Toots

It's 19C here at the moment but is forecast 24C in the afternoon. Gorgeous day. Just come back from a long walk and will have a swim later. I haven't worn a jumper since October except for the other day when the weather was cold and wet. My sister has been happy to escape the Scottish winter.

I find people in the countryside here also the towns are friendly and communicative. That's me though. I take people as I find them and don't look down on people. I'm not insulted by Mr Flu's comments. That's his opinion. He desires a sort of "London fix" whereas it would mean nothing to me. Thing is I'm happy. That's all that matters in the end.

I am one who didn't want to live in a major city. I was happy enough in Sydney for years, bringing up 2 boys, working full time and life was busy. BUT as time went by and the boys were more or less independent I escaped to the country whenever I could. Friends moved from Sydney to a property between Bathurst and Mudgee (NSW) - literally in the middle of nowhere. (They are the friends who now live in Dover, Tas). OH and I used to stay at their Mudgee/Bathurst property practically every 2nd weekend. Loved it out there. That's when we realised we would get out of Sydney when we retired and knew it would probably be to Tasmania. I had been hankering to live here for years. After visiting Melbourne a few times since moving to Tassie, I have to say I really enjoy the city. It has a fair bit of character and even I who hates shopping, enjoys mooching around in some very interesting little shops. I have to add that all my friends and most of my relatives in the UK do not live in cities or towns. They are all country bumpkins and perfectly happy.

My sister and I couldn't go on it when we went as it was too windy so we walked up and down. Enjoyed it on other occasions also the chairlift at the Gorge Launceston. Might go there again before my sister goes back home.

Another very pleasant place to visit any time of year is the little fishing town of Stanley.

I've got a tiny bit of gold dust from Beaconsfield Mine as a souvenir.

There are some lovely rose gardens scattered around. You could try this one. Deloraine is a very nice little town to visit. It's inland and not too far from Devonport. https://www.homestolove.com.au/heritage-rose-garden-14015

I was watching "Back Roads" (ABC) earlier and it featured the far north west coast of Tassie. I do love a day trip to that area but I couldn't live there. It's right where it catches the full blast of the Roaring Forties. The Cape Grim area is also fairly remote. A family originally from Qld was interviewed. They came on holiday a few years ago and never left. They run boat trips along Arthur River. Also a young couple have settled there. She was from Finland and he was from Berlin. They love the surfing lifestyle at Marrawah.

Your wife may feel better after watching this. Gives me the shudders.

Cradle Mountain is a great place for walking/hiking. The weather should be good in Feb. I have a snake phobia so I don't walk there during high summer. I've been told there are lots of sightings of BIG snakes at that time of year. Not trying to put you off though.

Totally agree Ramot. We chose a house all on the one level. We didn't want a big garden. Level walk to town. Lots of good places to walk our dog. 10 mins from nearest hospital. Lovely countryside/ocean practically on our doorstep. Hopefully we will never have to move again.

Most of the posts here are about Hobart and its so called vibe or lack thereof, public transport around the city etc. A heck of a lot of people don't come to Tasmania for the nightlife or city "culture". Folk like me and my friends are here for the wildlife, the mountains and the wilderness. Of course I live in a town for convenience but spend many days exploring the island. Needless to say I have no interest in cities so the lack of whatever they have to offer doesn't interest me. Yes, we do go to Launceston/Hobart now and again but that's about it. We also fly up to Sydney and Melbourne now and again for a few days or a week. We don't feel cut off from anything here. My elder son and his wife recently spent a few days in the South West National Park approx.100 kms from Hobart. They climbed Federation Peak which at 1250m isn't as high as your Bartle Frere but a majestic place nevertheless. Federation Peak

A lady round the corner has one of those mobility scooter things. She was off to the shops on it earlier this morning. She also rides it whilst exercising her old mongrel Prince. She and Prince have to stop at every lamp post and shrub whilst Prince has a pee. Takes then forever to cover a couple of kms. She is 87. I might treat myself to one when I turn 80. That's not for a while yet though.

I really liked Penang and especially Georgetown. Far more interesting than KL.

My very good friends who now live in Dover (Tas) were both scientists at the CSIRO in Sydney and both also worked in the UK. Both have travelled extensively all over the world and are perfectly content now here in Tassie. Tasmania is not everyone's cup of tea but for those of us who have chosen to live here, we love the place ............ warts and all.

The fares for the Sealink Bruny Island service vary depending on time of day. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and you can get the ‘light’ fares on the ferries. The Bruny Island ferry costs from $32.20 return. That’s the light fare, but the normal fare that the majority of people will pay is $38. This fee covers the car, driver and all passengers. It takes about 20 minutes.

All that is true but many of the poorer Tasmanians don't look after their own health and rely heavily on Medicare as a result. Lifetime smokers, no exercise, unhealthy diet and that doesn't just apply to Tasmania. As I said, personally I have no complaints about any part of the health service I have had to use here. With regard to ambulance service, touch wood we have never in our lives needed an ambulance service and the ambulance station is approx 2 minutes drive away so it's to be hoped we wouldn't have a long wait if required. You do make me smile when you go on about surrounding yourself with articulate and interesting people. Get off your high horse! I mix with anybody and all sorts and it's amazing just how interesting most people are no matter their upbringing. Can't be doing with intellectual snobbery. After all this discussion, I wouldn't live anywhere else.

There are plenty of so called Bogans here but they don't bother me and I don't bother them. Actually, through one of my voluntary jobs I meet loads of them and I get along with most of them just fine. Sure a lot of them are on the rough side but there are reasons for that - mainly poverty and lack of education. There are also plenty of well educated people with good jobs and running their own businesses. Try not to always be looking for the negatives @Blue Flu. You come across as a proper Eeyore. My husband and I have no complaints with hospital care. So far so good. I now have a very good cardiologist in Devonport for my dicky heart. I used to have to go to Launceston for checkups until a specialist cardiology practice opened here fairly recently. Local cancer patients are treated at Burnie Hospital. The biggest concert is the hospital staffing shortfall and the shortage of highly trained medical specialists. I know two people who were transferred to the Austin Hospital in Melbourne because they couldn't be treated here due to the shortage of specialists. What are you looking for with regard to age care? There are nursing homes here. I also volunteer at one of them. I'm hoping I never need to have to go into a nursing home but if I did have to, then that one would be fine. There is also a lot of help for elderly people who are still in their own home.

You certainly can't guarantee what the weather is going to be like that's for sure. I've been to Hobart and along the south coast when it was nearly 40C. That was in a January a number of years ago. We used to come to Tasmania from Sydney round about Easter time for a few days and the weather was always perfect. I've found the weather doesn't settle until just after Christmas but it can still change very quickly. We could do with a bit of rain now. Everybody's lawns are looking a bit parched and the farmers are using irrigation systems on crops.

While you are in the Hobart area and if you have time, take a drive to the Huon Valley and also the little town of Cygnet. Lovely places and worth a visit. They are approx. 45 minutes drive from Hobart. I think you would really like them.

A lot of Tasmanian retirees tootle off to Qld during the colder Tassie months. As i've said before the winters here don't bother me at all. They aren't as cold as for instance Canberra or Bendigo and Ballarat. I can handle the colder weather no problem but I don't like cold WET weather.. Thankfully, the wet days don't drag on and on and on.

An interesting thing I learnt the other day. Taiwan is slightly smaller than Tasmania. It's population is 23.5 million. Tasmania's population is just over half a million. I definitely know where I'd rather live.

I've flown a couple of times with Malaysian and no complaints apart from the bloke next to me taking off his shoes and his feet absolutely reeking and a sh!t of a kid behind me kicking the back of my seat. Oh the joys. Nothing to do with the airline though.

Launceston is inland and Devonport is on the coast. Devonport is rapidly growing and spreading out but where I live I can walk to the shops/cafes/cinema/library also a few minutes walk to the beach and the river. Launceston is in a dip so it can be colder in the winter and hotter in the summer. It's a very nice place but the same as most large towns ........... it has its rough areas to avoid. It has also retained some lovely old buildings as has Hobart. The Tasmanian weather suits me just fine. I really dislike hot, humid weather. During winter, Devonport can have really stormy weather off the Bass Strait but it doesn't rain for days on end. There are a lot of lovely frosty mornings. The frost has usually gone by 9 am. Inland towns are much colder at that time of year and also get snow. Today it's 25C. I've just been for a swim at the local beach. Very busy with tourists. Campervans all over the place. You will get a good idea of Tassie when you come in February. I'm a bit of a country bumpkin so I'm not interested in nightlife or shopping malls. Hobart and the surroundings areas may suit you far more than smaller towns. There are many very small towns scattered around Tasmania but even I wouldn't choose to live in them. Too remote for me.

Do you want to live in a large town or in the countryside? Lots to choose from. We live in Devonport on the NW coast and enjoy life here. I have very good friends who live in Dover on the south coast ............ east of Hobart and they also enjoy life there. Inland and the mountain areas can get very cold in winter. Hobart and Launceston can also get very warm to hot during summer. There are a LOT of retirees from the mainland here in Tassie. Housing is still reasonably priced though not as cheap as it used to be. Plenty of houses for sale over $million and seem to be snapped up. I can't tell you the best places to retire to as everyone has different ideas about that. Probably best if you come down here and check the place out for yourself.