Does adelaide offer a beach lifestyle? (silly question?!)

[Guest Marmite1]

Hi everyone,

we are currently considering where we would like to emigrate to in australia. We have family friends from years ago in perth and although they would be people we could visit and ask advice from,we wouldn't be able to stay with them when we arrive.

 

 

We like the idea of adelaide as it seems to be an older city with more traditional architecture and lots of church schools which appeals. And we have also read it's a great place for families as well as being not as expensive to live in as perth. But Equally we really want a beach lifestyle. We have been to perth before and know that it offers us this but does adelaide also offer the same sort of beach lifestyle? Obviously there are beaches in SA but does it offer the same sort of lifestyle that perth would, eg boogie boarding/surfing, snorkelling, days out at the beach etc? Although we have checked out pictures and videos of the beaches It's hard to really know what they are like unless you see them in person, are they as picturesque as Perth's beaches? Sounds silly but is it warm enough to go in the sea for most of the year? We also read on the PIO forum that a poster felt that adelaide was a bit run down. I know it probably won't be as slick and modern as perth and this doesn't bother me as I prefer a bit of tradition but is it considered Australia's poor state in terms of cleanliness and how smart the council keeps it? I don't want to offend any adelaideans(?!) by asking this but it was the impression I have been given at times from different posts I have read.

 

 

Also I'm slightly worried about how cold it gets(never thought I'd say about oz!). Is it bearable and you need to just use extra layers and a plug in radiator? Is it the same sort of coldness one might experience in perth during winter? Does SA experience days upon days of rain? Last autumn/winter I think it literally rained everyday for 4 months in SE England and became very depressing and gloomy so really wouldn't want to end up somewhere that had similar winters. To be honest I think we are leaning more towards adelaide for us as a family but just wanted to see if there was an outside/ beach lifestyle to be had there most of the year round? Have you found that you don't spend as much in days out as the weather lends itself to more activities that are free? We have worked out that we would have a weekly income of just over $1000 a week and be coming over with about £85000/$156,000. Would like the majority of this to be a deposit on a house so we can get on the ladder ASAP.mWould this work for a family of 4 in adelaide? We get the impression it would be a bit of a struggle in perth and we would both have to work but is it affordable on this in adelaide?

 

 

I appreciate that some of these worries/ questions won't be able to be answered unless you have lived/been to,both perth and adelaide but any opinions about beach lifestyle etc in SA would be appreciated! Would love to do a reccie to both but getting us all over there for a holiday is just too much money at the mo.

 

 

thanks for reading ;-)

[Blossom]

Well first off $1000 a week isn't very much for a family of four with a mortgage near the beaches. It's doable, but that depends on your spending habits really.

 

I'm not a beach person, so for me it's only warm enough for swimming in summer. For more beachy people you'd get a good six months. Winter you'd be nuts.

There are swimming beaches and surfing beaches. I can't compare with Perth at all I'm afraid.

Winter really depends on the house. Out last house was FREEZING. This one only needed the hearing on for a bit and it was nice and warm. Electric blankets are handy.

It does rain a bit over winter. On average Adelaide gets more rain than east anglia, but not much.

[Diane]

I reckon our climate isn't that different to Perth's - I often listen to the forecast of temps and weather in Perth and use that to plan for what we'll get here a couple of days later. Beaches are free, plus there are free bbqs in parks and lots of places you can get out and about on your bike, or walking if you're into that sort of thing. Plus for holidays you can all pile into the car and head off to Melbourne, Sydney, even Queensland a lot easier from here than you can from Perth!

 

The one downside of the beaches here is that they all face West pretty much, very few little coves (until you get down Victor Harbor way which has Horseshoe Bay, one of my favourites): My parents, who used to live in Sydney, used to say they chose which beach to go to dependent on the direction of the wind that day - there was always one that would be sheltered - which you can't really do here.

[snifter]

I'd defo not swim in winter and early spring but my son is happy to go in and splash around these hols on the hotter days. Not in winter though.

 

Beach lifestyle can be had but winter it's walks along the sand sort of thing or surfing. Lovely sunny days we had an amble for hours along the beaches. Plus heading down to Victor Harbor I recall seeing a lot of surfers.

 

Adelaide is in a gulf so has the benefits of that. Lovely golden beaches along its coast. The only one not sandy like that I've been to is Hallet Cove's, more rocky, not so appealing for swimming (to me at least) but it has the conservation park along it which is wonderful for a walk inland and along the coastal boardwalk. It's good to have a beach like that to balance out and offer rock pooling and other things like that.

 

I did find it a bit chilly some days here in my first winter but it was hardly freezing or unbearable. Yes it rained a bit but nothing like I am used to England wise so didn't mind in the least. Evenings I appreciated the gas fire and an extra blanket on the bed but wasn't needing to heat the house in the day apart from the odd day. Would have appreciated more than a heat lamp in the bathroom after getting out of the shower in the mornings too Bit nippy but there, kind of like what I grew up with. A blanket over me on the sofa a few nights was good too.

 

In the warmer months when it rains it does tend to dry out a lot quicker so often you'd hardly know it had rained. Of course, on occasion a heavy downpour does happen but for me it was a welcome sight.

 

Over winter we did loads out and about. Hardly had to worry about costs or wet weather gear really.

 

I think the CBD is lovely. It's had a lot done to it in recent years and is a lovely mix of old and new. I certainly have never thought of it as tired looking. I also don't think it looks run down or that it is vandalised. My mum is currently visiting and says how lovely it all is there and how clean. Also when we have done some sightseeing elsewhere she has been impressed. Of course there are some not so great neighbourhoods but you get those in every city. We bought a house in a lovely area and in the year since we arrived we've been very happy. Active lifestyle, doing lots, seeing lots, plenty of free stuff. I don't think it's untidy or poorly kept in the areas we visit more regularly. If anything I think there is less litter and damage.

 

Money wise, I can't really comment. Everyone cuts their cloth accordingly. You have a decent amount to go towards a house but would need to research repayments against whatever you may have to borrow. I think decent housing is affordable here but it's about researching, budget, household costs and lifestyle and what you are hoping for. We have a comfortable lifestyle here but only run one car and didn't blow a small fortune on it. Plus we don't really eat out much or drink alcohol (at home or out). We have our budget and stick to it. We do other things and prefer to be more homebody types.

 

Overall I really like Adelaide as a city and we find we have plenty to do day to day living wise.

[Guest roo]

my two kids were in the water in winter - we came in july/aug and they just kept stripping off and heading on in ha ha! i thought it was FREEZING though so happily watched in my big coat whilst making a nice cuppa on a little gas stove

 

now its warming up i will quite happily go in to my knees (i can't actually swim so that is AMAZING for me!) whilst my husband and boys get deeper.

 

I was surprised how cold it is to be honest (and I am from the north of england so pretty cold hardy!) - its the houses they aren't well insulated and no central heating so you really need one with heating and zircon and in winter invest in electric blankets!!

 

good luck with your decision x

[sidestep]

Does adelaide offer a beach lifestyle? (silly question?!)

 

Depends on what you call a beach lifestyle and whether you're prepared to travel for it. You can do the boarding/snorkelling however bear in mind Adelaide is on a gulf whereas Perth is right on the Indian Ocean. As such you'd get way better waves in Perth. As for temperature, well it depends on 'ow 'ard yer are!. Personally I went in the sea once last year and that was enough. Don't think it's anywhere near warm enough to be a year round beach bum though.

 

Cold here? Yes for around two months but strangely it feels colder inside the house than outside. Will you need to heat your house? Definitely. Aussie houses are piss-poorly built compared to UK homes and decent insulation seems beyond the capabilities of most builders. It's bearable though. Will your windscreen ice over? No.

 

You need to also consider the job market - will you have a greater chance of finding work in Perth than in Adelaide? This should be your prime consideration - not the beaches.

[Blossom]

Actually, I had to de-ice my windscreen three times this winter. That's on the plains. People in the hills tell me they have to do it regularly. Of course, three times in a winter really is nothing compared to the uk. And if you do get a house near the sea you are less likely to get frosts.

[snifter]

Actually, I had to de-ice my windscreen three times this winter. That's on the plains. People in the hills tell me they have to do it regularly. Of course, three times in a winter really is nothing compared to the uk. And if you do get a house near the sea you are less likely to get frosts.

 

We had the occasional frost where we are up a ways so can well imagine right up in the hills would get more. Was actually one of those things I didn't mind as it's not anything like England and needing half a bottle of de over just to unfreeze the door handle so you can crank it open

 

Our car was ok as was under cover. Loved seeing frost on the lawn.

 

Must admit the winter mornings I had to leave at 6am ish for work were proper nippy on a fair few occasions up here. Nothing like the UK cold but after 30C plus days in summer and stuff, 4C without windchill snaps

[Rammygirl]

Went for a swim yesterday, first this season. Chilly to start with but fine once in!

 

We are just East of the CBD So a 20 min drive to west beach/ Henley. Usually park at west beach and enjoy the walk up to Henley or Grange for lunch. Did this over winter but only paddled in the sea then.

 

Housing as ever will be your biggest expense, as with UK prices differ from place to place, a three bed semi with smallish deck here can be upwards of 1.5 mil. You can get a 4 bed on a nice plot in cheaper suburbs further out but still nice for half a mil.

 

we love it here in Norwood but property is expensive. On the other hand we can walk to the CBD, Parade and will be walking to all the festivals this summer, already have tix for WOMAD.

[Blossom]

We had the occasional frost where we are up a ways so can well imagine right up in the hills would get more. Was actually one of those things I didn't mind as it's not anything like England and needing half a bottle of de over just to unfreeze the door handle so you can crank it open

 

Our car was ok as was under cover. Loved seeing frost on the lawn.

 

Must admit the winter mornings I had to leave at 6am ish for work were proper nippy on a fair few occasions up here. Nothing like the UK cold but after 30C plus days in summer and stuff, 4C without windchill snaps

 

One of the frosty mornings I put my drivers window down so I could see better and then it wouldn't go back up again! I had to drive 45 minutes to work on upto 90kmph roads with my window wide open! Luckily I have a good heater and after it defrosted it's all been good. I had only been saying to a lady who's car locks froze up a couple of days before not to put her window down if it was that bad (I hadn't realised it was that bad at mine lol).

[Rammygirl]

The temp does vary usually 5 or so degrees warmer in the city than up in the hills.

 

we didn't see any frost this winter but could raise a breath cloud some mornings.

[flossybeth]

But winter does really only last 3 months at the most and you know the heat is going to come back (except today, which is typical of a bank holiday).

 

As far as I know the better beaches for surfing are Seaford and Moana, south of Adelaide, but like someone else said it can't really compare to Perth for surfing since it's a relatively gently gulf as opposed to the Indian Ocean crashing in. Snorkelling is great though - the reef at Noarlunga, Rapid Bay, Second Bay, Normanville and down along that way.

 

We visited Perth about 12 years ago so can't really compare to now but we chose to settle in Adelaide to live.

[Guest Spitfire]

is it considered Australia's poor state in terms of cleanliness and how smart the council keeps it?

 

It's cleaner than anywhere you know in the UK.

 

 

Is it bearable and you need to just use extra layers and a plug in radiator?

 

Yes, exactly this.

 

 

We have worked out that we would have a weekly income of just over $1000 a week and be coming over with about £85000/$156,000. Would like the majority of this to be a deposit on a house so we can get on the ladder ASAP.mWould this work for a family of 4 in adelaide? We get the impression it would be a bit of a struggle in perth and we would both have to work but is it affordable on this in adelaide?

 

$1000 per week for a family of four is sufficient, in my experience and opinion. You won't have much change left over for ice cream though. House - no problems with a deposit like that. A decent four bedroom house in a good suburb can be bought for ca. $450,000.

[soo_the_panda]

Obviously there are beaches in SA but does it offer the same sort of lifestyle that perth would, eg boogie boarding/surfing, snorkelling, days out at the beach etc?

- No idea how it compares to Perth beach lifestyle, but Adelaide is a coastal city with over 100kms in the metro region alone of beautiful coast. You could DEFINITELY live a beach lifestyle!

Although we have checked out pictures and videos of the beaches It's hard to really know what they are like unless you see them in person, are they as picturesque as Perth's beaches?

- The beaches are gorgeous. 10+ groups of friends/family who have come over from the UK have all commented on how clean, lovely and spacious the beaches are. My step dad asked what time he should 'run down to lay towels out' on Christmas day when we said we'd have a picnic lunch at the beach. He couldn't believe it when we walked down to Glenelg beach (the most popular tourist stretch) to find only a handful of people down there in comparison to crowded beaches. Likewise, my partner's words when she first saw a beach on a Greek island a few years ago 'where's the sand?' as the beach was just rows of deckchairs almost on top of each other. The beaches here are GREAT! They are sandy (very few exceptions) and I find them clean, safe and overall very pleasant.

 

Sounds silly but is it warm enough to go in the sea for most of the year?

- When you first arrive, possibly for most months except July/August. Once you've been here a year, maybe about six months of the year. Generally though Nov - March I find it warm enough. I had my first dip about a week ago (so cold but ok once in!) and generally swim regularly in the ocean from November - end of March (with some swims on nicer days very end of Sept to end of April)

 

We also read on the PIO forum that a poster felt that adelaide was a bit run down.

- Not at all in my opinion.

 

Also I'm slightly worried about how cold it gets(never thought I'd say about oz!). Is it bearable and you need to just use extra layers and a plug in radiator? Is it the same sort of coldness one might experience in perth during winter? Does SA experience days upon days of rain? Last autumn/winter I think it literally rained everyday for 4 months in SE England and became very depressing and gloomy so really wouldn't want to end up somewhere that had similar winters

- It definitely does get cold - as others have said, houses aren't well insulated and it can be much colder inside then you'd expect. To give you an idea, in the UK I could sleep in not much at all and feel warm. Here I sleep in leggings and a long sleeved t-shirt and socks during July and August. However, overall it really ISN'T that cold. Overall I find the weather soooooooo much better here!! We spend a lot of time camping, at outdoor festivals of all kinds, at the beach, going for walks, picnics, hikes, swims at outdoor pools and in the ocean... lots of al fresco drinks and dinners. To me the weather just doesn't compare. The sky also seems blue here much more often - so even when it's cold, it rarely feels like those horrid grey rainy English days.

 

I really don't think the weather is a concern, though I would carefully consider your budget. I respectfully disagree with Spitfire on A decent four bedroom house in a good suburb can be bought for ca. $450,000 - there's not many suburbs I'd want to live in in that range. However, that is all personal opinion and I'm sure there are many of us on here who could find a four bed for even cheaper and love it, and some who could double that budget and still not think you're in a 'good' suburb.

 

 

[Guest Marmite1]

 

I think the CBD is lovely. It's had a lot done to it in recent years and is a lovely mix of old and new. I certainly have never thought of it as tired looking. I also don't think it looks run down or that it is vandalised. My mum is currently visiting and says how lovely it all is there and how clean. Also when we have done some sightseeing elsewhere she has been impressed. Of course there are some not so great neighbourhoods but you get those in every city. We bought a house in a lovely area and in the year since we arrived we've been very happy. Active lifestyle, doing lots, seeing lots, plenty of free stuff. I don't think it's untidy or poorly kept in the areas we visit more regularly. If anything I think there is less damage.

Overall I really like Adelaide as a city and we find we have plenty to do day to day living wise.

 

That sounds ideal, especially the mix of old and new. Good to hear that it is clean and well kept.

[Guest Marmite1]

I reckon our climate isn't that different to Perth's - I often listen to the forecast of temps and weather in Perth and use that to plan for what we'll get here a couple of days later. Beaches are free, plus there are free bbqs in parks and lots of places you can get out and about on your bike, or walking if you're into that sort of thing. Plus for holidays you can all pile into the car and head off to Melbourne, Sydney, even Queensland a lot easier from here than you can from Perth!

 

The one downside of the beaches here is that they all face West pretty much, very few little coves (until you get down Victor Harbor way which has Horseshoe Bay, one of my favourites): My parents, who used to live in Sydney, used to say they chose which beach to go to dependent on the direction of the wind that day - there was always one that would be sheltered - which you can't really do here.

I love that the BBQ are free to use! How long does it take to drive to Melbourne and other cities? Is it expensive to travel within oz if you are on a budget?

[Guest Marmite1]

But winter does really only last 3 months at the most and you know the heat is going to come back (except today, which is typical of a bank holiday).

 

As far as I know the better beaches for surfing are Seaford and Moana, south of Adelaide, but like someone else said it can't really compare to Perth for surfing since it's a relatively gently gulf as opposed to the Indian Ocean crashing in. Snorkelling is great though - the reef at Noarlunga, Rapid Bay, Second Bay, Normanville and down along that way.

 

We visited Perth about 12 years ago so can't really compare to now but we chose to settle in Adelaide to live.

I didn't realise there was a reef- you learn something new everyday!

[Guest Marmite1]

 

 

 

$1000 per week for a family of four is sufficient, in my experience and opinion. You won't have much change left over for ice cream though. House - no problems with a deposit like that. A decent four bedroom house in a good suburb can be bought for ca. $450,000.

 

Thanks for this, I suppose it is all subjective as to what you might consider a sufficient salary as what others might say isn't enough, someone else may have this salary and find that they can live off it. But Im pleased that you are able to say from experience that its an ok wage. In terms of deposit and getting a mortgage, is it similar to the uk, eg if we have say a 30% deposit the il be able to get a mortgage based on 3x my salary or whatever it is now or is it very hard to get mortgages in oz like it seems to be in uk?

[Guest Marmite1]

Obviously there are beaches in SA but does it offer the same sort of lifestyle that perth would, eg boogie boarding/surfing, snorkelling, days out at the beach etc?

- No idea how it compares to Perth beach lifestyle, but Adelaide is a coastal city with over 100kms in the metro region alone of beautiful coast. You could DEFINITELY live a beach lifestyle!

Although we have checked out pictures and videos of the beaches It's hard to really know what they are like unless you see them in person, are they as picturesque as Perth's beaches?

- The beaches are gorgeous. 10+ groups of friends/family who have come over from the UK have all commented on how clean, lovely and spacious the beaches are. My step dad asked what time he should 'run down to lay towels out' on Christmas day when we said we'd have a picnic lunch at the beach. He couldn't believe it when we walked down to Glenelg beach (the most popular tourist stretch) to find only a handful of people down there in comparison to crowded beaches. Likewise, my partner's words when she first saw a beach on a Greek island a few years ago 'where's the sand?' as the beach was just rows of deckchairs almost on top of each other. The beaches here are GREAT! They are sandy (very few exceptions) and I find them clean, safe and overall very pleasant.

 

Sounds silly but is it warm enough to go in the sea for most of the year?

- When you first arrive, possibly for most months except July/August. Once you've been here a year, maybe about six months of the year. Generally though Nov - March I find it warm enough. I had my first dip about a week ago (so cold but ok once in!) and generally swim regularly in the ocean from November - end of March (with some swims on nicer days very end of Sept to end of April)

 

We also read on the PIO forum that a poster felt that adelaide was a bit run down.

- Not at all in my opinion.

 

Also I'm slightly worried about how cold it gets(never thought I'd say about oz!). Is it bearable and you need to just use extra layers and a plug in radiator? Is it the same sort of coldness one might experience in perth during winter? Does SA experience days upon days of rain? Last autumn/winter I think it literally rained everyday for 4 months in SE England and became very depressing and gloomy so really wouldn't want to end up somewhere that had similar winters

- It definitely does get cold - as others have said, houses aren't well insulated and it can be much colder inside then you'd expect. To give you an idea, in the UK I could sleep in not much at all and feel warm. Here I sleep in leggings and a long sleeved t-shirt and socks during July and August. However, overall it really ISN'T that cold. Overall I find the weather soooooooo much better here!! We spend a lot of time camping, at outdoor festivals of all kinds, at the beach, going for walks, picnics, hikes, swims at outdoor pools and in the ocean... lots of al fresco drinks and dinners. To me the weather just doesn't compare. The sky also seems blue here much more often - so even when it's cold, it rarely feels like those horrid grey rainy English days.

 

I really don't think the weather is a concern, though I would carefully consider your budget. I respectfully disagree with Spitfire on A decent four bedroom house in a good suburb can be bought for ca. $450,000 - there's not many suburbs I'd want to live in in that range. However, that is all personal opinion and I'm sure there are many of us on here who could find a four bed for even cheaper and love it, and some who could double that budget and still not think you're in a 'good' suburb.

 

 

 

Thanks for your reply about the beaches, sounds great! In terms of buying a house I would be more than happy to be flexible to find a house not near the beach, as long as you could get there fairly easily, I would have been surprised if we could've afforded a house near the beach in a good area. Work will probably be around Elizabeth area from what I can tell so would need to factor in commute time as well. :-)

[Guest Guest75]

Thanks for your reply about the beaches, sounds great! In terms of buying a house I would be more than happy to be flexible to find a house not near the beach, as long as you could get there fairly easily, I would have been surprised if we could've afforded a house near the beach in a good area. Work will probably be around Elizabeth area from what I can tell so would need to factor in commute time as well. :-)

 

Hiya Marmite........... although you might want to embrace Vegemite..........!

 

Some of the best and most "active" beaches are south of the city so your proximity to work is going to be a killer for you.

 

It's going to be a compromise!!!

[Guest Marmite1]

How long might a rush hour commute take from the beach suburbs up to Elizabeth or around that sort of area? Difficult to gauge distance driving wise as say 25 miles from one place to another might range from 30 minutes if driving from one country village to another to say an hour +if you were driving from high Wycombe to Ealing....

[Guest Guest75]

How long might a rush hour commute take from the beach suburbs up to Elizabeth or around that sort of area? Difficult to gauge distance driving wise as say 25 miles from one place to another might range from 30 minutes if driving from one country village to another to say an hour +if you were driving from high Wycombe to Ealing....

 

Try and imaging that Adelaide has the same area as London but with only 1 million people. ( really approximate I know)

From Sellicks Beach to Gawler will take a 2 hour drive.

 

Some folk do the run from say Christies Beach to Post Adelaide and don't mind.

 

It's up to you really.

[Guest Marmite1]

Try and imaging that Adelaide has the same area as London but with only 1 million people. ( really approximate I know)

From Sellicks Beach to Gawler will take a 2 hour drive.

 

Some folk do the run from say Christies Beach to Post Adelaide and don't mind.

 

It's up to you really.

 

Wow, londons population is over 8million last time I heard!

Thanks for giving me something to envision in my head when looking at distance, can now gauge how far things are when I look at the map!

btw, believe it or not I actually prefer Vegemite! You can buy it from asda and it's cheaper than marmite!

[Blossom]

How long might a rush hour commute take from the beach suburbs up to Elizabeth or around that sort of area? Difficult to gauge distance driving wise as say 25 miles from one place to another might range from 30 minutes if driving from one country village to another to say an hour +if you were driving from high Wycombe to Ealing....

For some timing ideas, I drive from plympton to burton and if in rush hour, going the right routes, I can do it in 45 minutes. Go the wrong routes (there is a huge difference) or on a weekend (oddly weekend traffic is often worse) and it takes at least an hour, sometimes more.

[Guest Spitfire]

Thanks for this, I suppose it is all subjective as to what you might consider a sufficient salary as what others might say isn't enough, someone else may have this salary and find that they can live off it. But Im pleased that you are able to say from experience that its an ok wage. In terms of deposit and getting a mortgage, is it similar to the uk, eg if we have say a 30% deposit the il be able to get a mortgage based on 3x my salary or whatever it is now or is it very hard to get mortgages in oz like it seems to be in uk?

 

My understanding is that it's easier to get mortgages in Australia than the UK at the moment, but more because the UK is particularly hard, not because Australia is lax.