Hi my name is julliet and me and my husband along with or two children, ages 5 and 19, are thinking of moving from Cheshire in England to Tasmania. My husband has been offerred a job in BMS and energy efficiency sales out their. I am a college lecturer and we know nothing about Tas.
Could anybody let us know what we are getting into, we have seen pics on the internet and it looks beautiful, but is it good to live their, what are the schools, shops and social life like. Is business their good, and how hard would it be for me to find a job in lecturing (I teach history, geog, sociology and classical civilisations).
Thanks in advance,
Julliet
:)
Hi I dont know much about the schools etc but I did watch a documentary last night which said Tasmania is full of poisonous ants and they can kill you apparantly it is a bit of a problem over there and you can be bitten by them when you are pegging out the washing?
I dont know if it is any thing to worry about - it cant be that big a deal otherwise no one would live there?
Hi I dont know much about the schools etc but I did watch a documentary last night which said Tasmania is full of poisonous ants and they can kill you apparantly it is a bit of a problem over there and you can be bitten by them when you are pegging out the washing?
I dont know if it is any thing to worry about - it cant be that big a deal otherwise no one would live there?
Hi Chellem
I didnt know about the ants prob! sounds horrific. Are you going to Oz or are you just looking at the mo?
What programme was the documentary on, it may be repeated. Thanks for giving me some info, keep in touch
Hi I dont know much about the schools etc but I did watch a documentary last night which said Tasmania is full of poisonous ants and they can kill you apparantly it is a bit of a problem over there and you can be bitten by them when you are pegging out the washing?
I dont know if it is any thing to worry about - it cant be that big a deal otherwise no one would live there?
Hi Chellem,
my husband has just pointed out to me that you may be living in Manchester in Australia, I apologise for assuming it was Manchester England, :?: which is very close to where we live. I hope you will let me know if any other info comes your way about Tas, we are really looking forward to emigrating so I hope you find good things, other than their ant prob!!!
Juliet, the ants you are talking about are known as Jumping Jacks. They are extremely aggressive with a very nasty bite which can be fatal (in the same way bee stings are) for some people. However, they are mainly found in bush/forested areas. If you are planning to live in town you probably won't come across them in your garden. Something to watch out for in the country though.
Hi Julliet,
I wouln't be concerned about ant stories I have lived in a rural area in Tasmania for 40years and never been bitten by a Jack Jumper(sometimes referred toas inch men). You will also hear exagerated stories about Tasmanian devils and snakes but both these creatures aviod humans and most of us see them only in captivity.
Believe me Tasmania is a good place to live and to raise a family in. There is not the extremes of climate experienced in other parts of Oz. The population is just under half a million with most people living in the Northern half of the state. when you consider Tasmania is approximately the size of Eire or Scotland you can see we have plenty of room to move around in.
Actually without wanting to start an argument Jack Jumpers and inch men are two diferent ants. Inch men are, as you would expect, about an inch in length - they are no where near as agressive as Jack Jumpers - they are about 3/4 inch long. Jack Jumpers have a typically jumpy movement. I lived in a bush property for a couple of years and was stung several times as was my husband. His reaction was worse than mine and he had to take anti-hystermine tablets to get rid of reaction. If you are stung then a quick dab of stingose will help with the immediate pain.
On the subject of snakes it is good to know that they are all poisonous that means that unlike in the UK there should be no question about what to do - ie stay still and let them leave. There is antidote for all of them but if you are like me you will never see more than a departing tail.
wait a minute! are you telling us that i can face a snake, a big ant etc in tasmania?
Only if i live around the bushes, right? A couple of garden trees i should be safe?
I grew up in Tasmania and lived there until I was 18 and have only ever been bitten once by a Jack Jumper- and only because I trod on its nest. I have never been bitten by a bull ant (or inchman). Its true that they both produce a nasty sting and some people do have allergic reactions to them, however it is very rare that people die from it. Jack jumper nests are very easy to spot as they usually look like a pile of small pebbles. If you destroy the nest they usually go away. Jaibee is right; in regards to snakes etc, you just stay still and they go away as well. There seems to be a tendency to overexagerate the threat of the creepy - crawly scary stuff. It really isn't that big an issue.
Location: Tassie, South of Hobart on the D'Entrecasteaux Channel
Posts: 376
Welcome - but check out Do You Love Tassie>>
Quote:
Originally Posted by julliet
Hi my name is julliet and me and my husband along with or two children, ages 5 and 19, are thinking of moving from Cheshire in England to Tasmania. My husband has been offerred a job in BMS and energy efficiency sales out their. I am a college lecturer and we know nothing about Tas....Could anybody let us know what we are getting into, we have seen pics on the internet and it looks beautiful, but is it good to live their, what are the schools, shops and social life like. Is business their good, and how hard would it be for me to find a job in lecturing (I teach history, geog, sociology and classical civilisations)...Thanks in advance,..Julliet
:)
Hi Julliet:
Welcome to Poms In Oz! I've been a bit busy... with one thing & another so missed your post, but welcome; we are a generally friendly lot, if some of us tending to be somewhat opinionated!!! But that's probably the point!??!
I've recently arrived from NE England with my better half, (north of Hadrian's Wall) and think you might be interested in a long running post called Do You Love Tasmania? Which I'm sure you and your family will find quite informative, as well as fun!
We are currently staying in the southern town of Kingston, with friends, while our ship gets in - which we understand will be tomorrow morning - 20th June - which is also our shortest day! Our car should be ready to collect on Monday, so we are finding our feet. Hopefully, in the next few days I shall put together what I have learnt during this massive moving experience! Tas is basically pretty rural & quite quiet, but for raising kids, I'd have thought smashing, there are stunning beaches & so many places to go where you might be the only visitors, foods great & you can grow almost anything, so fresh & delicious as you like... Depends what your idea of heaven is...
But check out the above thread & see you there!
Cheers,
__________________ Herbster X in Tassie at Last, via Devon, Somerset & Northumberland!!
Moving to Tasmania
Welcome - but check out Do You Love Tassie>>
But that's probably the point!??!
