How safe is Adelaide???

Question

We are in the process of emigrating to Australia. We have lived in Melbourne but it is far too expensive for us to live there now we have a child and don't just wanna live in an apartment like we did when we were younger. We want a safe and enjoyable life which we dont have here in Glasgow (we can't afford to live in a nice area and the knife culture where we live is getting too scary for us to go out after dark).

However, a "friend" who doesnt want us to emigrate pointed out this:

http://www.mercer.com/referencecontent.jhtml?idContent=1307990#Top50_qol

It states Glasgow as higher for "personal safety" than Adelaide. I am now worrying, what if we move from a bad situation here in Glasgow to worse in Adelaide when I have previously believed Adelaide to be a pretty safe, clean and friendly city - especially for families...

Help?!?!?

Answer 1

Unless you know the criteria used to judge a city any survey like that is pretty useless.  Is its interpretation of "safety" based on knife attacks or traffic accidents?  Adelaide drivers are pretty dodgy.

Generally Adelaide is so safe it's soporific.  They do have a penchant for weird mass murders, though.  Just avoid the weird people.  And anyone named Alexander Downer.

Answer 2

Good grief have lived in Adelaide for over 50 years so must be safe as I am still around and still walking the dog at nights and early hours of the morning. There are better neighbourhoods and closer to the city is safer as busier. We are known as the city of churches and I have brought up my kids here and they are well adjusted and one still has a house close to the city so it is quite safe. Contact me if you need any more information as I would be happy to advise. Hope you have a good trip. My parents moved here early 1950 as it does get cold but not cold enough to snow. It is not as big a city as Melbourne or Sydney but we have all the facilities and not the stress or the expense.

Answer 3

Yep I would say Adelaide is pretty safe from what I've herd.

I'm from Perth and it's very safe here compared to cities like Melbourne and Sydney but then again it's not the cheapest place to live.

Good Luck :)

Answer 4

I agree with njss. Adelaide is a pretty good place to live. Some suburbs (like anywhere) are rougher than others. I must say just lately we have been hearing of raids on pubs, shops, etc. but on the whole, its a great place to live. The only other city I would like to live in is Perth. Best of luck, take the plunge, you'll be glad you did.

Answer 5

that's so funny

try to get mugged in Adelaide

Answer 6

Statistics on Adelaide are way out of whack because of the Snowtown murders.  It makes the crime rate look so much worse than it really is.  Like all places it has its good and bad suburbs and common sense is always required for personal safety but I suggest you move their and rent.  Then research the different areas before decided where to buy.  If you move just before Christmas you will have lots of time to settle in before school starts at the end of January.  Have fun.  :)

Answer 7

My bestest mate ever moved to Barossa Valley outside Adelaide 2 years ago and we visited her last year - AMAZING! adelaide as a whole is a lovely small town it does not have loads of shops etc., but just right.

The main area that has trouble with petty crime ( ie nicking washing off line/car break in /house break in etc) in ELIZABETH - avoid this area like the plague!! it has a great shopping area about 15 minutes or so outside Adleiade however they built loads of cheap houses , where a lot of Brits moved to ,but it also has a lot of Indigious people who live there and they seem not to mix, when they moved out soooo many people advised them if they could afford to , to avoid Elizabeth. Shop there but try not to live there!!

My friend has come acrossno crime at all - she leaves her doors open and has been welcomed into the small community with open arms -go on do it ! what have you to loose?? crappy weather v SUNSHINE! knives V open doors - Simple life with simple pleasures V stress and credit crunch........ needi say more!

good luck xxxxxxxx

Oh my friends kids are 15 , 5 , 3 and 1 month old!!! yes her own little Aussie babe

Answer 8

This seems to be a difficult question to answer (statistically) as comparative statistics for Australian cities are a little hard to come by, as the Australian Bureau of Statistics display their “crime” figures on a national level with little breakdown comparing cities, if you wanted more of a state by state, or city breakdown you then have to look at the individual State figures which all seem to be compiled differently, though what I could gauge is that South Australia / Adelaide does compare favourably with the rest of Australia. I have lived basically all my life in Adelaide, and have worked in areas that have taken me to the “roughest” areas of the city including at night time, and I have always felt very safe, though like all cities there are safer areas then others.  One of the few comparative studies I could find was  by the Australian Bureau of Statistics “PERSONAL SAFETY SURVEY A U S T R A L I A  20 0 5 (R E I S S U E )”  Their data showing people that had: NEVER EXPE R I E N C ED VIOLENCE: South Australia had the best or highest figure here with 93.4% with Queensland at the lowest at 90.4%, with the data showing people that had experienced PHYSI C A L VIOL ENC E again South Australia came in with the best figures here at  5.9% Queensland  at the highest with 8.7%. (these figures only included NSW, Vic, Qld, SA & WA) Given this I have always felt very safe in Queensland, so I’m not too sure how much confidence one might want to have in these statistics. On a final note the Mercer survey actually suggests that Glasgow is a pretty safe city on a world scale, I’ll leave that with you, though I would really like to know how Mercer actually compiles their “Personal safety” figures to come up with these findings!

(By the way here’s a link from a British immigrant giving a recent overview of living in Adelaide.)

http://www.emigrate2.co.uk/people_and_pl...

Answer 9

I spent  a year in Australia, and actually worked for a while in Adelaide.  I found South Australia to be safe, laid-back, good weather (well, like Oz has any bad weather except maybe in Melbourne), and a great place to bring up a family.  Good decision to emigrate there!  I am envious!  Go for it!!  It will be a million times safer than Glasgow I assure you!

Answer 10

we were under the same impression about adelaide too. we have read up quite alot on it. this is where we also want to go.

we beleive that australia is a safer place and better enviroment to bring up yourfamily over all. that is why we are going.

i have only heard good things about the place.

i think the goverment just brings out statistics because they are now realising that the counrty has gone to pot, and people are leaving. so they try and put us off.

good luck with your immigration x

Answer 11

Okay I was born in Adelaide but we were in Sydney for the greater majority of my life but I can safely say that I have never ONCE heard ANYTHING about Adelaide or indeed SA being unsafe or having a criminal underground or anything! And we watch the news everyday!

Hope that helps! Adelaide is fine it is nice and cheap too!

Answer 12

Very safe and boring!