Family seeking advice please!!

[Guest MAMAWORLD3]

Hi, my husband, myself and our 3 children (3,6,7) are moving to Adelaide around Easter time and I have lots of questions. I'm sure you have heard them all before but I would appreciate any advice.

 

My hubby will be working in Salisbury Plain and I have been reassured its not as bad as some say.

 

We are looking at an ideal rental for 6months then committing after once established.

But where?? I have looked and looked at most suburbs and just cant seem to find one for us. My husband doesnt want a long drive to work.

Good school is a priority private or state, activities and groups to keep kids happy, safe with low crime, close to walk to school, shops, parks,cinema, a community feel and 20-30 mins to beach. Not asking for much eh!!

 

Can you also tell me if the insects are a problem, esp the spiders!!

 

Appreciate any advice.

Regards

[Diane]

Hi

Have a look at the North East suburbs - any of them would offer a reasonable commute to Salisbury and there are some excellent schools, both primary and high, private and state, around those areas. www.northeast.net.au is a good place to start.

There is a cinema at Tea Tree Plaza which is within reach of most of the north east suburbs, and a smaller shopping centre at Golden Grove. Beach is about 30/40 minutes so you may have to sacrifice proximity to beach in exchange for proximity to good schools. Or you could go for some of the eastern suburbs, which would mean perhaps a 40 minute drive to work for your husband. Or somewhere like Mawson Lakes perhaps.

You say you have been unable to find a suburb for you, perhaps if you tell us what is putting you off those you have looked at?

Diane

[NicF]

We live in Rostrevor and my OH commutes to Mawson Lakes which is just down from Salisbury Plain and it takes him 20 to 25 minutes to get to work most days. I'd agree with Diane that the North East suburbs would be a good place to be to give you everything except proximity to the beach. Banksia Park and Golden Grove schools both have good reputations and both areas would give reasonable commutes to Sailsbury Plains. If you are considering private schools then Athelstone is a lovely area. We ruled it out because we didn't want our kids going to the senior school it is zoned for and can't afford for them to go private. Alternatively you could try somewhere like West Lakes which is near the beach, but I'm not sure what the commute would be like from there. Or if you have lots of money North Adelaide has everything you are looking for and isn't too far from the beach either.

 

I'd suggest having a list of potential suburbs drawn up before you get here, find a short term rental (about 3 to 4 weeks) for when you get here and then have a good look round the areas you are considering.

[Guest MAMAWORLD3]

Hi

Have a look at the North East suburbs - any of them would offer a reasonable commute to Salisbury and there are some excellent schools, both primary and high, private and state, around those areas. www.northeast.net.au is a good place to start.

There is a cinema at Tea Tree Plaza which is within reach of most of the north east suburbs, and a smaller shopping centre at Golden Grove. Beach is about 30/40 minutes so you may have to sacrifice proximity to beach in exchange for proximity to good schools. Or you could go for some of the eastern suburbs, which would mean perhaps a 40 minute drive to work for your husband. Or somewhere like Mawson Lakes perhaps.

You say you have been unable to find a suburb for you, perhaps if you tell us what is putting you off those you have looked at?

Diane

 

Thanks so much for your reply! Our children currently go to independant schools and were hoping it wont be necessary in Adelaide. It seems the state schools are rather good and therefore we hope to enrol them and see how they get on. Do you know how much private ed costs? I would also love to be able to walk to school from home.

 

I have looked at Mawson Lakes and it does look nice and full of new build homes but not really established and as Im a stay at home mum would feel isolated. I also have read it was built on a swamp full of mosquitos, has limited broadband and is full of business people away at work all day. I have basically looked at most NE surburbs and am put off if they are too close to CBD. I can only judge on what I know and in England surburbs close to large towns have higher crime.

Norwood looks good but it would be too far for my husband to travel to work. He doesnt want more than 20mins drive. Some areas around Popular look industrial and that puts me off. There is limited info on areas around Stepney, can look on google but Im unable to find any amenities like libraries, shops, leisure centres etc.

Stepney seems nice with a good Primary but I have found very little info on it. Is there a gym, swimming pool, park etc close by? What abour Health care such as a hospital, doctor and dentist.

I really appreciate any advice thanks.

[Diane]

Hi again

Don't believe what you read about Mawson Lakes - I was over there last week for a business course and went to a local cafe for lunch afterwards, and the place was buzzing with people of all ages - it was a warm day but the lakes looked lovely - pristine and not at all mozziefied! Have a search on the forum for previous posts about the place - this one is from 2008 but apart from the usual north vs south sniping that's a particularly British ex pat thing, there are some good posts from people who actually live there http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/renting-real-estate/5463-mawson-lake-2.html

We live in a north eastern suburb and I would say crime is lower than a lot of other suburbs around elsewhere - we are about 20 minutes from the city and on the edge of the hills. Generally in Adelaide the closer you get to the city the higher the property prices and hence generally the higher the socio-economic profile, so it certainly doesn't follow that the nearer to the town the higher the crime - except amongst the more intelligent criminals I guess who know there are better pickings in the more salubrious suburbs! Most of the big houses I pass driving around though seem pretty well protected with burglar alarms etc! I don't know Stepney specifically, but it's neighbouring suburbs such as St Peters, Beulah Park etc are very posh with some lovely older style properties. Norwood would be about the same commuting distance for your husband as Stepney, give or take a couple of minutes - Adelaide is really not all that big! Did you particularly want to be very close to the city centre? Golden Grove is a lovely suburb which has great schools, great facilities, lots of things for families, and would be a really easy commute for your OH.

With the ages of your children, it's completely up to you whether you go private or state, but I would say this side of town has some excellent state primaries with a wide choice, so my personal view is private education is not totally essential at primary level - and you still have the option to choose that route for their high schools (which is what we did). Fees for private vary widely but are a lot cheaper than in the UK.

If I were you, I'd wait till you get out here before making a final decision - find somewhere to rent short term (I know of a few people that have furnished rentals around Mawson Lakes so you could perhaps try that and see what you think of the place before entering into a long term contract) and have a look around for yourself. I know it is hard to leave something so important as where to live until you're here, but it really is the best way to do it as seeing a place in person makes such a difference.

Edited October 30, 2012 by Diane

[Guest moonraker1959]

Hi I'm with Diane!I grew up in Modbury,and the north east is a great place to live.Close to all amenities,schools,sports clubs,shopping centres,and any of them,from Tea Tree Gully,Greenwith,Fairview Park,Modbury (nth and heights)Surrey Downs and so on are all pretty close to Salisbury plain.Most suburbs have their own little shopping centres,and if you live in a suburb expect most folk to be out at work.Have you looked at Gawler?Years ago when we first moved to SA,I can remember my Dad taking us for a drive "out bush"and Gawler was classed as being out in the sticks back then (1970).I really like Gawler actually,it still has that old town feel to it,although it has grown alot since 1970!Plenty of clubs (sporting ect)good shops,hotels (pubs)and so on,and is on the train line to Elizabeth Shopping Centre,and also the city.Salisbury Plain is a short drive along North Road.You say your husband only wants a 20 min drive to work,but really the roads are good,not too much traffic that way either,and living further out would'nt be too much of a hassle as the driving is so easy.

[Guest MAMAWORLD3]

Hi, thanks for your advice, Adelaide sounds like a wonderful place to live. We are going to rent for the first 4 weeks which will give us lots of time to look all over. I had looked at Golden Grove and spotted the retail park with MCDonalds and KFC and my OH is pleased! Also Tea Tree which looked nice. I dont want to be too close to town or I will be out shopping too much!

Thanks again for your help.

[Guest jones1541]

Hi, we are a family of 4, children will be 6 and 3 when we move feb/march next year, we had initially been researching along the south coast but my job is in Burnside and the commute was too much, golden grove and surrounding areas were highly recommended! Our plan is to find a short term rental for four weeks and go around and have a feel of the areas and schools, exciting but soooooo scary!

 

Claire

[NicF]

Hi, we are a family of 4, children will be 6 and 3 when we move feb/march next year, we had initially been researching along the south coast but my job is in Burnside and the commute was too much, golden grove and surrounding areas were highly recommended! Our plan is to find a short term rental for four weeks and go around and have a feel of the areas and schools, exciting but soooooo scary!

 

Claire

 

Burnside itself and the surrounding areas are also really nice and have excellent schools. Unfortunately this area is a bit pricey or we would be living there ourselves. Definiately check out Golden Grove and see what the commute is like - I would have thought it would be a bit far but this could just be me thinking it's further than it is. We live in Rostrevor which is 5-10 minutes from Burnside and about 5-10 minutes from tea tree plaza - I also used to think it was further to tea tree plaza but it turns out it was just my OH taking us a long way round. Make sure you have a good drive round all the areas on the east side of the city right up to the Golden Grove area, but be aware of schools. A lot of the primary schools in these areas are good and most of the senior schools, but there is at least one senior school that doesn't have such a good reputation and some of the north eastern suburbs are in the zone for that school. Not much of an issue for you at the moment but unless you want to move to a different area or send your kids to private school it's something to keep in mind.

[Guest MAMAWORLD3]

Hi, which secondary schools aren't much good? Whats Modbury Primary school like and the surrounding area. I have looked on their website and its hard to find info on year 3-6. Also there is a pre school but no nursery. I have googled the area and it looks a little remote with not too many houses. Is this about right? I also liked East Adelaide primary near Golden Grove and it looks a good school is it? Their results look good and the surrounding area. I am really looking for a GOOD Primary school based in a residential area that I can live close too. Is that possible? Thanks for your time I really appreciate it.

[Guest MAMAWORLD3]

Hi Claire you sound like you have the same fears as me. We are hoping to get out for April and havent decided where to go either. My OH will be working in Salisbury Plain and want to be close to town and the beach. Not asking too much eh! We are going to rent for 4 weeks also hopefully our furniture will get there by then. Are you shipping stuff across or going for a furnished house? Will you and your husband be working?

It is exciting but we have got so much to get sorted before next year.

Good to hear someone else has same questions as us.

[NicF]

Hi, which secondary schools aren't much good? Whats Modbury Primary school like and the surrounding area. I have looked on their website and its hard to find info on year 3-6. Also there is a pre school but no nursery. I have googled the area and it looks a little remote with not too many houses. Is this about right? I also liked East Adelaide primary near Golden Grove and it looks a good school is it? Their results look good and the surrounding area. I am really looking for a GOOD Primary school based in a residential area that I can live close too. Is that possible? Thanks for your time I really appreciate it.

 

The secondary school with a poor reputation is Charles Campbell school. Have you looked on the myschool website? This gives you information about zoning and also you can get the Naplan results for the schools via the site. There are no league tables over here but when we were considering areas my OH built his own using the Naplan results. I'm not sure but I think Modbury is in the zone for Modbury Heights which looked like a good school. I don't know Modbury that well but I wouldn't say it was remote with not much housing. In a lot of the north eastern suburbs the blocks can be quite large so it can look a bit more spread out, but there is still plenty of housing. We never considered Golden Grove as it is a bit far from my mother in law for my liking and I don't really know it so I can't really comment.

[Guest Shandalina]

Hi Mamaworld3

 

We are arriving in Jan 2013 with my two daughters . I am looking in the North East at Highbury and making enquiries at Highbury Primary School.Ive messaged a few really lovely mums on this site who have highly recommended the school. The area seems to be perfectly positioned between the Adelaide Hills and the CBD,and quick enough to get to the beach.

 

Best of luck !

[Guest jones1541]

Hi Nic, thanks for the comments, we havn't looked at Rostrevor! What ae the rental prices around here?

 

Claire

[Guest jones1541]

Hi Mamaworld3

Wr are shipping everything out, hoping to get a furnished rental for 4 weeks and same as you hope our stuff arives! I will be working initially until the kids are settled, my husband will find work once we have organised school and childcare! We had a viewing on the house today, fingers crossed.

 

Claire

[Guest MAMAWORLD3]

Hi Claire, are you selling your home in Wales? We are going to rent ours until the market improves. Its also a safety blanket incase we dont settle after 2 yrs. Good luck with the viewing its a stressful time for you!

[Guest jones1541]

Hi Claire, are you selling your home in Wales? We are going to rent ours until the market improves. Its also a safety blanket incase we dont settle after 2 yrs. Good luck with the viewing its a stressful time for you!

Hi

We are selling the house, too small for us now anyway, although our back up plan is to rent! It's really nice to share the experience, its a total roler coster. Its feeling very real now, this is gonna be our last xmas here for a while or hopefully forever

 

Claire

[NicF]

Hi Nic, thanks for the comments, we havn't looked at Rostrevor! What ae the rental prices around here?

 

Claire

 

Hi Claire

 

I love Rostrevor but it's not everyone's cup of tea. Rental prices for a decent house you are looking at about $400 a week, although you can get an older place for less. There are also quite a lot of private landlords around here that don't go through the agents so it's worth checking the paper when you get here if you decide you like the area. There are a lot of rental properties here and not that much competition for houses so some places you could probably negotiate a reduction on the weekly rent.

 

Rostrevor itself is a pretty large suburb and half is zoned for Charles Campbell school and the other half for Norwood Morialta. The top end of the suburb near Morialta conservation park is very leafy, with lots of trees but you get a bit less of them as you go down towards St Bernards Road. The fourth creek trial runs through Rostrevor from Morialta conservation park and that has trees running down each side of the creek as well. There are a lot of parks and open spaces for kids to play in the area. The housing is quite a mix of old well maintained, old run down and new development. It's quite a multicultural area. Traditionally Italian families settled in this area and there are still a lot of Italian families around. There are also quite a lot of Korean famlies and people from all kinds of different backgrounds. The suburb is at that stage where a lot of older people are moving out to retirement homes (or passing away) and are being replaced by young families.

 

There is a primary school in Rostrevor right by the creek called Stradbroke Primary, that my kids go to. We are really happy with the school and the kids have settled really well. They do the International Baccalaureate at the school and the Naplan results are not far behind some of the best schools in Adelaide. The school is also quite multicultural. There are kids with backgrounds from places like America, UK, Korea, Russia, Italy, Spain and Sri Lanka just in the classes my kids are in.

 

In terms of shopping there are quite a lot of shops around the edge of the suburb on Montacute Road, St. Bernards Road and Moules Road and there are some shops on Forest Avenue, so where ever you are there is a shop you can walk to, and there are plenty of places within a five minute drive. Like I said it's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you are going to be working in Burnside then it's certainly worth a look round.

[Guest barry family]

Hi mamaworld been reading your therad its been giving me a good insight looking up the different areas. I have similar dilemas I want a good catholic school for my 2 boys age 11 and 13 and I like the idea of short rent for 4 weeks so then I can hopefully pick the right school. Could you please tell me if I do short rent for 4 weeks until i find an area to settle how fast can you get the children into school? Just scared if I do it the way i've said then there is a big waiting list for the school the boys could miss loads of school Thanks in advanced for your time in this matter. p.s we will be in Adelaide in october.

[Guest Jersey Bean]

Hi ya I live in golden grove/ greenwith stunning ten mins from tea trea plaza 30 mins from beach. Been here 2 half years now just built a house here.

If want an honest opinion in box me my hubby grew up here!

Oh greenwith school one of the best. & I know some rentals.

been there done it all

inbox me happy to help

claire

[Guest Jersey Bean]

Hi very hard to find a rental for 4 weeks just doesn't exist around here. Short term rental be 3 -6months you can negotiate if the the place has been sat there for 2 months empty think they'd take anything ways around everything-

Need place to live in the catchment of the school you like & they are stricked on that around here there is a big wait list for none catchment parents wanting there kids to go to greenwith. The campus is shared our lady of hope catholic school if that's what your after.

I live in a new development called the settlement - really nice area

 

claire

[Guest Messua]

We came here when our children were similar ages to yours and Golden Grove was the area recommended. I think that would still be the case, along with Wynn Vale and Greenwith. In the other direction, Gawler is very nice. We are quite lucky with schools at the moment, though most of the private ones tend to be Christian or Catholic so it's easier on everyone if you are raising your children in one of those traditions. The public schools have teachers under contract for a maximum of ten years at a time, so obviously they tend to vary from one year to the next. Good luck.

[NicF]

Hi mamaworld been reading your therad its been giving me a good insight looking up the different areas. I have similar dilemas I want a good catholic school for my 2 boys age 11 and 13 and I like the idea of short rent for 4 weeks so then I can hopefully pick the right school. Could you please tell me if I do short rent for 4 weeks until i find an area to settle how fast can you get the children into school? Just scared if I do it the way i've said then there is a big waiting list for the school the boys could miss loads of school Thanks in advanced for your time in this matter. p.s we will be in Adelaide in october.

 

Hi, most people get a short term furnished let for a few weeks while they look for something long term and find a school they like. Are you looking for a private school or state school? Most state schools are obliged to find a place for your kids if you move in to the catchment area so this shouldn't be an issue. I think Adelaide High might be an exception to this though. I'm not sure about private schools. I suspect if they have a place available they will take your child regardless of where you live. If you want a catholic school you might need to go private and if you want to take this route you can talk to the schools before you arrive to find out if they are likely to have places. I would suggest googling catholic schools in Adelaide and see if you can find a list, find the ones in the areas you are interested in and contact them to ask.

[Guest MAMAWORLD3]

Hi mamaworld been reading your therad its been giving me a good insight looking up the different areas. I have similar dilemas I want a good catholic school for my 2 boys age 11 and 13 and I like the idea of short rent for 4 weeks so then I can hopefully pick the right school. Could you please tell me if I do short rent for 4 weeks until i find an area to settle how fast can you get the children into school? Just scared if I do it the way i've said then there is a big waiting list for the school the boys could miss loads of school Thanks in advanced for your time in this matter. p.s we will be in Adelaide in october.

 

Hi thanks for reading thread.

My kids are a lot younger than your kids (7, 6 and 3) so we aren't to concerned on time scale for starting schools. We have decided to look at independent schools around the North East area. I ideally want to walk to school so the area is important too. We are going to wait until we are there before deciding. I will have a list of possible schools and arrange to view them once over to get a true feel for them. I can see how you don't want the kids out of school at their age so Long but remember they only start school at 6 and so my be ahead anyway.

Finding a monthly rental is a bit harder! WE would love one with a pool but they cost a fortune. We just want to chill out the first month and ease ourself in! We're hoping visa sorted by May so if we find somewhere good will let you know!

 

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