Tips for moving to Adelaide.

November 20, 2007 12:15 AM

I'm moving to Adelaide for three months. Where can I get some furniture, and what shouldn't I miss?

I have a three month job in Adelaide. I'll be arriving on December 2, to start work on the 3rd. I have rented an unfurnished flat in Salisbury (close to work), and was planning to rent furniture, but it turns out to be pretty expensive. Am I likely to be able to pick up some secondhand furniture very easily once I get there, or should I just suck it up and pay the rental? Gumtree seems kind of busy, not so much craigslist - what other sources are there? A complication is that I won't have a car, although I may be able to get a nice coworker to help me out.

And while I'm asking, what cool weekend stuff is there? How can I arrange a tour of the wineries, either in the Barossa Valley or down Lindeman Vale area? I'm already planning to check out Haigh's chocolates, and the Glenelg beaches, and maybe the Adelaide International tennis tournament - anything else?

posted by jacalata to Travel & Transportation around Adelaide, Australia (15 answers total)

The problem with picking up secondhand furniture is that in 3 months time you'll have to organize to get rid of it - might be much less hassle to rent what you need.

Salisbury is pretty far out from the more exciting areas and you will be at th mercy of public transport to get around.

Lots of different companies do wine tours through the Barossa - it depends how much you want to spend as to which ones. Someone else might be able to recommend a specific good tour here though.

Rundle Street is a good place to check out - esp for a beer at the Exeter. *Note: when in Adelaide drink Coopers Ale.

You'll also be there for the Fringe Festival so there will be heaps of different things going on then.

I prefer the beaches near Semaphore and Largs and the main streets near those than Glenelg, but then I'm biased because that's where I grew up. The beaches there tend to be less crowded and cleaner, and the shops more quaint.

Remember that Adelaide can get really hot in summer so even a day trip to hang out in the Botanic Gardens is a good cooling off idea.

There are also a bunch of cool mefi/mofi people there so a meetup is a good plan too.
posted by gomichild at 12:44 AM on November 20, 2007

I second the Fringe and The Exeter. I'd add that for a good Italian meal, check out Amalfi, and good middle eastern from Jerusalem. I have absolutely no idea bout the furniture question.
posted by naturesgreatestmiracle at 1:57 AM on November 20, 2007

Check out Trading Post if you want second hand stuff, though I guess mostly it will be high-priced stuff being sold. Maybe you could put in a wanted ad?

For tourism stuff, see the Tourism Commission; there's loads of searchable links to tour providers, accommodation, etc, all sorted by region.

If you like chocolate, you WILL like Haigh's. And Bracegirdle's. And The Chocolate Bean.

Now for self-links: might I invite you to come Water Skiing? And if you're eating out, I have reviews.

If you've got more Adelaide questions, feel free and I'll try to remember to come back to this thread.
posted by polyglot at 2:24 AM on November 20, 2007

Actually, check out the noticeboards at the universities... around this time of year there are plenty of international students trying to get rid of furniture. And there'll be fresh ones next March to buy it all off you again.
posted by polyglot at 2:48 AM on November 20, 2007 [1 favorite]

For furniture, buy the Friday Advertiser. There's a classified section in there where people can advertise stuff for sale for free if the price is under $500. Well worth a look.
posted by Wolof at 3:08 AM on November 20, 2007

Also, the nightlife in Salisbury is disgusting. You will need to come into town; fortunately, there is a night bus every hour all night or so that will, I think, drop you directly at your door. Cost is about $6.
posted by Wolof at 3:19 AM on November 20, 2007

If you want beach it's easy to catch the train to Seacliff as well. Very much nicer than Glenelg, which is hoon land.

Anyway, email me when you get here and I'll give you my phone no.
posted by Wolof at 3:23 AM on November 20, 2007

Gaaaah!

The Central Market is the best place in town. Cheapest and best food, best atmosphere; more.
posted by Wolof at 3:28 AM on November 20, 2007

The Central Market is the best place in town.
No argument there. Best market in Australia in my opinion. What it doesn't offer in size, it offers in quality and variety.
"And while I'm asking, what cool weekend stuff is there?"
Oh my!, time with the rels but…
a meetup is a good plan too
I'm there over Christmas. Sometime from 22nd December to 13 January. I'm excited now.
posted by tellurian at 6:16 AM on November 20, 2007

Sorry I don't have many suggestions regarding furniture, except to say that perhaps renting a furnished flat may have been a better idea. But your options for buying cheap, as others have said, may lie in the classifieds section of the Advertiser, notices stuck up at universities, or 2nd hand shops. There's a big one up at Modbury, corner of North East Road and Smart Road, that has a lot of old cheap furniture. Also, have you seen Freecycle? You may well be able to score some stuff for free.

Regarding things to do, plenty of people run wine tours, and the Barossa probably gives you the most bang for your buck - loads of history and pretty places as well as the grog.

A suggested itinerary for the pubs in town; Head to the Rundle St district for The Crown and Anchor, The Austral, the Exeter. Wander through the mall across town to stop by the Grace Emily and the Worlds End (they have Southwark Black on tap there - yes, Coopers is the way to go, but have a few pints of this as well for comparison), then stumble south down King William St to the Crown and Sceptre. See if you can make it to The Brecknok without passing out on the tram lines. Actually, come to think of it, this pub-tour plan may work better in reverse. The Crown and Anchor is definitely the place to be for last drinks.
posted by Jimbob at 7:06 AM on November 20, 2007

Sorry, that should be the corner of Tolley Rd and Smart Rd.
posted by Jimbob at 7:10 AM on November 20, 2007

Response by poster: Awesome stuff, thanks! I would love to try waterskiing, polyglot, and the reviews look handy as well (first one for a nice tikka masala - definitely my kind!) And I'll be in touch with you too, Wolof :)

I'm not sure about the furniture yet, but I found the Adelaide Advertiser classifieds online, and they looked promising, as does freecycle - if it's cheap enough I can afford to just freecycle it when I leave, although I finish work on the 22nd of February and have to be back at uni in Brisbane on the 25th, so it's pretty tight timing (unfortunately means I probably won't see the Fringe festival either).

And a pub crawl route is fantastic - excellent way to get to know a city!

A meetup would be sweet too, but I'm visiting family in Melbourne from Dec 22 until Jan 1st, so maybe early Jan to coordinate with tellurian?

More tips are welcome, as I'll be referring back to the thread to remind me while I'm there :) Thanks all!
posted by jacalata at 7:38 AM on November 20, 2007

No argument there. Best market in Australia in my opinion. What it doesn't offer in size, it offers in quality and variety.

As a Melbournian blessed with fantastic fresh food markets, the Vic, Prahan, South Melbourne, Footscray - Adelaide Market is fantastic.
posted by mattoxic at 4:42 AM on December 6, 2007

Don't go for an organised wine tour. They're fine, there's nothing terrible about them, but they're so structured and commercial that you'll miss the very best parts of the wine regions.

If you can borrow that coworkers car, use that. If not, hire one for the day. Simply drive up there (or down to the hills, or McLaren Vale, both amazing wine regions) and make your own tour. The organised ones DO NOT visit the best cellar doors- they visit the biggest ones, the ones that can handle a busload of tourists. You can pick up a fairly informative guide around the place (the tourism centre on Rundle Mall, for a start) to guide you towards the smaller, family owned cellar doors. This is where you want to be. Avoid Jacobs Creek and Wolf Blass- try Charles Melton, Kabminye, Gibson, Turkey Flat. They're all very small, all family owned and run, and all have absolutely amazing wine that's very affordable.

I'm going to have to stop. I'm starting to get thirsty.
posted by twirlypen at 2:03 PM on December 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

Make sure you get to Grant Burge Wines. He produces a Shiraz that has to be drunk in the kneeling position.
posted by tellurian at 3:07 PM on December 6, 2007 [1 favorite]