North V South Adelaide

[soo_the_panda]

What I never understand about the south is why anyone would move half way across the world to live next door to someone who also moved half way around the world to live in a different culture! Parts of the northern suburbs are a bit like Peckham though.

 

That's a pretty big generalisation - yes there are parts of the Southern suburbs that have a higher population of migrants from the UK than others, but not every suburb!

 

Also perhaps people don't choose these suburbs to be 'next door' to other migrants - maybe they are all attracted to the same things - eg beaches?

[zebedee]

What I never understand about the south is why anyone would move half way across the world to live next door to someone who also moved half way around the world to live in a different culture! Parts of the northern suburbs are a bit like Peckham though.

 

It's not always a conscious decision if you have a city based job, funds are a little tight and you want to be near the beach. I'd be surprised if the majority of people living south do so because there is a strong contingent of Brits - it's more the lifestyle vs affordability that drives people that way. And us Brits do like a good sunny beach.

 

@Soo - quite!

Edited July 2, 2013 by zebedee

[adelaidenow]

I really don't get what anyone likes about Hallet Cove, there is no beach. I understand Brits wanting to live on the coast with sun, sea and sand. But takeaway the heat what does HC have over Brighton (in England).

 

Other suburbs have far more to offer IMO.

[Heather Wilde]

I was a 10 pound Pom 40 years ago and chose to live south in Christie Downs although I have lived at Athelstone, Woodside, Mt Barker also. There are pockets of undesirables in many suburbs and it is easy to spot where people do not care about there surroundings whether they are home owners or renters. Car bodies and rubbish on the front garden are a dead giveaway as to what type of suburb you may be in and yet in between you will find those that have no choice but look after their home & environment. The same goes for Schools. Just because you pay a high premium for your children to be educated does not mean that there are no drugs or children with a difficult home life. I now live in Flagstaff Hill and still love the south more because I like to be nearer to the Beaches.

[Ktee]

I was a 10 pound Pom 40 years ago and chose to live south in Christie Downs although I have lived at Athelstone, Woodside, Mt Barker also. There are pockets of undesirables in many suburbs and it is easy to spot where people do not care about there surroundings whether they are home owners or renters. Car bodies and rubbish on the front garden are a dead giveaway as to what type of suburb you may be in and yet in between you will find those that have no choice but look after their home & environment. The same goes for Schools. Just because you pay a high premium for your children to be educated does not mean that there are no drugs or children with a difficult home life. I now live in Flagstaff Hill and still love the south more because I like to be nearer to the Beaches.

Welcome to the forum Heather

[Lazy Cow]

Kind of nervous that I'm going to re-shake that can of worms but

 

I don't think there is a north-south divide.

 

IMO, some areas have a poor rep and have become in-jokes. For example, comedians coming to Adelaide who then 'pick' on people, joking that they come from certain areas ie (and this will not surprise anyone!) Elizabeth if they want to imply they're feral or Unley if posh.

 

In addition to that, people like to keep prejudices going. Elizabeth, Hackham, Christies etc are all areas that get a knee-jerk reaction from people who live here. Now we all know that there is good and bad in every area and areas that might historically have a higher than average amount of dole bludgers or whatever are becoming more desirable but changing peoples attitude takes time.....and in the meantime, let's not take it too seriously!

 

So, not a divide, just in-jokes.

 

LC

[thearmchairdetective]

Kind of nervous that I'm going to re-shake that can of worms but

 

I don't think there is a north-south divide.

 

IMO, some areas have a poor rep and have become in-jokes. For example, comedians coming to Adelaide who then 'pick' on people, joking that they come from certain areas ie (and this will not surprise anyone!) Elizabeth if they want to imply they're feral or Unley if posh.

 

In addition to that, people like to keep prejudices going. Elizabeth, Hackham, Christies etc are all areas that get a knee-jerk reaction from people who live here. Now we all know that there is good and bad in every area and areas that might historically have a higher than average amount of dole bludgers or whatever are becoming more desirable but changing peoples attitude takes time.....and in the meantime, let's not take it too seriously!

 

So, not a divide, just in-jokes.

 

LC

 

Hear Hear.

[Blossom]

Go back the the post where I list what it is like where I work, that is not in jokes. That is a totally different way of life, and the reason I drive an hour to and from work rather than living there.

[AussieRob]

I personally think there is a north south divide, in the far north suburbs they have on average 1 or 2 less teeth than us in the south, and we only have 4 teeth each, just enough to smile.....

 

But in the north they have better hoodies..... Oh how I dream of buying a brand new Ed Harry hoodie... But that will take some savings from my centrelink payments, and I can't even have any more children for the baby bonus, so I've stopped now after Chantell, Shaznee, Alaysha, Amarni, Revel, and Kash.

 

I hope I didn't offend, just felt in a silly mood today.

[Blossom]

Honestly though, I didn't believe it until I started the job I'm at either. I worked at a uni before that with totally normal people, living in the city downwards, all lovely.

I honestly was shell shocked when I started where I am now. They had to train me to fight back at random insults. There is one guy who in four year of being there, I have barely heard any more words than 'f... Off'. And that is to things like 'hi, how are you?'

 

I just keep telling myself it's not forever....

 

Funnily though, they all think it is rough down noarlunga way lol.

[Ktee]

Hear Hear.

You don't blinkin live there so you have to sit on the fence with me

[Diane]

We all know that there are good areas and bad areas around all cities. Where I lived in England was a beautiful country village, generally middle class, the kids went to a typical small village school with great teachers and facilities - the village had a mix of expensive to extremely expensive properties surrounding it - but also a 'travellers' camp not that far away, and the next stop off the A12 was bogan-city and part of the reason we've been happy in Adelaide is that the kids have been able to attend a far better high school here than they would ever have been able to in Essex. If someone visited Boganville there or worked in Boganville, they would have probably fled with all their doors locked! BUT no-one would say "oh the whole of the South East, that's scummy that is".

 

Likewise here in the surrounds of Adelaide there are rough areas - I think I once heard "don't live in any suburb with 'Downs' in its name - Elizabeth Downs, Hackham Downs, Salisbury Downs, Christies Downs spring to mind - but even if you worked in the roughest area, you can find somewhere nice and middle class and normal to live within 20 minutes drive: you don't have to live an hour away! This is hard to understand for someone who is used to England with its villages and towns separated by windy country lanes - it's pretty easy to get from a rough suburb to a lovely suburb here on good roads quite quickly. Less easy to get from south to north, or north to south if you have any distance to travel.

 

What happens here generally is people arrive and live in short term accommodation, then they find jobs and schools and don't want to relocate to a completely different area and have to find new schools, uproot their kids again etc. So as most of the cheaper holiday accommodation tends to be in the beach suburbs to the south, that's what tends to attract a lot of migrants, particularly those trying to save a few dollars after the expensive migration process. They then start to look for jobs, and if they are lucky find one not too far away.

 

We were in the lucky position of knowing where my OH would be working (Golden Grove, and later, Elizabeth) and staying centrally in the city to start with: I am sooooo glad we didn't read this site and decide to live a long way south and condemn him to a mighty commute every day! We were lucky enough to come with an open mind therefore and find a beautiful suburb within an easy bike ride to work for him,whilst still being within a very easy distance to the city, and in areas with excellent schools, so our kids have benefitted in both education and sports/cultural opportunities, I've been able to find plenty of part time work with a lot of choice, and on summer days my husband has been able to be home with a glass in hand within half an hour of finishing work. Within a 30 minute drive of an area that - from reading this site - you would think avoid like the plague there are some stunning, classy, beautiful, safe suburbs, so the generalisations I have read above are completely laughable.

 

I have said before to newbies - look at house prices and if an area is particularly cheap, there is a good reason for that. That applies in the north, the south, and the west. Everyone settles in an area for a reason, but it is irrefutable that sometimes where you live can limit your chances of getting work. I have spoken to many employers who will not even consider a job application from someone who lives an hour away from where they will be based. This applies to an employer in the south as much as in the north. So in times of high unemployment, that is something to bear in mind.

 

Distance from the city is what matters in my view. If you are too far away, you and your children miss out on so much. You have less choice of schools, you have less opportunities for work, you have less cultural and social options.... That applies in whatever direction you choose to live. If you want to live 'country' then by all means do so - but that is your choice...or perhaps your only option if money is a big factor.

 

This stupid north/south thing is totally ridiculous and as I say - gives a false impression to anyone thinking of moving here, and alienating those already here who feel bullied by a vociferous group from one particular area. It's gone on on this site for a while, and had the effect of making the weighting of contributors heavily in favour of one geographical area because those from another have given up in disgust at trying to present a balanced view and being shouted down.

[Ktee]

To be honest whichever state you live in there is always a healthy debate, Sydney is East and West, Melbourne is East and West, Cairns is North and South (and city). I think anyone who makes there mind up based on comments on a forum without viewing places themselves would be wrong. I do not see any problem in discussing these divides, we are all adults and I know it didn't stop me visiting the West of Melbourne, in fact it made me want to visit even more. As a relocation agent down there I also realised what suburbs I considered rough others may love so I never swayed people one way or another. I think the comments so far have been good and none judgemental

[Blossom]

True, everyone has different 'wants'. I like where I live, but my hubbie went to get a police check for a job and the guy at the police station was telling him he thought we lived on a very rough road. He told him he was from Manchester, and that road was like heaven. lol.

And it is. In the UK we lived near Bolton, and were trying to get away from that. The Burton/Elizabeth/Sailsbury area to me is just like where I came from (but with more murders). Many people are perfectly happy with that. I'm not.

[Guest Guest75]

At the end of it who cares?? As long as that person is happy and the area they live in meets there needs, I mean I know someone who actually CHOSE to live in Cairns!!!!!!!!!!!:biglaugh:

 

Note use of emoticons.

 

 

As an aside - looks like life may be post code dictated soon as more and more schools bring in catchment areas, heard that Woodcroft is doing this recently.

[NicF]

 

I have said before to newbies - look at house prices and if an area is particularly cheap, there is a good reason for that. That applies in the north, the south, and the west. Everyone settles in an area for a reason, but it is irrefutable that sometimes where you live can limit your chances of getting work. I have spoken to many employers who will not even consider a job application from someone who lives an hour away from where they will be based. This applies to an employer in the south as much as in the north. So in times of high unemployment, that is something to bear in mind.

 

 

No east?

[Guest Sunflower12906]

. The Burton/Elizabeth/Sailsbury area to me is just like where I came from (but with more murders). .

 

please tell me the last one in these areas..

[Blossom]

There was a body found in an olive grove last year I think it was.

[Blossom]

I can't find a link at the second. Murders seem quite common in Adelaide in general. There was one three doors down from my house a couple of years ago! And I consider my area nice. ;-)

[Guest Sunflower12906]

There was a body found in an olive grove last year I think it was.

 

heres me thinking there was heaps

[Blossom]

Any is more than I was exposed to in the uk. I never met anyone in the uk who's child's father was in prison for murder. I never met anyone who had a family member murdered. And I have never worked around the corner from where a famous set of murders occurred (the snow town ones). I never had someone murdered on my street.

That is not a north/ south thing, that is an Adelaide thing.

 

I don't know if there ARE more murders here, but I certainly have more exposure to them here.

[Guest Sunflower12906]

Any is more than I was exposed to in the uk. I never met anyone in the uk who's child's father was in prison for murder. I never met anyone who had a family member murdered. And I have never worked around the corner from where a famous set of murders occurred (the snow town ones). I never had someone murdered on my street.

That is not a north/ south thing, that is an Adelaide thing.

 

I don't know if there ARE more murders here, but I certainly have more exposure to them here.

 

Soz, guess I read it wrong when you stated Burton/Elizabeth and Salisbury had more murders, you'll be right don't worry

[Blossom]

I have been exposed to more up there, but I know far more people up there, so only natural I suppose.

[NicF]

I have been exposed to more up there, but I know far more people up there, so only natural I suppose.

 

I think it's your job - seems to attract the unsavoury types, yourself excepted of course. There are a few people from the Salisbury area where I work and they are all perfectly respectable normal people, but then I work in an office and wouldn't expect anything else really. They must be from the nicer parts of Salisbury.

 

There are other suburbs north of Adelaide as well as Salisbury and Elizabeth you know. Some of them (although by no means all of them) are actually quite nice. Please don't think your experience at work is representative of all the areas north of Adelaide.

[Ktee]

 

I don't know if there ARE more murders here, but I certainly have more exposure to them here.

I would have thought Queensland to be honest and yes I live there lol