Where would you live in Adelaide

**richdownunder** · 18-08-2012, 07:05 AM

Hi,

I've never been to Adelaide, but see some good reports so am interested in understanding where some of the best family suburbs are so I can look at schools, housing, transport etc. We are a family in our 40s and have a six year old daughter and most important to us on choosing an area to live would be schooling. We are therefore looking for a good suburb with a family feel close to the beaches, but also close enough for some biking at the weekends in the parks/hills.

I would plan to work in the CBD and have a budget of about $550,000 for a purchase and about $400-$450 PW for renting (I don't like renting so would look to buy asap). I would be happy with a longer commute (anything up to 45 mins) if it meant being in a good suburb for our daughters schooling.

Would appreciate as much feedback as possible to give a good feel about living in Adelaide and it's suburbs.

Thanks so much - Rich

**NicF** · 18-08-2012, 07:33 AM

Rich, you moght want to post this on the Poms in Adelaide site as well as you probably get more responses but personally, if you didn't want to be near the beach I would suggest the Eastern suburbs. There are some excellent schools of that way and it's close to the hills. Exactly where would be best for you would depend on just how close you want to be to the beach, hills and CBD.

You can check out the look of the areas and where they are in relation to everything on google maps. I'd also suggest checking out the schools in the area on http://www.myschool.edu.au/SchoolSearch.aspx. A lot of the schools also have there own websites and you can get quite a feel for the school from checking these out and reading through things like the context statements and newsletters. They don't do league tables in Australia but when we were deciding on suburbs my OH went through the naplan results on the myschool site and put together his own little league table of various schools which, with the individual school websites helped to cement our decision. I should also point out the my OH is from Adelaide and we were already familar with this side of the city and had a good look round all the areas on our last trip here before moving.

**boomerang** · 18-08-2012, 02:27 PM

You could try beachside suburbs such as Brighton. Seaclife, Hove, Glengowrie is lovely convienient to Glenelg but not quite in the thick of it but nice schools around and has the beauty of the tramline direct to the city,
Further from the beach but still easy access but a lovely leafy suburb feel, with a proper little town is Kingswood, in the town of Mitcham. Clapham also close by - lovely charactar homes in tree lined streets and everything you need at hand - easy access to city with the train station and plenty of buses too. Mitcham is a really lovely area, we are hoping to find some rental accomodation there to suit us until we are in a position to buy. If you want close to the city then Norwood, Kent Town, Unley, Parkside are all lovely and close proximity to the city - you would probably need a larger buget to buy there though.

**Shell15** · 18-08-2012, 03:50 PM

Glenelg East is really lovely, not far from Jetty Road.. which has all the restaurants and bars, nice beach and the surf club is great! Good luck..

**Zee** · 22-08-2012, 07:21 AM

$550,000 will get you something fairly decent! As most Adelaideans know, wherever you live in the Metro area (as opposed to Country/Outback) you are never far from the beach.

I too think the Eastern suburbs would suit you. Marryatville High School there has the reputation of being the best State school in SA. Alternatively 'coast side' suburbs like Brighton and Seacliff might suit you.
A 20-30 minute commute would place you in the Adelaide Hills-you would love the greenness and village atmosphere of Stirling and Aldgate up there, and the vine laden Piccadilly Valley which is beautiful.
The Hills I think are Adelaide's jewel in the crown!

Good luck to you!

**RockDr** · 22-08-2012, 08:00 AM

I may be a little biased (we live in Kent town) but being able to walk/short cycle to work in the CBD is fantastic, and saves on transport costs.
$550k would get you a decent 2-3bed modern townhouse or flat in Kent Town/Norwood (some complexes have communal swimming pools/gyms/etc), or something bigger if you live slightly further out such as Kensington and beyond. The Eastern suburbs are very popular with professionals, and as a result the state schools are apparently pretty good.

The beaches are only a 20min drive away on the weekends, which is nothing. ditto the hills. for biking google linear park, it runs along the river from the beach to the hills, with lots of park/picnic areas along the way.

**Rachael R** · 27-08-2012, 11:23 AM

We have been here for 4 mths and in that time we have lived in Hope Valley,Highbury,Fairview and ended up at Golden Grove. Out of them all golden Grove is the best for us. Rob works in the CBD its about 40 mins away. There is alot of land for sale where we are so you can have want you want.

**Graemsay** · 27-08-2012, 12:00 PM

I've not spent much time in Adelaide, so I don't know it that well. If you haven't been, the city's got a rather odd layout, with the CBD being in the centre, as you'd expect, and then this is ringed by parkland. Outside of this you get the suburbs.

I'd probably pick North Adelaide as my favourite part. As it's name suggests, it's a short walk north of the CBD, which means it's got the leafy parks around it. It's the original part of town, and is full of historic (for Australia) buildings.

You can pick up a two bedroom Victorian terrace for your budget, for example:

http://www.realestate.com.au/propert...aide-111031303
http://www.realestate.com.au/propert...aide-111306331 (Needs work!)

This is a little more expensive, between $600K and $750K, but could be fantastic.

http://www.realestate.com.au/propert...aide-109847136

When I was there I stayed with friends in Bridgewater, up in the Adelaide Hills. It's a fairly low density suburb, which is heavily wooded, so houses tend to be separated by trees. It tends to be a bit cooler than in the city, due to the altitude.

I've got a feeling that Stirling is the more expensive end, and prices drop off as you get out towards Bridgewater. A quick look on Realestate.com.au suggests you could get a three or four bedroom house for $500K (and up), whereas building plots are $200K to $300K.

I can't remember the travel time into the CBD is, but I think that it was about 40 minutes on the bus.

**gmmpyn** · 28-08-2012, 02:37 PM

How about Hallett Cove? It has a beach, two train stations (time to Adelaide CBD about 40 mins on the train), parks and a very new shopping mall.

Driving to the CBD takes about 60 mins in rush hour.

**soofoo** · 19-09-2012, 08:02 AM

Hi Rich,

We live in the Eastern suburbs (renting in Burnside - $475 p/w for a big 4 bed house and buying soon in Leabrook). We love it here - it's a 10 -15 minute drive to the city, and near some great walking trails in the hills if you like hiking. It takes us about 25 minutes to get to the beach. Our 8 year old goes to Burnside Primary and loves it there and many people have said it's one of the best primary schools in Adelaide. We've been here just over a year and wouldn't move anywhere else! (Though it is an expensive suburb).