lwelsh Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 My husband and I along with our 2 year old son have been living in Canberra for just over a year and are thinking about possibly moving to Adelaide. Although I have settled her very well and would happily live here for many year, my husband isn't quite so settled! He is working in a job he hates (I am a sham), he finds Canberra very small and a little boring, and it is also much colder than we were expecting! We would also love to be closer to the coast! Just wondering if anyone had any words of wisdom of advice? What do those who live in Adelaide feel about it? How easy was it to settle in there? Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumpingjellybean Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 he finds Canberra very small and a little boring, So maybe Bill Bryson was right with his comment.........."Canberra: Why wait for death?" :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumpingjellybean Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 What do those who live in Adelaide feel about it? Never met anyone who dislikes Adelaide - although I think this forum could prove me wrong! :wink: Most people class it as a "large country town" rather than a city. That does not really help you I am sure! Sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 Adelaide was our second choice when we emigrated and I reckon I could have easily settled there had we not liked Perth so much. I've been a few times on work trips and it's not unlike Perth, Perth has a newer, more modern feel to it and some of the beaches are closer to the City. If you want to be near some nice beaches and coast with a warmer climate Adelaide would tick those boxes for sure. I've been to Adelaide and didn't like it one bit. My least favourite City in Aus. Then again I love being near the Coast and love warm sunny weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emu Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Adelaide is a big country town but I'm guessing it has more going on then Canberra. is a slower pace of life and better work life balance is perfect for a family, u can leave in places like Grange, Henley beach, Brighton, Somerton .... Anywhere along the coast is beautiful can be quiet at times, but can't imagine being more quiet then Canberra. Good food and wine country. i moved to Melb and considering moving back, life is more relaxed there and a lot warmer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Adelaide was our second choice when we emigrated and I reckon I could have easily settled there had we not liked Perth so much. I've been a few times on work trips and it's not unlike Perth, Perth has a newer, more modern feel to it and some of the beaches are closer to the City. If you want to be near some nice beaches and coast with a warmer climate Adelaide would tick those boxes for sure. I've been to Adelaide and didn't like it one bit. My least favourite City in Aus. Then again I love being near the Coast and love warm sunny weather. I posted this yesterday and realised I wrote I didn't like Adelaide one bit when I should have written Canberra. Adelaide is a nice City come Town. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Adelaide is a nice town. I wouldn't want to live there forever but I think it would be a good place to bring up small children and it is the 'gateway' if you like to Outback Australia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emu Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Go there on a short break and stay on a self service apartment in one of those suburbs I mentioned and u will get a good idea what day to day life would be like. Even on real estate they advertise some short stay. I reckon if u stay in a suburb instead of a hotel in the CBD u will get an idea of what is it like for the locals and if u like the vibe. Is a very relaxed city. Great for families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwelsh Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 Great idea Emu! Think that's what we'll do. Thanks everyone for your help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwelsh Posted May 29, 2015 Author Share Posted May 29, 2015 I guessed that what you meant! I really love Canberra, and genuinely have no idea why it gets such a bad press, but I suppose it's bot for everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richste Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 Yes we did! Lived in Canberra for nearly a year and decided it just wasn't for us, a bit like your husband found it small & rather boring. Have now lived in Adelaide for 3 years and love it, we live south of Adelaide and just 10mins drive from some fantastic beaches (better than driving 2 hours to Batemans Bay!!), McLaren Vale (10mins away & the Barossa Valley (1 hour) if you enjoy a glass or 2 of wine. Housing is cheaper here than Canberra, obviously you don't get paid as much as you would in Canberra so swings & roundabout's, we rented for a year when we first came here and then bought as we knew this was the right place for us. Adelaide city is great, plenty of shops, restaurants, bars, things to do, yes it is small compared to Sydney & Melbourne but with a population of over 1 million its not that small. We settled here easily and both got jobs within a month of moving here, that was 3 years ago and I know the job situation in Adelaide has changed since then but there are jobs out there. It was a scary thing to do after moving from the UK to Canberra and then a year later moving to Adelaide but so glad we did it, come for a visit first if you can to check out the suburbs and areas. Any questions more than happy to help. Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Mikimoto Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 I guessed that what you meant! I really love Canberra, and genuinely have no idea why it gets such a bad press, but I suppose it's bot for everyone! A lot more going on than Adelaide but local knowledge there is everything as it's mostly hidden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwelsh Posted May 31, 2015 Author Share Posted May 31, 2015 Yes we did! Lived in Canberra for nearly a year and decided it just wasn't for us, a bit like your husband found it small & rather boring. Have now lived in Adelaide for 3 years and love it, we live south of Adelaide and just 10mins drive from some fantastic beaches (better than driving 2 hours to Batemans Bay!!), McLaren Vale (10mins away & the Barossa Valley (1 hour) if you enjoy a glass or 2 of wine. Housing is cheaper here than Canberra, obviously you don't get paid as much as you would in Canberra so swings & roundabout's, we rented for a year when we first came here and then bought as we knew this was the right place for us. Adelaide city is great, plenty of shops, restaurants, bars, things to do, yes it is small compared to Sydney & Melbourne but with a population of over 1 million its not that small. We settled here easily and both got jobs within a month of moving here, that was 3 years ago and I know the job situation in Adelaide has changed since then but there are jobs out there. It was a scary thing to do after moving from the UK to Canberra and then a year later moving to Adelaide but so glad we did it, come for a visit first if you can to check out the suburbs and areas. Any questions more than happy to help. Rich Thanks so much for this Rich! We might be in touch with questions in the next few weeks. I hope you don't regret saying that ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lea211 Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 I guessed that what you meant! I really love Canberra, and genuinely have no idea why it gets such a bad press, but I suppose it's bot for everyone! I am in the process of moving back to Aus permanently having lived in Canberra for a few years previously. I love it, I think it's a great city with little traffic and everything in close proximity. I am moving to country Vic (not my choice) and after visiting Adelaide and liking it a lot, I still would pick Canberra over both. I find that the bad rep often comes from Aussies who have barely been to Canberra!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinkla Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 If Canberra is too small, too cold and too inland, Adelaide may not be the best alternative. It is also small, can get cold and isn't exactly on the beach. Canberra actually has a lot going on associated with being the capital - hence lots of speaker meetings, events, investment, etc. But I guess it is mostly only going to be of interest if you are interested in politics and government type things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Might be worth joining up and posting on the sister site http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum as not that many from Adelaide tend to post on here. I think Adelaide is a great place for a young family. If you find Canberra a bit quiet, don't get sucked into the trend of settling somewhere way down south (great beaches, yes, cheap property, yes, but you miss out on so much by not being within a quick drive or good public transport of the city centre). The more central beach suburbs (Henley, Glenelg, West Beach, Largs, Semaphore) are worth considering if you are fixed on being within five minutes of a beach, but there are some lovely suburbs on the edge of the hills where you can get lots of house for your money, good transport into the city, and be on a beach within 15-20 minutes - have a look at the south eastern suburbs such as Belair and surrounds, Aberfoyle Park etc - or if you don't mind a 30 -40 min drive to the beach, the north eastern and eastern suburbs are fantastic with excellent transport links into the city, huge choice of fantastic schools and lots of parks for walks and family bike rides. The only stumbling block I think would be employment - Adelaide is struggling at the moment, jobs-wise, so it will depend on what line of work your OH is looking for. Head on over to Poms in Adelaide (with the warning that lots of there live way down south and will tell you that a 45min-hour commute is no problem - yeh right, if you don't mind road rage and traffic lights and speed cameras blighting your daily life!) and come for a short break and check it out for yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 ...... Adelaide may not be the best alternative. It is also small, can get cold and isn't exactly on the beach. Adelaide has about 60 km of coastline - most of it beach. I lived there for 6 years and it can get frosty in winter....but nowhere near as cold as Canberra. It was, conversely, the heat in summer which I found much harder to tolerate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane Posted June 8, 2015 Share Posted June 8, 2015 Adelaide has about 60 km of coastline - most of it beach. I lived there for 6 years and it can get frosty in winter....but nowhere near as cold as Canberra. It was, conversely, the heat in summer which I found much harder to tolerate. Definitely agree with this - I've lived here 11 years and thinks we've had snow up in the hills maybe once or twice in that time? And then just a mere smattering - which made all the papers as it was so rare. I love the heat, although a 43 degree day when it is cloudy and windy is a little unsettling - more for the bushfire risk though than anything else. I always say in England when you smell wood smoke you'd think "the neighbours are having a fire" whereas here when you smell woodsmoke, you check to see if the neighbours are ON fire. It's cooler in the hills, both in summer and winter, and in the hills they do get some cold damp misty mornings in the winter. Here's a pic one of our local wineries put up in April this year: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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