Toots

Have a look at this https://www.goget.com.au/rates/ and https://www.goget.com.au/faq/how-much-does-it-cost/

My sister used to live in London. She gave up having a car there as it was a waste of time and money having one. She lived in Putney and EVERYONE there seemed to own a car with the result it was just about impossible to find a space to park your car anywhere near your own house. Many of the older houses don't have garages so the cars are parked on the street. That was one of the reasons she gave up having a car. Both sides of the street - cars parked bumper to bumper.

We knew a man in Sydney who had over a number of years married and divorced 3 women from China. All marriages of convenience.

Even here in Devonport this end of our street has people originally from Germany, The Netherlands, France, India, Mauritius, Scotland and England.

I didn't drive much in Sydney at all as public transport to and from the city (when I was working) was very good and I used public transport at the weekends as well. We lived in North Ryde then Dulwich Hill. My younger son who lives in Annandale uses public transport to and from work and uses Go-Get at the weekends as does my godson who lives in Newtown. I suppose if you lived in the outer Sydney suburbs or the northern beaches you would really need a car. Public transport is not good here in Devonport so everybody drives.

Have a lovely time on your weekend trip ScottieGirl!

Very Stormy is seeing it from his point of view though. My sister and I went to the red centre when she was here a few year ago. She loved it but I couldn't wait to get back to the coastline. It also has to be said that Very Stormy didn't have such a great life in Australia and is now back in the UK. Australia doesn't suit everybody and it's pretty dire here if you are jobless which also happened to Very Stormy.

A Dyson hairdryer costs over 200 quid. WTF. I'm still using my Breville I bought 10 years ago for $25 and when it eventually carks it I doubt if I'd invest in a Dyson hairdryer unless the price drops drastically.

I'd like to know how many British families with children make those frequent trips to Europe. Singles and couples without children yes, easy to do but once children come on board not so easy at all. Most kids would be bored traipsing around museums and art galleries then there is the babysitting to organise if the parents want to go out and have fun at nights.

When my husband (who is Australian) and I lived in the UK we did go to Europe a lot. Nothing fancy in those days - a lot of backpacking and before we met we had both worked in Europe. Him in Germany and Belgium and me in Belgium, France and Switzerland. Then my sister went to work in Germany for 2 years so we visited her there a number of times. I liked being off the beaten track well away from fellow tourists. Truthfully I don't miss Europe now and I didn't much like Spain or Greece - far too hot and crowded in peak times - nicer in the winter. Most of my old friends from the UK manage a trip or two every year.

No you can't really compare Australia with Europe. Australia is 12,000 miles away and a fairly new country. Why on earth would it be anything like Europe? You could say the same about Africa or India. People will never be happy here if they are constantly comparing. This isn't North Korea you don't need an exit visa. Just go back to what you know and be happy.

The "Australian Dream" hasn't worked out for loads of people and they happily go back to the UK and settle comfortably back there and that is how it should be but there are also many of us who do have a good life here and wouldn't go back to the UK. I hope you folk who don't enjoy life here do manage to find peace back home.

Why did you move back to England after 28 years in Australia? Many people who move to Australia and don't settle are told to give it more time so maybe you need to do that too. Is it the area you're in you don't like?

@newjez Years ago a village in the Lake District (UK) and villages in Scotland and Wales were "drowned" when areas were dammed.

Lake Pedder

Bay Of Fires on the east coast of Tasmania.

Trams on King Street, Sydney - photo taken in 1907.

I like your attitude Dekra and wish you all the best!

It was the coldest morning we have had in Devonport this year so far. 4C then up to 16C this afternoon.

A family in Surry Hills Sydney during during the Great Depression.

I stopped comparing prices long, long ago. Some things here are a total rip-off and when I see some stuff in the sales at much reduced prices I wonder why on earth they were so expensive in the first place. Some people will argue black's white about Australia being more expensive than the UK or vice versa but when I was back in the UK a couple of years ago I found some things there were cheaper and some more expensive. I also came to the conclusion it depends on the area where you live.

Yes Tasmania is a lovely place and the cost of living can be high - supermarket prices the same as Sydney but housing cheaper. It would certainly be good if your husband can find a job too. We retired to Tasmania and quite honestly we wouldn't live anywhere else BUT I do know there is a big problem with unemployment. Many young people move to the mainland for work. I always compare it to where I was born and brought up in Scotland. I also had to move away from home for work when I was young due to lack of employment opportunities. I live on the north coast of Tasmania but a member here (Skani) lives in Hobart and I'm sure she will be along soon to give you far better advice than me. PS You replied in another Tassie thread. I was once JockinTas but changed my name due to some difficulties logging in to the updated forum.

Bondi Beach in 1900.

A write-up from someone who moved from Melbourne to just outside Devonport. The greater Devonport area has about 25,000 people. A few years ago I relocated from Melbourne to the Devonport area. I love this town - it is the perfect size, large enough to have a variety of shops and clubs of all kinds but not too big to get lost in or too busy traffic-wise. The people, like most in Tassie, are friendly and the shopkeepers are happy to chat and have a joke. No one seems stressed out or grumpy.The town is surrounded by water with Bass Strait to the north, the Mersey River to the east and the Don River on the western boundary. On both sides of the Mersey, there are lovely walking tracks - the one commencing on Victoria Parade north of the main shopping centre and continuing for several klms around the coast to the large forested Don Reserve area over on the west is fantastic. There is a good choice of schools and my two teenagers enjoyed their final 2 years of school at the excellent Don College, a state school - and got into uni. The area also has many facilities for senior citizens and the elderly.The climate in Devonport is great - neither as cold in winter nor as hot in summer as Hobart or Launceston. From Devonport, there are lots of interesting places to visit, from Sheffield, Barrington,Cradle Mountain, Penguin, Burnie, Ulverstone, Wynyard in the west - about an hour or less away, or Launceston and the villages of the Tamar Valley to the east, again about an hour away. Qantas flights from East Devonport airport take you to Melbourne in just over an hour, or you can sleep the night away on the Spirit, arriving in Melbourne early the next morning. There always seems to be something on in Devonport - live plays or concerts, shows or exhibitions. Everything is easily accessible by car, but the public transport is a bit scarce. Nevertheless, for the non driver, there are plenty of houses or units that are within walking distance of the two key shopping areas, and they are half the cost of where I was living before in Melbourne. We have chosen to have an acreage lifestyle about 15 minutes away from Devonport on the coast in Port Sorell, which has its own small village. I feel very relaxed living in this part of Tassie, and it feels "genuine" and "safe" after the urban buzz and edginess and increasingly "driven" and status conscious nature of Melbourne. Whenever I fly into Devonport after spending time away on the mainland, I love looking down on the lovely green vistas surrounding this great town and I'm so glad to be home. I've now met many people who've come from all areas of Australia and are very happy that they have relocated to the north west of Tasmania.