axlcalvin

Thanks Skani and sorry for my late response. I used 123 cab and they were ok. Next time will surely use Taxi combined.

Still feel uber is very much required here.

Hey guys wanted to give an update. Its been 1 week since I have arrived in HObart...Getting to know the place. I just signed my first lease here for a nice 2 BD...Company is already sending me to Sydney this week so the exploring will need to wait.

Its been a sea change from how the US is....But I am learning to adjust. One thing that stands out is missing uber..Hope that comes here soon..I think it will definitely help people to move around. But no complaints HObart is great.

Thank you all again for the warm welcome and advice.

One thing I would like to ask is that on Tuesday morning I have to catch a flight at 5:50am and need to leave home around 4:15 am. Any suggestions for a reliable cab/taxi company to come pick me up at that time?

Thanks I will check it out.

Its now 2 weeks away and Im freaking out a lil Still lots of work left to do.

BTW can you please recommend good prepaid phone plans. I have a good Android as well as an Iphone 6 that I do not use. Any good prepaid phone plans with good value and good internet speeds (hopefully 4 G).

I was told that Telstra was my best bet but I will mostly stick to Hobart and its suburbs and may fly to Melbourne or Sydney on work...Would Telstra still be a good option.

Thanks Skani and Marisa. Yes there are definitely pros and cons to buying a new car.

Agree about the warranty as well as the immediate loss of value.

BTW I saw that Toyota offers warranties on their certified car program which could work for me. For example a 2013 Corolla Sedan with 30k miles is up for around $15800 with about 2-3 years of limited warranty (engine, transmission etc).

Happy new year guys I wish you a wonderful and successful year ahead!

There have been discussions at Tasmanian government level as to whether it will be permitted. My guess is that it will be given the "go ahead" in 2016.

 

If there's a bit of delay at the moment in a response from NAB it will be because of public holidays - Australia has quite a few over the Christmas - New Year period.

Thanks Skani..I did message them and got a response as well.

If you are going to live in Tasmania you need a car, period. IMO it should be one of the first things you organise, even if you have to buy an old banger at first. You'll be missing out on a lot of what Tassie has to offer if you don't.

Thanks Marisa. Yes that is something I have been doing quite diligently..Have a passion to check out cars and now am well versed with the best options. Would you recommend buying a new car or a used one?

^^Thanks Skani. Will check out the NAB section.

Oh no....no uber...:cry:

@Strick thanks for the advice mate. I will do that first thing when I get there. @PommyPaul, Thanks for the wishes mate. I might have some questions for you. I might PM you.

Take a look on allhomes.com.au and domain.com.au as well. You could also try www.cppm.com.au, they're an upmarket real estate agency and they do quite a lot of furnished rentals - you might be better off taking a short-term lease for a few months from them, to give you time to get to know the areas. Here's an example:

 

http://www.cppm.com.au/index.cfm?pagecall=property&propertyID=2977546&realestate=36a_Broadwaters_Parade_SANDY_BAY_TAS_7005

 

I assume you'll want to be in the trendier areas. They are all in or near the city centre - Salamanca/Battery Point on the waterfront, or North Hobart/New Town at the other end of Elizabeth Street. Having said that, Hobart is a small place and nowhere is very far from anywhere else!

Thanks Marisa. This is brilliant. I was not aware of cppm. The property you listed is fantastic in every way except that it is 5.8 kms from my work place. I will have a rental car initially with me but I am thinking how I would commute daily in case I do not have a car. Public transport seems to be taking too long as per google. I wonder if I can uber. Thanks once again!

Welcome to Hobart!

 

Most real estate agents want a prospective renter to inspect the property personally before signing a lease. Having secured employment already should be a distinct bonus for you as they will want proof of employment. There is another new arrival in Hobart in PIO - PommyPaul - and my impression is that he secured a rental fairly quickly once he had employment.

 

Do you know the actual location of your work? That could help target the areas in which you should search for accommodation.

 

For cars these might help:

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/search.aspx

http://www.carsguide.com.au/buy-a-car/all-new-and-used/all-states/all-locations/all-bodytypes/all-makes/?postCode=Hobart+7000%2C+TAS

 

I won't be of much use socially as I'm almost old enough to be your grandmother :cute: but my advice to meet people informally is just plonk yourself down at a table outside the pubs/bars along Salamanca Place. Or, for something more structured, the Australian American Association meets the first Wednesday of the month at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania in Sandy Bay and one of their main aims is to welcome and introduce new US settlers to the state.

http://www.aaahobart.org/

 

Of course there are many clubs, organisations and activities in Hobart so if you let us know what sort of things you are interested in we can try and point you in the right direction.

 

Feel free to ask any other questions.

Thanks Skani. The general location of my work place is near the Franklin Wharf area in down town Hobart. The street is called Murray St.

Thanks for the car websites. I did come across car sales before but I will check it out in detail now. A funny thing is that I drive a 2015 Lexus IS250 here which is leased and was cheap. I know Australia has some extra levy on "luxury" cars and cars are a lil costly anyways so it will be few a few good years before I can even think of getting one of those again plus I think there are no car leases in Australia that are directly offered by the car makers. I read that Toyotas, Mazdas and Hyundais are the cars to buy in Australia based on sales and service.

Thanks for the advice about meeting people. Will check out http://www.aaahobart.org/. Ill do my best as I am quite the introvert. BTW all good and kind people are welcome to be my friends..no age bar :cool:

Regarding my interests, I get varied responses at time. But here you go: Computer Programming, Technology, Heavy Metal, play station games, comics, sci-fi books, movies and tv shows, cricket and Pro wrestling(WWE - would you believe that)

Thanks and I am sure I will have lots of questions.

For now, would you be able to suggest good banks. I have heard of ANZ. Citibank is global but its a downer that they are not in TAS. I found another smaller bank Suncorp bank as they are close to my work place and have some good plans for people migrating to Aus to be able to move their money and set up a bank account before arriving.

Talk about friendly Tassies! Thanks for the replies guys! Much appreciated!

Firstly hi everyone! I am a 32 year old guy currently in Dallas TX. I am a Lead Software Developer/Consultant. I have been in the states for 8 years and am Indo-Portuguese by descent who was born in India. :wink:

I am also an Australian permanent resident. I have always wanted to live and work in Australia. So I decided that 2016 would be the year that I'd take a leap of faith and move half way around the world.

I have got a great new job in Hobart and will be moving in the last week of December. I wanted to get some inputs /advice from you guys. I know this forum is for poms specifically but i know you blokes have been helping folks from other parts as well with some great friendly advice.

Due to the timing of my arrival, I will have to hit the ground running. I will be arriving with a clean slate. All I will have with me is my passport and US driver's license. I am staying in a hotel for the first week and so need to understand how I can go ahead and find a place to rent along with buying a car (obviously getting the license as well). I have been looking through websites like gumtree and realestate.com for cars and rental places. Most people need me to be in Hobart which is fair enough. I could use all the advice I can get. It would be great to make some friends as well as I do not have a single friend or acquaintance in Hobart as of this time. So I hope to meet great new people. Thanks!