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Moving to Adelaide (A Comprehensive Guide)

Are you thinking about moving to Adelaide? Perhaps you’re already in the process of planning your move. `Whether you’re looking to move interstate or travelling from overseas, Adelaide is a great choice. 

A hot air balloon over the Barossa Valley

Things To Know When Moving To Adelaide

There are lots of reasons that Adelaide could be the right choice for you. Whether you’re looking for a more affordable place to live than Sydney or the perfect spot to raise a family, Adelaide could be a great option. This city is home to over 1.3 million people and there’s a reason its population continues to grow every year. 

There’s no overcrowding here and the city can provide a stress-free location to set up a home. There’s community spirit that is impossible to resist and fantastic schooling for those thinking about setting up a family. 

There are countless food options around the city and in the surrounding neighbourhoods. While restaurants can be expensive you’ll never need to doubt that you’re getting some of the best food Australia can offer. Let’s explore some of the other things to know when moving to Adelaide. 

Finding A Home in Adelaide

Cost Of Homes

Are you thinking about building a home in Adelaide? Well, you’re in luck because this is significantly cheaper than Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. These cost $1,720, $1,780 and $1,800 per metre squared respectively compared to $1,580 for Adelaide. 

Buying and renting in Adelaide is budget-friendly too. The Median price of properties in Adelaide is $564,000. Alternatively, the median rent is $465 per week. It’s worth noting that these prices are approximately half the cost of the median level recorded for areas such as Sydney. 

Suburbs Of Adelaide 

One of your first decisions when moving to Adelaide is going to be choosing precisely where you want to live. You have a lot of options and you should definitely browse realestate.com.au. For instance, you can opt to live in Inner Adelaide or a little further away from the city. This largely depends on the lifestyle you want and the environment that you are interested in. 

Adelaide City - The heart of the city stretches 2.5km. There are plenty of apartments and houses here as well as the campuses for UNISA. There’s large stretches of green around here too including Himeji Garden and the Botanic Gardens. This is a great choice if you’re not planning on driving because you will be in the heart of the action. 

A street in Adelaide's CBD

Kensington - Only four clicks from the CBD, Kensington boasts beautiful Victorian architecture so it’s perfect if you’re looking for a stunning home with great curb appeal. This is also home to The Parade where you’ll be able to enjoy plenty of restaurants, pubs, and cafes. 

North Adelaide - This is the spot for high-class living and it’s north of the CBD. Don’t let the mansions fool you, there’s still affordable housing available in this location. You’ll also be within walking distance of the Adelaide Oval where you’ll be able to enjoy all the football action. 

Malvern - This is perfect if you want to be close to the restaurants, homeware stores, and boutiques. It’s a beautiful location with plenty of jacaranda trees which provide a unique and somewhat irresistible aesthetic. Even if you don’t live here you’ll probably find that it’s a place you want to visit now and again. 

If you are keen to live away from the city, then there are some great beach suburbs that you can explore too. Yes, you would be right in thinking that these will put you close to the sand and the surf. 

Glenelg - 25 minutes from the CBD by tram, this a great place to live if you don’t mind the crowds. There is quite a lot of tourist interest in this area but it could be worth it for the beautiful views and even fishing opportunities. It genuinely feels like you’re on holiday whenever you wake up. 

Glenelg Town Hall

Semaphore - This is 14 klicks from the city centre and is the perfect beach village. There’s a lot to do here rather than just relaxing on the sand. However, it’s also popular with families due to the great Dominican Primary School

Henley Beach - Alternatively you could also consider living near Henley Beach. There are reasonably priced housing options here and it’s a great spot if you love bike rides with picturesque routes. It is also close to several schools including Henley High School. 

Finding work in adelaide

There is a range of key industries in Adelaide that could be relevant to your skillset. This includes education, food and wine, manufacturing, real estate, and construction. Since Adelaide is a comparatively small city, you could find networking presents great opportunities. 

If you haven’t yet found a job in Adelaide, you can get started by setting up A LinkedIn page. As of August 2019, there were over 3000 jobs available through LinkedIn in Adelaide. It’s important to make sure that you are taking the time to make sure that your LinkedIn profile looks professional and markets your best qualities as well as your skills and experience. Setting up a LinkedIn page takes minutes. 

You can also think about exploring Seek.com.au. Here you will be able to search for jobs in Adelaide based on classification as well as key jobs. You can save jobs and make sure that you set up a profile to ensure that employers looking to hire can find you. CareerOne is another great site that you can consider utilising during your job search. 

adelaide Living cost 

In terms of living costs, Adelaide is comparatively similar to places like Melbourne. The average salary for Melbourne and Adelaide is $4,434 and $4,145 per month respectively. However, Adelaide is more budget-friendly with a one-bedroom apartment costing $1,361 per month compared to $1,902 per month. 

Adelaide is also significantly cheaper compared to Sydney with the monthly cost of a one-bedroom apartment in the centre of the city being fifty percent cheaper. Transport is also more expensive in Sydney with a monthly pass costing $217 compared to $99. 

When compared to LA the difference is substantial with a one-bedroom apartment in LA costing $2194 per month. Eating out in a mid-range restaurant in LA is also 19% more expensive compared with Adelaide. 

Education in adelaide

The University of Adelaide

When you move to Adelaide, you’ll be pleased to discover that children are guaranteed a preschool place. Children are eligible for pre-school at 4 and can attend a year before full-time school. Children aren’t required to be in school until 6. You can find out about different school districts as well as more info on www.sa.gov.au

Through primary school, your child will cover everything from maths to English, as well as art, technology, and physical education. 

Students will then move on to high school and Adelaide have countless exception schools. Children need to pass their South Australian Certificate of Education. To do this, they need to pass 200 credits in year 11 and 12. If you do have a child in the last few years of high school, do make sure that you understand the SACE system and how it works. 

In total, there are six universities in Adelaide, that commonly rank high when compared to others around the world. These include:

Each option provides different specialties with The University of Adelaide ideal for social science as well as IT. The University of South Australia is perfect for students interested in Journalism and Medical Science while Flinders University is suited for Law, Medicine, and Humanities. There are also a vast amount of community colleges as well. 

adelaide Transport

When you’re moving to Adelaide, it’s worth noting it’s known as the ‘20 minute’ city. Keep this in mind when you’re thinking about buying a car because it means that you can get everywhere by walking for twenty minutes. An exception would be if you love exploring or you’re planning to live outside the city. 

Those who don’t want to say goodbye to their four wheels will be thrilled to find various parking options. There are 9,300 free time limit spaces around the city and 3000 paid ticket parking spaces. Off-street parking options include nine different locations run by the city that are open 24/7 with a total of 6000 spaces. 

If you surrender your car you will be able to rely on Uber or public transport possibilities. There are buses that are reliable and have aircon with Adelaide Metro’s free city connector buses running every 30 minutes daily. Trains run between 6am and midnight while there’s also a tram from Moseley Sq to Adelaide entertainment centre. These run approximately every 10 minutes. 

adelaide Weather 

Adelaide offers a Mediterranean climate. This ensures that you benefit from mild, cool winters with a moderate level of rainfall. Indeed, most of the rainfall arrives in the winter which could be a shock for those used to east coast cities like Brisbane and Sydney. Summers are quite dry and warm to hot. The hottest temperature recorded was 46.6 degrees in January 2019. Levels of annual sunshine are high at 2,500 hours. Those keen to avoid the hot weather should consider purchasing a home in the hills above the city. 

Entertainment in adelaide

Shopping in Adelaide

There are various shopping opportunities available around the city sure to satisfy anyone moving to Adelaide. This includes Rundle Mall which packs in 700 retailers. This is the busiest shopping location and it’s recently been given a makeover. There’s boutiques, cafes and 15 arcades. 

Alternatively, you can head to Rundle Street. More modern, there are fantastic boutiques that sell local designs mixed with high-end clothing stores. It’s here that you’ll also find the Palace Nova cinema, perfect for art house fanatics. There’s also Ebenezer Place and Vardon Avenue - two stands out selections. 

At the southern edge of the city, you’ll discover King William Road. Here there are more design clothing boutiques, homewares, jewellers and world-class restaurants. There are even day spas!

Or, if you are in the centre of the city, then Norwood Parade is just ten minutes away. There are 250 more retailers here where you will find plenty of popular brands. 

If these aren’t enough options, there’s also Burnside Village Shopping Centre and Harbour Town. Harbour Town is a great outlet shopping area 15 minutes west of the city, close to Adelaide airport. 

Adelaide Dining And Bars 

There are a plethora of restaurants all over the city. Those interested in exploring the best small bars should turn to Peel St. This has brought new life to city dining in Adelaide and has a stunning industrial interior. It offers modern Australian cuisine mixed with Asian treats. 

Orana is another great choice and it’s often praised as one of Australia’s best restaurants. This is one of Adelaide’s best kept secrets as there is no signage and it’s hidden at the back of Bistro Blackwood. Try it for yourself and you can thank us later. 

If you are looking for a place to unwind after work, then you should consider visiting La Rambla. What used to be a 150-year-old warehouse has been transformed into a taste of Spain. Drinks are budget-friendly here and there’s a wide selection of fine wines and cocktails. There’s also a DJ in the evening. 

Then there’s Maybe Mae and there’s is another option on Peel Street. It is a basement bar that is secluded, luxurious and lush. Art deco designs are fun and the great staff makes it a pleasant spot to frequent time and time again. 

Weekend Getaways

When you’re tired of work, you might be looking for a place for a romantic retreat, a family getaway or a place to unwind by yourself. You’ll find there are countless spots less than an hour away from Adelaide. 

For instance, you could explore the Adelaide Hills. It’s here that you’ll be able to wander the town of Handorf, Australia’s oldest German settlement. Yes, there’s great food and wine as well as brilliant attractions such as Mount Lofty Botanic Garden. 

Or, you could journey to Tailem Bend. This was once a railway town and it’s perfect for wildlife lovers because it includes a massive, open range zoo. Alternatively, you might want to think about heading to the Barossa. This is a really fun place to visit for the kids with The Whispering Wall where whispers can be heard over 100 meters away! Of course, this is also known for another reason. 

Perfect For Wine Lovers 

Vineyard in the Barossa Valley

One of the best reasons to visit Barossa is definitely the wine cellars. It is one of Australia's most cherished and recognised wine regions. However, that’s true for Adelaide in general and there are over 200 cellar doors scattered around the region. So, if you love wine tasting, this is certain to be the place for you. 

The first thing you should know is that Adelaide is the home to the National Wine Centre of Australia. This means that it has the country’s largest wine tasting experience where you will be able to sample 120 different wines! You can learn about wine here too before you visit the bars and cellar doors throughout the city. 

We certainly recommend you visit Penfolds Magill Estate. This is home to Penfolds Grange which has won numerous awards including ‘World’s Most Admired Wine brand. It’s just fifteen minutes from the city and there are daily tours available. 

There is also Patritti Wine Cellars which was established in 1926. To this day it’s family-owned and is a five-star experience. It’s also one of the world’s older commercial, urban vineyards. The soil here produces everything from Semillon to Chardonnay as well as Italian reds.  

Footy Rivalry 

Before moving to Adelaide you might not have been a massive fan of football. That will probably change after a couple of years. There are two competing teams - the Adelaide Crows formed in 1990 and Port Adelaide in 1997. This has divided the city. 

The friendly rivalry can get quite competitive and you will definitely need to choose aside. The fun part is that when there’s a ‘showdown’ between the two teams the whole city is in a frenzy. You can feel the excitement and energy in the air with flags and signs all over the streets. 

Kangaroo Island 

A woman feeding kangaroos on Kangaroo Island

This is Australia’s third-largest island and it’s close enough to Adelaide for a day trip. It is the perfect spot to discover wildlife and get up close and personal with some animals. It’s a picturesque location too and you’re guaranteed to love your time here. You can also enjoy even more local wines here as well as beautiful beaches. Since there is also accommodation on Kangaroo Island, this is another great spot close by that’s perfect for a weekend getaway. 

Adelaide's Beautiful Beaches 

If you’re moving to Adelaide, you definitely need to explore the beaches that this region has to offer. 

Glenelg - One of the easiest beaches to access, you can hop on the tram and get off at Moseley Square. If you do, you’ll be metres away from the water. As well as sand and surf, Jetty Road provides boutiques as well as restaurants. 

Glenelg Beach in Adelaide

Semaphore - This beach is long, wide and lush with large sand dunes. There are art deco buildings around this area too as well as Semaphores Palais. This a great spot for lunch and wine. 

Port Noarlunga - A little further out from the city, this beach is breathtaking and provides some great chances for surfing as well as bodyboarding. You can also try snorkeling here with a reef to explore. Close by there’s the award-winning Hortas restaurant

Adelaide Festivals

Fireworks at a festival in Adelaide

There are so many different festivals throughout the year in Adelaide it’s difficult to name them all. Suffice to say, if you love a good party, you won’t be disappointed with the countless possibilities available when you move here:

Australia Day in The City - In 2017 David Campbell was here to entertain a crowd of 40,000 people. This annual event takes place in Elder Park and includes fine food as well as fireworks. 

Crush Festival - A great chance to sample some of the best food and wine Adelaide has to offer, this is also a great option for music and dancing. It’s a themed experience so it’s different every year. But you can learn more on the festival website. 

Adelaide Fringe Festival - Running through February and March this is the biggest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s not one event - there are over 1300 to explore yourself and it’s an absolute must for art lovers. 

Adelaide Film Festival - This is your chance to see award-winning films with a massive audience and discover some incredible talent in the process. Some events here are free while others are ticketed and it runs in October. 

This is just a taster of a few festivals Adelaide has to offer. 

Need Help Moving To Adelaide?

From fine dining to a fantastic wealth of entertainment options, we think you’ll agree that Adelaide is a fantastic place to live. That’s not even mentioning the budget-friendly living options compared to other cities in Australia and around the world. But that doesn’t cover all the things to know when moving to Adelaide. 

It’s fair to say that moving to Adelaide can be expensive and stressful. Indeed, if you are moving from London the average cost is upwards of $5k. If you are moving from New York the price balloons to over $8k. 

That’s where we come in. At Chess Moving, we strive to provide a budget-friendly solution whether you’re moving interstate or from a location around the world. We have over 100 years of experience moving to and from Adelaide. With offices in Adelaide as well as other locations around Australia, we’ll help ensure that your items arrive safely and can meet deadline requests too. If you need a helping hand with your move to Adelaide, we offer the number one service that you can trust. 

You can read more about our interstate removalist and international removalist services or get the ball rolling with an obligation free quote. Click here for an online quote or give one of our friendly staff members a call on 13 14 69.

 

 

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