PouchieMumma

I know people who live in Davoren Park and have done so their whole lives and love it. They have great neighbours etc. The area is also being redeveloped through Playford alive and some newer housing closer to Elizabeth North has been coming up (near Womma station).

Unfortunately it is still Davoren Park/ Elizabeth West. It was established by the Housing Trust as low cost housing for low income earners. Unfortunately the area has gone downhill because of the influx of low educated dole/pension dependant people living in the area, drug users living in the area and high crime rates. I know for a fact that some ambos will not go there without a police escort.

I do hope that Playford Alive will bring the area back up a bit and if you live here and have a good street thats great for you but in general it will have a stigma becuase of factual bad history.

I wouldn't live in the Dav if you paid me.

Some of the newer housing is expensive for where it is in my opinion. I have also noticed that although houses were going for $250,000 to $300,000 six months ago (late 2010) the same type and size of houses are now selling for $30,000 less. So houses are going down in value. Not a good place to invest. Waste of money in my view.

I grew up in Salisbury North and moved with my family to Salisbury when I was 16. I attended local schools and went on the TafeSA and University. When my husband and I settled we settled in Salisbury to be close to family, work and for housing affordabilty. What we bought here would have cost us $50-$70,000 more in Port Adelaide five years ago (we bought in 2006).

There are good and bad schools in this area so do your reseach. A great deal has to do with the teaching staff and the prinicipal then just the area. There are good public schools and bad private schools whereever you go. There are more private schools popping up in the Salisbury Council area indicating the need and more affulent people moving to the area who put education first.

This is not the area if you want night life and designer shopping (more Big W, Target, Woolworths, Kmart, Coles and some boutique shops here) but it is great for families and retirees. Lots of Nursing homes popping up and retirment villages for active retirees who just don't want to manage big homes and yards anymore and want a community feel.

As a family we are blessed with great kindys, playgroups, sporting facilities (Parafield Gardens Rec and St Jays), gyms scattered throughout, public and private school and public transport. There are also lots of medical facilties, specalists and a hospital nearby.

So what about housing trust homes, half houses, semis...? These are mainly isolated to Salisbury North. Salisbury was established by John Harvery as an affulent suburb for growers and tradespeople/ professionals. The housing trust bought the land known as Salisbury North after it was used for Cabin homes to supply short term housing for factory workers during the war. The Salisbury community complained to council about how the semi detached housing had lowered the tone of Salisbury and when the housing trust requested more land they were refused...the result being Elizabeth and suburbs left of Main North Road such as Daveron Park, Elizabeth West, Elizabeth North, Smithfield, Smithfield Plains. Then the immigrants and ten pound poms came and the other side of Elizabeth/ Playford was developed into owner occupied housing.
Both Playford and Salisbury have tried and continue to try to redevelop these areas and are having some success but they will always have a stigma.

Salisbury itself is great and I wouldn't live anywhere else