New to adelaide_ how are you finding it

[sduffy]

I have noticed that hardly any one seems to post many updates these days of how they are finding life in Adelaide.

 

I think it is always great for those on here to see how peoples journeys are going,especially those in the UK.

 

For those newly arrived please tell us your story.

 

Sue

[Guest Guest75]

I used to nag folk for updates as it is really interesting and informative for those thinking of making the move as well.

I suppose a lot just get on with their lives and sublimate into the life here...

[sduffy]

Yes,I agree Tyke,so helpful for others to see how others are doing.

[NicF]

I never post an update because I'm never sure what to write. "Been here 2.5 years and everything's fine." Not particularly helpful is it?

[sduffy]

Nic f,some ideas, how you found the job market,schools,cost of living,house building process,has it matched up to your expectations?

 

I am sure everyone would love to know your views.

 

Sue

[Guest Guest75]

I never post an update because I'm never sure what to write. "Been here 2.5 years and everything's fine." Not particularly helpful is it?

 

 

Even the small things such as............. the differences betwixt here and the UK - staff pack your bags!!

 

 

Better weather to get out on those lovely evening walks ( taking my two dogs out in a moment).

 

As well as the usual , found job, settled in XYZ suburb ( without starting that North V South rubbish!)

[Sophie91]

Hello

 

Me and my partner are moving to Adelaide 4th March, very nervous and excited now. Not sure where we're going to rent to start with, his employer are putting us up somewhere for the first week so we can get everything sorted. Really hope we settle in well

[HEAPS GOOD !!!]

My 7 year will be on here in a couple of months....and what a ride....!!!!

 

 

HG

[kelbert]

We have been in Adelaide for 3mnths now and love it. Initially we stayed in the South for a few weeks but when our rental was available we moved to Gawler. I love Gawler. Its great little town with good transport links but close to the beautiful Barossa valley. Everything we need is close by and only 45 mins to the beach. I was lucky to secure a job before I arrived, now the kids have started school my OH has started the job hunting. Kids have settled into their schools brilliantly and I love the relaxed outdoorsy teaching style they have at the primary my son attends. My daughter is 12 and has started yr 7 at a private school which has fantastic facilities for low fees. I really wasn't sure what to expect from Adelaide or the schools as its easy to read other peoples perspectives and become anxious. I can honestly say we love it here and already I feel it was a great decision for all of us. We are out and about every weekend as there is lots to do and many things are free. We haven't found it at all expensive, some things are a little more expensive, some things loads cheaper so on balance I would say the cost of living is similar to UK but we seem to have more disposable income now even though we are managing on one wage. ?? Adelaide is beautiful and we love the laid back lifestyle it has to offer with its beautiful beaches, lovely people and country town as opposed to big city feel. So glad we took the risk :-)

[OKMorris]

I have never posted an "update" as such as I am so busy taking it all for granted!! we came here 2.5 years ago now

 

hubby a chef and me a travel agent and we landed with around 40k aud and not much else! in the first week we did all the usual stuff, bought a car, did Medicare, bank accounts and driving licences etc and stayed in a little studio unit on hurt street that I found on stayz.com

 

i had organised an interview for a job from the UK and I did that by emailing and applying for all the jobs On seek that I was interested in 2 weeks prior to leaving - I did apply for a few prior to that but no luck as we were so far from arriving so once we got within a fortnight I got better responses and contacts. I was lucky that I got the job so it made everything easier in terms of buying a car and finding a tea tap as eknew we had an income

 

found a rental in 3 weeks in plympton which is near the tram into the city and pretty central. made sure we had a low maintenance garden as it's totally not me and I didn't want to be worried about killing the garden in a rental while I try and sort out our new life!!

it was a great location and and near then beach and city

 

hubby found a job at cos restaurant about 2 weeks after landing and this was again by applying for everything on seek and also dropping resumes into restaurants - we planned our arrival around him as we knew that the start of summer and hiring of hospitality staff is around September so gave us the best chance of getting work even if it was just for the summer but as it turned out it was a permanent role which he loves!! this may be different for everyone but arriving dec - mar in my opinion is very hard as there is so much going on in adeaide that accomm is expensive and people are so busy with everything else's it seems quiet on the job front but that might be me

 

we found making friends quite difficult as everyone always seemed to have there little groups and through no fault of there's they get stuck in a routine of hanging with there social groups and it can be difficult t break in but we mainly found friends through our work and also through this website (shout out to dan, Steph and the rest!!)

 

now im so busy on the weekends with wine tours, outdoor cinemas, football, cricket, baseball and walks that I have no idea how I find time to work!!

 

it took us a good 18 months to feel settled and to feel like "yes we made it" and start enjoying life and I will say the 6 month to 12 month mark was very hard and we had many a conversation of "are we doing then right thing" but we helped each other through amd r all the better for it

 

2.5 years on and 1 trip back to then uk which helped us appreciate how much better off we are and we love it!! I acknowledge we were extremely fortunate and lucky to have a relatively smooth sailing but I also think half of it is then postive attitude and the sheer re bloody mindness to make it work!!

 

i also thank my lucky stars every day that I brought everything over on the container as life Is hard enough and I was comforted with my own mattress, bed, washing machine, sheets, table, sofas etc and it was all mismatched in the rental but it was a start!! now we have bought in modbury heights in the North East and we are gradually replacing everything to fit then new house and put down roots so it has worked well

 

anyway that's us and hopefully some people may find it useful even if most think what a load of waffle!!!

[sduffy]

Cant wait Heaps Good.Sue

[Guest wen66]

That's because we are all on Facebook, Skype, Viber, Facetime, notifying family and friends, keeping them up to date....and that everything is awesome. x

@Sophie91 - you'll love it here, so don't worry.

[sduffy]

Great pst OkMorris,glad you have settled well.Thanks for your post.

 

Sue

[bob_kennedy]

Ok Sduffy here is my update.

We arrived (Myself, Wife and 2 kids, boy 5 girl 3) two months ago yesterday. Prior to arriving and going through a mini hell selling the house in Ireland, (Almost stayed with Tyke in August) my wonderful wife sorted all the financial stuff out including bank transfer, accounts etc. We met a genuinely wonderful person in NAB on King William Street who was our guide through the banking stuff. We used Moneycorp to transfer our funds. Avis was our rental for the first week because it was cheap (we booked online using Oz site from Ireland). Because we were arriving at the start of December we could not find a short term (4-6 weeks) for under 8,000 dollars. We then found a house in Bowden using AirBNB for substantially less. The owners were heading away for a few weeks and the house was ours. We flew from Dublin with Emirates via Dubai.

The flight was great. It was cramped and the food was nasty, but the Emirates staff were fantastic in making sure the children were happy and content. They even let use use the first class loo at one stage for the little ones. The film and tv/radio choice was more than adequate enough and the 1 hour forty mins stop-over was not the tight for time panic we thought it would turn out to be.

The first few days after arriving were really taken over by jet lag. We met all the neighbours (including a couple of friends for life) got our driving licences, Medicare, TAX numbers, mobile phone SIMs and Ambo Insurance. I arranged a few meetings with job agencies, and hunted around and bought a car. We were welcomed and invited to a party on Christmas morning by the whole street. I will never forget that. They had even bought presents for our children!

Over the next couple of weeks we went around the different suburbs, went to the beach, visited the hills, zoos etc and went on a couple of job interviews. We found a long term rental in the eastern suburbs (Felixstow) beside the Linear Park, bought most of the furniture to fill it ( it was more cost effective to buy new than to ship the old stuff over) and enrolled our 5 year old in the local school. My boy loves his new school, we have made friends here locally, the neighbours are great even going so far as donating old school uniforms to us (saving $$$) and making us feel very very welcome. I secured a job that I start next week. It’s 3 minutes drive or 10 mins walk from the house here.

So the last 8 weeks plus have been a blur, but it has been an adventure.

I have found the average (if there is such a thing) Australian to be both warm, welcoming and honest. There is no one like an Aussie to tell you straight!

I went into the police station in Norwood yesterday to get my Australian Police clearance. The Officer behind the counter was an immigrant (China) himself and we spent 10 mins talking about Rory McElroy because he noticed I was Irish. It’s the little things

[Guest wen66]

The Officer behind the counter was an immigrant (China) himself and we spent 10 mins talking about Rory McElroy because he noticed I was Irish. It’s the little things

A fella Irishman, excellent.

I used to work in Holywood Golf Club many years ago, the one that spawned young Rory:biggrin:.

 

You are right about recaps, it helped us a great deal to see how folk where getting on.....I must do one..soon...I do spend alot of time keeping family happy:goofy:x

[sduffy]

Thanks for the update Bob,there are lots of lovely people here,i remember when i moved into our first home here our neighbour brought a freshly baked cake round and a bunch of freshly cut roses from her garden.We have had friends lend one of their cars to us for quite some time when we didnt have the money to buy one.That still amazes me now when back in Uk for a holiday had some family and friends who would barely offer a lift to us.

 

I have met some wonderful people here,it can sometimes be difficult getting that to translate into longer term friendships.

 

Hope life continues to be as wonderful,having a short commute would be a great bonus for many.

 

Thanks Sue

[Guest Guest75]

Hiya @bob_kennedy!! Thought the name sounded familiar.

 

Glad it all worked out and you made it.

All that messing about with the buyer of your house behind you now!

[bob_kennedy]

Thanks Tyke. Water under the bridge now

[Sophie91]

That's because we are all on Facebook, Skype, Viber, Facetime, notifying family and friends, keeping them up to date....and that everything is awesome. x

@Sophie91 - you'll love it here, so don't worry.

 

Thanks x

[Lazy Cow]

I have met some wonderful people here,it can sometimes be difficult getting that to translate into longer term friendships.

 

I've had that same convo with my OH...and the kids!

 

It seems to me that we pick up relationships according to where we are in our life.

 

For example, we have friends we used to see a lot when the kids were in primary / high school (used to go away together each January etc), but now the kids have grown up, we see way less of one another. I used to see a few mums, people from the school canteen, or whatever, but again, see less of each other now we aren't seeing each other at school. We would catch up with work mates at the weekend, but now OH does that on his own, and we only see them together at the occasional footy match, etc etc.

 

I think it would be the same if we were still in the UK, but the difference is we don't have old, old friends from our own school days, uni or whatever, and sometimes, I miss them.

 

Our kids are grown up now (physically, at least) and we are trying to create a new life for ourselves, which is a weird feeling.

 

I hate getting old...but the alternative isn't that appealing either!

 

LC

 

PS. Sue, why don't you write a recap of your journey? I know it hasn't always been particularly easy, but I think it would be interesting. I mean, you've fought through it all, your story would cover things which are not necessarily brought up, and perhaps we could learn stuff! :notworthy:xx

[portnoarlungaaug2015]

Lovely to hear your stories, me and the hubby are looking at coming over to Adelaide at the end of August/beginning of September, very excited!! X

[Linda21]

It's lovely to hear how people are getting on. We're still waiting to complete on our house sale, then it's full steam ahead with booking flights/accommodation and then we'll be out to join you all to start our own new life. Can't wait and feeling very impatient now to get going and to meet up with some of you once we arrive.

[victoriasquare]

I'm so pleased to hear good stories from Adelaide. Over the years I've heard too many derogatory comments about SA from Melbournians and Sydneysiders.

[Nikianx73]

Hi!, been here nearly 6 months and it's all good so far. Got two kids 12 & 8, the eldest has settled in well but the youngest not so much, he's a stubborn little thing and had set his mind to not liking it here which can be a bugger when it comes to getting him into school lol!

 

Finally starting to make a few friends, we're not missing much about the UK, people more than places if you know what I mean.

 

We also brought a container over and it's been lovely to have our own things around us, we did have to buy new beds though as our house came unfurnished and it took 10 weeks to get our stuff over.

 

I'll have to say, the hardest thing I found after arriving was finding a place to rent. Started looking before we came over and there were loads but as soon as the plane touched down they all started to vanish and we really needed the month in the staff house. Now things finally seem to be coming together I've got the daunting prospect of going back to work after 12 years of bringing up the kids, I hope I can remember how to write a CV lol!

[Karen S-D]

We were welcomed and invited to a party on Christmas morning by the whole street. I will never forget that. They had even bought presents for the children!

 

Had tears in my eyes after reading this bit. Great update!