Resthaven Elizabeth North Retirement Living

Resthaven Retirement Villages: Communities, Care and Locations Across South Australia

Resthaven is a not-for-profit organisation with more than 90 years' experience and 31 retirement villages across South Australia. Moving to a retirement village is a significant decision, so this page sets out the facts in plain terms and points to the questions worth asking before you commit. Find a Resthaven community near you below, or read on for costs, care details and what sets Resthaven apart.

Quick facts

About Resthaven

Resthaven opened its doors in 1935 and has grown from a single home into a network across metropolitan and regional South Australia. Villages range from small, boutique clusters of units to large groups of homes with community facilities on site or nearby. Some sit alongside a Resthaven aged care home.

Resthaven looks after the site gardens, council rates and the repairs and maintenance of buildings. That leaves your time free for the things you enjoy. For someone downsizing, handing over gardening and building upkeep can be one of the main attractions of village living, so it is worth asking exactly what is covered at the village you are considering.

Resthaven Incorporated owns and operates its communities. It is a not-for-profit, financially independent charity associated with the Uniting Church in Australia. Knowing who runs a village, and what kind of organisation it is, is a useful starting point when you compare your options and decide what to ask.

Costs & fees

For a current price, call Resthaven directly on (08) 8373 9000 or enquire through the listing for the community you're interested in. Because pricing is not set out on this page, asking for the figures in writing gives you something concrete to compare. When you call or enquire, it is worth asking what you pay upfront, what you pay on an ongoing basis and what happens to those costs when you eventually leave.

It also helps to think about your own budget before you call. Work out what you expect to receive from selling your current home, what you want to keep in reserve and how the costs of a village compare with what you spend now. That way you can judge an offer against your own circumstances rather than in isolation.

Care & lifestyle services

Independent living is the starting point, and you can add support at home as your needs change. Resthaven offers in-home support such as personal care, shopping and meal preparation for an affordable fee, and can help you arrange government-funded home care. That helps you stay independent in your own home for longer. Ask what the fee covers, how often support visits can happen and how you would arrange extra help if you needed it later.

Some communities offer serviced apartments with freshly cooked lunches and dinners, plus weekly cleaning and linen services, and some sit alongside a Resthaven aged care home. These options exist only at some communities, so it is worth asking at each one. Speaking with the village team and, if you can, visiting in person will show you how independent living and care sit together at that site. Thinking through how your needs might change over the coming years also makes it easier to judge which services matter most to you.

Some villages have an on-site community centre with shared facilities and activities, so social life is on your doorstep. Ask to see the facilities at the village you are considering, and think about whether you would use them regularly. Others are boutique, stand-alone clusters of units.

What makes Resthaven different

Resthaven is one of only a select few aged care providers in Australia offering the full range of aged care service options. For you, that means a retirement village connected to a wide choice of care if your needs change. It is worth asking how that connection works in practice, and what the process is if you or a partner needed more support one day. Residents also get priority placement into Resthaven's residential services as their circumstances change.

With villages in both metropolitan and regional areas, you can choose the setting that suits you. Comparing a few villages side by side, and visiting more than one, is a practical way to decide where you would feel at home. Resthaven's focus is on people, not profit. Each of these points is worth confirming for the specific village you are looking at, and putting questions to Resthaven directly is the simplest way to do that.

Last updated: October 2026.