BearRules

If you are transporting all your household items, bring a good stash of UK powerboards. Then you only need 1 adapter to power multiple devices, until you gradually replace all your old electrical devices.

We have been living in Howrah for almost 5 years now, and its a nice quiet area. We have great views over the water to the city and the mountain, and yes, its true, it rains more on the Western shore than the Eastern shore! There is a local beach area, and its only 10 minutes drives to seven mile beach which is really nice. Commute into the city on a morning takes around 11 minutes if you leave no later than 7:30am. Leaving just 10-15 minutes later and the journey time increases to 15+ minutes. Not exactly bad compared to a typical UK commute (mine used to be 45 minutes). I would advise checking the rush-hour drive to Kingston if you plan to live there and are working in the CBD, it always seems to get gridlocked in the city heading in that direction at home time.

Hi, I know this post is a few months old, but I don't get on these forums much of late! We've been in Tassie for just over 3.5 years now, and have lived in Howrah (right next to Tranmere) for around 2.5 years. The traffic into the CBD is not an issue. I typically drive into town around 7:45am and it usually takes me 11 minutes. If I drive a bit later (e.g. 08:00 - 08:30) it might take an extra couple of minutes for the "rush hour"! I was sceptical about the whole sunshine debate for Eastern shore, but having lived here I can say it is absolutely true. We have amazing views of Hobart and Mt Wellington and often see rain falling on the city while we remain dry and sunny. That said, I would have no problem living on either shore.

I work in a small software house in Hobart. It was the second job I applied for, the first being unsuitable as the job was advertised as a developer role but turned out at interview to be IT support. I've been in the job for 16 months. Compared to my work in the UK, I am much happier in my current job. The work is more interesting, and as its a small company I get direct customer contact. We have just recruited a new developer. The advert was put on Seek, and despite providing direct contact details, some applicants still chose to apply via a recruitment agency. This costs my boss thousands in recruitment fees, so direct applicants were favoured during the selection process.

Thanks for organising it! Was a good evenin', see you all again soon!

I'm around 5'6" and probably in a green fleece top, Sam is slightly shorter with ginger hair :-)

Heya, not checked the boards lately so only just seen this thread. We'll try to make Friday (40 ish!), no kids. ​BearRules aka Colin n Sam.

Voyager is in port today.

In the next couple of days (Tue I think), the Radiance's big sister, Voyager of the Seas will be docking for the first time. Whilst not the biggest in the fleet, I believe its the biggest ship operating in Australia. You can look up the port schedule online.

As a side note, we've only just discovered entertainmentbook.com.au. Each year they sell a limited number of books containing vouchers off restaurants. Most of our usual eating holes are in there. Typically you get either a buy one main meal get one free or 25% off the total bill. The book is $60 and each state has its own version covering local restaurants. There are also deals for days out, hotels, etc. The book can be used for 1 year, and if you use just a couple of the vouchers it would pay for itself. A great way to save money, find out about new places to go, etc. The book is sold for charity. (I'm not affiliated, just think its a great idea!).

When we eat out in Hobart, a typical lunch type restaurant meal (burger and chips, etc) with coffees costs around $40-45 for two adults. We get fish and chips at Flippers, a small floating take-out in the harbour for around $20 for 2 adults. If I want chocolate bars I get them $1 each at the supermarket. They always have some at that price, they just rotate which ones are on sale. Normal price is around $1.69. We get out bread from Banjos bakery because we prefer it over the others we've tried. It costs $3.80 for one loaf, $6.50 for 2, or $8.90 for 3. In the late afternoon they have a 5 anything for $10 offer so you could get 5 loaves at $2 each.

I've been to the dam numerous times. Its a really nice relaxing walk. Its just over 4km for a full lap, highly recommended!

Probably, lol. But the reason it seemed emptier is because there is a large area near the entrance where they appear to be building a new enclosure, and there are no animals there at all. Last year there were wallabies scuttling around in that area. Once you walk past there you get on to the new Devil Run area.

We went to Bonorong last week. There didn't seem to be as many animals there as when we went last year, but i'd still recommend it. Make sure you time your visit for when the guided tour is on (one am, one pm) so you can get up close with the animals. We love feeding the kangeroos inside their enclosure! You could also consider ZooDoo. Overall I prefer Bonorong but the ZooDoo truck ride through the emu and ostritch pens is too funny ... in a kinda scary way ... :-p

Tassie is a great place to live. I see all the negative comments about Oz being too expensive, and Tassie salaries being too low. Our overall salary income is broadly the same as the UK, I earn less than I used to because I opted for a job where I had limited experience but it was what I wanted to do. My wife earns more than she did in the UK so it evens out. There are items more expensive here, and things that are cheaper too. We haven't changed our lifestyle, and it honestly doesn't feel any more or less expensive overall than the UK was. I think Tassie vs mainlanders would compare with England vs Wales. Everyone needs someone else they can bash for jokes, in Tassie they target New Zealand! If you want a big city lifestyle, then Tassie isn't for you. If you enjoy a place with a large town feel, where its never too crowded, you can always find somewhere to park in the city for shopping, you can spend the morning on top of a mountain and the afternoon on a deserted beach, then Tassie might be what you are looking for. Whatever you decide, best of luck for the future. C.