Nice places

[Guest tezza]

Hi

Out of the following does anyone live there or near there, likes the area, etc

North Haven, Taperoo, Largs North, Largs Bay, Peterhead, Semaphore, Port Adelaide? Thanks

[Guest jlr248]

Hi Tezza, We are still in Uk waiting to get to Oz but have friends who have been out there for 3 years and have bought a house in North Haven, they love the area and like the fact is is easy to get into the city but also really close to the beach. One works at ASC which is also really close (so must be industrial area nearby too). House prices seem pretty reasonable there . It seems to get more expensive as you get down to Semapore but i guess thats because its closer to everything. Hope this helps a bit xJane

[Guest tezza]

Hi jlr248, thank you for that, the more i look into it the more i like North Haven. Looks very nice and my hubby hoping to get work in ASC. When are you moving to Oz? Where about are you going? x Tezza

[Guest joolz]

I don't live at North Haven but spent some time up that way before Xmas...I thought it seemed really nice and some of the houses etc looked great. There is a lovely Marina with some fab boats and some cafe's. It is very close to the industrial parts though but if that is what you require for work then I'm sure you would be happy there. I've heard the schools are really good there too...

[Guest jlr248]

Hi Tezza, We still havent even got a case officer yet but live in hope that things will start moving soon (we lodged visa app. in oct 09). Not sure where we'll end up as it will, to some extent, depend on where we get jobs. After HOURS of google earthing and looking at all various forums i am drawn down south of Adelaide. Also house price will have a massive impact. It seems that in the 18 months we have been waiting house prices in Adelaide have risen so much while ours in UK have dropped as has the strength of the pound...so suburb by suburb we are gradually getting priced out away from beach and centre. Who knows, we might end up in North Haven too, although i do fancy something a bit greener (west lakes looks fab if we win the lottery). Hope we get good jobs once we are there. Good luck with your house hunting, let us know where you end up. Jane x

[Guest kangomik]

1 north haven - but a long way out

2 largs, nice but still a long way out

3. Semaphore, you need to find the right house, many are old, but good access to everything, i know it's only 10 mins from north haven but it adds up

 

4. Port adelaide, there are some nice properties now and things may go up.

 

Taperoo ------- WHY? Property investment for the future maybe, but to live :daydreaming:.

Look each area back on to another, but one is a stack load cheapeer than the rest, there is a reason why.

 

You need to look at schools as well if you have kids, many do not go to school in this area. Thanks to a pommy teacher thats why we never moved there:biglaugh:

[Anne B]

Something else to consider, if industry and pollution bother you....

 

http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/news-gossip/19847-maybe-house-taperoo-isnt-such-good-idea.html

 

North Haven is a nice area and the houses are fairly cheap, but it is a long drive away from anywhere else. It always strikes me as very very quiet, and a nice place to retire maybe, and great if you are into sailing.... The beach there isn't a great beach for swimming, more one for windswept walks with the dog, and good for spotting the container ships heading into Port Adelaide! Even at Semaphore the beach isn't that great for swimming, but it is very popular on windy days with kite surfers - the beaches up the Le Fevre (pronounced fever) Peninsular tend to get very sea-weedy. From Tennyson south the beaches are nice. Semaphore is an interesting area which has a lot going on, cafes, small shops, family friendly - it is a working class seaside suburb with an alternative vibe. Housing in North Haven dates from the 1980s, whereas Largs has some very nice old (1920s) bungalows. The western side of the peninsular is much nicer than the eastern side, which is very industrial, although I must admit it is not as derelict as it used to be 15 years ago, the area does seem to be getting a facelift. The Port River Expressway now makes it much quicker to get east to places like Mawson Lakes where there is a new housing development. Sorry if I'm rambling a bit here...Have you been looking on google streetview to get an idea of what areas are like?

[Guest kangomik]

Something else to consider is the big cruise ships comming to the area. The last time a huge gin palace came in the roads where blocked for hours.

A small thing but it just goes to show that the roads are not in place to cope with this.

[Guest tezza]

Thank you all for your advice, really appreciate it as it is such a big thing that we don't want to get wrong. I have no idea how far certain places are from each other etc. We are hoping the OH can get a job in ASC so we would want to live closeish to that. So any advice would be great, he wouldn't mind commuting up to 30 minutes max as at the moment he commutes over an hour and that is one thing we would like to get away from. thanks you

Jane, fingers crossed you get a case officer soon, what jobs do you do? be great if you got near us at about the same time. Keep in touch and let me know how you go. xx

[Anne B]

I have added some photos to my album on here of places in this area (must admit the quality is not great, I had to cut them down to size)

 

http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/album.php?albumid=58

 

OK I admit I there are some industrial type photos which aren't trying to make it look pretty - but I find the area around Port Adelaide very interesting, although maybe not where I would choose to live.

[Guest tezza]

Thank you Anne, going to have a look now. x

[Guest tezza]

Great photos Anne, how far is west lakes from osbourne roughly? x

[Guest Kazzarazza]

Great photos Anne, how far is west lakes from osbourne roughly? x

 

Hi Tezza,

 

I live at West Lakes Shore and work at Osborne (next to ASC) and it takes me 12 minutes door to door at 8:00am - approx 11kms down Military then Victoria Road. Hope this helps.

 

Cheers, Kazza

[Guest Kazzarazza]

Something else to consider is the big cruise ships comming to the area. The last time a huge gin palace came in the roads where blocked for hours.

A small thing but it just goes to show that the roads are not in place to cope with this.

 

It's not as bad as it's made out. If your husband is going to be working at ASC, then he would probably cycle or walk to work from North Haven. The ship traffic wouldn't be a problem because you wouldn't need either main road - you'd go across the suburb and use the many laneways.

 

I have never been held up by cruise ship traffic once in my 15 years of working at Osborne.

 

Cheers, Kazza

[Guest kangomik]

Kazza lets be honest here, when i say cruise ships i mean the new breed that come in NOW, not the tug boats in the years gone by. The queen whatever docks again in Feb. I live in Greenwith and could see the thing from here, not to mention the blocked roads and waterbreak from everyone trying to get a look.

 

I admit they may not come in everyday of the week or indeed in the winter months, but after being in the carribean and watching these thing load and unload i know one thing. Theres a lot of people get on and off them.

 

Tezza, your partner will almost definetly need Ausie Citizen ship ( excuse the punn) to get on at ASC, unless he gets it through naval UK, or is lucky to get on with a specific agency, it is like this with most defence work here in SA.

 

West lakes is nice, opens up a lot of other area's for you, have a good luck around here and surrounding suburbs. ( ok i like west lakes)

[Guest tezza]

Hi Kazzarazza, Blimey didnt know that west lakes was so close, when i look on google earth it looks quite a way. This being a reason why i love PIA as the info you get back is fab.

The biggest thing for us, is cutting down OH commuting time but the biggest is school for kids.

Thanks for all help, any more welcome.

x

[Guest tezza]

Hi kangomilk, when you say he will need ausie citizen ship, if he gets the job through ASC this side of the water would that do it or does he still need to get it? So confused.

Thanks for your help, looking at West lakes now and it looks lovely, Have they got good schools? x

[Guest kangomik]

If you can secure work from the UK for the ASC then you are laffing, there's year's of work in that place and a que longer that a boxing day sale at next to get in.

Some defence/military work can be secured in the UK. I have a relative that did this through BAE and fast tracked some stuff once here.

In coincedence, the same relatives have their kids in school at the grange area (slightly south of west lakes), and although about to move are keeping their kids in this school.

We have another relative who is a teacher,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, long story short, suggests one or two schools in the Grange area above many others in the Adelaide area.

 

BUT i have to be honest, trying to lay down roots before you get here is very difficult, and while i know what you mean in regards to commute times, it is not the same commute as the UK ( i work all over Adelaide and did the same in the UK). What you may think is the ideal dream location while in the UK, your minds may change once here.

[Diane]

There are two big cruise ships docking on the same day in February - they were talking about it on the radio, as they're opening the shops in Rundle Mall early that day specially for the people from the ships. Think it's 20th Feb.

 

I think the only issue with the area is the mix of old and slightly run-down social housing - slowly being improved and upgraded, but in the meantime still attracting and housing people with a few problems, which means obviously that the schools have a mixture in their intake. Nothing wrong with a good socio-economic mix in my view, as it helps kids learn to live and let live without judging, but not everybody feels the same.

[Guest kangomik]

 

I think the only issue with the area is the mix of old and slightly run-down social housing - slowly being improved and upgraded, but in the meantime still attracting and housing people with a few problems, which means obviously that the schools have a mixture in their intake. Nothing wrong with a good socio-economic mix in my view, as it helps kids learn to live and let live without judging, but not everybody feels the same.

 

Thats a politicians answer, a funny one but very vague. Just look at how many schools are in that area. The people in the area have no choice, unless they send to private school, towards the city

[Guest tezza]

Thanks kangomik, that is great info and you are right, we can't really sort things out, schools/place to live until we get there. I am a bit of a control freak so looking and checking everything every 5 minutes. Besides my OH hasn't even got a job and he might not and there goes our Oz dream. :-(

x

[Guest tezza]

Would i be entitled to any child benefit? God that sounds like i want to milk the oz government before we get there...i dont...just working out finances. x

[Guest kangomik]

Tezza, your not a control freak. You just want to plan, prepare, sort everything before you get here. Thats good research and reasearch is the key, so many THINK they have researched but they have not looked at all the different angles., god knows many on the site did this. You want the best out of the move, you know what you DO NOT want, and know what you would like to have.

We all have our history, mine would have said we would 100% live next to water, as it is we live in the hills, well closer to hills than water thats for sure.

Don't pin your hopes on a specific job, some people can become unstuck by doing this, be open minded, and be prepared to try different things.

 

Don't give up on the job front, theres something for everyone. And remember it isn't sunny everyday, ( but more than the UK)

[Guest kangomik]

If you come in on a PR visa then yes you get Child benefit, if on a temporary visa, no you wont, along with other things.

 

Sometimes (and this will upset people) comming via the fastest easiest route does not always fare well once here.

[Guest tezza]

Kangomik thank you, you have made me feel heaps better. This is the biggest decision/change in our life that we will ever do and most of the reason is for a better quality of life for our kids...and us of course. I am not sure where we want to live, one minute i say the water and then change...arrrggghhh!

What is a PR visa? when you say it doesnt fare well coming the easiest route what do you mean?

Thanks again. x