Becks1972 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 Hi all Hope you don't mind the random/vague title but I'm hoping someone can help me please ? We are a family of 4 , me (40) OH (49) son (12) & Daughter (6) we are awaiting (v.soon our agent agent advises) our 175 visa and we are busy exploring jobs/places to live within Oz. We have been to WA, QLD & NSW a few times and have concentrated our research on these areas initially BUT find I am being drawn to Tasmania but have never been and know very little about this state...hence the help needed! :biggrin: Its probably easier to tell you a bit about us and what we like and perhaps someone would be kind enough to offer an opinion is Tassie fits the bill ! :smile: Both hubby and I work for the NHS here in UK ( him in IT & me in Allied health) and would be looking for similar posts. My son loves Scouts and all things scooter/skateboard related. He does very well in school and is on the gifted & talented register at his high school so a good school is v.important. My daughter is a real outdoors girl and never happier than when exploring and getting muddy! I love 4 distinct seasons and like all that's associated with chilly days/nights ( you know....log burner....getting warm after a good walk) but I also like the heat (but hate humidity). We all love beaches...trees....lots of greenery & wildlife. We don't do pubs but we love our coffee so a decent cafe culture would go down a treat! We like a mooch around the shops but its not a deal breaker as we usually shop online for clothes/gadgets etc. Ideally we'd like to live within commuting distance to a CBD but close to beach and rural areas.....sooooooo does such a place exist and if so where? TIA you lovely folks Becks & family x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 There are a few members who live in Tasmania and I hope they pop along and help you further. Tasmania is a lovely place, although being separate from the mainland it means you need to take the ferry or fly to the mainland. Its popular with artisan type people, great market at Hobart. I love to visit but not sure that I would live there. It does have the four seasons of the year. I think you would need to get jobs organised as well. I like the area around Devonport but that is just me, if you want a view every house in Hobart has one. We live in Victoria and have the four seasons here, however Melbourne being so much larger in population etc there is a lot more going on. Great cafe scene, I am not into cafes although I spend a good amount of time in them as my best friend is a cafe person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runslikeafish Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Hi all Hope you don't mind the random/vague title but I'm hoping someone can help me please ? We are a family of 4 , me (40) OH (49) son (12) & Daughter (6) we are awaiting (v.soon our agent agent advises) our 175 visa and we are busy exploring jobs/places to live within Oz. We have been to WA, QLD & NSW a few times and have concentrated our research on these areas initially BUT find I am being drawn to Tasmania but have never been and know very little about this state...hence the help needed! :biggrin: Its probably easier to tell you a bit about us and what we like and perhaps someone would be kind enough to offer an opinion is Tassie fits the bill ! :smile: Both hubby and I work for the NHS here in UK ( him in IT & me in Allied health) and would be looking for similar posts. My son loves Scouts and all things scooter/skateboard related. He does very well in school and is on the gifted & talented register at his high school so a good school is v.important. My daughter is a real outdoors girl and never happier than when exploring and getting muddy! I love 4 distinct seasons and like all that's associated with chilly days/nights ( you know....log burner....getting warm after a good walk) but I also like the heat (but hate humidity). We all love beaches...trees....lots of greenery & wildlife. We don't do pubs but we love our coffee so a decent cafe culture would go down a treat! We like a mooch around the shops but its not a deal breaker as we usually shop online for clothes/gadgets etc. Ideally we'd like to live within commuting distance to a CBD but close to beach and rural areas.....sooooooo does such a place exist and if so where? TIA you lovely folks Becks & family x I think that yes, Tassie would give you all those things. Hot days (a good number of 30+ days last year with a Hobart high of 39 from memory), cold days (frequent winter snow on high ground and summer snow not uncommon in mountainous regions). The weather here is MILES better than what we're used to in Cornwall. There's also amazing amounts of scenery, greenery, trees and beaches. As far as living withing commuting distance to the CBD but close to beach/rural areas is concerned, pretty much anywhere around Hobart gives you that. I can't comment too much on living in the north of the state but you will definitely find what you're looking for around Hobart. Heaps of wildlife too and very close to the CBD. Cafe culture - absolutely! Check out Salamanca and North Hobart as well as pretty much all the suburbs. Coincidentally, I'm in IT and my wife is in Allied Health and there is employment around in those areas for sure. In summary, from what you're describing, it's only shopping that's less than fantastic - although there is some good shopping in Hobart. With Melbourne only an hour away though, retail therapy is easily reached . Everything else you mention, Tassie scores top marks! Good luck with your decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Tassie is great and sounds like it would be your cup of tea however without work I doubt you would enjoy it for long. If I was in your shoes I would check out work prospects in TAS and NSW (Not QLD or WA if you don't like humidity) and then concentrate on finding the area you want to live within commuting distance of where the work is. Good luck with whatever you end up doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blobby1000 Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Its a lovely place. What I have learned though in the past 2 years is that not every lovely place makes an ideal place to live. Its all about what you want though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becks1972 Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 Thanks to everyone that replied....it sounds as if employment may be the key deciding factor as everything else seems to fit the bill. so guess I'd better get emailing out my CV and see what comes back. Many thanks again :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GilraenH Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Thanks to everyone that replied....it sounds as if employment may be the key deciding factor as everything else seems to fit the bill. so guess I'd better get emailing out my CV and see what comes back. Many thanks again :wink: Hi what Allied Health profession are you in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becks1972 Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 I'm an Occupational Therapist....qualified for over 16 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest claireandmark Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Hi My wife and I moved to Tassie nearly 4 years ago, it is a great place to live. It does have its problems though, at the moment there is very little confidence in the economy here, the current government here seems to be doing its level best at shutting the place down. And on the government, there is three levels of it and nearly 32 councils for a population of just 500,000! That has been the major downside for us, how ever on the plus side its a great place to raise kids and has a really good feeling to it. You can easily commute into the CBD from a rural setting due to the lack of traffic on the roads here, but Tasmanians think anyone that lives more than 20km from their place of work must be mad! I know of a few people that live in a wonderful place called Opposum bay right on the beach front and think nothing of the 44km commute. The weather here is much warmer than than the UK, I think I had to defrost our car 5 times this year! One thing that can catch people out is the strength of the sun here, it is quite common to see "mainlanders" get burnt to a cinder in the summer Tassie sun. Although it may only reach an air temp of 26 on a summers day here, the real feel can be much higher as the Sun travels through less of the Ozone layer above Tassie. We are definitely glad we made the move to Tassie and for better or worse we wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GilraenH Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 I'm an Occupational Therapist....qualified for over 16 years. No OT jobs in Tas that I can see at the moment. Queensland have a few. some in NSW. two in WA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runslikeafish Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 A few occupational health jobs here http://www.jobs.tas.gov.au/browse/department/index.php?dept=dhhs I do often see OT jobs around on the gov site plus seek and career one. One thing that I found is that it was an awful lot easier to get a job once we were here than from the UK. My wife got a job before moving here but I didn't and I got very little interest in my CV whilst I was in the UK. Probably worth getting in touch with an employment agent too. Reed are pretty good for Health I think. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becks1972 Posted October 11, 2012 Author Share Posted October 11, 2012 thanks again everyone for your replies.....have already started the job search! x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted October 11, 2012 Share Posted October 11, 2012 A belated response to you, Becks, but I agree with others that Tasmania would suit the kind of lifestyle you want. However, I also agree that employment is the issue at the moment. So all the best in your searching! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheresdbeef Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Hi Becks I I have been living and working in Hobart for sixmonths now and have found it an excellent city and just the right size, not toobig and not too small. A colleague of mine moved down from Queensland three months ago and his wifefound an OT job in two weeks and from want I've heard there is no shortage ofwork in that area. As for the economy certain sectors have be hit there is no denying it but thereare other industries that are thriving here too, so not all doom and gloom. I don’t have children myself but I have noticed the kids around the area I amliving in are all skateboard mad and there are a number of skate parks aroundthe town. As for the scouts there's a number of troops around the city, as for outdooractivities and camping you are never too far from the bush in Hobart. The people are very friendly down here as well and it really didn’t take me toolong to settle. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annagilda Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 I'm an Occupational Therapist....qualified for over 16 years. Have you contacted the Tasmanian department for health? http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/ They don't always advertise jobs, but they say it is worth contacting them for Allied Health professions because they often have opportunities cropping up. I'm currently training to be a Podiatrist and have spent some time in Tasmania, hoping to end up there in a few years. Send them an e-mail, they might be able to point you in the right direction. Good luck, and maybe I'll catch you in Tassie one day! X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 We lived in the North West of Tassie when the kids were little and it is a stunningly beautiful place. However I found that after a while I got kind of sick of the early closing and backwardness of everything up there. Hobart is a lot better from that point of view but not sure if it would be good for long term living. I guess a lot depends on work, what friends you make and whether you like a fairly quiet lifestyle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest71686 Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 they are always looking for OT's to help those recovering from surgery to remove the extra head they were born with. My partner is from Tassie and you can't even see the scar. It's like she never had one :laugh: On a serious note beautiful place and would recommend giving it a go - just expect to sometimes feel like an outsider looking in on the world. I think Southern Cross TV does that to ya! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted October 12, 2012 Share Posted October 12, 2012 Hobart is a lot better from that point of view but not sure if it would be good for long term living. I guess a lot depends on work, what friends you make and whether you like a fairly quiet lifestyle. Some of us think it is the bee's knees for long term living and wouldn't move anywhere else! :biggrin: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skilledhansgirl Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 Hi Beck, I lived in Tas south of Hobart for 7 years & still own my home there in arguably the most sought after retired & semi retired popular favorate area the gorgeous Huon Valley. There is am awful lot of good honest advice I could offer having run my own business there. I honestly don't have time at present as it is late here in Sydney Au's but I will indeed offer a very insightful post to the subject of Tas within the next few days, Kind regards, skilledhansgirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bound4Tassie Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 It's where we will be headed in the near ish future .my husband is tasmanian so we know a bit about the areas and will have his family and friends network which will hopefully make the move easier. I've also worked there briefly before so hoping contact might help with work. Fingers crossed . It has always seemed a family friendly place, the climate is much more tolerable . There are no traffic jams. Beautiful beaches and greenery. You can always holiday in Qld thailand or Bali is you want a Bit of tropical heat every so often! hope it works out for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skilledhansgirl Posted November 27, 2012 Share Posted November 27, 2012 It's where we will be headed in the near ish future .my husband is tasmanian so we know a bit about the areas and will have his family and friends network which will hopefully make the move easier. I've also worked there briefly before so hoping contact might help with work. Fingers crossed . It has always seemed a family friendly place, the climate is much more tolerable . There are no traffic jams. Beautiful beaches and greenery. You can always holiday in Qld thailand or Bali is you want a Bit of tropical heat every so often! hope it works out for you! Indeed Tas is a gorgeous lifestyle but re buying a property there it is best to have evolved from the hardworking stage of life. E.G. Imagine having spent your life's savings + a substancial mortgage to built the likes of this home http://www.gumtree.com.au/m-my-ad.html?adId=1008058342 I did only to later discover that major family circumstances changed back in Sydney hence I could not make the very high income required for such drama's.I was then forced to place my truly irriplaciple dream home on the market for not much over half what it owes me. Seems there is very little justice in the world at times in life, Obviously to say it is heartbreaking to part with my beautiful home is an understatement, Skilledhansgirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becks1972 Posted December 29, 2012 Author Share Posted December 29, 2012 Thank you everyone for your replies.... Having read your posts and done more research I would seem that Tasmania could very finitely be for us:) we are awaiting the outcome of some job applications/interviews before we can finally decide so fingers crossed! Could I please ask about house rentals and is there the fierce competition for them as there appears to be in other states & also are they always unfurnished? I have had a good look at our house contents here and as most of it is ikea stuff & old at that I'm not sure it would be worth the expense of shipping over. I thought if we could rent a furnished house for 12 months it would be easier. Also could I ask what people think of launceston V Hobart ..... Looking at jobs in both areas .... Thanks folks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skilledhansgirl Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 Thank you everyone for your replies.... Having read your posts and done more research I would seem that Tasmania could very finitely be for us:) we are awaiting the outcome of some job applications/interviews before we can finally decide so fingers crossed! Could I please ask about house rentals and is there the fierce competition for them as there appears to be in other states & also are they always unfurnished? I have had a good look at our house contents here and as most of it is ikea stuff & old at that I'm not sure it would be worth the expense of shipping over. I thought if we could rent a furnished house for 12 months it would be easier. Also could I ask what people think of launceston V Hobart ..... Looking at jobs in both areas .... Thanks folks Hi, I bought my riverfront property in the Huon Valley 30mins drive from Hobart CBD 10 yrs ago. I lived in the area for just over 5 years. I travelled Tas quite extensively as a part time Jazz musician. Usually I performed in the more civilized area's E.g. CBD hotels / Wineries / food & wine festivals & so forth. One get's to learn a lot about the general population of different area's as a musician. Personally speaking I think Hobart is a far better choice of area to work & live than Launceston, There is no comarison re the life style & one encounters a lot less of the layman redneck types. Quite simply that element along with misguided teenagers are generally further away from Hobart CBD as opposed to Launceston. Davenport although it has some beautiful inland areas such as the gorgeous Delloraine Forrest, is a dead as a door nail town most of the yr with an abundant number of square people in a round world ! Huon Valley is the central costal channel highway point between Hobart & the south west tip of the state. I found it a gorgeous place to live & Huonville the central town there is rapidly growing & the pick of many of the 50+ age bracket Au's retiree's. There are two medical centres in the Huon Valley & 2 private GP's, good schools & an absolutely huge newly built indoor youth centre complex. Apparently the medical centres there have a high turn over of staff as local's are a bit behind the times re their skills so I'm told. Might be worth checking out Huonville ! I live & work in Sydney but I have a waterfront small acreage property with 4 bedroom home 15mins from Huonville. Sorry I can't help re accom as my home I have on the market at present. I would not consider renting it as the interior & structural art is far too valuable to risk any usuage related damage for the sake of a modest rental return. Another great area to consider near the beach cost 20 min's max from Hobart is Margate ! Best of luck with the job hunting, truly beautiful lifestyle in TAS but yes it is indeed wise to be prepared, Happy N/Y to all, skilledhansgirl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted December 30, 2012 Share Posted December 30, 2012 I live in Hobart and have never lived in Launceston so I may be biased - but my pick would be Hobart. It has a stunning location, beaches and mountains within its suburbs, a lovely dockside/waterfront area, all the facilities of the capital city and, in my opinion, a better climate. Launceston is inland and in a much narrower valley than Hobart so its winter night time temperatures are colder and it has more fog. From hearsay I believe that the rental market has eased somewhat. Rental prices have actually decreased slightly. Unfurnished is most common but occasionally you will find a fully furnished place - usually if the owners are going away for a period and intend to return. Furniture prices here are likely to be higher than you are used to...and not as much choice (because of the smaller population). There is also no IKEA in Tassie - the closest store is Melbourne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deborah Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 I'm an Occupational Therapist....qualified for over 16 years. I am an OT, been here almost 4 years! pm me Debs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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