JockinTas

My son's girlfriend is 1st generation Chinese Australian and has never had any racist remarks aimed at her. She is living in Ireland with him now and has never experienced any racism there either.

Bloody mozzies! I've been here over 3 decades and never been sunburnt.

Watch out for tailgaters. Lots of that all over Australia.

All the (real) Australians I know have travelled extensively outside Australia. Many go overseas every year. Two of my friends in NSW go to Germany every December to the Christmas markets to finish off a European trip. The young ones are also great at getting out and about and seeing the world - my sons and most of their friends have been to Canada, UK/Europe, USA and at the moment my elder son is in South America. There are other Australians who aren't as adventurous or as good at saving money and never leave the country - just the same as people in many other countries.

It's a bit cloudy today and 21C. There is a music festival happening up by the lighthouse so I hope it doesn't rain as it's all outdoors.

Yes I wondered when I saw Pingpoma's post. Living there or on holiday?

A good shot of realism there Skani!

Indeed. My Mum had a very full social life in Scotland. She was still playing tennis in her 70's and golf until her death in her 80's. After Dad died she did a lot of travelling on her own to stay with my brother, sister and I who were living on different parts of the planet and also with groups of friends all around the UK. The weather never bothered her either.

My elder son is in Peru at the moment and loves it there also Chile. He didn't much like Argentina but liked Brazil - he has Aussie friends who are from Brazil. Said he hadn't eaten so much meat in his life as Brazilians love their meat.

*edit*

Skani will hopefully come along with advice on the Hobart area Cal. In the 3 years we've been here I've not ventured to Hobart yet. :shocked: Been previously when on holiday in Tassie and always found plenty to do. Weatherwise Hmmmmmm - well, we've been in April a couple of times and the weather was really nice but bring a jumper and brolly just in case. I know when we came one Easter, the place was packed and accommodation was at a premium so best to book if you are here at that time. You will have a lovely couple of days!

They were probably referring to wealthy Chinese investors who don't live in Australia. There's too much of that going on.

Friends in Sydney have told me about the heat you've suffered this past summer and now the rain. The warmest it reached in Devonport during the summer was 27C. Summer is also the driest time of the year. We had a fairly wet and stormy winter last year so we deserved a lovely summer.

I'm sure there will be someone here soon to answer most of your queries. There are lots of people who have successfully moved back to the UK in the same position as yourself and your family.

Into the second week of autumn. Sunny, slight breeze and 21C.

As long as people are happy where they are living, it doesn't matter if they are living in Stratford Upon Avon, the back of Burke or Timbuctoo. I've reached a stage in my life where I think I've become more and more like my Dad. He was perfectly happy in his own surrounding area in Scotland and never regretted not travelling - unlike Mum who visited her three offspring when they were living in various parts of the world. I dislike airports and not fussed on flying so I'd be content if I just stayed here where I am in Tassie and never set foot on a plane again. Having said that I'm off to Queenstown NZ next week only because of family stuff. I've travelled a lot throughout my life and seen a helluva lot too. Now I'm a real stay at home type of person but I do like to hear of other folks travels. :cute:

The Italian lakes are just gorgeous. :smile:

I see that Australia is ranked 4th for quality of life and NZ and Australia 1st and 2nd for retirement .......................... that is if you believe those ratings. I lived in Switzerland for a year and apart from it's beauty I definitely wouldn't want to live there.

The whole saga is beyond belief. As northshorepom said, despite all the bureaucracy and hoops most of us have to jump through he seems to have slipped through the cracks.

I will google GM for info.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-07/rape-strangulation-charges-for-man-found-hiding-car/8330624

Hasn't genetically modified foodstuff including farm animals been going on for centuries? Tomatoes used to be tiny little berries until modified to the much bigger things we see today. Grapefruit is some sort of fairly recent hybrid as are a few other fruits. Chickens used to be half the size they are now.

. My husband was in the construction industry and that was a bit boom and bust. We moved from one side of Australia to the other because of the bust times. Once we were in Sydney it was years of steady work and I was lucky enough to have a good job for more than two decades in the same company. Not so easy to move around once children are in school though.

My two walked to primary school with a group of friends. The school was at the top of the street with no roads to cross. They caught a bus to high school from the age of 11. I often saw very young children (approx 7 or 8 years old) travelling by train into the city on their own to attend private school - some them in the city and others would have to change train to go to the other side of the harbour.

I've read on other threads that some new migrants haven't found work for months. :dull: That would really be a huge worry. On top of arriving in a new, strange country to not have a job (for me) would be top of the list for stress. No wonder some of them feel like packing it all in and go back home.