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Torn on Tassie We’ve been living in Australia for eight years, firstly in south west WA, then the Kimberley and now Townsville. It’s been an adventure, but now with two young kids (and another on the way) it’s time to settle down in that ‘forever place’. We’ve decided on either regional Victoria – either Geelong or Ballarat – or Tassie because we prefer the cooler climate. We also spent a few weeks picking apples in the Huon Valley years ago as backpackers and loved our time there, but would prefer a bigger community such as Launceston or Hobart in which to raise our family. But there’s just something nagging at me about Tasmania that’s making me hesitate over the decision. I keep reading about how tough it is to find work there, how the health care system is not as good as the mainland in terms of access to specialists etc and how public schools don’t perform as well etc. I realise that life’s what you make of it and if you’re determined you can succeed anywhere, but like I said it’s making me doubt whether a move to Tassie is the right thing for us. My wife comes from an island (albeit a MUCH smaller one than Tassie) and she often speaks about feeling cut off from mainland Britain, people’s insular attitudes and how young people were ultimately forced to leave to pursue work opportunities elsewhere. Does Tasmania suffer from such drawbacks and to what degree would you say? In what ways do you feel disadvantaged – if at all – by living in Tasmania? My heart says Tassie but my head says Geelong/Ballarat. With Melbourne’s growth going gangbusters and showing no signs of slowing down, the positive flow-on effects for regional cities in Victoria within commuting distance looks very encouraging. While I’ve got no interest in commuting to Melbourne for work, it would be good to have all that life and culture on our doorstep when we want it. And if I ever do run into employment issues then having such a large job market down the road does offer more options to keep the wolf from the door if it comes to that. But I still keep coming back to Tassie. The climate, the nature, the history, the mountains, the forests, the beaches….I feel more inspired by the idea of life in Tasmania than I do by regional Victoria. On other hand, they’re close to each other so we could live in Geelong/Ballarat and holiday in Tassie fairly easily. As you can see I really am torn. If you made it this far down my very long post THANK YOU and please share some advice! Happy New Year ?

Hello. My name is Juan (john), Im from Argentina, and we are planning on moving to Launceston this July, or maybe next January. My wife (Roxanne) is going to study Architecture in UTAS, for at leas 3 years, after that maybe 2 years more for the master, we will see when the moment comes. My main profession is Handyman, i can fix almost anything, yes, including spaceships (?) , what i need to know, is: do i have any chance to survive in Launceston ? how much a handyman charges ?, are they needed ?, etc etc. I was planning to maybe open a repair shop, to fix home appliances to, do Tassies, or better said, Aussies repair their home appliances or just buy new ones ? If anyone could help me to clear these doubts in my mind, i would be very grateful. Sorry for my crappy english, and thanks in advance.

Hello I have recently moved to Launceston TAS and am looking for any admin/accountancy work. My husband is also looking for maintenance/electrical work. Any help/leads would be appreciated Thanks :smile:

We have our visa and we're now waiting for our house to sell and then we're off to Tasmania. (with two kids ages 6 and 4, husband is a plasterer) But we just can't decide between Launceston or Hobart. Strong interested employer in Hobart, but our friend goes to the Launceston University. Both have judo, surfing and swimming schools. Fishing is in both city's an option..... They're to far apart to live between the two. So what would you choose??

Hi Does anybody know of any agents that provide short term furnished rentals (4-6 weeks) in the Launceston region. We will be looking for a 3 bedroom property starting 2nd week of October. Thanks :rolleyes:

Hi Everyone, How are you? I hope all is well! I'm Anna, I have been looking around the forums for a while, but thought I would get in contact with you all. Well, I would basically love to move out to Australia. Last year, I spent 4 months Backpacking around Australia, and i fell in love with the place! Ever since the plane landed back at Heathrow, all I can think about is moving out there!! i think about it all day every day. I am hoping to be heading out in a few years. The plan at the moment is, to go to University, (I start in September.) I am going to study Podiatry. That will take 4 years, and then I hope to work for a couple of years, pay back any student loan, and then get a bit of money behind me. I will be 28 by then, and so hope to go out on a WHV and then try and get Sponsorship. (Although I use a wheelchair, so we shall see what happens!) hopefully in Tasmania!!! That was my favorite part of the whole of Oz! I was up in Yorktown, near Launceston. I've never been to such a lovely place! Anyway, that's a fair rant, so I better leave it there. Just a huge hello to you all, and good luck with everything you all do. i'll see you in Oz one day! Anna. X :biggrin: