Tastastic

Hi. Sorry I can't help but have you tried posting on the Tasmania board? They're very helpful there and I'm sure someone will be able to give you a rough idea.

As Joe Strummer says, why are people saying it's too hard now? And if you do move back then at least you would have tried it, you wouldn't have to live with the "what ifs" for the rest of your life. Be wary of other people's opinions, especially those of people who have no experience of this kind of thing. Everyone has their own agenda really - whether it's based on their own priorities, regret, or envy, or just a lack of interest. Australia's not for everyone, obviously. Get as many hard facts as possible, and if you think it could work out for you and you really want it to, then go for it.

Hi KellyJamie Well it sounds like you did everything you could you get work there. I don't think you had much choice but to look elsewhere. The job situation in Tas is a big worry of ours and we would have to live elsewhere if we couldn't find work. Must be hard to have to adjust your plans like that. It's good that your daughter is happy and settled though. Hopefully you'll get used to the heat! I'm interested in the "slow" comment too. I think of Tas as being quite slow (but slow sounds absolutely brilliant to me to be honest!). I'm sure the reality of it is a bit different though.

It sounds like it's all worked out really well for you. Great update. Do you plan to stay in Brisbane permanently? How do you feel about not living in Tasmania? We plan to go to Tas (we love the place!) but the job situation is a big worry. I keep thinking maybe we should move to the mainland instead but it's just not the same is it? It has lots of positives obviously but (aside from the work situation) I think we'd prefer living in Tas. Just wondering whether you went off Tasmania for any other reasons, or whether Brisbane has surprised you with how nice it is to actually live there? I've never been, it would be too hot for us, although it sounds amazing!

Brilliant photos. Such a beautiful place. You're right - it's a bit of a trek to get to the top but it is so worth it!

Hello! How exciting! Good luck with it all. Please keep us posted with how you're getting on.

Just a quick one to say thank you for the replies. I really appreciate you taking the time to offer your opinions and assistance with my never-ending questions. And thanks to your encouragement there will be a lot more questions in the future, you lucky things! ? Lots going on at the moment (school holidays too) so busy, busy, busy. Will be back soon to mull things over some more. Thanks again ?

That's good to know. I'm going to have to delegate the Internet-investigation task to my husband as I realise I have v little idea about this kind of thing... ? Will pass all the info on to him, thank you! I'm trying ever so hard to not fill up this board with my never ending questions but...?...I'm having second thoughts about the Woodbridge area. Well, the school actually. I've looked at their results (on the My School website that Skani kindly told us about) and they really are quite poor. I haven't got them in front of me now but I think a that a good proportion of the results were significantly lower than those of other schools. Now I know that results aren't everything and that the assessment process may be flawed in many ways. Certainly we wouldn't choose a school based on results alone. But, there seems to be a definite pattern with the Woodbridge School. Also, although I may have misunderstood the terms and descriptions, the information on the My School website states that more pupils tend to come from disadvantaged backgrounds there than at the average school. This has surprised me. I'm wondering whether our (unfortunately brief) assessment of that area was inaccurate. None of these things are deal breakers as we did love the area when we were there, and the school seems to have a really unique location and curriculum (due to its links with the marine discovery centre). This would be so much easier if we lived nearby (shame we find ourselves about as far away as you can get!!?). I'm getting cold feet about it all now though. So, after looking at the results tables, I've been thinking about the Blackman's Bay area. There are two primary schools there that have excellent results and seem like good schools. We didn't actually go to Blackman's Bay whilst we were on our reccie though <bangs head against wall>. It looks like a nice, family-friendly suburb. I think the house with land would be out of the question, but proximity to the lovely Hobart and also to Kingston (which we really liked for general shopping etc) would be a big plus. Any thoughts/comments? A good, happy school for the children is probably the most important thing for us. House etc will all fall into place I'm sure. I hope ?

Thanks for your reply. That's what we'd thought/hoped would be the case. Thanks

Hi We're in the process of planning our move to Australia and we're looking into schools and houses etc. We were just wondering - if we rent a house when we first move over in the catchment area of our preferred school, would the children be allowed to stay at that school if we later moved out of the catchment area (either into another rental or after buying somewhere)? It might not be an issue as we haven't decided where we would ultimately like to settle, but I just want to be sure of the rules etc before deciding on a house and school. If it makes any difference, we'll be moving to Tasmania. TIA

Wow thanks Skani for all that info! You should do this professionally ? Will look at those sites and get in touch with some of those people, thank you. Your lack of Internet sounds like a nightmare! How annoying. Runslikeafish, all relevant information greatly appreciated thank you ?

And so the debate continues... ? Does anyone have any idea whether the broadband speed varies at all between Cygnet and Woodbridge? Actually, how good is the broadband in that area in general? Does it deteriorate the further away from Hobart you go? Any information much appreciated. Husband needs good Internet access for his work so it's quite important really. Should have thought of this before!

I've heard a few people say that they recommend stocking up on bed linen before leaving so I think I'll do that. It'll be a welcome distraction from all the packing/sorting/cleaning if nothing else!

Oh no, Saphire, that sounds like a nightmare, and just the kind of thing I'm worried about. Shipping to Australia from where we are (outside of the UK) is going to be a big deal, but to want to get our stuff that extra distance to Tas just seems like a recipe for stress (or at least a humongous bill). Did you have other problems with customs or was it all related to the delay due to the quote etc? Thanks for the tip regarding bedding. How strange that you can't get good stuff over there. Sounds like a good excuse to go shopping though!

It actually all falls into place (for once!) regarding shipping early. We've had an unsettled few years (lonnnngggg story!) and have been back and forth between the UK and where we live now, so we actually have two sets of a lot of things. We finally have all our stuff in one place here but the garage is fit to burst! We're also living in a rented house which is partly furnished which will help. It seems silly to get rid of the spare beds and pots and pans here and then just buy a load more to tide us over when we arrive in Oz, as we wait for our container. So hopefully a plan is coming together. We just need to get the timing right!

Yeah 12 weeks is more like the timescale I was imagining (unfortunately!). I'm happy with our decision to keep our things, although I understand why some people prefer to, or need to, buy again when they arrive. We're trying to work out whether we have enough time to ship our container in advance of our move, so that it arrives at roughly the same time as us. If everything goes smoothly it could work out really well. I'd best get packing now then!

Hi. Thanks for the reply. Gosh your shipping time is a lot quicker than I thought it would be (ignoring the month long delay of course - how annoying!). You may be right about selling all your stuff and starting again but I couldn't do that. I'm far too attached to all my bits and bobs! I hope your move goes well. Sounds like you haven't got long to go - how exciting!

Hello again. Am I the only pom thinking of moving to Tas at the moment?! Sorry to hog the board! Just wondering how long shipping might take. We'll be shipping a container from the UK and would like to know what timescale (roughly) to expect. We're still at the planning/deliberating stage so not quite ready to be talking to removal companies yet. I'm not sure how much extra time will be needed for the stuff to get to Tas from the mainland? Also, when it arrives in Hobart, how soon do you need to have emptied it? We have all sorts of scenarios/situations going through our heads at the moment regarding our arrival and shipping etc and it would be good to know what is or isn't an option. I'm looking at the shipping threads for general info but any Tas-specific additional information would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

Thanks for letting us know that we're not the only crazy people contemplating such a commute! It would obviously be a last resort but it is reassuring to know that it is at least possible. The employment situation is our only significant concern about living in Tas actually. I suppose that if it Tas did have the jobs, as well as everything else, it would become more like the mainland with respect to congestion, house prices, commuting times etc. Can't have everything I guess! Thanks again for your input everybody. Much appreciated. PS Runslikeafish - my husband has just started reading your blog. He's loving it! I shall have to add it to my ever-expanding reading list. I hope the move has worked out well for you.

Thanks for the school links Skani, I will add those to my reading list! The job situation in Tas is a big concern for us and commuting to the mainland would be a last resort, obviously. I guess it all comes down to how much we want to live in Tas. To be honest, the big cities of the mainland just don't appeal to us, and the more remote areas don't have the jobs either. Tasmania has so many things that we are looking for. We just have to find a way to make it work financially.

Hi Normad, thanks for the reply. Cygnet does seem like it has a lot to offer. We're not catholic so I don't think St James' would be an option although it's good to know about it obviously! I think there is a high school in Huonville isn't there? I must look into that too - there is so much to do! I really want to get this right though. It's such a lovely area - I'm so envious that you're there right now! I just wish we could pop over for another reccie...sigh. Thank goodness for the internet though!

Hi Skani Thank you for your reply! That's reassuring to hear that we seem to have got the gist of those areas. We were in Cygnet at the time of the folk festival so obviously there was a higher than average density of hippy types! Good to know that it has that kind of feel to it all year long. My husband is hoping to work in Hobart. If he doesn't find work there we were thinking he could commute to Sydney/Melbourne. Obviously being away from the family during the week wouldn't be ideal but neither is being unemployed! I think the Woodbridge drive into Hobart would be quicker than from Cygnet? We didn't try it at rush-hour though. It seemed like a nicer, more scenic route too. But then Cygnet does have some great cafes, like you say...dilemma! We really hope we can find a school that feels 'special'. Obviously we want our kids to be happy and to be pleased we dragged them to the other side of the world. I think school is key to this. I shall try and get my head around the My School tables! Thanks for your comment on the comparison of the two schools though. That's just the kind of info we're looking for. Thanks again for your input.

Hello This is my first post on PomsinOz but I am a longtime lurker! We have visited Australia twice and we have fallen in love with Tas - it's such a special place. We are getting close to the time of emigrating and we cannot decide between heading towards Cygnet or Woodbridge. Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts/comments on the pros/cons of the two areas. We have a young family and are hoping to eventually get a house with a few acres so we can start to live the dream of growing our own veg, keeping chickens etc. We cannot wait! We loved the scenery around Woodbridge and the school there sounds very interesting (particularly with the links to the marine development centre). Its proximity to Hobart and the easy commute is also a big pull. But Woodbridge is obviously tiny! Cygnet really appeals to us as it has a good selection of shops and facilities and it seemed to have such a lovely feel to the town. There seemed to be a really good community spirit there, too, which really appeals. I don't remember the coastline or surrounding areas being quite as pretty as Woodbridge but I know that we concentrated our time there in the town so I am willing to be corrected on that! Does anyone have any knowledge of the schools in Cygnet or Woodbridge please? Woodbridge School has an excellent website and it looks like a great school. However, one of the locals that we spoke to whilst on our reccie said that it didn't have a great reputation. Is that the general consensus, does anyone know? Unfortunately the Cygnet Primary School website has several dead links so I can't really get a feel for it at all. Anyone have any experience or knowledge of either of these schools? Any help greatly appreciated! Thank you