Moving to Adelaide for 6 months - housing/area recommendations?
 

It's looking official! Myself, my husband and our 3-year old son will be moving from the U.S. to Adelaide for 6 months next year, June through December. I've moved internationally before (to Ireland for a summer), and this message board was invaluable, so I thought I'd try again :-)

At this point, we are going to want to secure a furnished home/apartment of some sort in Adelaide. My husband's work will be located near the University of Adelaide and ideally I'd like to be 1) close to a metro (train) of some sort (though we will likely have a car) and 2) in a very safe, family-friendly area. Budget is pretty flexible at this point since we have no idea what things will cost.

Any suggestions for nice areas to live in Adelaide? Also, is there a particularly popular website to view furnished lettings in Adelaide?

Thanks in advance!

Hi Jumper 22,

try this as a start:

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin...n&snf=rbs&a=sf

Each listing has photos and a map location.

I am guessing that your husband will be located in the city campus - so some nearby suburbs might be:

Norwood, Rose Park, Dulwich, Parkside, Eastwood, Unley - as a starter - I know these as I live in one.
Then to the North - Prospect, North Adelaide, or Walkerville, Medindie, and I haven't even mentioned the beach areas such as Henley, West Beach or West Lakes

Adelaide is easy to get around and has so many lovely suburbs, and parks and cafes and easy to get to the hills, the ocean, the wineries - etc!!

So - maybe somewhere to start - I am sure that there are others who read Fodor's who have moved here so they might be able to direct you to other sites.

I love living in Adelaide - having grown up in Perth, then lived in Hobart, Darwin and Melbourne.

Happy planning :)

As a few readers would know,I am lucky to live in South Australia,in the Adelaide Hills. I agree with love_travel_Aus,those suburbs are an excellent choice for a base to be in. Any of those locations are close to everything and the surrounds of Adelaide. And they are prime real estate areas. You will really enjoy your stay in Adelaide,I am sure.

Thanks very much, this is a great start. I've been looking at the map and browsing around on the realestate link, so that gives me a much better idea of where to begin in relation to the city campus. One thing I noticed on the link, is there does not seem to be a separate section for furnished apartments, and when I browse the general listings I'm not seeing many furnished options. Is that pretty common?

For my taste the eastern suburbs are the best bet. You simply can't go too far east before you run into the foothills, so anywhere there is an easy run to the university.

The Hills themselves offer a completely different experience, with a number of nice little towns like Stirling and Aldgate in very pretty countryside as little as 30 minutes' drive from the city, but if you're renting "blind" you might want to play it safe. The Google map will give you some idea of relativities.

Hi Jumper22,

Mmm - try this one - it is really a holiday house site - but worth a look.

http://www.stayz.com.au/accommodation/sa

If you are looking for a furnished apartment then these are usually advertised for holidays or shorter corporate stays - and I guessed that with a little one you might prefer some extra space.

This cottage is very close to where I live and lots of playgrounds, shops and the like within walking distance - but as you can see it is not cheap.

http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin...&tm=1254807587

I will have a think tonight and do some searching and see if I can send you a few more links - hope this helps for a bit :)

Jumper 22,
How exciting! Adelaide is a beautiful city, with wonderful scenery on its doorstep, so to speak.

www.domain.com.au might be another useful real estate link for you.

The other option you might consider is house sitting. Or maybe house swapping. If you do take a holiday rental property, you may well be able to negotiate a more favourable rate as you'll be staying for 6 months. As Adelaide's a smallish city, you won't have the traffic problems of Sydney or Melbourne, so will have a little more scope in looking for somewhere interesting to live. Of course, once you've lived there 5 minutes, you'll be grizzling like the locals about the traffic jams (LOL)- but we "big city folk" know it's a breeze in comparison.

Love_travel, that cottage is absolutely amazing. Totally something I would love. Price is a little high though, we're flexible but I don't think my husband would be THAT flexible LOL.

As for the Hills, I'm very much hoping to live in a city environment. Our house in the U.S. is in a rural area, so an urban setting would be a welcome change. Having lived in Dublin for a summer w/an infant, I also now know from experience that living close to everything makes the transition so much easier in a number of ways.

Thanks everyone for the links, your information is extremely helpful and I will check them out. THANKS a bunch. Re: house sitting, is there a classifieds section or a service/website pertaining to that? The thought had never crossed my mind, though I would not be interested in a house swap whatsoever.

Hi jumper22,

Yes the cottage is lovely - but I am sure others will turn up - or maybe they will reduce for a long term stay.

What time of year will you be here for?

Often the agents have houses for 6+ month rentals toward the end of the year as people head off overseas for work or travel - so it pays to keep looking at real estate dot com.

Some other suburbs that I suggest - Fullarton, Malvern, Kensington, and maybe Beulah Park.

If there are any other questions fire away - I am enjoying being a little bit distracted as I try to complete my thesis.

House sitting: I haven't done it, but know people who have for significant time periods and both they and their home owners are extremely satisfied with the arrantement.Here's one that came up on Google: http://adelaideexchange.com.au/class...ter-/5007.html

This is another well established house sitting site:
http://www.housesittersaustralia.com.au/