Adelaide, Australia?

Hi,
We are swaying with moving to either New South Wales (outskirts not in Sydney as house prices too expensive) or Adelaide. Please could anyone tell me if the beaches are just as nice as they are in New South Wales and also is Adelaide a family orientated place to live.
I look forward to any information you have to offer.
Thankyou for your time.

The beaches in Adelaide could be described as a lot better than the beaches in Sydney, less crowds, lots less pollution, easier access, more beaches and bigger beaches. There are a couple of drawbacks though, some of the Adelaide beaches have sea-grass beds just offshore, so a lot of sea-weed/grass can get washed up on to some beaches, and the city beaches are situated on a protected gulf, so the waves aren't usually very big.

Live virtually anywhere in Adelaide and the roads/trains/trams and buses will get you to a beach in 20 minutes direct or maybe an hour after changing services in the city. In my experience of Sydney, the outskirts can be a long, long way from a beach. But if you are prepared to live on the South or Central coasts of NSW you can still be very close to some great beaches and not too far from the big smoke and haze of central Sydney. The other coastal cities of NSW probably provide a far better opportunity for a beach lifestyle than Sydney.

adelaide is very family orientated, I have lived south of adelaide for 37 years i have been to every state in aus and always glad to get back to adelaide. the beaches are fantastic not as crowed as easten staes. hope this helps

Adelaide is a very family orientated place. The beaches in Adelaide are nice, but your kids might complain of the lack of waves. You might also find that in a decade or so they will want to move interstate because thats where all the good jobs are, and so on...and the night life in Adelaide isnt that great. Public transport isnt the best, however if you stay in the Adelaide metropolitan area, it should be ok.
However back on a positive note, Adelaide is a cheap place to live, traffic on the roads is better than Sydney, and therefore getting around is nice and fast.

Adelaide is much slower paced, with great beaches. They call it the City of the Churches, which suits it well. If you like the quiet life, Adelaide is the place to be, even though I prefer and Love Sydney.

Adelaide is a beautiful city and the beaches are great.
If you're after a comfortable pace of life and a family friendly city, Adelaide is the one for you and your family.

It's nothing like your other choices of Virginia in the USA or Cheshire in Britain. I hope you won't be diaappointed, Adelaide is much drier and less green than either of the other two areas.