Add CategoryGOLDEN sunsets, beach walks, great shops and good access to quality schooling and public transport all help make coastal Somerton Park an attractive lifestyle locale for all generations.
Grandparents Chris and Peter Needham will be enjoying the spoils of near-beach living well after they sell their three-bedroom home on Diagonal Rd.
“We lived in it for about three years while we were building our new home in Seacliff and found it so convenient,” Peter says. “We’ve also rented it out to others, including tertiary students who said how much they enjoyed the handy location near the beach and public transport.
“The capital gains on the property have been fantastic. We are selling it because it’s surplus to us now as we head towards retirement.”
The median house price has risen 14.5 per cent in the last three months alone, and Peter says the suburb has a lot to offer.
“You’ve got the beach, the city, shops and great schools within easy reach,” he says. “It’s a peaceful area with a high percentage of retirees, so there’s a really good community attitude here.
“You’ve got theatres and cinemas within easy reach at Glenelg and Marion as well as the Jetty Rd cafes, restaurants and shops. It’s a fantastic little location.
“We used to take evening walks to the south Esplanade and catch the sunsets. “We’ve got the best sunsets in SA there.”
Peter says there’s a bus stop out front on Diagonal Rd which can take you to Westfield Marion, Oaklands Park or Flinders University.
“You can even walk to the tram stop only about 400m away,” he says.
“In recent years, we’ve seen the attrition of the bigger properties being subdivided, especially along Diagonal Rd.”
Sales agent Sharon Gillard of Harcourts Packham Glenelg says Somerton Park is in high demand from families and first homebuyers to retirees.
“There’s an increasing number of buyers looking at downsizing, who buy a property and rent it out in the short term before moving in later,” she says.
LOCATION
Somerton Park is a coastal suburb about 10km southwest of Adelaide’s CBD, near Warradale, North Brighton, Brighton, Hove, Glenelg South, Glenelg East, Glenelg, Glengowrie, Oaklands Park and Marion. It is bounded by Boundary Rd, Melton St, Diagonal Rd, Oaklands Rd, Bells Rd, Bowker St, Repton Rd and The Esplanade.
MEDIAN HOUSE PRICE
$847,500.
AVERAGE HOLD PERIOD
8.9 years.
MEDIAN ASKING RENT
$480 per week for houses.
$320 per week for units.
ORIGIN OF SUBURB NAME
Named after Somerton in Ireland according to historian Geoffrey H. Manning. Applied to an 1854 subdivision in the area by the emigrant Walsh family. There’s also Somerton in England.
SCHOOLS
There are a number of quality private and public schools within a 2.4km radius, including Paringa Park, Warradale, Glenelg, Our Lady of Grace (Catholic), and St Peter’s Woodlands Grammar primary schools. High schools include Brighton Secondary School and Sacred Heart College Senior School besides combined schools — Marymount College (Catholic) and Immanuel College.
TYPICAL FEATURES
Neat, older homes surrounded by ample trees, lawn and shrubbery enhances the laid-back feel but larger blocks have disappeared fast over the past few decades, replaced by multiple, new dwellings. CoreLogic data shows traditional, detached houses comprise almost 55 per cent of all homes, with semi-detached homes and units making up another 34 per cent of total homes. About 24.5 per cent of homes are rented.
LOCATION ATTRACTIONS
It’s about a five-minute drive to Brighton or Glenelg beaches and their cafe/shopping strips but it’s also a relaxing walk of about 2km to the beach. You also have the Westfield Marion shopping complex, prime schooling options and sporting facilities like Bowker Oval, the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre, Marion Swimming Centre and Somerton Park Tennis Club nearby. John Miller Reserve offers barbecue/picnic facilities, open greenery, shade and children’s play equipment opposite the beach and next to Somerton Yacht Club. Seaforth Reserve on Tarlton St offers playground facilities too.
Enjoy a cluster of eateries and cafes in the area bounded by Bath St, Boundary Rd and The Broadway, including the Broadway Hotel. Or head to the Jetty Rd shopping and eating strip.
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