Tastastic

Thanks for that. Good to get some recommendations rather than just plucking a name out of the phone book!

Thanks for that. 12 weeks is what I had in mind, although I was hoping someone might say it actually took a lot less time than that! I'd better get a wriggle on [emoji16] I'll definitely look at your shipping info. I've never even heard of Doree Bonner so I obviously have a lot to learn! Thanks again.

Me again :smile: So...we plan to ship our stuff (a container's worth) before we leave here. Long story but we have lots of spare furniture etc so instead of getting rid of it now, then arriving in Oz and buying more whilst we wait for all our good stuff to arrive, we'd like to ship ahead so that when we arrive in Oz we won't have too long to wait before we can unpack all our stuff. Obviously the timing is going to be a bit tricky to organise and I've no doubt that the timing will be a bit off when it comes down to it! But I'm going to try to get our container to have arrived and gone through customs for as close as possible to when we arrive (I am going out a month or two earlier to hopefully secure a rental house). Can anyone tell me how long it took for their container to arrive in Tas? After it arrived, how long before customs released it? And once it's released, does anyone know how much they charge for each extra day it remains with them? Any input would be a great help. TIA

Hello again. I don't want to derail the thread but just wanted to say thank you to Hockayak and Skani for their comments a while ago. I was having a bit of a panic when I posted I think! Tasmania is an amazing place and I think it will suit us down to the ground (just so long as we can sort out work). I think I was just in 'spreadsheet mode' if you know what I mean and Tasmania didn't seem to be faring so well when I compared the weather stats and the job/salary stats with some other states. But...without sounding like a romantic fool who's completely in denial :wacko: Tas has something that isn't quantifiable but could definitely make us all very, very happy. The scenery, the people, the culture, the general vibe about the place really... There just are no googleable stats for that kind of thing, but that's exactly what makes us want to move there! I really do think it's the best fit for us as a family out of all of the Australian states (I am tempted to say all of the world but I will hold back - for now! - from making such bold statements! :biglaugh:). So, Tas it is. We cannot wait. Unfortunately we've been hit by somewhat of a curveball recently which has set back our move date. But hopefully we will be there in time for Christmas. Anyway, it gives me more time to tackle the never-ending list of things to do! I love your blog, by the way, Hockayak. It certainly seems like you've been very busy! Photos are amazing. These blogs and this forum are great motivators! OP, if you're still around, please come back and chat! I know what a huge decision a move like this is. I hope you feel a bit more certain about what you're going to do.

Thanks Happy Lass. I do like the sound of Bellerive. I'm coming out in a few months (with the aim of sorting out our rental house and schools etc) so I might try and stay in that area. At least for some of the time. Then I can try the commute too. I do love the areas south of Hobart though, so they will take some beating!

It's nice to hear that the move's worked out well for you, Hockayak. We are moving out in a few months! We're really excited but we do have doubts about whether we're doing the right thing sometimes. Par for the course though I'm sure. So what do you prefer about Tassie? We love the scenery, the people, the space, the scenery...! Our only two real concerns are the economy and the weather. I'm pretty sure the weather will be noticeably better than the UK but I just wonder whether, on a cold, grey day we might wonder why we didn't move to Queensland or somewhere! Just wondering whether other people ever feel like that. I really think that Tas is the right place for us though. There are more important things than the weather! If we can get work sorted, we'll love living there. Are you any closer to making a decision, Family S?

Without migrating I do not think we would have achieved the peace and happiness with life that we now have, I have learnt what matters and I have learnt to have gratitude for what I have. Don't get me wrong I do still yearn for a cottage in the country but I know the reality could easily be 'another Australia' as we say in our house for anything where we suspect reality won't live up to fantasy. I have spent my entire adult life looking for something more and I am now finally at peace - priceless. That's really good to hear. It's hard to explain this kind of thing to someone who hasn't been through this process (or who hasn't even had the urge to emigrate). Moving away and then moving back can have just as good an outcome as a successful, straightforward one-way move. Great update, thank you.

Ah, OK. That'll serve me right for reading and posting before I've properly woken up! Thanks, maybe the move isn't off after all then...! Still, it's a big change. It'll worry a lot of people I'm sure. Even more pressure for it all to work out in Oz now! I hope you find a way to still move back, Mishka Cat. It must be so hard when a rule change like this affects your life in such a huge way.

Oh no! I didn't know about this. How do other people feel about this? We'd have had to have moved about 15 years ago to get the full Oz pension. We haven't even got there yet. Is anyone else worried about this? Or reassessing whether they can afford this move? I just don't know how we're going to manage when (or if?) we retire :-(

That sounds great! Thanks for the info

We're planning to move there for much the same reasons as everyone else - the stunning scenery, the friendliness of the people, the space and lack of congestion, just the general feel of the place. It's a special place. Jonathancowen, please tell me about the surf! I keep meaning to ask about it. Pleased to hear you seem to rate it.

I wish...maybe next year?! Have a good night

Thanks for that Skani. I'll have a look into those schools you mention. I think I should probably look at the fees first...!

That's great information, Wheresdbeef, thank you. Would she say that those public high schools you mentioned were of a comparable standard to the private ones, do you think? To be honest I'm not sure that private schools would even be an option so maybe I shouldn't ask! ?

Wow, your photos are fab. The one looking over the marina is breathtaking. It sounds like a wonderful place. And I love your comment about your wife saying you weren't allowed to stop and take any more photos - gotta love the baby/toddler stage! ?

Of course I know who Princess Mary of Denmark is... ?? Well if the school's good enough for a member of a royal family then I guess it's good enough for my kids! I think I need some Valium or something - I just can't sustain this level of excitement/nervousness for five more months! ?

Hi Karen! Thanks for your reply. I really appreciate everyone's input with this. It's so hard when you're so far away (couldn't be any further!). It sounds like you've settled in really well. So nice that your kids are happy too. Cygnet school does seem to have a lovely, nurturing approach to education (I've been in touch with the Head and I receive all the newsletters too!). There really is something special about the community there isn't there? Mind you, I think Tasmania as a whole is pretty special (shhhh, don't tell everyone on the other states' boards! ?). Glad to hear that you liked Woodbridge school too. From what I've read it does seem like another happy little school. Maybe my problem is that there are just so many nice places to choose from?! I think I might have to decide on the specific area we're going to live in once we're actually there. I was hoping to be able to narrow it down a bit beforehand but I'm going round in circles and I'm not getting any work done! ?

Ooh thanks Runslikeafish. It sounds fab! Guess what I'm going to do right now..? ? Thank you!

Just found this thread. Damn it, just as I was thinking I was getting closer to knowing where we are going to move (ie suburbs of Hobart) I go and read this about wonderful Cygnet! ? Cygnet is such a special place. It just has a unique vibe about it - great sense of community, and interest in the environment and self-sufficiency etc. And on top of all that it is stunning beautiful. I second Skani's tip to watch the Gourmet Farmer series. If you don't know, it's about a food critic from Sydney who moves to Cygnet for a totally different lifestyle. It really is a great advert for Cygnet, and Tasmania in general really. Good luck with your decision, Tina. Karen, it sounds like you've settled in really well. I am envious! ? Just wondering whether you know much about the schools in the area? Cygnet Primary seems good, not so sure about the high school though. And how are you finding the commute? We thought it might be just a bit too far for us, although it depends what you're used to really. Cygnet is a great place. I think if we didn't have to worry about schools or commuting etc that would be our first choice. Still haven't ruled it out... I wish I could rule some places out, it would make the decision-making a lot easier! ?

Thanks again Skani! Much appreciated ?. That's reassuring that I seem to have got to grips with the NAPLAN tables! I have spent soooo many hours trawling through the list of high schools! I'm pleased that I seem to have got the gist of things. I didn't know that Hobart didn't have any selective schools though, that's interesting. Taroona High School does seem to have great results, and Kingston and Clarence too. To be honest I'm very relieved to have found these schools as I was very worried after looking into the results of Woodbridge High School (such a shame as my kids would love the links with the Marine Development Centre). Obviously results aren't the most important thing when choosing a school but I feel really reassured that there are schools with great results in the area. It's disconcerting not really knowing anything about an area you're planning to move your whole family too (to say the least!) and as it's hard to get any other information about a school or its reputation, NAPLAN will just have to do! Now we've narrowed our search down to a few schools, we'll be able to arrange visits etc and then hopefully it will all fall into place (house, container, primary school, high school...aarrghhh! ?). Getting nervous now...is anyone else out there moving over soon?

Thanks Skani, you are good! I've not heard of Tranmere but Howrah does look nice too. And I'm loving the idea of more daylight and warmer temperatures! I thought it might have been a bit of a dumb question asking whether the climate was any different but I'm glad I asked now! How bad is the traffic at peak times would you say? How long might it take to get into the CBD from Bellerive? We stayed in Cambridge when we were on our reccie. We must have managed to avoid rush hour as the traffic was fine every time we went into the CBD. We loved the view as we went over the bridge. We could get used to that being part of a daily commute!

Me again :chatterbox: I've just recently heard about Bellerive. It looks lovely. Primary school looks good, houses look amazing, love the idea of being able to catch the ferry into Hobart. It looks like there are lots of nice shops and cafes etc. For some reason we haven't even considered north of Hobart, let alone the other side of the river! I've no idea why! Are there any downsides to being over there? What's the traffic like at peak times? Any difference in climate or anything? Is it under the flight path?? It's yet another area we didn't visit when we did our reccie :arghh: Thanks for any thoughts.

Hello everyone Well, after a serious case of real-life getting in the way of our emigration plans, I'm now right back on it! Just as well as we move in September...!:wideeyed: We were thinking of moving to either the Cygnet area or Woodbridge area. We do love those places and we really fancy the whole idea of an acreage etc. But...the Woodbridge School sadly has quite poor NAPLAN results and as much as I want to ignore them, I can't. And we've decided that Cygnet is probably just a bit too far away from Hobart CBD (which we love). So basically we're looking at new areas now. Top of our list at the moment are Blackmans Bay, Sandy Bay and Bellerive. These areas seem to have very good primary schools. I haven't been able to find a high school (just looking at state schools, not private) that stands out though. The best I've found (from looking at the My School website mainly) seems to be Taroona High School, with Kingston High School and Clarence High School also looking good. I stand to be corrected though! Does anyone know which high schools are considered to be the best/most popular? We'd consider anywhere within approx 30 minutes of Hobart for a great school. Are the schools I have mentioned well regarded? It's hard not having any knowledge of the reputation of these schools, and I really, really want to get this move right. I'm just hoping that our preferred high school has one of our preferred primary schools as its feeder school! :twitcy: Any info/opinions gratefully received, thank you!

Hi. Sounds like it must have been someone with a similar name them. We haven't moved yet. Latest plan is that we move this September (yikes!). We kind of fell in love with Tasmania when we visited but I must admit we do have a few worries about the employment situation there. So we are considering NSW also, although my heart is with Tas I must admit! So I gather you're looking forward to moving away from the Queensland climate ? I couldn't cope with the weather there. It does look beautiful though. Have you visited Tasmania much? Which area are you looking at? We're hoping to make it to somewhere in the Blackmans Bay/Woodbrige/Cygnet area.

Skani beat me to it! ? It wasn't me who invited you to the genealogy thing, Joan (unless it was some kind of spam?). I hope someone can help you on the Tasmania board. I really should get back on there myself actually. Might see you around!