new arrivals to Adelaide-info please !!!!!!

[Guest jollyswagman]

Hi there due to late job offer i have just relocated myslef and my family down from qld(only there 1 week !!!)to Adeliade, (been here 3 days!!!)we have been lucky to secure a short term fully furnished rental in angle park but its only for 10-11 weeks ,we have no idea about the adelaide area as we have spent the last 18months researching brissie area so dont really know anything about anything down here,we have also bought a car yesterday but dont know how/wheres best to get insured ,its all the little things ,so cmon guys sell me your suburb ,your internet provider,car insurer etc i need to know it all , we are a very outgoing family of 4 girl 6 and boy 11 but just need a bit of a steer in the right direction especially with suburbs as there is so much choice ,my job doesnt start till the 18th may so i only have this week to help the missus out with it all and i think she is starting to panic ,so if its advice on offer or chance of a meetup then its all welcome and would be very much appreciated by these 4 3day old adeladians(?),thx for looking and have a good weekend whatever you are upto,cheers swagman

[Guest ems]

Hi Guys.

Welcome to Adelaide. It must be difficult having spent so long researching Brissie. You will get lots of advice from this site.

Where do you work and do you want to work close to home? Also what sort of location would you like to live in ie hills, beach etc?

You will find in Adelaide you are not that far from many things. I live in Reynella which you can get to the beach in about 10 Min's and the city in 30-50 Min's (depends on traffic). My daughter attends Reynella south primary school which she loves but there are a few schools around so best thing is to have a look at them all.

Unfortunately i haven't got any car ins yet so can't help with that but my Internet provider is optus. I pay i think $99 a month and get unlimited calls to land line and mobile phones in Oz and 2GB for my Internet.

Good luck with everything and if i can help with anything please PM me.

[Guest jollyswagman]

Hi there thx for the reply sorry if i have been a bit vague with details ,my work hq is central city but i will be mainly out on construction sites all over adeliade(within 30km of gpo apparently)as for suburb we will have a car each so public transport isnt that much of an issue ,we would have liked to have been close to a beach but also want something with a family feel,good school and good access to shops and things to do (sound like utopia ?)rental budget isnt an issue for the right place was looking to spend around $350 a week but could stretch to

450-500 for the right place,hope this is a littlel more informative,thx swagman

[Guest Jo&Phil]

You'll get lots of different - and conflicting advice - but here goes ...........

If you like the idea of proximity to beach but still need to get in/out of the city without undue hassle I would try: Somerton Park, Seacombe Gdns, Brighton, Flagstaff Hill, Blackwood, Glenelg or anything in the vicinity of those suburbs.

All should tick beach/access/nice environment/school boxes. Rental can be trickier but your budget doesn't seem unreasonable.

Construction 30kms radius of CBD might include northern suburbs so you might the one doing most of the driving.

The Advertiser is the local paper - rentals today and Wednesday or www.realestate.com.au

Good luck with finding something you like and ....... welcome to Adelaide

[Guest soggy]

Hi,

welcom to Adelaide,

 

have a look at www.adelaidebound.com it give lots of useful info about the Adelaide area.

 

Simon

[Guest sandar1]

Take a look also at Seaview Downs some great houses there to rent at the price that you are looking at should not be an issue. A lot of the houses in this area especially those at the top of the hill overlooking the ocean were built by builders for themselves and you can get some amazing properties up there. Close to Marion Shopping Center quick drive into the city (avoid South Road however during the peak) go other ways. close to the ocean, close to the hills Flinders Medical Center, good schools.

 

If you guys are up to it Kevin and I catch up with different people both expats and locals on a Tuesday night at the Rob Roy Hotel in Halifax in the city at around 7.00pm have met some great people, and its half price pizza night. Let us know if you do decide to come so that we can tell you what we look like. Other than that I am planning a bar b q at my shop in the backyard towards the end of the month or just into next month to try to get people together also.

 

All the best in your new life here, it will be different to Brissie for sure (especially the damn cold weather at the moment) but I am sure you will like Adelaide I have met few people who have moved here who haven't, with most who have decided not to stay it has been because of homesickness and the job situation.

 

Hope to meet you all.

 

Sandra

[Tamara (Homes Down Under)]

Welcome to Adelaide!

 

The RAA has competitive insurance rates. We usually go into the one on Main South road in Morphett Vale. You can walk in and walk out insured.

 

There are some really great areas down south...but I am biased!

[HEAPS GOOD !!!]

Hi there due to late job offer i have just relocated myslef and my family down from qld(only there 1 week !!!)to Adeliade, (been here 3 days!!!)we have been lucky to secure a short term fully furnished rental in angle park but its only for 10-11 weeks ,we have no idea about the adelaide area as we have spent the last 18months researching brissie area so dont really know anything about anything down here,we have also bought a car yesterday but dont know how/wheres best to get insured ,its all the little things ,so cmon guys sell me your suburb ,your internet provider,car insurer etc i need to know it all , we are a very outgoing family of 4 girl 6 and boy 11 but just need a bit of a steer in the right direction especially with suburbs as there is so much choice ,my job doesnt start till the 18th may so i only have this week to help the missus out with it all and i think she is starting to panic ,so if its advice on offer or chance of a meetup then its all welcome and would be very much appreciated by these 4 3day old adeladians(?),thx for looking and have a good weekend whatever you are upto,cheers swagman

 

What you wanna do mate is make yourself a list of what matters to yourselves, and the priority of which you want them then do a bit of research as to which suburbs suit you most.

 

Only yourselves can decide on where to live.

 

Were in Seaford down the south got two littlies 11 and 5 and two biggies 17 and 16, it ticks all of our boxes with schools, work, mulitple beaches, transport etc etc all have been good to us and have no complaints where we live.

 

Car insurance SGIC - good, internet provider ADAM internet ADSL2 - awesome,

 

We are hopefuly going to start building our own place in the next few months, a bit further south down at Alginga Beach...

 

PM me if you wanna know anymore.

 

HG

[Guest jollyswagman]

Hi Sandra, Thanks for your reply, the pizza night sounds like agood idea! Do you take the kids? we would have to bring ours as we don't know anyone to babysit.........

We would really appreciate the chance of a meet up and to get to know some people, the people we have met so far have been very accomodating and really friendly!

We move house tomorrow but as we don't have a lot of possesions we may be able to make this Tuesday, if not definatly next week!

Debbie

[Guest sandar1]

Hey glad you can come, if you make it this week that would be great, if not we will see you next week, just give me a prompt that you are going to be there so I can look out for you. Yes kids are welcome, there aren't many that go there but from time to time there are kids at the pub, it is difficult isn't it trying to get sitters. Not sure who will be there, I know this week confirmed are four ozzie friends so far. My name is Sandra and my partner's name is Kevin I will be wearing something red, and I look italian. If you ask the bar staff David or Chanelle they will know who we are.

 

Sandra

[Guest Rob and Clare]

I agree with the principle that only you can decide what is a good area and suitable for your family, however if you could be driving to the North or south each day and unless you love driving then try to live as centrally as you can, these areas are more expensive but could save you so much time in travelling. From Gawler to the North down to Aldinga in the south is only 80k but will easily take 2 or more hours during peak times and not much less off peak. In Alelaide we don't have anyroads that can get you round the city quickly and easily, as such any lengthy drive will encompass endless traffic lights. I drive 40km to work and I pass through 36 sets of lights and 2 level crossings, and these are the main roads. And living nearer the city will give you so much more to do with everything based in the city or very near, Football, AFL, Cricket, festivals, there is always something happening in the city.

 

We're in Mawson Lakes, a very modern development with everything within easy reach, we're 10 mins from the city by train and less than 15 mins to semaphore beach, but with your budget, work and requirements then Grange, Henley Beach, West Lakes may be better placed.

 

Our home insurance is with AAMI, they offered the best package for specifics we wanted insured, but there are cheaper ones, our cars are now covered by ANZ, but like the UK, shop around, they seem to take in turn for the offers to win business.

 

Our internet is with Telstra, I know that these are typically the most expensive, but we have our foxtel, mobiles, home phone and broadband with them, and with the complete business I have negotiated preferential rates that other providers can't get close too. A friend of mine in the industry tells me Internode and TPG are ones to go with these days though, but i cannot recommend them personally.

[andy and lindsey]

Hi there would second SGIC for the car insurance - they came out the cheapest and had an accident recently, car fixedm no complaints! Welcome to Adelaide guys

[jo_marnes]

Hiya, wow what a mad time you must be having! We have been here 8 weeks. We have just recently moved from Port Adelaide to Brighton. Brighton is lovely, near to trains, close to beach, close to primary and secondary schools and close to Marion Shopping Centre (shops, cinema, supermarkets, restaurants etc). The houses here are a bit more expensive than other places but we aren't earning a fortune and we manage ok. We have 3 boys - ages 5, 2 and 1. We have a big enough garden for them to play in.

 

Our energy supplier is TRUenergy - reccommended via this website. Our phone/ broadband is a nightmare as we have found it hard to get anyone but Telstra to supply our house (lack of ports available or something?!) and Telstra are expensive so avoid if you can. Have heard good things about Adam internet and AAPT. Also Internode. Currently we have a 3 mobile dongle for our broadband - costs $39 for 5GB I think. Easy to check out though - just go to any shop that sells them. You do have to buy the adaptor thing though which is about $120 if I remember rightly.

 

Medicare - centres in Marion and West Lakes shopping centres as well as in the city for you to join up.

 

Service SA - find out where your nearest one is. This is where you apply for a driving license and pay rego etc on your car. If you are looking for a car, check out Main North Rd for second hand dealers - loads of them there.

 

Metro Tickets - cover trams, trains and buses. One single trip ticket covers a period of 2 hours travel on any of the services. Peak time - $4.60, Off Peak - $2.40 (roughly). Pay ON the tram, but train tickets need to be bought beforehand at a newsagent. Most stations don't have ticket machines (except the city). You can buy multitrip tickets (10 trips) for good prices - about $27 for a peak one and $16 for an off peak one.

 

Furniture etc - Check out LeCornu (Anzac Highway) and there are some great second hand places - Southern Secondhand (Lonsdale) and Adelaide Furniture and Electrical (Port Road, city end). I discovered a place called In Furniture in Lonsdale too - make new furntiture to your spec - great prices for solid timber furniture. Gumtree.com.au and Ebay are also good places to get bits.

 

Bunnings is like B&Q - great for all those extension leads, gardening bits, tools etc.

 

KMart and Target - cheap school uniform if you can find the right size!

 

There is also Radio Rentals clearance centre on South Rd - we bought a cheap TV there to start off with.

 

I can't believe we have been here 8 weeks - it just flies by. Congrats on the job and the move - if you need a hand just give us a yell,

 

Jo xxx

[Rachiegarlo]

You've only been here 8 weeks but look at how much you've learned about the place Jo.

[Diane]

I agree with the principle that only you can decide what is a good area and suitable for your family, however if you could be driving to the North or south each day and unless you love driving then try to live as centrally as you can, these areas are more expensive but could save you so much time in travelling. From Gawler to the North down to Aldinga in the south is only 80k but will easily take 2 or more hours during peak times and not much less off peak. In Alelaide we don't have anyroads that can get you round the city quickly and easily, as such any lengthy drive will encompass endless traffic lights. I drive 40km to work and I pass through 36 sets of lights and 2 level crossings, and these are the main roads. And living nearer the city will give you so much more to do with everything based in the city or very near, Football, AFL, Cricket, festivals, there is always something happening in the city.

 

We're in Mawson Lakes, a very modern development with everything within easy reach, we're 10 mins from the city by train and less than 15 mins to semaphore beach, but with your budget, work and requirements then Grange, Henley Beach, West Lakes may be better placed.

 

Our home insurance is with AAMI, they offered the best package for specifics we wanted insured, but there are cheaper ones, our cars are now covered by ANZ, but like the UK, shop around, they seem to take in turn for the offers to win business.

 

Our internet is with Telstra, I know that these are typically the most expensive, but we have our foxtel, mobiles, home phone and broadband with them, and with the complete business I have negotiated preferential rates that other providers can't get close too. A friend of mine in the industry tells me Internode and TPG are ones to go with these days though, but i cannot recommend them personally.

 

Hear hear! I second everything said in the above post! we use AAMI too ( you get better rates if you are prepared to have a larger excess so worth asking) and Telstra for the phone and Foxtel, although ADAM for internet.

 

Don't condemn yourself to hours sitting in a car waiting for countless sets of lights to change if you don't have to! If you'll be working all over, then find somewhere as central as possible to live, I'd say no further than 15 minutes drive from the centre in any direction, which still leaves you plenty of options!

[Guest Rob and Clare]

Great Minds think alike....

[HEAPS GOOD !!!]

Bunnings is like B&Q - great for all those extension leads, gardening bits, tools etc.

 

 

Jo xxx

 

Woohoo.....what i like to see.....

 

HG