What's Adelaide like for a newley arrived family??

We are currently going through the visa process and hope to move down under some time this year.

We are a family of four, with one Girl (11 in August ) and a boy (7 in April). I am a beauty therapist and my hubby is a carpenter, we have both been self employed for many years in the UK but would probably like to be employed in Oz.

Before we had the children we spent a year in Oz, we spent most of this time in Sydney which we loved. However, this time we are looking for a more family friendly area. We have heard excellent reports on Melbourne

but we are also very interested in Adelaide so would love your comments. Can anyone point us in the right direction so that we can do a bit of research at this end. Where's a family friendly place to live with good schools? Where are the best beaches, parks, leisure centres etc, how's the jobs market?

Thanks :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

Jenni

1, http://www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum/forum.php

2, Adelaide is a nice place having been twice and it being our preferred city however jobs might be a little tight.

3, There has historically always been talk of more investment into Adelaide and the promise of mining however this has been frozen at the moment. There is a new hospital being built and other large infrastructure projects but these are well advanced.

4, Adelaide has a great balance of beach, city and wildlife all within close reach. It is a big city and there is a little less going on however it is very family friendly.

5, Most Poms seen to head south with Hallet Cove etc being popular. City suburbs are expensive with parts having a really nice café style culture

6, Adelaide is the city of churches and as a consequence apparently has some of Australia's best church schools. Brighton apparently has some very good schools and is near the beach too.

Best of luck with it all, great city, nice climate and yes it does have that small city/town feel which some people like others hate.

S

In a months time we will be in South Australia with our caravan looking at housing. I will basically be retiring. 20-45 minute fron the city in the South West looks te best but I notice some nice areas coming up in the north west 2-35 minutes from the city. Does anyone have any opinion of these areas. Parafield Gardens is an example of a North/west development. the particular property looks marvellous. If anyone has any knowledge of these areas I would appreciate their comments

.

In a months time we will be in South Australia with our caravan looking at housing. I will basically be retiring. 20-45 minute fron the city in the South West looks te best but I notice some nice areas coming up in the north west 2-35 minutes from the city. Does anyone have any opinion of these areas. Parafield Gardens is an example of a North/west development. the particular property looks marvellous. If anyone has any knowledge of these areas I would appreciate their comments

.

I would ask on the Adelaide forum as there are people who live in that area who can answer better than myself http://www.pomsinadelaide.com

Boring as bat shite. Their no #1 export is people!

Boring as bat shite. Their no #1 export is people!

Bit rude Coventry!!

Adelaide and South Australia are not for everyone but it does appeal to young families as it's a great place to bring kids up.

Singles and youngsters wanting constant nightlife may struggle - but do your homework.

Lived in Southern Adelaide for 13 years and found it much more eventful and pleasant than my "old" life:cute:

I lived in Adelaide and found it beautiful. Parafield Gardens was quite nice, but I think Golden Grove and Greenwith are slightly better areas.

All these areas are within about a 40 minute drive of some great locations, such as the Adelaide Hills, Semaphore and Henley Beach, Adelaide City, the Barossa Valley. It really depends on what sort of life style you are looking for and what you can afford. Mawson Lakes was an amazing development when I lived in Adelaide with million dollar houses but it was a bit too modern and new for me and I preferred something more established (but still modern). If I could have afforded anywhere I think I would have bought a mansion on West Lakes!

Adelaide is one of Australia's most affordable cities when it comes to housing and families. Private school fees are still much less than the equivalent in Sydney and Melbourne and it is still one of the safest cities to live in. Work for carpenters is plentiful at the moment with several major constructions either having started or about to start. We are an international recruitment company with our head office in Adelaide and have several links into the construction industry and would be happy to help your husband find a job. Send me a private message and I will send you my email address.

Jan Simmons

State Manager

Southern Cross Personnel

We enjoyed it when we had a reccie there, stayed for a month and can honestly say I'd be happy for my kids to grow up there....yes quiet, slow paced...but I don't like rush rush xx

I spent my teens & early twenties there (in the southern suburbs) and I never really liked it. One of my brothers still lives there, but the other one moved as soon as he could! My parents love it though. For me it's nothing major wrong with Adelaide, I guess I never understood the 'big city, small town' mentality.

There's loads for young families and the 30+. Teens and young adults, not so much. The live music scene was good back in the 90s though. I must admit, when I first heard 'radelaide' I thought it was ironic!

Yipeeeee :biggrin: Just been invited to lodge for a 189 visa. My partner is a carpenter with 60 points and only had to go 3 rounds! I just wanted to let other people know you can get through on low points - hold in there. I'm hoping someone can answer a couple of questions for me please. Can we do police checks and medicals before we get allocated a co? Also we are not sure if to move to Adelaide or Melbourne? Which place has the most work for a beauty therapist and a carpenter/site Forman? Thanks x

Yipeeeee :biggrin: Just been invited to lodge for a 189 visa. My partner is a carpenter with 60 points and only had to go 3 rounds! I just wanted to let other people know you can get through on low points - hold in there. I'm hoping someone can answer a couple of questions for me please. Can we do police checks and medicals before we get allocated a co? Also we are not sure if to move to Adelaide or Melbourne? Which place has the most work for a beauty therapist and a carpenter/site Forman? Thanks x

Hi congratulations on reaching this stage

Yes you can do police check and medical before co - we did and this May speed things up.

I'm in Adelaide but I'm not sure about your jobs sorry - poms in Adelaide may have some people who know though if you ask there!

Congrats again and hope the next stage is speedy for you

Just remember, 12 month count down for validating your visa starts as soon as your medical checks are undertaken and not from the visa grant date. Personally this meant our visa had to be validated by November rather than January when the visa was granted

S

Oh yes good point!

Yipeeeee :biggrin: Just been invited to lodge for a 189 visa. My partner is a carpenter with 60 points and only had to go 3 rounds! I just wanted to let other people know you can get through on low points - hold in there. I'm hoping someone can answer a couple of questions for me please. Can we do police checks and medicals before we get allocated a co? Also we are not sure if to move to Adelaide or Melbourne? Which place has the most work for a beauty therapist and a carpenter/site Forman? Thanks x

Great news congratulations

Thanks srg73, had forgotten that, we've just had our medicals and are now waiting for our police checks. So if our visa is approved we have to be out there this time next year scary!

Colleen

Adelaide has a fantastic climate, can get too hot during those heat waves though! It is certainly different to Melbourne, completely different feel to the place.

We live in Adelaide, the southern suburbs (20 minutes drive from the CBD) and enjoy the quiet slower pace here, there is plenty to do, people are friendly but finding employment a couple of years ago was difficult as we have found it a place that employs the "its not what you know but who you know" rule (very clique).

We visit friends in Melbourne a couple of times each year and love the hustle and bustle that Melbourne offers, it has a vibrant feel and the city centre with its pavement and back street cafes make it very appealing. However if your living in the suburbs I imagine its pretty much the same as anywhere else although it will be a lot more expensive than Adelaide, roads are busier and most likely your commute will be longer too.

You need to ask yourself what you want, we would not move to Melbourne from Adelaide as we feel we can have the best of both, just over an hour away on a flight and you can usually pick up a bargain, but having said that I think we would be very happy if we did live in Melbourne. (Would we visit Adelaide if we lived in Melbourne...probably not)

Adelaide is a great place to live. ( I don't refer to it as a city). It's clean, everything is accessible. It is progressive with less cronyism than other state capitals. So many pleasant suburbs to walk/ ride/ drive around. Easy to find your way around. A lot of open spaces with a brilliant and bright climate (usually). Plenty of nice beaches, access to the outback and vineyards, festivals and arts, with a lot of it's heritage maintained and on show and a particularly British feel. A very easy and relaxed atmosphere, a great airport, and with all the highlights of a city. Some people call that boring! I've lived in many places and this is the place for me. I live in the north eastern suburbs. But you can make a crack at it in many of Adelaide's cosy suburbs. Good luck and welcome!

Adelaide is often much maligned by the bigger cities of Melbourne and Sydney, but we mustn't forget that it has a population of almost 1.3 million which in UK terms, is pretty big. Unlike UK cities it is spread over a much bigger area, and this tends to make it feel less dynamic. The Airport at West Beach is pretty much in the suburbs just a few minutes drive from the CBD, so unless you live in the extreme northern and southern suburbs, it is well placed. From there family friendly beaches stretch north and south.

Suburban living is hardly different no matter which Australian city is chosen, and everyday life doesn't usually need the hustle and bustle of bigger cities. There are modern generic suburbs, or you can choose a more "village" atmosphere such as Norwood.

I've lived in Adelaide suburbs north, south, east and west so can relate to most areas, and I've also lived in Melbourne seaside suburbs. The fact is, wherever we live it is a matter of adapting to the community around us. I played a lot of sport over many years, and to drive from Adelaide to Sydney or Melbourne for tournaments, wasn't really a big deal, it was an adventure! It always amazed me when driving from east to west, the sky over SA always seemed to be bigger and brighter.

Jobs are where you look for them, but although Adelaide's roads are much easier than the bigger cities, it is still better to think about travel and where you live.

We mustn't forget that Adelaide is one of the world's most liveable cities, and that it is rare in having parklands totally surrounding the CBD. It provides a worthwhile breathing space before the suburbs begin.