Location for holiday visa validation

[sarah harmer]

Hi all

Just wondered if anyone could help us.

We are coming over for a 1 month holiday to validate our visas and have a good look around for schools, suburbs and properties in July/Aug.  We have a few Airbnb holiday places that I wondered if you could tell me if the area is a good location for us.  We have 2 children (one is 2 one is 7) and we'll be hiring a car.

We will all be in the car a lot, looking around, but my husband will most likely be taking the car off on his own to have a browse around too.  That mean's I'll be left in the holiday home to either go to the beach, go shopping or visit the local entertainment areas.

My question is, what area's a good to live in for a month as a base point?  At the moment we have an option of Devon Park, West Beach, Renown Park, Pooraka, Walkervile or Glenelg or Henley Beach.  Which area is best without a car with 2 little ones in tow (pushchair too)?

Any help really appreciated.  I am posting this on the main site also to get a general consensus.

Regards

Sarah

[rammygirl]

Walkerville and Glenelg would be my choice, both have good shops and Glenelg has a tram into the CBD. Although in July/August you won’t be sunbathing and swimming in the sea it is mid winter and although you get nice sunny days it can be cold, wet and windy. Public outdoor pools are also closed at this time of year.  It is though a better time to come to look at work and school options as things close down a bit over Christmas for the Summer holidays.

Bring warm clothes!

we fly North for the sun or travel to the UK at that time of year!

[Barry1986]

Glenelg would be good. Tram to the city nice area plenty of shops. What do you both do for work?

[Guest]

I third Glenelg  

Have dropped you a PM also. 

[sarah harmer]

Amazing info guys, thank you.

And the last question in regards to this subject, if we go further towards the hills or just east of Adelaide CBD what suburbs and towns would be good to look at?  This is mainly because by husband would like a nice garden or good view for the evening wine o'clock time!  .

I know its the worst weather and so the beach will probably be too cold, so we may as well see if there are other options.

Snifter....Absolutely brilliant PM.  Thank you so much.  Its either going to be Glenelg then or if someone can give us some ideas of areas with bigger gardens or nice views x

[Guest]

If you want hills be aware it can be chilly up here and also if you are without a car you’ll maybe find options for anything to do limited unless it’s in walking distance. Also if it’s wet and wintery and the cloud is sitting on the hills you won’t have a view to look out over anyways  Beach wise we do lots of waking on the beaches in winter. Waters too cold but walks are lovely on a good day. The hills can be wet and muddy in winter that’s for sure. Plenty of foothills and hills suburbs but not sure what the options are like for a holiday rental tbh. 

East of the CBD is a whole other thing and be aware  this is a much more pricey residential area in general and also things to do/see won’t be on hand as they might be in say Glenelg or the CBD. Although Glenelg is a residential suburb of course,  it’s also a popular beach side suburb for people out of the area to visit and it has a bit more to offer in terms of ease of access to tram, shops, beach and parks etc. Plus you can be on Jetty Rd pretty easy on foot if renting around there. 

There are only a limited number of actual towns outside of Adelaide that could offer you a good base for a month and tick some of your boxes. Stirling being one maybe. Mount Barker perhaps but it’s a way from the city and beaches. Hahndorf maybe. Thing is, for a month to look round, the latter 2 are a ways out and once you move here you could explore them and the other towns (if you choose not to live in them). Hahndorf is a lovely day out but I’d not opt to stay there for a month on a reccie.  

It’s hard to explain it but the way the suburbs and towns are set up here, car is king and it’s nothing like a town or city in the UK. It’s not something you can appreciate until you move here and see it all first hand. I’d opt for an area with good access to facilities nearby and a decent public transport that isn’t only buses (unless eastern suburbs close to CBD). Tram or train route. 

[sarah harmer]

4 hours ago, Barry1986 said:

Glenelg would be good. Tram to the city nice area plenty of shops. What do you both do for work?

Hi Barry1986,

I am an office based person.  I've been an Office Manager, Customer Service Manager and general Administrator.  I'm going to look for both the same admin type role and maybe a completely different role.  This depends on what I can find.

My husband is a Painter & Decorator who also fits carpets, kitchens/bathrooms and is a very good ex-car sprayer .  He also said he wouldn't mind trying something completely new too.  He can put his hand to anything and do it well.

Do you know of anything that may be around that we can keep our eyes out for?

[Yelverton]

I would also agree with Glenelg. We arrived in Adelaide in July and my kids still went swimming in the sea - they wouldn't do that now though!

If you are here for a month, it would be a good idea to get an Entertainment Book which would give you a lot of vouchers for up to 50% off attractions, restaurants etc. It costs $70 (which goes to charity) but you would soon recoup this. There are also vouchers for soft plays (play cafes as they are called here) and museums which will be practically empty during school term time

 www.entertainmentbook.com.au - it comes in a digital version as an app on your phone or as a book with vouchers which you tear out

[sarah harmer]

Ooooh, what about Marino?  There is a place on Airbnb that has a nice view from a balcony with a green garden space with a swing set.  That would be perfect for the kids, but seems that the distance from Marion to Glenelg is one long road.  Is there a lot of access to beach/rocks?  Is there much sand or will we have to drive 10 mins towards Somerton Park to get any sand?   is there much to do in Marino/Marino Rocks?

You can tell my lack of knowledge to the area!!

 

Thank you all.

 

 

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, sarah harmer said:

Ooooh, what about Marino?  There is a place on Airbnb that has a nice view from a balcony with a green garden space with a swing set.  That would be perfect for the kids, but seems that the distance from Marion to Glenelg is one long road.  Is there a lot of access to beach/rocks?  Is there much sand or will we have to drive 10 mins towards Somerton Park to get any sand?   is there much to do in Marino/Marino Rocks?

You can tell my lack of knowledge to the area!!

 

Thank you all.

 

 

Marino has an ok bit of beach but it’s not the greatest place to spend a reccie IMO. 

Its a bus to Marion or Glenelg (and it’s a fair hike possibly to a bus stop from the house?). Neither are just a few stops. There isn’t much else there tbh. It’s residential and an odd cut off spot with the rail line running through it and the main road from the southern suburbs behind it. I’d say Glenelg would be a far better option still for all the other things you’ll need/want for a month stay. Glenelg has a fair few good playparks and the one at the beach is fab. Access to a wide range of shops, tram, beach and more is easy from there, walking and car. From Marino everything is a drive or a bus really. 

[Guest]

I don’t know what your budget for a month long stay is but looking on Stayz also there are a fair few Glenelg properties close to the beach for a decent price. Small or not flash but decent and worth a browse perhaps. Air BnB probably lists plenty of the same ones.

[NicF]

I’d be looking at staying Glenelg or CBD or somewhere like North Adelaide or Norwood.  Just be careful of where in Glenelg  (or any area really) you are as some places can be quite far from the local amenities.  We stayed in Glenelg on one of our holidays in lovely house but it was quite a long walk to the shops with young kids.  If you are going to be car less for any time make sure you check where the place is on google maps and look at where the local amenities and public transport are so you don’t feel too stuck.  We used to holiday at Adelaide Shores holiday park until one year my OH was sick and I wasn’t insured to drive the hire car so I was stuck at the park and not able to really get anywhere on foot.  The holiday after was the one in Glenelg.

[flossybeth]

I would suggest that your children will definitely paddle at the very least because the sun is still pretty warm, when it's out. What you won't get are days lying on the beach or long evenings (even in summer the sun's gone by 9.30 at the very latest) and some of the winds might be a bit blowy.

As the majority of the others have said Glenelg or a CBD location would be best for such a long term stay because of the transport options but public transport is pretty good around Adelaide with trains up from the south, into the north and the Obahn coming in from the northeast so there's lots of options. The parklands around the CBD are really good, lots of playgrounds and the linear parks along the Torrens are easy walking.

I don't think you'd want to spend you month up in somewhere like Hahndorf or Mount Barker, they will be chillier and although they might be lovely places to actually live in I think you'd find yourself bored pretty quickly if you were left without a car. Your husband might have to drink his wine pretty early too if he wants a view with it - it's dark by 5.30 just now.

[SusieRoo]

Why Adelaide?

[Barry1986]

Why not?

[sarah harmer]

On 19/05/2018 at 13:20, flossybeth said:

I would suggest that your children will definitely paddle at the very least because the sun is still pretty warm, when it's out. What you won't get are days lying on the beach or long evenings (even in summer the sun's gone by 9.30 at the very latest) and some of the winds might be a bit blowy.

As the majority of the others have said Glenelg or a CBD location would be best for such a long term stay because of the transport options but public transport is pretty good around Adelaide with trains up from the south, into the north and the Obahn coming in from the northeast so there's lots of options. The parklands around the CBD are really good, lots of playgrounds and the linear parks along the Torrens are easy walking.

I don't think you'd want to spend you month up in somewhere like Hahndorf or Mount Barker, they will be chillier and although they might be lovely places to actually live in I think you'd find yourself bored pretty quickly if you were left without a car. Your husband might have to drink his wine pretty early too if he wants a view with it - it's dark by 5.30 just now.

Thanks Flossybeth

Very helpful.

We have actually booked 9 days in Stirling and 10 days in Glenelg.  We're looking to book another 9 days somewhere else....but don't know where.  Do you reckon Aberfoyle or North CBD (but close to the CBD) for the last 9 days......I'll have access to a car most days.  It's just the odd morning that I may not.

 

 

[flossybeth]

1 minute ago, sarah harmer said:

Thanks Flossybeth

Very helpful.

We have actually booked 9 days in Stirling and 10 days in Glenelg.  We're looking to book another 9 days somewhere else....but don't know where.  Do you reckon Aberfoyle or North CBD (but close to the CBD) for the last 9 days......I'll have access to a car most days.  It's just the odd morning that I may not.

 

 

Aberfoyle Park is very much a residential suburb, it has a lot going for it in terms of location to the city & the hills but for a holiday spot I'm not sure I'd want to stay there (even as a 'get a feeling for real life' recce). North CBD (so sort of North Adelaide) would be a good spot for getting out and about into the north east. There are some lovely areas up out that way, Thorndon Park at Paradise is a great spot and easy access to the Barossa wine region (check out the Winey Kids website - https://www.wineykids.com.au/ - it focuses mostly on the McLaren Vale region, because that's where they live, but there's some good guides to the other local areas).

We've been in Australia since 2012 and live in McLaren Vale but started off in Lockleys (western suburbs). When it came to buying we were looking at either the north east or down this way and there were more 4 bedroom houses down this way than in the NE, which is why we ended up here (3 children plus overseas visitors meant we needed the room). We're very happy with our location, it's just occasionally a little far away from the city to really join in sometimes but we don't miss out - it's a 40 minute drive or an hour on the train to the CBD.