Retired UK couple hoping to move to Adelaide area

[Sprinter]

Hi All, we are a retired British couple at present living in Switzerland, we are hoping to move to the Adelaide area and would like comments good and bad from Brits already living there about decent areas to live outside the city, Are there plenty of activities in the area for active retired people, by active I mean we still ride a motorbike, have an old Morgan car, and love travelling having just finished a round the world trip, We may be retired but we are not ready for the pipe and slippers and moaning.

Hoping for some straight replies,

Thanks.

[Guest Claire-n-tel]

Hi Sprinter

 

Have be you looked into visas yet?......

[Blossom]

Agreed. Visas is the first thing you need to look at if you haven't.

[Sprinter]

When we originally looked into the visa situation we were advised we should be able to get a 405 investor? visa. At present we are just doing the general costings etc. Hopefully the visa situation has not changed recently.

[Guest Claire-n-tel]

These are the current rules/requirements for 405 visa

 

http://www.immi.gov.au/Visas/Pages/405.aspx

 

As to places to stay it really depends on personal choice and tbh if you ask 100 people that question you are likely to get 100 different answers!

 

Why have you decided that you want to live in Adelaide?....is your intention to travel around Australia or do you mean more local travel?

[sidestep]

To meet financial thresholds for an initial Investor Retirement (subclass 405) visa you must:

• be able to make a minimum designated investment in the state or territory in which you have been sponsored of:

– AUD500,000 in your name, or your and your partner’s names, if you intend to live in a regional/low growth area; or

– AUD750,000 in your name, or your and your partner’s names, if you do not intend to live in a regional/low growth area;

• in addition to the funds available for the designated investment, you must have minimum assets legally owned and lawfully acquired by you, or you and your partner, capable of and available for transfer to Australia, of:

– AUD500,000 if you intend to live in a regional/low growth area of Australia; or

– AUD750,000 if you do not intend to live in a regional/low growth area of Australia;

Note: You must have held all of the assets listed above for 2 years prior to lodging your application, unless the assets are related to superannuation and/or inheritance.

• have a minimum net income stream (for example, pension rights) that can be accessed for you, or you and your partner, of:

– AUD50,000 annually if you intend to live in a regional/low growth area of Australia; or

– AUD65,000 if you do not intend to live in a regional/low growth area of Australia.

If you intend selling assets in relation to your move to Australia, the department recommends that you wait until after your visa application is approved.

If you need to sell assets to meet the requirements of this visa (eg. to fund the designated investment) you should carefully consider whether you will be able to finance your ongoing stay in Australia, particularly in the longer term.

 

How long may I stay in Australia?

If your application is approved, you will be granted a visa that will allow you to travel in and out of Australia for 4 years. Before your visa expires you may apply for a further visa, however, you must again satisfy the criteria for a visa grant.

Note: If at any time the state/territory sponsor withdraws their sponsorship, or the visa holder withdraws the designated investment, the visa may be subject to cancellation.

 

...and on top of all this the 405 does not get you either permanent residency or citizenship so, unless I'm mistaken, you'll not be eligible for healthcare or much else for that matter. Sure Switzerland isn't where you want to be?

Edited September 26, 2014 by sidestep

[Sprinter]

We have been to Australia a couple of times for holidays, a lot different to living there I know. The residence rules if the visas are approved are broadly similar to Switzerland, as a retired couple you pay for everything and are not entitled to state help, fine, not a problem. Having looked at the cost of health insurance, housing, different insurances etc, it works out roughly half what we are paying in Switzerland for similar standards. One of the bonuses for us is that most of the Aussies we have met whilst in Australia have a sense of humour, Switzerland, forget it, just google why are Swiss so boring, and especially in the Swiss German part, to see children playing is a rarity, to hear laughter in the street, unheard of. Ridiculous rules, like Sunday is a day of rest and you should not mow the lawns, make a noise etc, they forget half the country works on a Sunday so it is not a day of rest for them and numerous other rules.We looked at Adelaide mainly because the climate seems to be reasonable, similar to what we are used to and in general it seems to be an average sort of place, that is why I asked what are the nice, not so nice parts of it, I realise everyone will probably have there own opinions but hopefully a trend will emerge showing certain areas more to our liking. We are hoping to come over early next year to have a look round and it would be nice to be able to eliminate certain areas and therefore save time. Look forward to all the replies, positive or negative.

[Guest vikkiann]

The visas the hard part, if you tick all the boxes, it's just a matter of waiting.

Would you prefer the hills or the beach? That's a starting point, for me personally the beach wins every day.

Driving home from work looking at the ocean, that's a sight I never get bored of!

[Diane]

I reckon if you like motorbiking, the hills would tick more boxes than the beach - bearing in mind that the beach is never that far away, wherever you live. Have you looked at the Barossa, or maybe somewhere like Lobethal? Both really lovely with great community spirit. I find the beach suburbs a bit soulless sometimes - lovely in summer, but the rest of the year...meh!

 

I have a neighbour who is very involved with a motorcycling club for motorcyclists over 40 - have a look at http://www.ulysses.org.au/ and http://www.ulyssesadelaide.com.au/home/?entry - might be a good way to get some social contacts up and going when you arrive.

[serena]

Hi All, we are a retired British couple at present living in Switzerland, we are hoping to move to the Adelaide area and would like comments good and bad from Brits already living there about decent areas to live outside the city, Are there plenty of activities in the area for active retired people, by active I mean we still ride a motorbike, have an old Morgan car, and love travelling having just finished a round the world trip, We may be retired but we are not ready for the pipe and slippers and moaning.

Hoping for some straight replies,

Thanks.

 

Hi,

If you like busy a bit trendy, urban and convenient, Norwood or Glenelg are nice. If you want quieter, but still connected, Brighton, Henley. Fancy inner city but quieter, North Adelaide. More rural but still populated, Blackwood and surrounds. Country, further into hills Nairne etc and wine country. Ex-pat beachy, Hallet Cove and all along that beach way South. Depends what you fancy. Personally (and I'm sure I'll offend) I'd avoid the North.

[NicF]

I'd probably avoid the north as well, but the north east is really nice. If I had no kids and could live anywhere I liked I'd probably go for North Adelaide, Norwood or surrounding suburbs, the CBD itself or Unley. If I wanted to be near the beach (which I don't) I'd be looking at Brighton, Henley Beach or Grange. I like Glenelg (particularly by the marina) but it can be a bit too touristy and busy for me.

[Sprinter]

Thanks for the replies already, just the sort of info we are looking for. Special thanks to Diane for the bike club info and no we are not geriatric Hells Angels, just enjoy our bikes.

[Guest Spitfire]

Hi Sprinter - welcome to the forum.

 

How you describe Switzerland is not necessarily a bad thing because things can go too far the other way. Common problems in Australia are barking dogs, noisy neighbours, revving cars, noisy garden tools used whenever, including night, and basically zero respect for neighbours. Also, I know some very well-off people who exist on a UK income stream and are finding the current exchange rate is killing them in the water.

 

Areas - what is your budget? That is the real question here.

[Guest Claire-n-tel]

Common problems in Australia are barking dogs, noisy neighbours, revving cars, noisy garden tools used whenever, including night, and basically zero respect for neighbours.

 

I have to say, we live in Glenelg 200m from the beach, I am sat here at the moment with my back door open and can hear none of the above.......occasionally we get noisy people in a holiday let opposite us but mostly they are not noisy and respectful. Sounds like you need to move Spitfire

[Guest Spitfire]

I have to say, we live in Glenelg 200m from the beach, I am sat here at the moment with my back door open and can hear none of the above.......occasionally we get noisy people in a holiday let opposite us but mostly they are not noisy and respectful. Sounds like you need to move Spitfire

 

Hi Claire

 

We don't have too many problems now, just the standard barking dogs but they are usually kept under control, but we live on a fairly large plot in the hills now so not too close to anyone, thankfully. We lived near the water for many years in a pretty expensive neck of the woods and we had some real problems with disrespectful neighbours (standard barking dogs, really noisy parties all the time, karaoke nights, cars blocking our drive, night lights stolen from our garden, and these were various neighbours, not just one bad lot). Luckily here we also have some really delightful neighbours, but the forums are full of people complaining about noise. Anyone used to Switzerland/Germany/Scandinavia might be in for a surprise, I'm sure. I only mentioned this because the OP talked about how kids don't laugh in Sw. and so on, but Australia is one of those places where people feel they have the right to express themselves in any way they see fit, like Britain (because it's the same culture) but certain continental cultures are different (of course they have their problems and rude people, I know from experience).

Edited September 28, 2014 by Spitfire