Weather in Hills/Woodside

[Guest Kiwigal]

Hi there

 

we are looking at making the move from NZ but there is little in the way of ex pat forums. Most kiwis end up on the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney or Perth it seems. We are looking at work near Woodside and from all I have read, Woodside, Stirling and Hahndorf seem to be nice places to live and not too far away from the city. I have also heard the weather is cooler in summer there but also cooler in winter. When people say cooler in winter do they mean snow, defrosting windscreens or might need a jacket type cooler??

[Guest Celine]

Hi there,

 

I live in Mount Barker which isn't far from Hahndorf. We do get frosty mornings here & generally it's about 2 degrees cooler than in Adelaide but I love living here. When it's really hot in the city, it can be very pleasant here.

 

good luck with your journey

 

Celine

Hi there

 

we are looking at making the move from NZ but there is little in the way of ex pat forums. Most kiwis end up on the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney or Perth it seems. We are looking at work near Woodside and from all I have read, Woodside, Stirling and Hahndorf seem to be nice places to live and not too far away from the city. I have also heard the weather is cooler in summer there but also cooler in winter. When people say cooler in winter do they mean snow, defrosting windscreens or might need a jacket type cooler??

[jim and adel]

Most kiwis end up on the Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sydney or Perth it seems.

 

That can be said for migrants generally.

 

Regarding how cool it gets in the hills ('cool' is such an understated word, as is the euphemistic 'invigorating' that I sometimes kids myself with, when really I mean it's cold enough to make a polar bear cry!) then certainly it means defrosting windscreens during winter (although not every morning).

 

[Riponian]

I live right by the coast and it's bloody freezing here lol but I could live in the hills you just need to be prepared and find a house with some sort of heating!

[jim and adel]

Despite all the research I thought we'd done, I find Adelaide colder in winter than I'd expected, and for longer. Roll on summer ...

[Guest moonraker1959]

Yes expect the woodburner to be going pretty much 24/7 during winter months.We even had snow one year!Not sure about the work prospects,its abit who you know than what you know.My husband had to travel down to Adelaide for work,and although its a nice drive (approx 45mins)my husband got fed up of the travelling,but each to their own!

[Guest guest8040]

What temperature is coldest in the winter? Currently a balmy 12 in mid July in the north east of England...

[Guest moonraker1959]

I've known it to go below zero!And experienced day temps of 5c!Its usually a few degrees colder than the burbs,which can be a positive in summer.

[Rammygirl]

Stirling is lovely and expensive it can also be misty and grey - there is a reason why so many people have native English plants and trees there. The hills are lovely but usually a degree or so cooler than town and further from the beaches of course. New builds in the hills require a higher level of insulation than those down by the coast by regulation. Though in my opinion this is still not enough. When we built in Hahndorf we increased the insulation above this and added double glazing, I have noticed more people doing this and it does make a difference. A poorly insulated house in the hills will feel cold in winter especially when you get acclimatised!

 

Also be aware of bush fire risk, areas are graded according to risk and this will affect your insurance and other things - we had to have a large water tank for fire-fighting use installed to meet new planning laws.

[Guest Kiwigal]

Thanks for the feedback. It's good to know. We have snow most years and frosts are something we are used to. It's just good to know what type of cold. Some Aussies think that below 10 degrees is cold (which it is) but that is a huge difference to snow to me : )

 

Can i ask, is double glazing not standard building codes there? I know it tends to be warmer than NZ but surely double glazing is about efficiency not just colder weather? The fire danger sounds a little off putting to say the least but as we have lived through earthquakes I am a bit more skilled at coping in natural disasters than I was 5 years ago. I guess people have plans around this but it does make city living a bit more attractive.

[Rammygirl]

I believe double glazing is now standard on new build in Tasmania but rare anywhere else. The builder did take a sharp intake of breath when we asked for it and said it would be very expensive - in the end after a bit of research he came back with an option of a slightly different design of window that wasn't much more costly at all, considering the benefits. Most houses are built to the basic standards though so beware.

 

As the cost of energy has risen more people are becoming aware of the economic values of better insulation. I was amazed at how few solar panels there were in SA compared to Lancashire!