karenanddave

Hi Paul, So glad you made it here safely and your ferry crossing wasn't too bad!! The weather was really lovely today and its to be 30 tomorrow!! Welcome to Cygnet! Haha ( though the weather isn't always this nice!!) Karen

Hello, my little boy went to Brentwood Park Primary from prep to grade 3 ( we then moved interstate last year) and he absolutely loved it there! All the teachers are excellent and very friendly ( as are the Principal and assistant principal). In the 4 years he was there I never saw or heard anything that made me think it was affiliated with any church! Religion certainly isn't obvious there ( and you can opt out of religious education too!). The Principal once remarked at an assembly that the school was medium sized but with the budget of a large school! They certainly weren't lacking in resources! I also knew people whose kids went to Berwick Primary and they weren't that impressed with the school! Good luck with your decision! karen

Hello, I attended my citizenship test/interview a few months ago. We had also recently moved interstate. I misread the form 1095 and didn't realise it had to be someone who had known you for a year who had to sign the form. The day before the test, I made an appointment to see a local JP and ask her to sign the form. Unfortunately she was adamant she couldn't do it as it stated that they had to have known us a year! Anyway I still attended the test the next day and was told I had 2 weeks to get the form to immigration after I sat ( and passed) the test. fortunately I am a nurse so just sent the form to one of my colleagues and they signed the photo and form for us! I am not sure how it will be if you genuinely do not know someone in one of the nominated occupations and who could sign your form and photo. my advice to you would still attend the appointment and explain the situation to the immigration officer!! Good luck tomorrow Karen

Hello Jessie, i recently passed my citizenship test. My UK passport had expired at the beginning of the year. I took that with me to the test/ interview and no-one said a thing!! hope that helps and good luck with it all!! karen

Hi Tastastic, Well we have been in Cygnet now for nearly 6 months and we are still enjoying it!! Our wee boy goes to Cygnet Primary school ( he is 9) and has settled in really well. The school encourages parents to get involved - i help out in his class a couple of times a week and have joined the parents association. I like that I know what's going on at school!! The school is very community orientated and is not too big which I also like! I'm not sure about high school ( huonville is the closest), but I have a few more years before worrying about that!! Though saying that our daughter decided when we got here to go back to school ( she is in year 12 at Hobart College) and she is thriving!! She is the one doing the commute every day on the bus and it's not getting her down at all!! Hubby and I are both nurses so he has just been going to Hobart about 3 days a week though outside of peak hours. It takes him about 45 minutes to get to Hobart (tho at night he has to watch out for the local wildlife!!) I agree with Runslikeafish and that you could get a similar lifestyle - though maybe not quite as cheaply! - nearer to Hobart. We tend not to go up to Hobart much anyway. We can get most of what we need in Kingston (tho not a cinema which I do miss!). The people we have met in Cygnet are very friendly and I like it when I'm walking down the road and people say hello to me!! I have become very good at baking bread and making jams and chutney!! Lol hope that helps a bit and if you have any other questions don't hesitate to ask!! Karen p.s I also had a look round Woodbridge School and I thought that had a lovely vibe!!

Hi Joan, That did include insurance (although not the removalists own insurance as they wanted nearly $4000 for that!!) We shopped around online and on the phone and got it for a fraction of that cost! I think it was Coles Insurance in the end!! Make sure whatever insurance you get covers your stuff whilst in storage too (not just in transit) hope that helps? Regards, karen

Hi Joan, we recently moved to Hobart from Melbourne. It cost us $6000 to ship the contents of a 4 bed roomed house (including 2 weeks in storage before we moved into a rental). The holiday let was approx $2000 for 2 weeks for the 4 of us ( and the dog!!) Hope that is of some help? karen

Hello Tina, We have been living in Cygnet for the past 6 weeks! We moved down here from the outer suburbs of Melbourne. Obviously we have only skimmed the surface of what there is going on here but I shall try and help as much as I can!! It is about 45 minutes south of Hobart - neither of us have started work yet ( we will be working in Hobart) but we have gone a few times and the journey is not too bad. ( plus there is a bus that goes from Cygnet to Hobart quite regularly too) There is a free local paper that we got when we first moved ( it comes out weekly) and on one page there is a list of clubs and things that run most days. My husband has started life drawing classes and goes to aikido on a Friday too. There are plenty of yoga and meditation classes too if that's more your thing! To be perfectly honest I'm not much of a joiner in of things (I don't mind my own company and can potter quite happily or read a book!!), but I am sure you would find something of interest! Cygnet itself has a few lovely places to eat and have coffee, there is an IGA supermarket, a newsagent and a pharmacy. There is also a doctor's surgery and 2 schools! About 10 minutes away is Huonville which is a bigger town with a Woolies and a bigger Mitre 10 or we tend to go to Kingston which has more of the things you may need. we are only in a rented house at the moment ( there wasn't really a great choice of rentals when we were looking) but ultimately would like to get a few acres ( and as you say property is very good value round here!). The countryside and the views are lovely and we have found a lovely beach to walk the dog at Randalls Bay. The whole area reminds me of Scotland or the Lake District and is very green and lush! any other questions please don't hesitate to ask, but I hope that info helps? Good luck, Karen P.s it is a much slower pace of life here but once you 'relax' into it, it is lovely!! I was in Melbourne for the weekend and I couldn't believe how busy it was!! Haha

Well thanks for nothing Petals! I am sure nobody will want it now after your post!! If you got nothing positive to say why bother posting in the thread at all?

Oops it's upside down!!

Hope I have done this right!!

Hello, We have a 3 piece lounge suite, comprising 3 seater sofa and 2 recliner armchairs for sale. Suite is 6 years old and is is a very dark pink, velour feel. We will accept $200 Ono, but buyer must collect before October 17! Also small single bed with mattress, suitable for child, free to a good home!! Must also be collected before 17 October. I shall try and post some pictures when I figure out how! Please pm for further details. Thanks for looking, Karen

This is my husband's specialist subject!!! Lol He recommends you look at http://www.ssaa.com.au for a list of the ranges in Victoria. He can personally recommend the one at Springvale (in the South eastern suburbs) or Eagle Park, Little river. He has been to both. He is happy to come with you if you want some company!! Hope that helps, Karen (or should I say Dave my other half)

Hello again, we have been very busy organising our move to lovely Tasmania! We have been de cluttering the house and it is going on the market next week - eek! We have been looking at some lovely houses on the Internet and are interested in the Tea tree area ( we would like some acres as hubby has big ideas!! Lol). Does anyone have any opinion on this area - good, bad or indifferent! I am having trouble finding schools in the area. Am I right in thinking it is in the shire of Brighton? We are coming over for a few days during the school holidays next month, so any other suggestions on other areas I can have a look at please let me know. We are so looking forward to making the move and having a change from Melbourne suburbia! Thanks for reading, Karen

Thank you all for replying. We are still thinking about it and mulling over the pros and cons. I shall read your blog runslikeafish and many congratulations to you on your new arrival x karen