Best suburbs in Western Adelaide?

[Guest picklesmummy]

Hi

 

I'm new here... my husband has been headhunted for a job in Adelaide and we're seriously considering making the move, so I'm here trying to do a bit of research before he commits to accepting the job! I was hoping that someone might be able to offer some insight into the best areas to rent in North-West Adelaide - Hubby would be working up near Mawson Lakes so we'd be looking at going no further North than that, and I'm pretty sure we can't afford North Adelaide so that leaves the bit inbetween! Are there any particular suburbs that people would recommend we avoid in that area please? We have a one year old daughter so initially being in the catchment area for good schools wouldn't be an issue, although I'd like to be near some mum and toddler groups so that I can meet up with other mums and make some friends!

 

We're quite tempted by the coast - is Semaphore nice?

 

Thanks!

[Guest Ric & Paula]

Hi we moved to Semaphore in Feb and love it,great shops,cafe's and groceries etc ,beach is gorgeous ,and we have 3 children who have 3 or 4 parks to choose from,it's fab.Quiet and seasidey!Taperoo and largs bay are also nice,rental is competitive though.Good luck and keep in touch,oh and are children settled into the local kindergarten and schools well too Take care Paula and Ric xx

[Moosh]

Mawson Lakes would be the place I'd be living if I worked there.

[Guest picklesmummy]

Hi

 

Thanks for the posts. Ric&Paula, I think Semaphore sounds perfect for our one year old - she'd love charging about the parks and beach! I've heard it said before that rental is competitive though - is that true just of the costal areas, or all of Adelaide? That scares me a bit.

 

Moosh, I've read very mixed reviews about Mawson Lakes online, seems people either love it or hate it! Actually I like the idea of a new build but I did read that some people consider there to be a problem with mosquitos and / or flooding with the houses being so close to the lake. Do you know if that's true at all? Thanks!

[Diane]

Have a read of this thread: http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/news-gossip/15568-mawson-lakes.html and pay particular attention to Rob and Clare's post - they live in Mawson Lakes so their knowledge of the area is second to none and not based on any sort of hearsay or rumour! Other than that Semaphore is nice, but pick your schools very carefully around there! West Lakes is also nice.

[Guest picklesmummy]

Have a read of this thread: http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/news-gossip/15568-mawson-lakes.html and pay particular attention to Rob and Clare's post - they live in Mawson Lakes so their knowledge of the area is second to none and not based on any sort of hearsay or rumour! Other than that Semaphore is nice, but pick your schools very carefully around there! West Lakes is also nice.

 

Thanks Diane, that's really helpful (and very encouraging!!). Seems like we have more choices than we originally realised. At the moment we live in a victorian semi which is lovely, but cold and draughty and so I do find the idea of a newly built house very appealing! I'll have a google about at some rentals once my daughter is in bed. Actually, I have looked a few times before but it's pretty hard to judge what sort of rental budget we'll have without knowing what hubby's take home pay will be (we know what his gross salary will be, but not so sure of taxes etc!). Still it gives us an idea of what might be out there for us Thanks.

[Diane]

No problem. I've temped at the technology park in Mawson Lakes so if that's where your husband will be, it's a really nice place to work. Very modern, lots of facilities, I really liked it there. If you happen to end up living this side of town (north east) then keep an eye out as we have regular girls' get togethers, but wherever you are, Adelaide people are incredibly friendly so you'll soon get to know people.

[Guest picklesmummy]

Hi again

 

We've decided to take the plunge and accept my husband's relocation to Adelaide. After looking about online as well we also decided that we're going to concentrate our rental search on Mawson Lakes. I'm a bit nervous about getting a decent rental though - both the relocation literature my husband's company have provided and the guide book I brought imply that rental in Adelaide is very competitive. Is that dependant to some degree to budget, or is it true right up the range? I think we'd be looking at spending about $450 / week on rent, but it's difficult to know for real at this stage.

 

Thanks again for all of the advice, much appreciated!

[Guest janmoo]

Mawson lakes is ok but its like living in a massive housing estate also the locals call it MOZZIE lakes cos of the mosquitoes!! Try modbury or golden grove. Avoid anything with Elizabeth or Salisbury in the name REAL bad areas

[Guest janmoo]

Yep to mozzies at mawson very manufactured but houses are better than west lakes. We used to love west lakes but it has become very run down except for those on actual lake. Also we came back last nite from adelaide and the price of everything is horrific !! House prices are woeful and food and clothes really expensive so even tho wages seem higher it is all relative. We're goin out in September permanently and I am bringing a load of Primark stuff to keep me goin for at leas " years!!

[Guest janmoo]

Anything decent in coastal strip for a family home is $600 - $1200 a WEEK move out from the coast a bit and you will get more for your money.

[ozzieclare2be]

Mawson lakes is ok but its like living in a massive housing estate also the locals call it MOZZIE lakes cos of the mosquitoes!! Try modbury or golden grove. Avoid anything with Elizabeth or Salisbury in the name REAL bad areas

 

 

is this based on your own experiences or hearsay?

 

 

Northern adelaide is booming, and houses are being built everywhere lots of rentals around, theres lakeside, blakeview and andrews farm to name a few. Angle vale also just been named the most up and coming suburb in adelaide!! Mawson lakes is nice but i thought it was very expensive and the houses are very close together but your paying for a lifestyle there. We have friends there and their house is amazing. Dont forget traveling time here will be better than uk as less traffic i drive every day from angle vale to edwardstown doesnt kill me lol

[Leicesterlad]

Semaphore is delightful but imho the Largs Bay area is as nice and the beach there is nowhere near as crowded as it is further south, and the house prices are lower. Henley is the best beach for swimming but Taperoo is fantastic for walking the dog.

 

Completely agree with ozzieclare2be, I'm now in the quietest street I've ever lived on with a view out to coast over Elizabeth. It's lovely here and the Elizabeth Centre shops are excellent.

[Guest picklesmummy]

Thanks very much for all the replies and opinions - it's really helpful to hear from all sides.

 

We've decided that we are definitely going to avoid the costal areas after all,as we almost certainly won't be able to afford as large a house there as we could inland, and instead concentrate on North / North East Adelaide. Mawson Lakes seems to be as polarising as ever, although I have to say it does appeal to me! But basically we are going to focus our rental search on that area, and the surrounding suburbs. Getting very excited about it now!!

[Guest Guest5035]

Avoid anything with Elizabeth or Salisbury in the name REAL bad areas[/quote

 

Interested to know how you came by that decision.

 

Stevo

[Guest Guest5035]

Yep to mozzies at mawson very manufactured but houses are better than west lakes. We used to love west lakes but it has become very run down except for those on actual lake. Also we came back last nite from adelaide and the price of everything is horrific !! House prices are woeful and food and clothes really expensive so even tho wages seem higher it is all relative. We're goin out in September permanently and I am bringing a load of Primark stuff to keep me goin for at leas " years!!

 

If you are slagging off everything about Adelaide..........why bother coming back........or perhaps its good here??

 

Stevo

[jim and adel]

Yep to mozzies at mawson very manufactured but houses are better than west lakes. We used to love west lakes but it has become very run down except for those on actual lake. Also we came back last nite from adelaide and the price of everything is horrific !! House prices are woeful and food and clothes really expensive so even tho wages seem higher it is all relative. We're goin out in September permanently and I am bringing a load of Primark stuff to keep me goin for at leas " years!!

 

So West Lakes is very run down, Mawson Lakes is to be avoided as is whole swathes of the north. From your three-on-the-bounce posts on this thread it sounds like you don't like Adelaide much! (And nothing wrong with that - you're entitled to your likes and dislikes, but sweeping statements can put people off areas unnecessarily.)

 

Jim

[Guest janmoo]

Based on my own experience!! Just back after 6 months and the rental market for the suburbs close to the city is very difficult to break into. Loads of agents we spoke to say that there can be 10 or 15 people wanting a particular house the way they pick who gets it is based on references, job and also if you are prepared to pay more than the advertised rent. You will get a unit by the beach for $350 a week but if you want a seafront property it can be $1200-$1500 a week and the bond can be anything up to $3500. Watch out for the new delfin development at Blakes Crossing it is MILES away from the city although they say it is half an hour by train mmm 600 houses and everyone using the train?? Same as Bluestone at Mount Barker we were up there last week and it is ok as long as the M1 is ok if there is an accident forget trying to get to CBD. (They are building 600 homes up there)

[Guest janmoo]

Based on info from 2 sets of friends who have lived in adelaide for 23 years!! But Im sure there are good areas in there. House prices are a lot lower and dont go up as much as other areas. So from an investment point of view I wouldnt buy there

[Guest janmoo]

Not slagging it off just trying to share my 9 years experience. We had to learn the hard way and I have learned to listen to people with experience. I LOVE adelaide but buying a home is a big investment I am glad we did loads of research first.