Croydon - Adelaide Suburbs

Croydon is a slice of Melbourne in Adelaide. There are two great things about this suburb: the retro style Queen St/Elizabeth St shops, and the architecture. This is a suburb that has historically been working class, with some public housing. In recent years though arty, alternative, professional types have been moving in, renovating old homes, building on the community vibe, and learning the beauty of living in a neighbourhood where people are genuinely friendly.

If this suburb were a shoe, it would be Birkenstocks and Hush Puppies

There are some pockets of Croydon that have a bit of a rough reputation with several generations of unemployed, but for the most part, the areas near Port Rd are quite good, and very appealing.

Some of the locals have banded together to form a community garden swap market every Saturday at Canarvon Reserve in the summer. So, if you live in the area and have a few tomatoes or other things to spare, join in the swap and meet some more locals.

The houses in Croydon vary from small Victorian era cottages to larger Victorian era cottages. It's not unusual to see well kept rose gardens in Croydon or neighbouring and equally appealing West Croydon.

There are plenty of old timers who live here and have done so for decades. Migrants from southern Europe also gravitated to this area and are still around. There is one downside to this suburb from a family point of view - the lack of a good local public school. The only good local school was closed down several years ago because of the ageing population. But with young families moving in, that has obviously proved to be a wrong decision.

One of the best cafes in Adelaide is here, the Queen Street Cafe. It has been through several re-incarnations and each time it has offered good food in a colourful and earthy setting. Weekend breakfasts here are tops.

Demographics

==Demographics==

The 2006 Census by the Australian Bureau of Statistics counted 1,350 persons in Croydon on census night. Of these, 50.1% were male and 49.9% were female.

The majority of residents (66.6%) are of Australian birth, with other common census responses being [[italy]] (7.4%), [[Greece]] (5.9%) and [[England]] (2.2%).

The age distribution of Croydon residents is similar to that of the greater Australian population. 69.5% of residents were over 25 years in 2006, compared to the Australian average of 66.5%; and 30.5% were younger than 25 years, compared to the Australian average of 33.5%.

Transport

Croydon train station

- on Day Tce

- on the Grange train line and the Outer Harbour train line

West Croydon train station

- on Day Tce

- on the Grange train line and the Outer Harbour train line

For more information on routes and time-tables: http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/

Buses

Various buses to the city, Port Adelaide, Largs Bay and more.

For more information on routes and time-tables: http://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/

Shopping

===Shopping and dining===

On Elizabeth Street, there are cafes (The Queen Street Cafe, The Croydon Store), a bakery (The Red Door), organic store, hairdresser (The Curious Orange) and retro clothing and furniture shops (One Small Room).

This section of Elizabeth Street is commonly referred to as Queen Street, and some of the names of the shops refer to Queen Street e.g. The Queen Street Cafe.

On Queen Street proper (which runs off Port Road until becoming Elizabeth Street) there is also a hairdresser, a pilates studio and a children's party venue.

On Port Road is a warehouse shopping complex with large parking space including Officeworks, Rivers, The Salvation Army Superstore and other retailers.

Schools

Primary

Brompton Primary School

Jane St, West Croydon 5008

Ph: (08) 8345 4138

http://www.kilkennyc7.sa.edu.au/

Secondary

Croydon High School

255 Torrens Rd, Croydon 5008

Ph: (08) 8346 1188

http://www.croydonhs.sa.edu.au

Islamic College of South Australia

22a Cedar Ave, West Croydon 5008

Ph: (08) 8340 7799

http://www.icosa.sa.edu.au

Childrens Playground

This playground is a little gem. It has a bbq area and grassed area for lounging around or a small picnic, there’s also some shelter and benches. There are shops and cafe’s nearby, but toilets are not within the playground. The kids will love this park as it’s right next to the Croydon Trainstation and the kids can view the train coming and going frequently- right up close! Don’t worry- the playground is fully fenced!

It has a separate toddler park and a park for older children connected by a gate. There’s also basketball rings if you’re keen to get your kids into the Adelaide 36ers team!

Where? Corner or Elizabeth Street and Day Terrace, Croydon

Things to know:

– no toilet close by

– parking on the street, not always a lot of parking available close by

Have just stumbled upon this and had to add that I highly recommend Croydon/West Croydon as a place to consider if you are moving to Adelaide.

We moved there in 2014 and absolutely love the place. It has so much going for it - there's a great 'village centre' with retro furniture shops, multiple cafes (including a crêperie, a great wood-fired pizza place, a cafe which is great for breakfasts and a fabulous bakery), a children's park with BBQ area and the railway station. On that note, it has got great transport links with the CBD being a mere 7 minute ride by train or a 15 minute easy bike ride through beautiful parklands and along the River Torrens, multiple bus routes or, if you must, a 10 minute drive by car.

There are a range of cute little parks in the suburb and a really friendly and slightly arty community atmosphere. Unlike many Aussie suburbs you see a huge amount of people out and about either walking or cycling through the streets. Every now and again the main street (Queen/Elizabeth Street - it changes halfway along) gets closed off for community events which are very well attended.

Welland Plaza shopping centre is an easy walk across Port Road and has a Coles, a bakery, pharmacy, fruit and veg shop, Sushi Train, newsagency, post office, butchers etc. Perfect for the weekly shop.

As for beaches, Henley Beach or Semaphore is a 15 minute drive by car, or you can hop on a train to the quieter Grange beach and also be there in about 15 minutes. The airport is 10-15 minutes by car and yet the suburb is nowhere near the flight path.

The whole inner West seems poised to really take off on the back of the Bowden development and suburbs along the train line such as Brompton, Croydon, Woodville etc are becoming pretty sought after.

Can't fault the place. West is best.

PS - Have added a suburb guide for Croydon/West Croydon to the Poms in Adelaide forum. Much the same as the above but with a few updates as things have changed a bit in the last year or two