Suburb to rent - very young family

[Fosh]

Hi all, 

My hubby and I as well as our 2 little boys  who will be 3 and 7 months will be moving to Adelaide at the end of this year for a new life. 

I'm very concerned doing the move with 2 little ones but I will be on maternity leave so it gives me time to settle our little cherubs onto Australian time and into nurseries for a few months. 

I don't have a clue where to start in terms of suburbs! Ideally I'd like to rent immediately before we move with us having 2 little ones so want to make sure I get the area right. We are looking for the following: 

1) 40 mins max commute on either public transport or driving to CBD. We would like to have good public transport links near us if possible.

2) Good Daycare  (both children under 3) / schools - we will be looking to buy a home after a year of settling so my oldest little one will be just under 4 when we buy a home, do we have to give 18 months notice? I'm unsure as to if we would look at private or public schools, as it depends on ratings ect of the schools. 

3) Safe neighbourhood with good outdoor activities. 

4) we are looking for a 3 bed (hopefully 4 bed) for around $550 max a week.

 

If anyone could give us a rough guide of where to look, we would really appreciate it.

Thank you 

[llessur]

When you say max 40 minute commute, is that because you specifically want to live away from the CBD, or are you open to all suggestions?

 

Many poms move down south (e.g. Seacliff, Noarlunga etc) as you tend to get a bit more for your money down there, although garden sizes I think are smaller as the houses are newer. You will have to commute each day if you work in the CBD though.

 

There are still many affordable suburbs much closer to the CBD - either heritage or new housing. Makes commuting much easier and also it will be easier to access the city for leisure too.

 

Really depends what you want from a suburb as you'll likely be able to find good daycare in most of them, and safety is unlikely to be a problem outside of a few places.

 

Do you want a quieter, beachy existence in a newer house but further from work and the city, or do you want to keep your commute to a minimum and live closer to the city (for work, shopping, footy, cricket, parklands, entertainment etc). Beer in mind that many inner suburbs still have very easy beach access.

 

 

[NicF]

I would forget the idea of trying to identify a suburb to line from the UK without visiting.  While you might think a suburb is perfect on paper you might find that it just doesn't feel right when you get here.  I had been on holiday several times before moving, staying near the beach most times and I never felt like I could live here until we stayed in North Adelaide (the suburb).  For some reason the beach side suburbs just don't feel like home to me but the more eastern suburbs do.  Until you have visited a suburb you can't be sure if you will actually feel right there or not.

I would arrange to rent some holiday accommodation near the city and have a good look around to see which places feel most right to you.  Obviously it's possible to create a short list of potential suburbs, or rule some out on the basis of cost or commute, but I don't think you can really be certain of where to settle until you have been there.

As for ruling places out you could start by looking at what you could get to rent for your budget by looking at realestate.com.au.  Also look at house prices though as you don't want to settle somewhere you love only to find you can't afford to buy anything you would want to live in when the time comes.  Check out commute times, both by car and by public transport, on Google maps.  All the bus and train times are accurate and the commute times are pretty close if you select the time of day you want to travel.  Note that the time of day or the day you travel can make a massive difference.  We recently drove from our house to the airport on a public holiday in 20 minutes.  This is a trip that requires us to go straight through the city centre.  On a normal work day, that trip during rush hour would probably take over an hour.

I can't comment on childcare as my kids were a fair bit older when we moved.  You can look at possible schools by looking at myschool.edu.au.  There are other sites but this is the official government one.  This site is good because it gives you an idea of things like the size of the school, the socioeconomic status of the children at the school and how the Naplan results compare with other schools with similar socioeconomic statuses. It also gives a link to the zone for the school, if there is one.  If a school has a zone you have to live in it to guarantee getting a place at the school.

 

[snifter]

I think NicF has a good point about the suburbs. I am along the same lines as her in how I find and feel about them. While the beachside suburbs are for the most part very nice, some are lovely, they really hold no appeal to me whatsoever to live in long term. We spent the first 7 months in Glenelg living and after a few months I'd had enough. I too much prefer the eastern side of the city, the older homes and all that. Having said that, because I am a country girl we settled up in the hills more on the very edge of a suburb with hills and fields within 100m of our front door but can be in the CBD within half an hour for an evening out or some such. And at the beach in under 15 minutes. 

If you want easier access to the CBD in rush hour I'd look at being close to a train line or the tram line over a bus route into the CBD. At least then not stuck in rush hour traffic on the road then. Plenty of places to choose from along those routes to get you going. If we drive to the train station and catch the train in, its 40 minutes all up, if we took the bus in rush hour it would be 70-90 minutes or thereabouts. I know which I prefer. 

 

 

[Fosh]

5 hours ago, llessur said:

When you say max 40 minute commute, is that because you specifically want to live away from the CBD, or are you open to all suggestions?

 

Many poms move down south (e.g. Seacliff, Noarlunga etc) as you tend to get a bit more for your money down there, although garden sizes I think are smaller as the houses are newer. You will have to commute each day if you work in the CBD though.

 

There are still many affordable suburbs much closer to the CBD - either heritage or new housing. Makes commuting much easier and also it will be easier to access the city for leisure too.

 

Really depends what you want from a suburb as you'll likely be able to find good daycare in most of them, and safety is unlikely to be a problem outside of a few places.

 

Do you want a quieter, beachy existence in a newer house but further from work and the city, or do you want to keep your commute to a minimum and live closer to the city (for work, shopping, footy, cricket, parklands, entertainment etc). Beer in mind that many inner suburbs still have very easy beach access.

 

 

No I just wasn't sure if I would be able to afford to live near CBD. I'd be open to all areas to be honest, I just didn't want to have long commute times if my boys are ill at nursery ect with us having no family around us to help.

I'm not a huge beach fan (my husband is and my 2 little boys so I'm out numbered!) So I would like to be within a 20 minute drive to a beach. It's probably more about distance commute to work for me, good schools and the ability to have the space for a swimming pool (my children are water babies like their dad). 

 

[Fosh]

3 hours ago, NicF said:

I would forget the idea of trying to identify a suburb to line from the UK without visiting.  While you might think a suburb is perfect on paper you might find that it just doesn't feel right when you get here.  I had been on holiday several times before moving, staying near the beach most times and I never felt like I could live here until we stayed in North Adelaide (the suburb).  For some reason the beach side suburbs just don't feel like home to me but the more eastern suburbs do.  Until you have visited a suburb you can't be sure if you will actually feel right there or not.

I would arrange to rent some holiday accommodation near the city and have a good look around to see which places feel most right to you.  Obviously it's possible to create a short list of potential suburbs, or rule some out on the basis of cost or commute, but I don't think you can really be certain of where to settle until you have been there.

As for ruling places out you could start by looking at what you could get to rent for your budget by looking at realestate.com.au.  Also look at house prices though as you don't want to settle somewhere you love only to find you can't afford to buy anything you would want to live in when the time comes.  Check out commute times, both by car and by public transport, on Google maps.  All the bus and train times are accurate and the commute times are pretty close if you select the time of day you want to travel.  Note that the time of day or the day you travel can make a massive difference.  We recently drove from our house to the airport on a public holiday in 20 minutes.  This is a trip that requires us to go straight through the city centre.  On a normal work day, that trip during rush hour would probably take over an hour.

I can't comment on childcare as my kids were a fair bit older when we moved.  You can look at possible schools by looking at myschool.edu.au.  There are other sites but this is the official government one.  This site is good because it gives you an idea of things like the size of the school, the socioeconomic status of the children at the school and how the Naplan results compare with other schools with similar socioeconomic statuses. It also gives a link to the zone for the school, if there is one.  If a school has a zone you have to live in it to guarantee getting a place at the school.

 

I know it's so hard to pick an area, it just didn't want to rent a holiday home, then move the little ones again to a rental. Also how do you ship your belongings if you have no address? Apologies I'm new to this! 

Alot of people love the Hills and Eastern suburbs, we need somewhere with good transport links, does anyone know of a website I can find this info to narrow down our search? As my hubby will be getting a train or bus (preferably the train!). 

We have started to look on realestate.com.au at prices ect which is helpful, but it's understanding the transport links that's the most difficult. 

Thank you for the school website I will absolutely have a look at this it's so important to us. 

Ps how did you find the work prospects? I've seen alot of jobs on Seek.com.au but when I read the blogs people are out of work after 6 months of looking. We have accounted us being out of work for 6 months max. Is this achieveable? We both work in IT, I'm a project manager and my hubby is a business analyst so we are a little concerned on the work front?

[Fosh]

1 hour ago, snifter said:

I think NicF has a good point about the suburbs. I am along the same lines as her in how I find and feel about them. While the beachside suburbs are for the most part very nice, some are lovely, they really hold no appeal to me whatsoever to live in long term. We spent the first 7 months in Glenelg living and after a few months I'd had enough. I too much prefer the eastern side of the city, the older homes and all that. Having said that, because I am a country girl we settled up in the hills more on the very edge of a suburb with hills and fields within 100m of our front door but can be in the CBD within half an hour for an evening out or some such. And at the beach in under 15 minutes. 

If you want easier access to the CBD in rush hour I'd look at being close to a train line or the tram line over a bus route into the CBD. At least then not stuck in rush hour traffic on the road then. Plenty of places to choose from along those routes to get you going. If we drive to the train station and catch the train in, its 40 minutes all up, if we took the bus in rush hour it would be 70-90 minutes or thereabouts. I know which I prefer. 

 

 

Snifter I've read alot of your blogs! They have been so helpful to us. 

I know you moved to the hills because of schools (apologies I sound like a stalker! Haha) do you or your hubby commute to cbd for work? (Just seen the end of your message regarding train links, which train station is it?) I couldn't find a train link from the hills to cbd? And thought it might take an hour by car? I need to be near to my 2 little boys when they are at nursery so I can't have a huge commute distance, especially as we will have no family in Adelaide. 

Do you know where I can find information in regards to transport links in Adelaide? 

Ps how have you found the job situation? We're hoping to get work within 6 months but after reading the blogs I have major concerns, there is a lot of jobs on seek.com.au but is this the reality? My hubby is Australian, but I am from the UK. 

Thanks so much for your help

 

[llessur]

Well, if a beach lifestyle isn’t your number one priority then it would probably be best to factor in where you are likely to be working in order to keep your commute to a minimum. Adelaide can still be a very affordable place to live, even close to the CBD. What are you and your OH likely to be doing for work? If it’s office work then it’ll most likely be in the CBD, if it’s healthcare, engineering etc then that’ll expand your search area a little bit depending on where you end up securing a job.

As per NicF’s post, it’s really difficult to judge how you’ll feel about a suburb without having visited it. When we first came over we lived in Glengowrie which everyone seems to rave about as a great suburb – but, whilst it was perfectly nice it just felt a little quiet and homogenous for us. Plus, the 40 minute bus ride to work each day was time wasted in my opinion.

When we were in a position to buy we moved to Croydon in the inner north-west. It’s got a great village atmosphere, cute parks for kids, cafes and beautiful heritage houses. Plus it’s only 7 mins on the train to the CBD. We absolutely love it here, but that’s because it ticked all of our boxes.

You might find you want something different – i.e. newer, open plan houses etc.

Do you have to find somewhere before you move over? If not I’d highly recommend renting somewhere close to the city for a few weeks whilst you house hunt in areas which feel right to you and are close to your workplace.

I really don’t think you can go far wrong – the only real dodgy areas are quite far north around Elizabeth etc. There a few places in between which have a slightly ‘gritty’ feel about them but I wouldn’t rule out north, south, east or west of the city at this stage.

Whilst traffic is really not bad by UK standards, I’d highly recommend finding a place on either a train or tram line if you’re likely to be working in the CBD. Buses are OK but, like everywhere, they’re not the best. The exception to that would be the O-Bahn line that runs off to the north east of the city as it operates more like a train on its own track. Whilst they are generally considered quite a classy area, the eastern suburbs aren’t really served by trains or trams so you’d be stuck with the bus there. Train lines run off to the north-west, north and south (Google maps should be your friend here in determining the suburbs they run through). The tram runs from Bowden in the north-west, through the city and then south to the beach side suburb of Glenelg. The peak hour tram commute to the CBD from Glenelg can take 40 mins though.

Edit: here's a link to the Adelaide metro rail network map https://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/content/download/271180/1469292/version/2/file/Rail_network_121014.pdf

The hills are beautiful and the Aussie wildlife is just stunning (the kids would love it). It’s about 40 mins on the train from Blackwood and you’ll get the stunning views along the journey. The only thing you’d have to bear in mind is the bushfire risk in the summer. I love it up there though.

[llessur]

19 minutes ago, Fosh said:

Ps how did you find the work prospects? I've seen alot of jobs on Seek.com.au but when I read the blogs people are out of work after 6 months of looking. We have accounted us being out of work for 6 months max. Is this achieveable? We both work in IT, I'm a project manager and my hubby is a business analyst so we are a little concerned on the work front?

You should be alright - I work vaguely in the area and see a lot of such jobs advertised. A few things I'd recommend:

1) Be prepared to accept short-term contract roles initially. A lot of jobs are advertised as short-term and expand into permanent roles if you're the right fit.

2) Use recruitment agencies. They were invaluable for my partner and I and lead to long-term/permanent roles for both of us.

3) Do some research on CV formats that Aussie (specifically Adelaide) employers expect (recruitment agencies can help here too). I was surprised to find that they expect quite lengthy CVs - a two pager would be considered a no-no here (unless things have changed in the last couple of years).

4) I found it helped to de-UK my CV. After I removed my .co.uk email address and any references to the UK from my CV and cover letter I found the response rate increased significantly. I still kept the content the same but only included company names, not locations (i.e. you would have had to have done some Googling to realise I hadn't been working in Oz for the last 10 years). On my cover letter I simply mentioned I had PR, not that I was a recent immigrant etc. This might be a coincidence but I felt this worked for me.

5) I also found that getting any Aussie-based work experience on my CV and a corresponding reference opened up many more doors as I feel it gives employers the impression you're genuine and are likely to be around for the long haul. Again, might just be coincidence. Worth bearing in mind if a short-term contract comes up which isn't a perfect fit but would do the job of getting something local on your CV.

[Fosh]

Thanks for the response it's so helpful.

I'm a project manager and my hubby is a Business analyst so it would be CBD for us. 

7 minutes....I'm just amazed...this is my dream! The less commute time the better for us, but I also have to think about good schools and daycare. We wouldn't buy for a year so that gives us more than enough time to explore as I know this is important. I'm more concerned we won't get jobs but I'm hoping we can. You have described exactly what we like, village feel, ltitle cafes, parks ect it's all about family life for us, making friends, and being relaxed and happy which means no long commutes. In the UK it takes me 20 mins drive to get to work and I love it. My husband works from home full time and occasionally commutes to some offices which are within an hour away max so we have it so good in the UK. We lived in London a long time and I just don't want to go back to that environment! 

Thank you so so much for all the information it's so helpful. I'm going to start printing everything off and putting it in a folder to start organising myself. 

Thank you it's invaluable. 

[Fosh]

6 minutes ago, llessur said:

You should be alright - I work vaguely in the area and see a lot of such jobs advertised. A few things I'd recommend:

1) Be prepared to accept short-term contract roles initially. A lot of jobs are advertised as short-term and expand into permanent roles if you're the right fit.

2) Use recruitment agencies. They were invaluable for my partner and I and lead to long-term/permanent roles for both of us.

3) Do some research on CV formats that Aussie (specifically Adelaide) employers expect (recruitment agencies can help here too). I was surprised to find that they expect quite lengthy CVs - a two pager would be considered a no-no here (unless things have changed in the last couple of years).

4) I found it helped to de-UK my CV. After I removed my .co.uk email address and any references to the UK from my CV and cover letter I found the response rate increased significantly. I still kept the content the same but only included company names, not locations (i.e. you would have had to have done some Googling to realise I hadn't been working in Oz for the last 10 years). On my cover letter I simply mentioned I had PR, not that I was a recent immigrant etc. This might be a coincidence but I felt this worked for me.

5) I also found that getting any Aussie-based work experience on my CV and a corresponding reference opened up many more doors as I feel it gives employers the impression you're genuine and are likely to be around for the long haul. Again, might just be coincidence. Worth bearing in mind if a short-term contract comes up which isn't a perfect fit but would do the job of getting something local on your CV.

Thank you for this it's so helpful. I will make sure we follow this advice.  I've had my visa since 2012, my hubby is an Australian citizen and both my kids have uk and Australian passports. So it's just me that will struggle haha. Thanks for the tips regarding CVs it's most helpful. Hopefully we will find work within 6 months.

[snifter]

2 hours ago, Fosh said:

Snifter I've read alot of your blogs! They have been so helpful to us. 

I know you moved to the hills because of schools (apologies I sound like a stalker! Haha) do you or your hubby commute to cbd for work? (Just seen the end of your message regarding train links, which train station is it?) I couldn't find a train link from the hills to cbd? And thought it might take an hour by car? I need to be near to my 2 little boys when they are at nursery so I can't have a huge commute distance, especially as we will have no family in Adelaide. 

Do you know where I can find information in regards to transport links in Adelaide? 

Ps how have you found the job situation? We're hoping to get work within 6 months but after reading the blogs I have major concerns, there is a lot of jobs on seek.com.au but is this the reality? My hubby is Australian, but I am from the UK. 

Thanks so much for your help

 

Glad you've found them useful. 

Hubby cycles into work. Takes him about 50 mins going down the hill, an hour, hour 10 coming home, depending on which route, weather etc. We take the train on the Belair line. https://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/routes/BEL From our stop its about 30 mins on the train as I said, and 40 all up with the short drive to the station. 
 

Drop me a PM if you want to chat more Happy to help but don't always have time these days for long posts on the forum and if you want more details I can then rabbit on and off via PM

[NicF]

The eastern suburbs don't have a train line because the furthest suburbs are just 20 minutes drive to the city (less when it's quiet).  It's a bit longer on the bus with the stops but not that much.  I live at the eastern end of Rostrevor (check it on google maps) and usually get to work on Currie Street in the CBD in about half an hour driving half way and catching the bus the rest of the way, leaving at about 7am.  Any of the suburbs closer to the city than us would mean getting there even quicker.  If you were to live in one of the suburbs surrounding the CBD you could potentially walk to work.  As mentioned above the North Eastern suburbs are served by the O-Bahn which is basically a bus on rails but the bus keeps going at the end.

My OH is a business analyst and has only been out of work for a total of about 3 months since we moved here 4 and a half years ago.  He was working on fixed term contracts for a while but now has a permenant job working for a company that is actually based in Melbourne.  There isn't a massive IT scene here, and a lot of what is here is within government departments, but there is work.  Be aware though that not all IT work is in the CBD. My OH's first job was out at Mawson Lakes, he turned down a job in North Adelaide and nearly got one at the airport.  I'm pretty sure the RAA have an IT department out at Mile End or somewhere around there and there are quite a few places on the outskirts of the city.

[llessur]

Another thing to bear in mind is that, unlike the UK, many suburbs are purely residential and have no 'centre' of their own (you might get a chicken shop or something if you're lucky). As such, it's easy to fall into a car-dependent lifestyle if you end up somewhere like this.

 

If you like cafes etc then I reckon it's worth doing some research on what exists in, or close to, a particular area to see what options you have within walking distance (bearing in mind that your idea of walking distance might be reduced significantly when it's 40 degrees outside and you need to lather the family up with sunscreen if you're heading out for longer than 10 minutes).

 

Traffic is generally light compared to the UK, I haven't been involved in anything I'd really class as a traffic jam since I've been here - even the worst peak hour hold ups still move. However, if you don't have to use a car on a daily basis you'll probably appreciate it - like everywhere else in the world traffic will only get worse as time goes on.

 

Other than the hills, Adelaide's really flat and excellent for cycling. There's pretty good (and gradually improving) cycling infrastructure but some areas are better served than others with dedicated bikeways into the CBD. Depending on the route, cycling on the main roads can be a bit hairy as the Adelaide driving style can be somewhat on the aggressive side.

 

There's a good bikeway along the tram line into the CBD from the south. Another great one (the Torrens Linear Park) in from the West and East. There is soon to be a good one in from the north west where we are which will run straight into the parklands surrounding the CBD without needing to touch a road. There are probably others. Being close to one of these will open up other commuting options for you and the hubby.

 

Let us know if you narrow it down to a few areas - someone on here is bound to be familiar with a particular area.

 

 

[llessur]

There are also the suburb guides on here and on the Poms in Oz forum: https://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/40-suburb-guides/

 

 

 

[flossybeth]

I think if you know you want the short commute and are happy to be city based then you're not going to be short of choices but it's definitely worth taking some kind of short term accommodation before choosing from the other side of the world. When we arrived 5 years ago we (3 children then aged 10,9 & 7) took a couple of house sits which gave us almost 3 months practically rent-free, one was north of the city and the other down at Moana. From that we knew we didn't want to be so far out of the city and managed to get a rental in Lockleys. However, 12 months later when we were looking at buying we knew we didn't want to be in the city! (TBF if we could have afforded to buy the size house we needed in the area we probably would have stayed, so like NicF mentioned earlier make sure you can afford to buy before you settle).

We now live all the way down in McLaren Vale and my husband commutes to the CBD; he catches the train from Seaford and with the drive/walk at each end it takes about 1hr10mins. For a couple of years he was driving to just outside of the CBD and that would take 50ish minutes. He works in IT, was offered a job within the first week of us arriving and hasn't been out of work since (he's been in permanent roles).

I'm a Family Day Care Educator (child minder) and can reassure you that you'll find decent care more or less wherever you settle; again it does depend on your preferences - there are all sorts of centres so make sure you have a look at a few and find one that suits you.

[snifter]

Tend to agree with the others. Things like decent childcare can be found in most areas. Some places have waitlists but you can usually find a place when you get looking. Or you have a daycare near to your work and take kids in with you and pick up on the way home, rather than having a daycare close to home IYKWIM. I know a few people do this. 

Suburb wise for your budget, you could go most directions. I don't see the big deal in getting a short term rental for a few weeks to start you off while you check out areas, get familiar with things, get your bearings and so on. I'd rather do that than find I'd rented long term in the wrong area before finding work or anything else. You could be tied into a years lease in an area that doesn't suit and you'd be stuck somewhat. Most people rent short term for a few weeks at least, then find their longer term rental after that. 

The east is good access shorter commute times and bus routes but not sure how far your budget would go there especially if you want a pool. 

Also as has been pointed out, many of the outer lying suburbs are just that, suburbs and not much else outside of the mini mall, chicken shop and local pizza or Chinese or some such. Its not like the UK with pubs and shops dotted around, everything in the suburbs tends to be residential with dedicated business/shop areas set apart. So you don't walk to your local shops (nor are they usually within walking distance for most), you drive. Same with parks, doctors, all those things. Where we live, its a 45 minute each way hilly walk to the nearest main shopping mall for our suburb and the surrounding ones. There is a much smaller one not quite so far away but it only has half a dozen shops to it. So I drive to do my shopping and sometime cycle if its only a few things I need. Or else I swing past places like the butcher on the way home from work. Walking isn't an option. However, for things like parks, reserves, trails and so on we have them all pretty much on our doorstep or a short walk or bike ride away. Local swimming pool (indoor and outdoor) are 15 minutes drive. Beach the same at most. 

Even some of the suburbs closer to the city are a bit like I described above only with perhaps the odd small shop dotted around but mostly the shops are on main streets or intersections. 

I'd look at some short term holiday rentals for when you arrive, some of our members have them and you can see listings on the forum. Might be a good place to start. And then go from there. 

If I were doing it all over again, I'd do more to try to settle in Stirling, Aldgate, Bridgewater or Clarendon as I love all those little towns up in the hills (plus they have good primary schools serving those communities). And they are not that far from the city, half an hour or so for most of them, Clarendon would be longer. I love it up there and had we been able to find a house to buy when we were looking it'd have been wonderful. As it was, nothing came on the market that appealed enough and so we went elsewhere. Very happy with where we ended up but it is on the edge of suburbia and the little town community that makes Stirling etc so lovely isn't here in the same way. Still, we've made friends with all the neighbours, gotten involved with local sports clubs and other things. All good  I love the peace and quiet up here. Noisiest noise are the wild birds. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[snifter]

Just been reading your posts over on PIO and it looks like you are now heading to Melbourne. If that is the case, good luck with the move