Hi - Newbie Here!

[Guest Mrs Goose]

Hi everyone - I'm Michelle and this is my first post here.

I've taken the plunge and signed up because a few weeks ago, out of the blue, my OH was offered a job in Adelaide (lecturing at the Uni of SA).

We've never been to Australia, and have about a zillion questions, but at the moment are trying to get a feel of what Adelaide is like and whether we'd want to live there (if all continues to plan we'll come over for a visit early next year)

We're currently in Sheffield - and looking outside at yet another utterly miserable rainy day here, the thought of Australia is very tempting! I'm also really excited by the thought of living in a city of festivals - the fringe looks great.

 

So, a few quick questions to kick-off:

We'd be looking for a veggie-friendly place to live, with local shops and cafes to walk to and reasonable (state) schools. Can anyone recommend where to start to look? I've been trawling through website after website and getting more and more confused. There seem to be lots of new-build suburbs - but that's not really our scene. Where do the lefty/veggie/grauniad-types live/hang-out? OHs job would be in the City Centre, but I'll be taking my job with me and working from home, and don't want to be stuck out somewhere with no-where to walk to and no-one to talk to!

The next question is from our youngest , who is 9 and totally football crazy - Will there be any kids footie teams for him to join? It's the deal-breaker for him, as his only comment on the idea of emigrating so far has been "OMG, do they even PLAY football over there?":)

Thanks for reading - Looking forward to hearing back from anyone already over there!

[Guest ReadyPenny]

Hi Michelle

 

Welcome to PIA! Sorry can't answer your questions about veggie etc. We have just returned from our visit to Adelaide and we saw quite a lot whilst we were there. There are definately football teams out there - I saw them with my own eyes! Adelaide Hills are lovely for "green" living. The houses up there are quite big too with lots of land and you can generally reach the city in 20-30 mins depending on where in the hills you are.

 

There are lots of great folks on here who will help you out no end so keep on posting!

 

Mandy

[Guest SA Great]

Hi and Welcome. Yes the hills are a great spot for the 'alternative' crowd!! Also Willunga but it's quite a way out of the city. The hills around Stirling, Crafers, Aldgate etc are fantastic. Heaps of great walks and the Stirling market and the Organic cafe are very alternative. You will feel well at home up there!!

 

As for soccer there are heaps of teams over here. I heard that soccer has become more popular than footie(aussie rules) for kids to play, so no problems there.

[Anne B]

Semaphore used to have an alternative scene. Veggie restaurants, plenty of cafes, a few shops etc. Not too far to West Lakes shopping mall. It's also by the sea, lots of nice old houses with character, plenty of walks along the beach. A friend of ours lives there and she is a lecturer at Uni of SA.

 

Take a look at www.semaphoresa.com

[Guest SA Great]

Semaphore used to have an alternative scene. Veggie restaurants etc. It's also by the sea, lots of nice old houses with character.

 

Oh yeah I forgot about Semaphore! I heard it's getting quite pricey there lately, as most beach suburbs seem to be, but very nice all the same.

[minkyme29]

Hi Mrs Goose

 

Welcome to PIA. I would agree with everyone else and say the hills or Willunga (went there for the first time the other day and loved it - as I too hanker after a bit of an alternative lifestyle). Semaphore is pretty alternative too but also pricey. We've ended up in Hallett Cove as we love the beach and proximity to the southern and nearby beach suburbs, and my youngest now goes to the Hallett Cove pre-school which is eco friendly and sustainable. They have chooks and soon we hope to get some little lovelies too. I love the hills and if we could have afforded the size of the house we have in HC plus had a railway station nearby, we may well have ended up there.

My hubby teaches part time at UniSA and takes the train from HC. And as he teaches at the campus on North terrace he can get off the train at the main Adelaide station and be at work within a 5 min walk. what does your hubby teach? And do you know which campus he'll be at?

We only wanted to buy and run one car and so proximity to a train station was also pretty important to us...this may be something to consider if you need to have a car (believe me cars are a must here) but only want one.

And the good news for your son is that 'soccer' is played here. Football is the name given to Aussie rules football and soccer is what we know as footie...and many schools have soccer courses if not there are locally run sports complexes all over the place. Believe me if he likes sport he will do just fine, there's masses of it here!

[Rachiegarlo]

Try looking at suburbs around Norwood, the main shopping area there is the Parade which is a bit like one of your High Streets. It has plenty of food shops, cafes, a cinema complex, swimming pools, nicnac shops, book shops, clothes shops and a swimming pool. There are a variety of restaurants and cafes and a big Italian influence is still present in the coffee shops.

 

The houses are more expensive but you will probably rent for a while, is your husband's job tenured? In town there is the central market selling organic, fresh food, cheese from all over the world, breads, organic meats as wll as mainstream meat n veg.

 

The city is only about 10-15 min by bus/car away from Norwood with Rundle Mall being the main shopping strip. Rundle street is also a place for slow coffees and breakfasts, lots of different cultures in the cafes. There is the Clearlight cafe in a basement run by the Hare Krishnas. The museum and the art gallery are on North Tce just down from Uni SA. There are 2 campuses. City East (nursing, health sciences) and City West( Visual Art, Design, Business). There is also another campus out at Magill.

 

In the Norwood area there are good schools, look at Linden Park primary, Burnside primary, Marryatville Primary, Rose Park primary. There are 3 state high schools in this area and it will depend where you live as to which one you are allocated. High schools are zoned and the popular ones are strict with their zoning boundries.

 

Glenunga International High School( Gifted and Talented focus stream)

Marryatville High School (Music focus stream)

Norwood Morialta High school.

 

There are various soccer clubs around. Schools also have soccer teams, cricket teams etc. Primary schools usually start teams playing competetively against other schools around grade 3 which is 8-9 yr olds.

[Diane]

Have a look at Athelstone and surrounding suburbs - the VERY BEST fruit and veg shop in Adelaide is there, and there are lots of Italians so football (or rather, soccer as you'll have to get used to calling it) is extremely popular there. Add to that the fact that it is 20 minutes max from the City, so if your son is a future Beckham, the best soccer clubs are city-based. It's not quite as pricey as Norwood either, and it's still really beautiful there with hills, trees, views, the wonderful Linear Park...

 

Think Willunga may be a bit of a commute into the City on a daily basis for your OH (I wouldn't fancy it anyway). Semaphore would be another option, although it's mostly older people there at the moment anyway - supposed to be the next up and coming coastal suburb though, so I guess the oldies might be selling up and moving out :-)

 

If you are anywhere near either of the Emigrate Show venues, might be worth popping along there to get some more info - Home2Home have stands at both if you want a chat with Judy, who actually lives in Athelstone so will be able to give you more info,

 

Here's the show link: http://www.emigrate2.co.uk/shows_and_publications.htm

 

Diane