No words to describe adelaide

[Nellyinoz]

:arghh::arghh:

I HAVE NO WORDS. UTTERLY SPEECHLESS at what I saw and witnessed in my travels around north Adelaide. Nothing could have prepared me for it. My car was side swiped in a supermarket..leaving a nice big dint, fights, people taking drugs openly in shopping centres, more shoplifting than I could imagine, people with serious mental health issues in need of medical treatment, woman shopping in their pjs at 2pm, people so drunk at 11 in the morning they were walking around with vomit over their clothes. Only take aways and charity shops and off licenses doing a roaring trade. I don't know know whether to laugh or cry. I am shaking..just typing this

[John Browning]

yes, Guys..... perhaps we should think twice in future about making comments on Mansfield Park and Elizabeth that might appear condescending to newcomers.

 

 

JB

[NicF]

Yeah, the north of Adelaide isn't necessarily the best part of our fine city, although obviously it depends on exactly where north of Adelaide. I think someone did allude to the fact on your other thread. Okay, so where to go from here. Don't get deponent, there are nice places to live that are commutable to Mansfield Park and Elizabeth. Suburbs that spring immediately to mind are Mawson Lakes, Northgate or Lightsview. If you wanted to be by the sea you could have a look at Semaphore or West Lakes. Alternatively you could go further east and check out somewhere like Highbury, or pretty much anywhere between Highbury and Regency Park going east to west, or Highbury to Golden Grove going south to north. I'd probably stick to south of Gepps Cross Road or East of North East Road and McIntyre Road.

[snifter]

The north of Adelaide is probably not going to appeal to many migrants. The suburbs you were considering are as has been said, probably not got the greatest reputation. Don't feel that the entire Adelaide area is going to be the same. The greater Adelaide area is a big sprawl and there are plenty of options open to you.

 

TBH you get the not so great areas in any city or large town. Anywhere., not just in Adelaide.

 

There are, as NicF has said plenty of other options for places to live that will probably tick your boxes. I'd think there will be a commute involved for your partner to get to his places of work but doesn't mean you have to live on the doorstep of those places.

 

As has been said, West Lakes, Semaphore, Seaton, even going to bit more south west to Henley or Fulham Gardens. Or south inland a bit more. Or north east to suburbs mentioned.

 

There are plenty of units, small houses and bigger and I'm sure you will find an area you like.

[Rabeah]

Actually your headline is wrong as you don't describe Adelaide you'd rather described two northern suburbs on the outskirts of Adelaide (with lots of issues though).

 

'The' Adelaide we live in is completely different as what you describe. It's always good to check suburbs before starting a living. Get a feeling for an area by travel to it at dusk & dawn. Visiting the shopping mall was a good idea though that somebody damaged your car is really troublesome and I'm sorry that you had this experience.

 

When we came here more than 4 years ago we not only did our internet research but 'leg work' before we made to a decision where to live (and even that can change depending on what neighbours you one day get). Good luck and be reassured there are plenty of nice and friendly suburbs around here.

[RachelP]

I'm really feeling for you right now, what a horrible way to start your life in Adelaide. It really isn't all like that. Can you get out and about and explore the wonderful parts of Adelaide to put that experience into perspective? We've lived in Adelaide for 11 years and rarely visit the North as I don't like what I have seen. I'm sure there are nice places North of Adelaide too but we've really only seen the 'feral' parts.

 

Are you living up there? Are you able to look for somewhere to live in a nicer area? We live in the West and it is nothing like you've described.

 

Hope you are feeling a bit better now, if you want to have a coffee in the West let me know!

 

Rachel

 

:arghh::arghh:

I HAVE NO WORDS. UTTERLY SPEECHLESS at what I saw and witnessed in my travels around north Adelaide. Nothing could have prepared me for it. My car was side swiped in a supermarket..leaving a nice big dint, fights, people taking drugs openly in shopping centres, more shoplifting than I could imagine, people with serious mental health issues in need of medical treatment, woman shopping in their pjs at 2pm, people so drunk at 11 in the morning they were walking around with vomit over their clothes. Only take aways and charity shops and off licenses doing a roaring trade. I don't know know whether to laugh or cry. I am shaking..just typing this

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

So sorry to hear about your experiences.

Adelaide is a very big sprawl and there are pockets of feral areas all over. I don't want to comment on the northern suburbs. I don't live there and never will.

It's so important to start out in a good location. All the stresses and strains that families are experiencing and the last thing that you need is to get stressed about your everyday living and then question why you moved here.

I was recently chatting to a South African family. They moved out here and stayed in one of those suburbs, packed up and returned. That is so rare. South African migrants make it work. They have to. They did return here again and stay in one of the beach-side suburbs and are now settled.

Some of the northern suburbs have 40% unemployment and a host of social issues that this causes. The closure of Holden and associated manufacturing is going to make things a lot worse and affect not only the north as there are also job losses looming in the Lonsdale area in the south as well.

Please don't view this as being the norm in Adelaide.

I remember getting lost in an estate in Halifax in the UK. Real rough! Bricks and bottles and plenty of yobs. Yorkshire is a beautiful place though with wonderful villages and people.

 

Before moving here we applied for New Zealand. If anyone has seen the movie "Once were warriors' it's enough to put you off ever going to Auckland but it's not really like that.

Hope that you can put this experience behind you and make it work here.

[KennyKen]

I wouldn't go north of grand junction road. I've worked up there a few times and it's feral. What made you choose where you live currently out of interest? Western and southern not going further then Marino are nice but that's my opinion!

[Rammygirl]

Oh dear. Deep breath.

 

Spend some time looking at commutable suburbs, some have been suggested and your OH can ask at work too.

 

If you look on realestate.com and domain.com they also give suburb profiles and you can tell a lot from those.

 

Obviously you need to go within your budget but there will be a balance between nice, affordable and commutable somewhere.

 

Spend some time driving around, we have friends in Redwood Park and Golden Grove, both are nice areas. I don't know much about the other Northern suburbs though.

[PatP]

Oh dear it seems as if you have seen all of life's problems in one spot

The sad thing is things like that happen world wide not just in Adelaide

There is a huge shop lifting problem in Australia in general Adelaide city is a hot spot and has been for a long time

There was a gang from Melbourne won't say what nationality used to hire cars and motel rooms in Adelaide and clean out the major department stores

Some of the clientele ie shop lifters when I worked in security from the upper class suburbs ie Burnside Magill etc would have surprised you

Drugs are rife everywhere that goes for the UK as well

Christies Beach used to have a bad name ,the Noarlunga interchange was noted for incidents but the normal man in the street doesn't always see them

What I am trying to get at is Adelaide is not all like that though the same as the UK isn't

we drove around the outskirts of Manchester recently and I locked myself in the car it was intimidating

Most cities and towns everywhere have an underbelly which most folk don't always see ,you it seems have seen it all in one day

Edited March 1, 2016 by Philly47

[Rammygirl]

We often walk into the city for a night out from home ( about half an hours walk) and back again even late at night. Walk to WOMAD and back. I have never felt unsafe.

 

i used to work in North Manchester, and bits of Salford where taxis wouldn't go!

 

Dont me judge it all by a couple of areas.

 

Go up into the Barossa for lunch at the weekend, that should help!

[PatP]

Hopefully Nellygirl will see this as a learning curve and laugh about it given time

[PatP]

On a lighter note and to get back to normality I have just bought a pair of fur lined welly boots for 2 quid in Matalan to bring home with me in April in preparation for the Adelaide winter Easily pleased aren't I lol

[kelbert]

Try looking further north - around the Barossa, Gawler and Hewett. Or the NE suburbs as mentioned such as Golden Grove. The commute to Elizabeth is short but there are lovely places around there to live. I work (not live) in Davoren Park - one of the most notorious suburbs of Adelaide but don't believe everything you read. I felt much less safe in Manchester than I do there. The Southern suburbs have some really entrenched areas of social deprivation too and ICE addiction is a huge problem which brings about all the other issues you encountered in your unfortunate experience. I know this beacause I work in health in these areas.

As said....there are good and bad areas all over but you shouldn't make sweeping generalisations about the whole of the North IMO. Do your research and travel about to get a feel for places.

[keldaz]

:arghh::arghh:

I HAVE NO WORDS. UTTERLY SPEECHLESS at what I saw and witnessed in my travels around north Adelaide. Nothing could have prepared me for it. My car was side swiped in a supermarket..leaving a nice big dint, fights, people taking drugs openly in shopping centres, more shoplifting than I could imagine, people with serious mental health issues in need of medical treatment, woman shopping in their pjs at 2pm, people so drunk at 11 in the morning they were walking around with vomit over their clothes. Only take aways and charity shops and off licenses doing a roaring trade. I don't know know whether to laugh or cry. I am shaking..just typing this

 

Hi Nelly, sorry to hear of your experiences, especially the dinged car, total pain this early on. All that matters is you find your place and stuff the rest. As to your comment about laughing or crying, easy laugh and fight, laugh and fight till you get it right!