Is Gawler a good place to go or not?

Libby1971 · 07-11-2006, 10:58 PM

Hi

We are aiming for this part of SA, we hope, once the visa application has been approved (if it is).

Does anyone know it? Is it good for families? There are 4 of us - me, a secondary school teacher, hubbie a primary school teacher and 2 daughters one aged 13 and one aged 10.

many thanks for your time

Libby

darren stuart · 12-11-2006, 09:31 AM

As an Australian who has been living in Australia all my life I believe I can tell you more about Gawler.
Gawler is about 3/4 hr drive North of Adelaide ( by Car ) is is close to a wine growing area. it is generally about 2 Degrees C above Adelaide and in summer can be very hot and dusty. If you wish to teach in adelaide I would suggest finding some where a little closer or more central to Adelaide. I live in the southern part of town which is cooler and I believe more temprete. Gawler is close to where The Australian Goverment placed many Pome in the 1960"s and is now considered a low class area. Some may not agree with this ( and there are some very nice areas ) but generally the area has a large public housing enviroment. Look closley.

wardy · 13-11-2006, 12:27 PM

Welcome back Libby1971 :D have you decided to go through with emigrating :?:

I had been wondering how you were getting on and if you had made the decision to stay or go.... are you feeling more certain now ?

Glad to see you back sorry can't answer your question

Kaye :)

Nicole Page · 14-11-2006, 10:51 PM

Hi Libby --

I agree with Darren. My personal view is that I would avoid the northern suburbs altogether.

Cheers

Nicole

Clifftop · 20-12-2006, 11:06 AM

since when has Gawler been called the northern suburbs, Gawler is a country town that is growing continuously,close to the wine region of the barossa valley,has a train service to Adelaide but im not sure if there is a bus service.

hayshake · 20-12-2006, 03:28 PM

Gawler is not too far from the River Murray Mouth, it is a fairly small town but quite a pleasant area on the coast. A new development quite close is on Hindmarsh Island where a variety of houses are for sale, many with access to the water, but more of an inland lagoon than the Sea, although there is an outlet to the sea. (probably a web site on the development)

Port Elliot is another small town, fringing the sea, and mainly a holiday area, and Victor Harbour would be the largest closest town to this area. Very scenic and pleasant, but many folk retire to this area. I do not think there would be much industry. Slightly closer to Adelaide is Mclaren Vale, which is the wine growing area, producing many fine wines for export around the world. However the sea is about 1/2 hour away.

Another area with good houses on large plots is at Mt Barker which is just off the freeway (Motorway) and about 1/2hour from the city. This area is considered out in the country.
If anybody has more questions, I will try to answer, but we are off to Aus again on 1st Jan for 6 weeks.

Clifftop · 20-12-2006, 11:50 PM

Hi all,i think Hayshake is getting mixed up with his/her towns. Gawler is over 100 kilometres from the Murray Mouth but Goolwa is really close(20 odd Ks i think) to the Murray mouth.

Pesky Varmit · 21-12-2006, 12:09 PM

G'day Libby

My advice would be to wait until you've arrived.....that's on personal experience. We arrived just four weeks ago in Adelaide and had done as much research as we possibly could have, including speaking with friends who lived in Adelaide a few years ago. Whilst we had a fair idea of where we wanted to live, some of the suburbs were not what we were expecting. So come out with an open mind and find out for yourself....some photos on the net can be very deceptive.

On a lighter note, we are really settled in a nice rental about 19kms from CBD and we may possibly buy here, just not yet as we're still having a look around......the point is don't rush!!

Good luck with all your plans :)

Libby1971 · 22-12-2006, 12:44 AM

Thanks to all of you for your help.

As you say it is very hard to get a true picture of somewhere from the UK but other points of view are helpful.

Things are more settled now in that the migration process is well and truly on the way. We have just had the health checks done which was great to have the next step. Now we wait! I am feeling a lot better thanks Kaye about the whole thing although it may have something to do with the fact that the good ole English weather has just turned cold and wet and nasty and that has convinced me we need to pack our suitcases and go somewhere warmer.

A friend of ours is heading out to Adelaide in April so we await a full report once she is back. She is looking at the suburbs being a teacher herself as well as looking at display villages. If anyone can make any sugestions as to where she could be looking, we would all be grateful.

Thanks again to you all and merry Christmas.

Libby

Pesky Varmit · 22-12-2006, 07:14 AM

Hi Libby

There aren't that many display villages around the place, although you will find some in very odd places !! There are a few developments going on at the moment and some are very expesive depending on where you want to live.

You would need to get in as soon as the land is realised( some people queue, just like home!) as the best plots are snapped up quickly. Some are incredibly sloping which therefore limits what you can build and you will get a fairly steep driveway......some we have looked at are beyond belief!

So the point is, don't buy a plot until an engineer has looked at it and a soil and contour report has been done, it could cost a lot of money to completely level a site.
check out www.realestate.com.au for land sales and houses.

Good luck :)