Moving over in 2017

We finally got our visa and are looking to make the move to Adelaide later next year, probably September 2017 or so. My wife and I, plus two daughters (one is 4, another is below 1 year old) and two dogs.

We've been looking at places and schools (I asked about schools in another thread before) and like what we've seen of Adelaide so far (except some brusqueness from the staff at the Woolies in Mitcham). Would love to send my children to Marryatville Primary School but it's zoned and the price of rent around there is shocking especially for small, old houses. Same goes for Paringa Park (to a lesser extent, though) which was my second choice. Seems like it might be better to rent anyplace nice but cheaper and send the kids to an independent school?

We're looking at the south, around the Warradale/Marion/Dover Gardens/St. Marys area, or even Eden Hills. Alternatively maybe South Plympton or Park Holme. Any recommendations or comments about these places? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

If you are looking to rent in some of those areas then you will be able to send kids to a number of state schools. However, as to the quality/standard and so on of those schools, it will vary. The zoned primary schools are zoned for a reason hence the more expensive rentals within those zones. If you are paying a bit extra in rent you'll be paying a fair chunk in fees for a private school for both kids so weigh up what is better in the longer run. Live in perhaps not so nice a suburb or part of a suburb and opt for private or live in a nicer area and use the state primary school its zoned for.

I have experience of that area as my son went to a primary there for the first 6 months or so we were here. We opted not to send him to Glenelg primary when we arrived, even though we lived around the corner and were in the zone for it. It was huge (800 or so pupils) on a small block of land on a very busy intersection. And it did not tick many of my boxes in other ways either. We opted for a different school and while it was lovely in some ways (friends he made, some of the teachers), academically and in other ways it wasn't great and it did not appeal in the long term.

We have friends whose nearest primary is Ascot Park but they and others we know did not want to send their kids there. So sent them to a primary further away. We have family in South Plympton but they bought there after their kids were in schools outside the area so even though the schools are zoned and they are now outside of them, their kids can still attend.

The issue with many of the suburbs you mention is they are listed as medium density zones now so blocks with old houses are cleared and 3 or 4 or even 5 houses are built in the place of one. Often crappy build quality and tiny gardens etc and also puts pressure on the community for facilities. And they cost a lot still to rent or buy.

Is there a particular reason you want to focus on those areas? We looked round most of them when we were buying and honestly, most of them did not appeal in terms of the facilities, schools and many other things. Some parts of some of those suburbs are very run down.

Paringa Park primary is lovely. If you can afford a house in the zone I'd look to that as its a nice area also and a short hop to facilities and public transport. Private will depend on your budget and willingness to travel in rush hour for the school run. Most of the cheaper private schools are faith based it seems to me, Catholic or some such.

Of the areas you mention, Eden Hills would perhaps be my preference. I'm not sure which primary schools would be open to you state school wise or if they are zoned. Nice area and am often over that way. It may be Blackwood Primary which could be worth investigating.

Thanks for the suggestions. Might be interested in the Blackwood area as well, right close to Eden Hills. Not having really been to Adelaide before (we finally just went a few weeks ago to look at some primary schools and do some stuff like bank account and Medicare stuff, but time was short) it was basically like picking names out of a hat and seeing if it looked interesting. We kinda like being somewhat close to Westfield Marion (can't seem to shake off the shopping mall culture ) but of course it doesn't have to be walking distance. That's why we were looking at the Dover Gardens/Warradale/Marion area as it seems a bit more affordable compared to like Kensington or even the Paringa Park primary zone (Somerton Park and North Brighton).

It's still a year off but we'll keep looking around! But thanks for suggesting Blackwood. We'll definitely look into that. Any issues with Clovelly Park or St Marys, which are just near Eden Hills?

We live up the hill and can be at Marion shopping in just over 10 minutes in the car. More house for your $$ and IMHO nicer overall area. Decent schools to choose from also, depending on your wants and so on. However, it's up the hill, not down on the flat. Doesn't suit everyone.

Which suburb do you live in? I would like to have the train easily accessible so I was looking at the Seaford line (which also explains the whole Oaklands Park/Warradale/Marion interest) and I guess if we look at Eden Hills and Blackwood it would be the Belair line, right?

It would indeed be that line.

See what appeals once you are here and know where you will be working and so on. You may end up going west or east even.

We considered Eden Hills when we were moving over. Nice area but just a bit too hilly for me. We ended up going for Rostrevor which is still reasonably flat but right next to the hills. We would also have like to be in the zone for Marryatville primary school but, like you, found it too expensive. We kept going north and slightly East until we found a more affordable suburb. High schools were more of a concern for us and we had a number of them that we were interested in and wanted to be in the zone for but had to rule out many areas on cost. Plus I wanted to be walking distance to the primary school. I'd make a short list of areas and go and see which ones you prefer when you are here. No point in picking a school and finding you're not keen on the area it's in.

Can't really help wit much info on any of the suburbs you mention but I will just add that we live all the way down in McLaren Vale and can be at Marion in less than 30 minutes - we often meet friends there who live in Brooklyn Park and it's an easier drive for us than them...