Living in Adelaide

[libertychick]

Tell me all about it! DH, DD (15m) and me planning to move there later this year - what's it like for little ones, what is the work culture, shopping, sports, things to do etc? Would love to hear your experiences good and bad....
Thank you!

Hi Libertychick, I've been in Adelaide for the past 5 or so years. I moved here from Brighton with Aussie DH and dd.

The good things about it are the climate - awesome, long hot summers, gorgeous spring and autumn and short cool and wet winter.
The beaches are ace, housing is more reasonable than the rest of oz, which means you can afford to take advantage of the great restaurants/wine etc.
It has a festival every year, um, it's easy to get around, day to day life is very unstressful really.

The bad points are it's BORING. Nice but dull. But you can get used to that I suppose.

For kids it's ace, but there is a reason that any aussie child with any get up and go, goes off to Europe or Sydney or America as soon as they can. Most of them come back though.

Shopping is pretty shit.

I do like it here but it has taken me a while to settle in and some days - like today - it's sheer "niceness" makes me want to take Crack and shock the neighbours.

Sorry to hijack OP but I didn't know you were a Brighton girl Claudia! We lived there for 12 years (then 3 in Lewes) and all my kids were born there, best place to live in the UK but I do prefer Sydney.

Oh how funny sunnyd. I was in Brighton for about 15 years and really miss it's groovyness. Adelaide, lovely as it is, has a very low groovy count.

We lived up in 5 Ways for the last few years. It was great. Lewes is gorgeous too. Although rather a too high hippy/white witch count for me to feel really comfortable there .

Thanks for the info Claudia. No problem re the hijack sunnyd

The positives sound great. On the negatives I think boring might be what we are looking for!!! Life has become a bit boring here but without the good weather so we are up for an adventure and giving it a go - can always move on if necessary.

Would love to hear any other feedback people have.

I spent a few years on the vic sa borders... before I went I was told.. adelaide the place you go to watch the floor boards warp! urm yes. it was. much preferd Melbourne, BUT Adelaide as a place is very very pretty, great climate but very hot in summer!

Adelaide is fantastic. I have lived in Melbourne and Adelaide and much prefer the later. The weather is great and the lifestyle here is relaxed and laid back.
You can drive anywhere around the city in a very short space of time. The beaches are great if that's what you like. The schools are very good and there IS lots to do.
Life is what you make it and we find lots of things to do here. There are a million festivals in summer and it is fabulous for children. My dd's love it and so do we.
There are great places to camp etc.
We have been here a year and would not consider living anywhere else.

Thanks lulalullabye that's sounds great! Adelaide appeals to us because we have heard it's laid back. DH and I both come from rural backgrounds so we do want a more chilled out life for DD than what we have in London.

You will definitely get that here. There are places that you can live in the hills that are only a 20 mins drive from the cbd and in the country. Very quiet and nice. We live in the eastern suburbs near to city and love it.
There is a lot to do if you don't mind getting out and about. We have made so many friends here and nearly all austrailan.
South Australia has the best food and most of what is sold here is grown here ie oranges, veg etc and the wineries around here are great too.
Anyway, shout if you need any more info.

Will do. We are still deciding between Brisbane and Adelaide. DH more keen on Brisbane but I like the idea of Adelaide - we may try both! Will shout again if I think of specific questions.

liberty- climate may play a factor in your decision- Brisbane is relaly humid where Adelaide is a bit more Mediterranean. Also Adelaide is an older city so there is a bit more history to it.

I live in Adelaide and adore it- ok there is not a big clubbing scene but there are gorgeous beaches, endless sporty type things to do, festivals every 2 minutes, countless wineries etc. There are the gorgeous Hills to the east, Flinders ranges and outback to the north and the Fleurieu (?sp) to the south with opportunities for trips away for weekends

I agree that there is nowhere else in Australia I could imagine settling (maybe Perth but that is a LONG way away!)

Thanks melbie Climate is an issue. I find humidity really difficult which is why I am leaning towards Adelaide whereas DH doesn't mind it so much.

Definitely don't need a clubbing scene and we are a few years off before that will bother DD . I am in the process of getting my CV together and starting to contact agencies to sound out work prospects. I work in health services management and I gather that Adelaide may be the city for me workwise.

I grew up in Adelaide and go there every few weeks as my mother and sisters are still there. It is gorgeous - I think it offers the benefits of a city while being a manageable size. There seems to be a constant stream of events, particularly around the arts and music, a teriffic zoo ( with pandas!), great parks and beaches, good schools. People really enjoy outdoor living - classic Adelaide lunch is sitting under the vines having great local food and wine...

Work wise there are not many head offices in Adelaide. In the cororate world it can be a bit of an outpost.

corporate

Thanks Saffron - the classic Adelaide lunch sounds right up my street :)