winter in adelaide

My friend lives in Adelaide and complains about the cold in winter but to me over here it sounds warm - is it really so cold in winter there or has she just got used to the heat and it seems cold?

weighing up places to live and i like the sound of adelaide and do like the fact that unlike some places it does seem to have seasons but is it FREEZING in winter?! Also how unbearable is the height of summer - is it TOOOOO HOT?

i know everyone is different and comfort for one may not be for another but still interested in other opinions

Is it cold - yes - biggest problem is the houses are not insulated and often only have a small wall heater in one room. So even though the temps are maybe not as low as you get in the UK you really feel the cold as you cant warm the house. Stayed in one place in Adelaide that despite piling duvets blankets and looking like the Michelin man to go to bed I still couldnt get warm. Obviously if you live in the hills it is cooler than down nearer to the beach. The heat can be horrific - temps in excess of 40 degrees - you may get a week or two of that or a day or two depending on the year. The very problem then that makes the house so cold in winter kicks in for summer and then the house is too hot as the sun bakes down and warms everything up. So if you like Adelaide then go for it but realise that the temps do the up and down and work around it - stay inside if hot etc - dont let the weather put you off it is a lovely city.

Yes it gets hot and cold. Today is over 40c.

Winter is depends on where you live to how bad it is. The hills get frosts and icy cars. There was even snow last winter.

The houses do tend to be shocking. My last house had no double glazing (no houses do here) and one heater for the whole house. My new house has ducted electric heating. I've not tried it out yet, but I don't have high hopes.

It's actually nice to have different seasons I think.

You acclimatise I reckon. So yes, 15C here is going to feels colder than 15C in the UK. Agree about the housing but this is all over as I understand it, not exclusive to Adelaide. Find a decent rental with some form of heating or buy and install something or that already has.

So far this summer hasn't been bad. I've coped really well and am liking temps up to the low to mid 30's but the heat wave of the past couple of days where it's 40C plus it isn't nice outside. So doing indoors stuff or hitting the pool and using the air con a bit. Also getting out with kids in the early part of the day works well. It's a drier heat here compared to the humidity of elsewhere. I don't like humidity so being here works well for me.

As for too hot Adelaide, it's generally hot pretty much all over Aus in summer. Melbourne has had some baking days alongside other places. Melbourne is the other side of 40C today for example.

I reckon you cope and adapt. It's a lovely city and the extreme hotter days don't outweigh the more palatable not so hot IMHO.

The difference between the UK and OZ is not the outside weather, it's the inside temperature of houses. Even new builds normally come with a single split air conditioning/heating system in the living area. The rest of the house will then reflect the outside temperature(+ or -) depending on the time of year, so can feel like it's freezing in winter and hot in summer. In winter leather shoes/ goods can get a white fur on them and clothes tend to get damp(from the lack of heat). There is absolutely no reason not to have well insulated temperature controlled houses in OZ. However very high land values and expensive labour rates allow for cheap structures/materials in building. That's not a complaint, just the way it is.

I agree that the main problem in winter is the temperature inside the houses. Sounds daft, but outside often feels pleasant with a fair bit of warmth in the sun but inside feels cold. The evenings really get me and I end up sitting on the sofa with a big, thick dressing gown over my clothes to keep warm. We have reverse cycle ducted heating throughout our rental house which is okay but once you turn it off the house gets very cold very quickly. People here are beginning to see the benefit of insulation and lots of people I know have been retrofitting insulation in their houses and new builds have to meet a five star energy requirement which means they have to have a certain minimum of insulation. We have just built our own house and have upgraded the insulation and put in UPVc double glazing - it was the first time our builder had used UPVc double glazing as they usually install aluminium double glazing. We've put in reverse cycle air conditioning, mainly because we could get the builders to do it, but we have also put gas points in the family room and living room so we can install gas fires at a later date. We move in on Thursday so I have no idea how well the house will perform in winter but I do know that when it was about 35C outside when we were there on Wednesday it was much cooler in the house even without curtains or aircon on so I'm hopeful for winter.

Your average rental house will feel cold in winter but I really wouldn't let it put you off. And it doesn't get to 40C for long that often either.

Cold is relative 15c is to me still warm even here, we only ever need heat perhaps 3 days and our place is not very well insulated. I see people in bloody woolen overcoats when its 10c they clearly have very thin bloody for me its gotta be about 5c to even put trousers on im in shorts as often as I can if you go to the beach the air is cool but then winds are coming off the Southern Ocean a warm sweater is all I need but I love the cold Pacific NW or blustery old blighty was rarely cold to me and that's probably due to experiences in Chicago, Denver etc....its relative Winters and I add April to October here are the best anywhere on the planet and goes in my top three reasons to even be here, with cleanliness and safety. Others may find it colder but again thats relative and my OH from Melbourne thinks its warm compared to their so if any of that helps all the best good luck.

Meh you lot need to suck it up

cold yes freezing no hot yes unbearable maybe a few days a year

I use the reverse cycle heating or cooling maybe 1 week of the year the rest of the time you dont need it.

All depends on the house and if it was built correctly. Even this house needed to have the insulation rolled out in the roof space after inspection as all the trade had done was just chuck the rolls up in the loft and left them there.

I love the winter here.

I remember last winter we went to Victor when it was sunny and about 20 degrees - just beautiful.

It's the nights though that are cold - and blossom is right; there (often) isn't double glazing or Central heating - but when you get your own place that's an easy fix right? We survived on fan heaters and electric radiators and they're just fine and comfortable.

Our first place had no heaters in the bathroom though and getting out of the shower when it was freezing wasn't nice!!

Generally though, Winter is pretty - the grass goes green, the sun still shines (like maybe 50% of the time) and it's really nice and varied.

Thanks everyone it really helps. So hard to decide where to settle - everywhere is sooooo different!

weighing up places to live and i like the sound of adelaide and do like the fact that unlike some places it does seem to have seasons but is it FREEZING in winter?! Also how unbearable is the height of summer - is it TOOOOO HOT?

 

As others have said, the main problem is indoors not outdoors - old houses aren't properly insulated. However once you get your own place you can fix that easily (or buy a new build). Having said that, I lived in a similar climate in country Victoria and I didn't find the cold that much of an issue. But then I grew up in Scotland, used to getting up in the morning to frost on the inside of the windows!

The heat in Adelaide is dry, which means it's more bearable than the heat in the Eastern States. I'm far more comfortable walking down Rundle Mall (in Adelaide) in 40 degrees, than walking down the mall in Sydney or Brisbane in 30 degrees. The humidity in Sydney or Brisbane means that at 30 deg, sweat doesn't evaporate, so your body can't shed heat, and your clothes will be sticking to you. In Adelaide at 40 deg, the dry heat means that sweat evaporates, which helps your body shed heat, and your clothes stay dry.

You will acclimatise. I live in Sydney and the first two years, I didn't have a heater of any kind in my house. The third year I did, but rarely used it. After 30 years, I'm turning on my heater on winter evenings all the time! These days when I go back to visit family in Scotland, I'm wearing a jumper in July.

Before we moved I had looked at average temperatures throughout the year and thought that it was nonsense that winters could ever seem 'cold' in Adelaide. To confirm my thoughts, I remember the first week we arrived in July 2012 and took a tram into the city to sort out bank accounts. It was a glorious 16-17 degree day and I was amazed that whilst I was walking through the CBD in my shorts, T-shirt and sunnies people were walking past me in duffle coats, scarves and beanies. I thought they were mad and that I'd never be like that.

One year later, and after a lovely four month summer which for the most of it stayed between 27 and 40 degrees, I became one of those people who donned a big coat and a hat on a 16 degree day.

It's all relative. You acclimatise and the colder days will feel cold. But, every time I feel like having a moan about it I remember walking to work in winter back home, day after day of loathing the icy wind freezing my ears to the point of genuine pain, not being able to feel my feet from the midpoint to my toes, trying to hold an umbrella up in the wind whilst the ice cold rain drove in sideways soaking my trousers (or at least that was the story I told them when I got to work - boom boom! :wink:) and I remember it's really not that bad.

Yes it feels cooler in winter than it does in summer, yes it can be a bit chilly at night. But no, it doesn't hurt. And it doesn't stop you from leaving the house. It's worth it for the summer. And the spring. And the autumn.

All good advice.

South Australia can be the land of extremes weatherwise.

We like the fact that there are 4 distinct seasons here and in the the main a lack of humidity ( living in Cairns permanently would kill me).

As the houses have large non - doubleglazed windows ,no central heating and little to retain any heat it means you never warm up.

At our old place we had a big old slow combustion log burner - cosy as anything. Kept me warm just splitting logs!!!

Here in the new place we have installed a gas fire with a fair old output. Love it!! Cheap to run too!!

After 13 years here it is starting to become the norm!!

When visiting the UK I become claustrophobic due to all the sealed in houses,I open as many windows as possible.

Winter here at least is a lot sunnier with not too many low cloud / oppressive days at all.

You can get sunburn here in Winter, you can spend a LOT more time outside in Winter.

I'll post up some pics when I've a minute.

you can spend a LOT more time outside in Winter.

 

That's the real bonus for me. You don't get those weeks on end where you feel trapped in the house every evening after work and all weekend because it's just too miserable outside to contemplate leaving it.

You very rarely get even a day like that here - even when it's bucketing down you normally just have to brew a cup of tea, wait half an hour for it to stop and, if you're really picky, wait another 10 minutes for the sun to dry everything off again outside. You can then step out of the front door without evening realising that it had rained at all.

Of course, you do get the odd few days when it does rain continuously for a few hours - especially if you live up in the hills, but they really are few and far between. Most of the time it's very stop-start stuff which you can easily dodge.

To be honest, I wouldn't be worrying about the winter - it's the (albeit fairly infrequent) summer heatwaves that can get annoying. Anything between 25 and 35 degrees is lovely - which luckily is most of the summer (and a fair bit of Autumn/Spring too) but the occasions where it tops 40 for 4 or 5 days in a row can get a bit uncomfortable. But that's true of anywhere in Oz - as Tyke says, at least we don't have the humidity to worry about down here.

We have AC in one room and ceiling fans in the bedrooms and do just fine. The house heats up a bit, we have a few sticky nights and lose a few plants in the garden - but you only have to put up with it for a few days and you're back to the sweet summer again :biggrin:

All good advice.

 

South Australia can be the land of extremes weatherwise.

We like the fact that there are 4 distinct seasons here and in the the main a lack of humidity ( living in Cairns permanently would kill me).

 

As the houses have large non - doubleglazed windows ,no central heating and little to retain any heat it means you never warm up.

 

At our old place we had a big old slow combustion log burner - cosy as anything. Kept me warm just splitting logs!!!

 

Here in the new place we have installed a gas fire with a fair old output. Love it!! Cheap to run too!!

 

After 13 years here it is starting to become the norm!!

 

When visiting the UK I become claustrophobic due to all the sealed in houses,I open as many windows as possible.

 

 

Winter here at least is a lot sunnier with not too many low cloud / oppressive days at all.

You can get sunburn here in Winter, you can spend a LOT more time outside in Winter.

 

I'll post up some pics when I've a minute.

Have to agree for the most part not sure about 4 seasons definitely 3 and the worst is now and while the heat is bad and you mention double glazing given that to me thats a minimum I would want that with a higher iron content to block the damned glare and heat....get through March and its 8 months of bliss weather wise could use a few more cloudy days just to give the eyes a break.

Having skied in Colorado at altitude and the glare off the snow is horrendous I thought I was prepared for this, but have to SA wins....there are days I want mirrored Arctic lenses in fact I think Vaurnet still makes them that for me and temps are drawback but versus cold damp December and January in UK where one gets completely melancholy SA wins that. Neither of us ever get cold here but we are not from here and now landlord installed new AC he didn't like fact I threatened a lawsuit since old one didn't work - there are times when SA is so behind it was only rated to 35c and had automatic cut off how on earth does that work really who installed that. Our only costs are summer so to me insulating against heat tiled floors and foil backed attic/roof insulation only way to go.

Winter outside and long stroll along the beach blustery day gotta love that....now for a new Fish and Chip shop in Glenelg and happy as Larry - has anyone seen Larry.

Thanks everyone it really helps. So hard to decide where to settle - everywhere is sooooo different!

A) It isn't hard to decide, you go where you can get a job, end of!

B) Why do poms think they are going to stay in the place they land? It's an alien concept to Aussies who are a very mobile workforce and move from state to state.

Thanks everyone this really helps ;-)

A) It isn't hard to decide, you go where you can get a job, end of!

What he/she said! ^^

What he/she said! ^^

Hark! I hear an echo..................................:err::err::laugh:

ok decision is made. we are heading to adelaide in the summer (our summer) and looking for work. Anyone recommend a nice suburb with a good primary? we would like to be nearish to beaches and maybe near to the hills (not too close to bushfire risk though!). The most important thing for us is the primary school for our sons so we want the 'best' area we can find really. Any thoughts?

ok decision is made. we are heading to adelaide in the summer (our summer) and looking for work. Anyone recommend a nice suburb with a good primary? we would like to be nearish to beaches and maybe near to the hills (not too close to bushfire risk though!). The most important thing for us is the primary school for our sons so we want the 'best' area we can find really. Any thoughts?

If you want to be in reach of hills and beach, then look towards areas like Hallet Cove on the coast and then inland a bit to Happy Valley, Aberfoyle Park and places round there. You can also look further down south along the coast and there are inland options there but not sure of suburbs or schools round there.

We ruled out Hallet Cove as we don't wish to be so close to the coast (plus the beach there isn't really one of the best beaches in terms of swimming and sand etc). We prefer inland a bit as I like the hills, views out over a bit and so on. I'm off to view a couple of schools today in and around suburbs near Aberfoyle Park and have good feedback on a couple of state ones and one private.

I also like Coromandel Valley but it isn't for everyone. Good primary there though.

Saying that I went to view a house in Eden Hills today, right on the edge of a reserve and stunning hillside views. In an area for a decent school to.

Thanks snifter I will have a search in those areas. Do you know what flagstaff hill is like?

ok decision is made. we are heading to adelaide in the summer (our summer) and looking for work. Anyone recommend a nice suburb with a good primary? we would like to be nearish to beaches and maybe near to the hills (not too close to bushfire risk though!). The most important thing for us is the primary school for our sons so we want the 'best' area we can find really. Any thoughts?

Check out myschool.edu.au for details on schools in the areas you are considering. You can access the Naplan results (but like SATs) for each school from here but there are no league tables. What you tend to find are the schools with the best Naplan results are in the most affluent areas and the results may be a reflection on the kids that go to the school rather than the teaching in the school. What the tables of results do show ( or at least used to) is how the school compares with other schools in similar socio economic areas so you can see if the school compares well with schools with a comparable intake of kids. Also take a look at the websites of the schools themselves - I found you can get quite a feel for what a school might be like from them. Try and find the context statement for the schools - this will give you a lot of information about the size of the school, the mix of kids at the school and how they are set up and run. There is no equivalent of Ofstead here but the context statement contain a lot of the info an Oftead report contains, except no ratings of the school.

If you want to be within easy reach of the beach and the hills you could consider somewhere like Unley (expensive but very nice) or Colonel Light Gardens. Budget and work location may have a bearing on where will be best though.

 

Saying that I went to view a house in Eden Hills today, right on the edge of a reserve and stunning hillside views. In an area for a decent school to.

We had a drive round Eden Hills when considering where to live. Lovely suburb but way too hilly for me. I like where I am now which is right next to a big hill but still relatively flat.

We had a drive round Eden Hills when considering where to live. Lovely suburb but way too hilly for me. I like where I am now which is right next to a big hill but still relatively flat.

Its very hilly! The house I went to look at was right at the end of a cul de sac and the 'back yard' was pretty much open into the reserve. Lovely but the fence at the edge was flimsy and there was a 20ft cliff drop the other side of it No thank you. And the house was way too much work to want to take on.

I like Coromandel Valley a lot but it really depends on the property ultimately. Hawthorndene is appealing also.