Russ1976

We arrived as PR in October. I started full time employment early November. We have a house which we own in the UK. It was tenanted, so another regular income for us. My wife is a contractor, working for UK companies based here in Tasmania. We have banked here as residents since we arrived. We also have cash/ savings. Taken all this account we thought we could get a mortgage. Unfortunately not. We were offered a mortgage with serious limitations to it, higher borrowing rate, and lower borrowing amount.We have been advised by two respected lenders that after a year of employment and my wife completing a tax return at the end of the Australian tax year will help us. We have since decided to sell our property in the UK, once that happens then our options are greatly improved . Hope this helps.

We have settled in Cygnet. Put my trail cam out, pictures of bandicoot, possum, hare, quoll, pademelon and this beauty! Managed 16 pictures of this creature over 3 days, beginners luck I think it’s called.

Out for a walk this morning with one of the dogs who live with us. From Mickey’s Beach, to Randall’s Bay, and through Randall’s Quarry. Beautiful day today.

It took me two attempts to achieve my 79+ on all sections. First time around with little study I failed on the written section. I purchased the PTE study package, learnt and understood the structure of an essay, and then retook the exam and passed. From when I purchased the study package to completing the exam second time around, I think it was about 5-6 weeks.

Our ‘local’ beach, 20 mins from Cygnet. Spent a couple of hours here today. The water is beautiful, the air temp around 29/30, so very warm.

Yesterday afternoon, I was very fortunate in watching my first duckbilled platypus, close to where we are staying. I will try to get a picture on my next walk that way. Fairywrens, goldfinches and a rare saddleback bandicoot all on the land I am staying. What a great welcome to Cygnet for us.

I think you forget we travelled from the UK! Seriously though, the weather is no bother for us, it certainly doesn’t detract from a beautiful area.

We have, they arrived on Sunday, a couple of days after us. They were very relaxed and happy. I think we were more excited than they were when we picked them up. The whole process was managed superbly by PetAir, no problems at all.

Our dogs have recently flown to Tasmania from the UK. The whole process was managed with PetAirUK. They were fantastic and very well organised. Everything went according to plan, and our dogs were relaxed and happy once we picked them up. I would recommend this company to anyone.

The rental we secured is fantastic. The location and surrounds are beautiful, Cygnet is a cracking place.

We eventually hired a car from leisurerent.com. They have been very easy to deal with, answering any concerns we had. The car they supplied for us was clean and tidy, exactly what we ordered. We picked the car up out of hours, with instructions being emailed to us a couple of days in advance. Cost wise, I think it’s what we expected, certainly not expensive.

Visa granted today, 5 days after visa nomination.

186DE nomination approved today. Painter & Decorator Tasmania lodged 14/09/21 good job as well, we fly on the 12th October.

We arrive on our 1 year tourist visa in October. Can somebody explain to me if we require travel insurance for the whole period or if we apply for a Medicare card on arrival. We are more concerned with the ‘health’ side of insurance.

After reading a few posts, it seems car hire is expensive in Tasmania, likely due to a shortage of car stock post covid lockdowns. The quotes we have so far equate to around £750-£800 for a 2 week hire. We definitely need a vehicle for use until we purchase one due to our location on arrival, and the fact we need to pick our dogs up from Hobart airport a couple of days after we arrive. Does anyone have any ideas to a cheaper alternative?