goodwood to some extent. However, none of those areas are cheap, but a unit could be affordable. All of the above have amenities within walking distance and good public transport links (I lived in Glenelg for 2.5 years without a car, and still live in Glenelg and share a car with my partner).

I second all of what has already been said, and agree Adelaide is very much a place where driving everywhere is the norm. However, there are some small pockets where driving everywhere isn't a necessity, but not many - and not many of these are in the east or south (I would suggest central areas of Glenelg, Norwood, North Adelaide, Adelaide itself, Goodwood, Henley Beach, Semaphore). I have lived in Glenelg with no car for 2.5 years and currently share one car with my partner - and Glenelg is one of the few areas we really can walk/easily use public transport to do a lot of what we want to do. There's not many suburbs in Adelaide we'd manage the same level of convenience as a one/no car family.

Also - it'd be great if you could learn more about what's meant by 'south' and 'east' - east could either mean eastern suburbs close to the city (eg Norwood, Magill, Rose Park etc) or the foothills and hills themselves. So we could be talking walking distance to the city up to fairly rural in the Adelaide Hills. Also, some would consider Brighton a Southern suburb, whereas I consider that metro south-west, and to me consider the 'proper' southern suburbs to be Hallett Cove and further south to Noarlunga, Seaford etc where a lot of English ex-pats settle.

Knowing where you need to be near, and refining your budget, would both really help us give suggestions.