Differences between Melbourne over Adelaide

[SprTaylor]

Hi

 

I have been offered a job on a 457 in Melbourne, but have just have just been told about another location for the same job in Adelaide.

 

To be honest I have not really considered Adelaide before and would be interested in peoples opinions on whether they would choose Adelaide over Melbourne and vice versa?

 

I like the idea of living someplace that is not quite as big as Melbourne and get more for my buck, but I don't know if Adelaide has much going on about it.

 

We have done a lot of research into Melbourne to accept the job, now this alternative office base has come along has given us a dilemma.

 

Would be interested in any perspectives on both locations!

 

Thanks,

 

Ginge

[Diane]

Do you have a family? Adelaide is a great place to bring up a young family, but if you have older kids they would probably prefer Melbourne. Everything is relative really so it all depends on where you come from in the UK, what you enjoy doing in your spare time, and what you are looking to get out of the move. We actually had to toss up between Melbourne and Adelaide but ended up choosing Adelaide because of the better climate (Melbourne has a much more 'four seasons in a day' type of climate - i.e. more rain! and Adelaide has more of a Mediterranean climate - lovely summers, great springs and autumns, but slightly chilly winters) and because with the lower cost of housing and shorter daily commuting times, we could afford to live here, send our kids to a good school here, have a pretty good standard of living (lots of opportunities for outdoor activities both with and without the kids) without us both working full time.

 

While there are a lot of things about Adelaide that are "quirky" to put it kindly, I definitely wouldn't now choose to live in Melbourne rather than here - and in fact when my husband was offered a job transfer to Melbourne, he took redundancy instead! Could have been the wrong decision, who knows, but our kids were settled at great schools and had made great, lifelong friends by then - something Adelaide does excel at.

 

We emigrated over eight years ago though, and house prices and cost of living have risen, whilst the exchange rate has dropped drastically, so it might not be such a clearcut case these days. Have a browse on the sister site, www.pomsinadelaide.com/forum and try and get a feel for which city is best for your family. I would think whichever company youi are talking to probably has a bigger office in Melbourne than in Adelaide, so perhaps if you like the initial look of Adelaide, start here then transfer to the Melbourne office if it's not 'buzzing' enough for you! I think that would probably be a more likely scenario than the other way round. Adelaide is nice because it's sleepy and quiet and old fashioned in many ways, but I've never heard of anyone moving from one of the bigger cities to here to 'slow down' their life!

Edited February 28, 2013 by Diane

[Diane]

By the way, there is actually LOADS going on in Adelaide - as long as you don't base yourself out in the stix somewhere. Particularly lively this time of year with the festival season, but year round there are loads of things to do: sports - watching or participating - eating out (you could eat at a different place every night of the year I reckon here), visiting the wineries (Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, Coonawarra - all within either a short drive or perfect for a weekend break), live music, arts (comedy, theatre etc), beach stuff, various 'ethnic' festivals (just off the top of my head I can think of Italian, Greek and Indian festivals we've been to in the past year - I've seen lots more advertised), then there's the everyday exploring - I know road and off road cyclists, runners, joggers, decathlon participators, boaters, windsurfers...

 

Most of this can be done within a half hour of where you live (again - if you're not down in Moana or up in Two Wells!)

 

Anyone that claims Adelaide is boring is probably the problem themselves!

[SprTaylor]

Thanks Diane. Our kids are 9 and 11 and swim, drum and dance and our interests are cycling, running and swimming. Think Adelaide may suit us. Any more tips would be greatly appreciated.Thanks

[stevegallagher]

Hi

 

I have been offered a job on a 457 in Melbourne, but have just have just been told about another location for the same job in Adelaide.

 

To be honest I have not really considered Adelaide before and would be interested in peoples opinions on whether they would choose Adelaide over Melbourne and vice versa?

 

I like the idea of living someplace that is not quite as big as Melbourne and get more for my buck, but I don't know if Adelaide has much going on about it.

 

We have done a lot of research into Melbourne to accept the job, now this alternative office base has come along has given us a dilemma.

 

Would be interested in any perspectives on both locations!

 

Thanks,

 

Ginge

 

Hi Ginge,

 

After having spent a short time living in both Adelaide (~4 months) and Melbourne (~6 months) I can say that they are both great cities!

 

Personally I preferred Adelaide for the fact that it was not as crowded, very relaxed and I have some friends living there. However my partner did not find a job there which is why we ended up in Melbourne. The Australian's like to say Adelaide is like a "big town", it's certainly bigger than most UK towns however there was certainly a lot more happening in Melbourne but then again SA is considered the festival state so it's not like there is nothing going on there!

 

Unfortunately we do not yet have kids so I'm unable to comment on suitability for families but I'd imagine that both places will cater for families.

 

I guess climate and jobs will probably be a big factor when deciding on both places?

 

Best of luck!

 

Steve

[Guest Guest9973]

For families it has to be Adelaide, agree with Diane's comments!!!

[Sustain]

Anyone that claims Adelaide is boring is probably the problem themselves!

 

Such is life, although I found Perth a bit of a problem. When you have money it appears an easy option until you look deeper and realise for a great city you need it to be attractive for a multitude of people. If its just full of cashed up nobs like myself who is going to serve you? who is going to provide the excellent coffee in the morning??

 

Have not been yet to Adelaide but are intrigued by Dianes post.

[llessur]

Ah, it's been a while since I posted on here but things have been so busy since we moved over to Adelaide just over a year ago!

 

I've never lived in Melbourne but have visited a couple of times and love the place. Adelaide is very pretty, feels quite compact (unless you live waaaay out in the suburbs that is) and, like several other people have mentioned, would be a fantastic place to bring up a family - great amenities, lovely beaches, plenty in the way of parklands and public open spaces.

 

However, saying that, we've been used to city life back in the UK and have struggled just a little bit in getting fully settled here in Adelaide (even though this is where my partner hails from) as it does feel sleepy. The strangest thing to me is that the CBD really is just that - a business district. Very few people live in the city centre compared to the average city back in the UK so after 6pm on weekdays and on weekends 80% of the CBD is very quiet indeed as it comprises mainly offices. Even the cafes in some areas shut on weekends as the passing trade just isn't there. There are a few main streets which are a bit more lively - Rundle Mall/Street for shopping, Hindley Street for bars and *ahem* other services, and Gouger Street for a great selection of places to eat. Of course, there are some real gems of places (shops, bars, restaurants) scattered in other areas that are open outside of business hours but you have to look for them and it can sometimes be a slightly eerie walk to find them. I watched a film a few years ago about an apocalyptic situation where all but three people on Earth just disappeared. No carnage, no wreckage. Just empty streets and buildings as far as the eye could see and a sort of 'echo' about the place. The CBD feels a bit like that outside of working hours.

 

Melbourne however has much more of a 'London' feel about it. But a clean and friendly London. Like how you'd make it if you designed it again. Buzzing on the weekends and evenings, multiple shopping/eating/entertainment areas and a lot more choice if you want to head into town after work or on the weekend.

 

Really depends what you like and how much you use (or want to use) the city/CBD. If your lifestyle involves going to work and then heading straight home to be with the family and on the weekends driving out to some fantastic scenic places, or the beach, or the park, or BBQing in the garden and doing the majority of your shopping in out of town complexes then you'll have a great life in Adelaide and you'll save a fair few dollars too! Some of the best wine regions in the world are right on the doorstep, the hills are fantastically beautiful at all times of year, it feels safe (lunatic drivers aside) and the airport is so close which is great for family visits and holidays. Providing you don't live right out in the furthest suburbs you'll still be within relatively easy access of everything.

 

If, however, you work in or near the CBD and fancy a drink after work on a Friday, want to buy dresses in trendy little boutiques (my OH, not me), like the buzz of a busy city atmosphere and want public transport that runs regularly on anything other than a main road, perhaps you like a little art and/or live music all year round or you like those cafes full of vintage sofas and lampshades and people with thick rimmed glasses, rockabilly haircuts and I heart Morrissey badges, or if you want sushi/dumplings/noodles/baklava/colorful Chinese cakes at all hours day or night and want a decent chance of seeing an international band/show/play etc when they come to Australia then you'll probably get on a little better in Melbourne.

 

We genuinely love Adelaide but we're 32 and 27 (won't tell you which of us is which age), have no plans for kids in the next couple of years at least and on the weekends are more likely to take a walk through the city for a couple of pints over lunch, do a spot of shopping and then see a band/show or something than we are to head up to the hills and buy some (very nice) German sausage so our plan has always been to move over to Melbourne. We're a bit behind schedule as we haven't been able to save quite as much money as we planned but we should be there within the next 6 months.

 

Either way it's bloody great here. You won't go to far wrong :wink:

Edited July 10, 2013 by llessur