Advice sought on moving to the Adelaide Hills - which area's?

[Mondie]

Forumers,

My family is pondering making the move from Gippsland (country Vic) to the Adelaide Hills. My job is portable and we find Adelaide a very appealing city. l lived in Glenelg in the 90's for 6 months and we have had 2 family holidays in Adelaide & the Barrossa, the place really does it for us. We are at a point where we make a move now while the kids are young, or we will build a new house and live in Gippsland until our kids are finished schooling.

Suburbs that we like are the MtBarker, Hahndorf area, and maybe further north around Wattle Park. l was hoping to hear thoughts from Adelaide Hills locals on the good and bad points of the different hills areas and why you chose to live where you do. Our number one priority is good schools, our 3 kids are all in primary school so we want somewhere that has a reputation for good primary and secondary schools. Good community facilities, reasonable access to the city, and real estate prices that are affordable are all other points of consideration for us.

If we did not have kids we would simply take the plunge and pick a suburb on a whim knowing that we could move on without ties, but with young kids we need to pick carefully and hopefully get it right from the start. Appreciate hearing from all Adelaidians, l know there are plenty on FF

Cheers,
Mondie

[ZA-289]

Mt Barker is pretty big these days with good schools and everything you need, only 1/2 an hour from the city, But it is also getting expensive (by Adelaide's standards anyway) Alot of new developments going up there, Gumeracha etc is very nice too.

[Mondie]

Originally Posted by ZA-289

Mt Barker is pretty big these days with good schools and everything you need, only 1/2 an hour from the city, But it is also getting expensive (by Adelaide's standards anyway) Alot of new developments going up there, Gumeracha etc is very nice too.

l view Mt Barker to Adelaide as Berwick was to Melbourne 15 yrs ago, thats part of its appeal. Sounds like prices have moved there more than l expected if its pricy compared to Adelaide though. l have spent hrs on real estate sites and though the RE prices looked ok you really need to be able to drive around some of the eares to get a true feel. l plan on a coming to Adelaide for a couple of nights this week so can do exactly that.

Birdswood, how long would that be from the city in average traffic? l like it out there too but never really considered it due to distance.

Thanks for the replies, and keep them coming _2:

Cheers Mondie

[[dave]]

bird word

schools easyily assible

[WoodysXR6]

lower hermitage is pretty nice and close to t.t.p and 15 20 mins from the city.

[SVR73]

My friend lives in coromandel east on a dead end road. It's so peaceful there, you cant hear anything or anyone except birds

[blueoval]

speak to fpvgtpyaloveit (Dave) he lives in Aldgate, 5 mins from stirling.

Its a bit pricey yes, 20-25mins to the city. Schools seem to be nice. Resale on that area is excellent. Plus the area is beautiful in the winter.

Cons would be the fact that its bushfire zoned so making sure the sprinkler system is up to par.

But I recommend having a chat to Dave, he will be more than happy to let you know his experiences.

[ELtim]

Don't live in the Barossa. It stinks during vintage season.

I'd say Birdwood or Mount Pleasant. I used to live in Mount Pleasant and loved it. I miss it.

[Mondie]

Blueoval, thanks for the tip, hopefully Dave will see this thread and chime in.

ELTim, we love the Barossa but l figure its a little too far from Adelaide to live there, great place to be able to visit whenever the need hits though! l had never thought of the smell, l am suprised its that much of a problem.

Birdwood is actually looking like a good area, housing seems reasonably priced, l think l will do some driving around there too when l come over this week.

Thanks all for the advice.

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by ELtim

Don't live in the Barossa. It stinks during vintage season.

That's part of the attraction! There is nothing wrong with living in the Barossa, been here now for just over two years and I work in the city. Drive to Gawler and catch the train in. Driving in takes around 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Tanunda is a nice little town in the heart of the Barossa. Lots of schools and shops. Everything is pretty much within walking distance. If you are after a newer house, check out Langmeil Estate, or simply pick up one of the older houses from around the place.
The wife and I just recently moved in to a 4 bedroom house on approx 860m2 of land. We picked it up for $305,000. It's 20 years old and needs a new coat of paint and a new kitchen, but apart from that it's a great house.
It's nice and peaceful up here, you can actually see the stars in the sky at night and it doesn't stink that bad during vintage. It smells a bit near the wineries, but if you are far enough away from them it is all good. Vintage is only for 3 months of the year and you are right in the middle of one of Australia's premier wine regions!
The sense of community is also wonderful. I am playing cricket for Tanunda and have made heaps of new friends through there. The wife plays netball for Angaston and once again, lots of new friends there too.

As for the rest of the hills, pretty much anywhere should be fine. Personally I would look for places a little bit out of the towns like Mt Barker and such. Should be a bit cheaper and you won't be in each others back yard. Mt Barker is a bit like Golden Grove and Mawson Lakes. The houses are quite close together so you can easily watch your neighbour in the bathroom... I prefer a bit more room around the house.

PS. We moved up to Tanunda as the wife is a winemaker with St Hallett's. Make more sense to be closer to her work as she does shift work and long hours over vintage time, whereas I just work Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.

[fairmont1998]

I'd say Birdwood would be a good choice too. Good schools and still not too big a town.

[Pursuit_chick]

Mt Barker is a nice place, talk to Xrchic, she lives there and might be able to give you some info!

[davidclough]

Aldgate is a great suburb , the only issue is the bushfire risk , but as long as you are fire prepared the likelyhood of getting burnt is quite low, the temerature up in the hills on the hot days can be up to 10 degrees cooler than the city , plenty of shops, bugger all traffic its heaven compared to the city. I have shifted from Mt Gambier in the South East and am now finding a sense of community up in the hills, it is so much safer for kids, there is quite a lot for sale up in the hills Good luck!

[tetgreg888]

If you like the wine country have a look around Willunga/ McLaren Vale. We live in Aldinga, love it here, 2 mins to beach, 5 mins to the wineries ( dont touch the stuff myself ) 40 mins to Adelaide but you dont realy have to go there ( I avoid it like the plague ) Schools are good

[thefargo]

Originally Posted by tetgreg888

If you like the wine country have a look around Willunga/ McLaren Vale. We live in Aldinga, love it here, 2 mins to beach, 5 mins to the wineries ( dont touch the stuff myself ) 40 mins to Adelaide but you dont realy have to go there ( I avoid it like the plague ) Schools are good

I couldn't agree more. There are more than 40 wineries in the region. some great drives, and the best beaches in the metro (And greater metro) area.
I also live in the area.

[Mondie]

Thanks for all the great replies. l am off to Adelaide tomorrow and are really looking forward to touring around. The 3 main areas l think l will concentrate on are Mt Barker and surrounds, the Birdwood area and down the coast - Aldinga and surrounds. We do not really want to be any further north or distant from the city than Birdwood so l think between touring these 3 areas l will have a good feel for what sort of property we can afford, schools and facilities etc and the different "feel" of each region.

We both fell in love with the Barossa the first time we stayed at Tanunda, its probably a little far from the city for us to consider living there, but it will remain a frequent destination should we decide to uproot and make the move.

Cheers,
Mondie

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by Mondie

We both fell in love with the Barossa the first time we stayed at Tanunda, its probably a little far from the city for us to consider living there

Well, there is a free ride to the Gawler Train station should you decide to move here to the Barossa. I travel down every Monday - Friday to go to work in the city. Basically, it is about an hour and a half door to door. Leave at 7:20am in the morning and walk in the door at work generally at about 8:45am, depending on the trains.
It's a nice relaxing way to get to and from work. You can have an absolute pig of a day at work and be nice and calm and relaxed by the time you get off the train.

Good luck with the hunt. Birdwood is a small country town whereas Mt Barker is pretty much urban sprawl now. Birdwood has the Birdwood Motor Museum as well! Mt Barker has nice big shops and cinemas.

[Mondie]

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

Well, there is a free ride to the Gawler Train station should you decide to move here to the Barossa.

Thanks for the offer mate, thats very generous. l am in the fortunate position of working from home with the need for interstate or overseas travel on average once per month. l agree with you though, travel to work by train is definitely preferable, and better use of your time too.

Cheers Mondie

[gtfpv]

adelaide is close to my heart, t'is the place where i 1st kissed girls, and encountered thier angry boyfriends. note to readers, it's hard to box when you have a girl on your shoulders, and trying to fight her boyfriend . ahhhh them were the days . now that i'm settled i'm sure it would be a great place to live with a family ( even if you have to drink WEST END)

[Walkinshaw]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

( even if you have to drink WEST END)

trust me. If you had to drink West End, Adelaide would be population 0.

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

( even if you have to drink WEST END)

C'mon. South Australia - Home of Coopers Beer.
Good ads for West End though: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=jyYXUqoEqbY

[tetgreg888]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

adelaide is close to my heart, t'is the place where i 1st kissed girls, and encountered thier angry boyfriends. note to readers, it's hard to box when you have a girl on your shoulders, and trying to fight her boyfriend . ahhhh them were the days . now that i'm settled i'm sure it would be a great place to live with a family ( even if you have to drink WEST END)

I have 1 word for you my friend COOPERS!!!!

[Perana]

West End is to SA like Fosters is to Australia..

Noone in the state drinks the stuff.. and rightly so too seeing its shite!

[theboss290]

Pends on how much you have to spend?? whats your round about budget??

[Mondie]

We would be looking in the 750-900 range theboss290. Would have no hesitation in building if we could find some nice land.

Cheers Mondie

[blueoval]

With that price range you wont have an issue getting something in aldgate or bridgewater etc I reckon.

[theboss290]

Well I would go east or north east of the city with that much coin Mt Barker, Hahndorf, Stirling, springfield, Belair, upper Sturt, Crafers, Crafers West, Piccadilly, Summertown, Houghton, Cudlee Creek, Cherryville, You will all so find some good buys North in One Tree Hill, Humbug Scrub and Upper and lower Hermitage.

Just plug thos names in @ realestate.com.au and you will find some good realestate ;)

I know there are some good deals going for land out north too came across 7acrs for $250,000 hilly tho @ Humbug Scrub very green and the views were picture perfect about 45 50 min out of the city.

I hope this helps ;)

[sgt_doofey]

Bugger me! For that money, you could buy a nice house in, or near, the city, let alone a nice apartment down on the shores at Glenelg!

Country houses, depending on the location, should go for around $450,000 - $500,000 for a nice, decent sized house. That is roughly what they go for here in Tanunda in the heart of the town. We're a bit further towards Nuriootpa so it's a little bit cheaper down this end of town.

[Perana]

As others have said you'll have no issue finding something very nice. Especially in the Hills.

Only problem I have with a lot of the Hills around Crafers etc is the bushfire factor....

[Need_a_V8]

+1 for Gumeracha!!! Its where I live. 5km or so from Birdwood. Its a good town, good community.

Houghton is a top place also, some very nice houses and suprisingly close to the city yet you would never know it.