Do you love Tasmania ???

[Guest Colin R]

Best you stay in sunny old Blackburn then! As far as I was aware Poms in Oz is a forum for help ,advice and general chat. If I wanted a joke site I would have found one much better. Maybe you should stick to chatting on one of those. Seems most of your comments on threads are all the same .Grow up. If you want a verbal tennis match then do me a favour and PM me and leave other people to enjoy what this site really is for. Personally I couldnt give a s..t what you think of Tasmanians and of course they are your fellow countrymen like it or not.

Sally

[tracy123]

Best you stay in sunny old Blackburn then! As far as I was aware Poms in Oz is a forum for help ,advice and general chat. If I wanted a joke site I would have found one much better. Maybe you should stick to chatting on one of those. Seems most of your comments on threads are all the same .Grow up. If you want a verbal tennis match then do me a favour and PM me and leave other people to enjoy what this site really is for. Personally I couldnt give a s..t what you think of Tasmanians and of course they are your fellow countrymen like it or not.

Sally

 

Hope this is informative enough for you sally!

 

The Legend of the Two Headed Tasmanians

 

Early Tasmanian folklore has it that in 1842, Tasmania's then King, King Wilbert the (1st) from Burnie, and his wife Isabella, gave birth to a baby. Sadly this child was born with two heads, hence he was named Prince William-Herbert- one name for each head.

Of all the tragedies, poor Isabella survived the birth, but died months afterwards from the shock and complications.

In 1864 Prince William-Herbert was crowned as the 3rd King of Tasmania with the royal title King Wilbert II.

King Wilbert II lived until his late 30's and in that time married and fathered 5 children, all of whom were born with two heads. With two heads came two brains, which meant Tasmanians doubled their I.Q. and became "Twice as Smart" as other races. A super race of people had emerged.

Through the years it became less and less socially acceptable to sport two heads and a decision was made to start removing one. This is the reason many Tasmanians sport a scar on their shoulder.

As Tasmanians travel the fair land of Australia and even the world, many people stop them and say, "show me your scar", and many are happy to oblige, being very proud of their heritage.

There has been a significant advantage to having one head removed in that we Tasmanians have had a choice as to which one would be removed and the result is a State of Australia with significantly more attractive and well presented personages of the majority of our residents. Many of our neighboring State's residents are not so fortunate and regrettably have to sport such an array of nature's disappointments.

The legacy of the two brains still lives on and the people of Tasmania are acknowledged almost world wide as being the superior race of the world, hence the slogan:

 

 

 

 

"Two Headed Tasmanians - Twice as Smart"

or the more familiar phrase in other lands

"Two Heads Are Better Than One"

 

 

[tasormelb]

Hi, Have just read posts about what to bring etc and wish to say great posts Sally and Herbster. Congrats Herbster on arriving in Tasmania, I am very, very, very, envious. We hope to join you by February next year.

I am now going to start my shopping list for items to bring including bedding, pots crockery etc. I have just informed OH and he has rolled his eyes, asking me ' why have I just done thirty trips to tip with bedding, towels and such because you gleefully told me that we did not need to take these things as it would be cheaper to replace than pay shipping costs!!!????'

Whoops! lol, its a womens divine right to change her mind! Onwards with shopping!

Keep e-mails coming as its fab to hear about life in Tasmania and what to expect when we arrive. Hope you are settling into your new home and life Herbster.

Vanessa

[Herbster]

Hi Sally:

 

Don't forget Tassie is one of Oz's BEST kept SECRETS... :daydreaming:

 

All the time the uninitiated think it's full of two-headed natives and untracked wilderness with just a convict heritage, which they come to visit out of curiosity and a lust for Adventure, leaving us afterward in PEACE, as they return to their civilized version of Life in suburbia, the Big City or even Outback... We are left & blest to discover the true secrets of this island, which mercifully are not so easily discovered! Nor necessarily, to everyone's taste... Eg.: no indoor ice rinks nearby, massive shopping malls nearby, swimming pools in every yard, barbies every night, a beach at the end of every road...

 

We're glad we're here, (& that you helped us find a place for us) but to be honest I don't want this island overrun with Mainlanders, etc., who only want a second home here because they can, to then complain that we are parochial, need streets lamps & 24hr/7 Access... I've already lived in enough places that have become victims of their own success, & been driven out because of that... Lord forbid (& I'm not religious either!) that should happen here... Where would a Rare Bear go from here?

Sometimes some secrets are best kept SECRET!!!!! :yes:

Keep Smiling Sal, as you're the Lucky One...

 

Love to All (conditionally, of course for some...)

 

[Guest Colin R]

Thanks Herbster. We both know that its great here. Shh Mums the word!

Sally

xx

[Guest Elizabeth Lilly]

Hi everyone, just want to say that Yes, Tas is a lovely place - scenic, friendly, great food.... The downside is the facilities. I dont care that there isn't a big shopping centre near our place, but I would love to be able to get into the dentist wihtout waiting for 2 months! We also have to travel well over 100 kms to get there... Things like that can be annoying after a time. Theres good and bad, like everything. Cheers, Liz

[Herbster]

You're right of course, Liz - I think decision's to move anywhere, over such long distances (from Europe, UK, etc.) clearly have to be very considered...Once you've spent the fortune moving out here, uprooting yourself & family, is not so easy, nor always possible, to up sticks & relocate out of state should you find the first location doesn't suit. :huh:

It might be a good idea to all sit round & make lists of all the things you'd love to have access to in your new location, giving every amenity a score... And equally assign demerits to your most hated situations, that list with it's + & -'s should be helpful when matching up possible locations. But no doubt there'll have to be compromises - do you live with the ocean view, but commute an hour each way to work? Is the dentist (that you hopefully only see twice a year) within a 15-min car ride, but school (which the kids have to attend 250?? days a year) a 40-minute bus ride each way, is the movie theater a walk away, but your house has no central heating or air conditioning, have you the most wonderful garden but no city water & have to depend on rain & having water tanked in?? I think it's so much easier if you can identify what you want/don't want first, it's then a case of trying to get the answers from one source or another!

 

The Guide books & websites available offer lots of information, pretty photos, too, but not necessarily the same info & pictures that you want to see when considering a location to set-up home... If you are concerned about population densities, you could compare new areas to your current demographics; comprehensive weather sites offer detailed daily stats, which again you can compare to what you currently have, there are pragmatic city/regional websites to check out the shopping, schools, theater & other civic amenities... but none of these really give you the insights or answers that you'll gain from sites like PIO, where there are actually people living with the consequences of their migration decisions.

 

I could cite my English dentist situation, where it usually was at least 1-2months for an appointment, with a 1,900 Kilometer round trip for treatment! I choose this crazy option, as it was so difficult to find a decent new dentist, & even though he cost me an arm & a leg, (+ airfare!) I knew his work was excellent... Obviously I hope to be able to find one closer to home now, but I'd suspect that to find a decent one I might have to travel to Hobart... (I await to be corrected!!) Our temporary home, is in a fab location, which can only be very temporary, also 40 minutes + from Hobart, has no mains water, with only 1 power outlet in the main rooms, with wallabies & possums roaming the grounds looking for tasty morsels! This wouldn't suit many, but for us it's a compromise we've weighed up and are looking forward to accepting!

[Guest Elizabeth Lilly]

Wow, Herbster, I cant get my head around 1900 kms to go to the dentist! Incredible!! You make good sense about listing the pros and cons of whats available and what we want. My gut says youll be very happy and settled in Tas. I really hope so. When you get organised, go and see Boat Harbour on the North Coast, and Stanley is well worth a visit too. Beautiful scenery - totally pristine and unspoiled. All the best, Liz

[em&paul]

 

Once we decided on moving to Australia we looked at every state and did the pros and cons. We think we've made the right decision and have decided that Tasmania is the best place for our family and we are all going to give it a go. Having never been to Australia before we are going blind but this just makes it more exciting, scary, fun.......!!

 

We can't wait to get there.

 

Emma

 

:v_SPIN::v_SPIN:

[Herbster]

Wow, Herbster, I cant get my head around 1900 kms to go to the dentist! Incredible!! You make good sense about listing the pros and cons of whats available and what we want. My gut says youll be very happy and settled in Tas. I really hope so. When you get organised, go and see Boat Harbour on the North Coast, and Stanley is well worth a visit too. Beautiful scenery - totally pristine and unspoiled. All the best, Liz

Hi Liz: Been to Stanley, seen the cows there with docked tails... Why? I ponder, as I've never seen cows with docked tails & can only ruminate as to what on earth could be the justifications! And Boat Harbour is delightful, we were just a bit tired when visiting. However, one of my favorite beaches is Bridport, which I wish I could export down here!

 

Been up the east coast, too, for folks that love quiet, uncommercialized, white sandy beaches, what more could one want?? (Nightclubs, f & c shops, ice cream parlors, beach shops, board shops, surfing schools, restaurants, cafes, retail, pubs, bars...??? wall to wall peeps?!) Beaumaris is amazing, & there's parking just off the highway, behind the dunes - just be careful when the wind's blowing hard, for it covers your tracks, making it very challenging to find your way back...! :unsure: If folks are expecting larger versions of Clacton, Skegness, Torquay, Newquay or even Padstow you're not really going to find that here... Such places had their charms in the Past, (& maybe once in a while now), before they became victims of their own popularity, but now are so commercialized & so very over-crowded, but if you like that..?? I love Newquay & Padstow, but not the crowds, particularly on a Friday night when the hens & stags are in town (TQ1 is a nightmare then too, although the dancing was ace!) & even the beaches of Northumberland & Scotland have a remote rugged beauty that's hard to deny, but it's nippy & prone to fog, so not always the place for a tan... So again, I'd say you need to weigh up what's important to you & your family; ask yourself what kind of lifestyle do you want now, and where in the world can you find that?!

 

I think it can be a bit too easy to just HATE England/UK & think somewhere like Oz/Tas will be the solution - it could be - but without really knowing what YOU want from such a huge move, you could find the same annoyances/problems/hates here that you are running away from at home... :chatterbox:

Thanks for your kind words, Liz & Sally... Getting Excited now as we can pick up our car on Monday... Now we will be able to really explore...

Cheers,

 

 

[Herbster]

Once we decided on moving to Australia we looked at every state and did the pros and cons. We think we've made the right decision and have decided that Tasmania is the best place for our family and we are all going to give it a go. Having never been to Australia before we are going blind but this just makes it more exciting, scary, fun.......!!We can't wait to get there...Emma

 

 

Hmmm - said The Bear! That's what we thought too, Emma, & we didn't have 2 kids to consider... I think Sally will concur, but I wish one or the other of you could visit first, just so you know for Sure - sure - that Tas is right for your family... We can give you as much info as you need, & I know it's an additional £4K+ to spend on a visit. We think that was one of the best things that we did - completely reversing our previous conviction that as we'd decided to EMIGRATE we were going whatever! I guess if you have jobs secured, then maybe you're locked in anyway, but in hindsight I'm really glad that we spent the money, made the effort that such a trip involves & actually saw & experienced precisely what we were letting ourselves in for.. Once we'd been here a few days, we knew we'd made the right decision, so we organized our bank account & checked out the areas that we wanted to live, we could have checked out schools, etc. This made moving over so much easier... As brilliant as the internet is, it still can't give you the complete picture... :radar:

But whatever you do, we wish you the best & hope Tassie will exceed your expectations,

Cheers,

[Guest Elizabeth Lilly]

Hi Em and Paul; yep it's sensible to evaluate all the fors and againsts as you say. One thing I havent seen mentioned yet is the fact that Tas being a slightly different culture to the mainland is far less sophisticated - and hence the crime rate is much lower, and the whole way of life seems more innocent if you know what I mean.. The small towns are very community minded, and people still are happy to lend a hand when it's called for. Having said all that, I would still urge any and all Brits coming here to have enough $$ put aside to go home - be it for a holiday or permanetnly - when the urge strikes, because it seems everyone gets the homesick pangs from time to time.

[Herbster]

Hi Em and Paul; yep it's sensible to evaluate all the fors and againsts as you say. One thing I havent seen mentioned yet is the fact that Tas being a slightly different culture to the mainland is far less sophisticated - and hence the crime rate is much lower, and the whole way of life seems more innocent if you know what I mean.. The small towns are very community minded, and people still are happy to lend a hand when it's called for. Having said all that, I would still urge any and all Brits coming here to have enough $$ put aside to go home - be it for a holiday or permanetnly - when the urge strikes, because it seems everyone gets the homesick pangs from time to time.

Well said... Liz: :notworthy: I find it hard to compare Tas to anywhere in UK, really; it's not that it's stuck in a previous time warp, it just is in its own time & place... It reminds me of the Pacific NW of America - Oregon or Washington State, Hobart is a little reminiscent of Portland Oregon, for anyone who's been there. And we have & liked it real well... But to try to liken it to any English place... :nah:...And I like the fact it's quirky & independent, in its own special way... I'd like to bring kids up here, for my thinking, it's great that it's still relaxed, unselfconscious & at ease with itself! (Sorry in a hurry!)

Love,

[Guest Elizabeth Lilly]

Where I live on the eastern side of Tas Ive come across several families who have relocated from the mainland (lots of Queenslanders here - and Western Australians). They all seem to be seeking the same thing - a better place to raise their kids. I think the big cities everywhere have lost the plot. People are sick of it. Lots of people here grow their own vegies and live simply. We do too, but I am plagued with homesickness and will be heading back to UK soon for a "fix". I must mention too, because I'd hate to give the impression this place is absolutely squeeky clean and they dont need to be careful, that people are stepping up vigilance of their kids, yes even here in Tassie, because the paedophilia statistics are on the increase, and in some places, enormous. Cheers, Liz

[em&paul]

 

Hi,

 

We would like to visit if we can but all depends on various things, selling house, OH work and money really. We are looking at it if and when the house is sold and maybe after we've had our medicals done.

 

My only worry would be that once I got there I wouldn't ant to come back to England!!!

 

Emma

 

:v_SPIN::v_SPIN:

[Guest The Cutches]

We knew we would love Tassie from what we had looked at on the net, and the people we had spoken to (who were in the know). When we got there on our reccie last year, our hopes were confirmed within 2 days of exploring. My parents are goin for a reccie in October as they have decided to move also. My brother and his wife aren't gonna bother with the reccie at all as they said that if we love it then they know they will too as they want the same things out of life as we do..... safety, quality of life, beautiful environment and a whole new side of the world to explore............god I can't wait :goofy:.

CC

x

[Guest Colin R]

G'day CC

Tell your parents to pop in for a cup of coffee when they get here . We have the Kingston Florist in Channel Court. So pleased that you will have everyone over here I am sure that they will love it.

best wishes

Sally

[Guest The Cutches]

G'day CC

Tell your parents to pop in for a cup of coffee when they get here . We have the Kingston Florist in Channel Court. So pleased that you will have everyone over here I am sure that they will love it.

best wishes

Sally

Cheers Sally, we will be with them too as we will either be validating our visa's or (if a miracle happens) making the move. Really looking forward to exploring Kingston, can't believe we missed it last time. We have been looking at a house on realestate.com which is on Yarraman Drive. Do you know what it is like around there? It's a new build but may be a bit close to the A6. Hopefully it might still be for sale in Oct and we can have a good look when we get there!

[Guest Colin R]

Quite a few new builds on Yarraman Drive the rear gardens all back onto the A6 although there is a quite wide grass verge. But you tend to look in the back of the houses when you go along the road !The A6 is quite busy as it takes the traffic through to the Huon . It would worry me a little that as the verges are so wide that they might be at some time in the future earmark it for dualing the road. If you are looking for new houses then there are quite a few being built Greenpark & Queensparade .they are off Summerleas Road. If you find anything on the realestate let me know. Colin is out everyday delivering so he gets to know where places are .

Sally

[Guest The Cutches]

Ahhh thanks for that Sally, I guess that explains why you get a bit more house for your money up in Yarraman! I have looked at some on queens as we get the email alerts but I thought they all seemed a bit samey and and not such good value as other areas. There's just so much choice, I can't believe they build so many houses, the population must be growing PDQ! My brother is a builder so that's a good sign :jiggy:

Thanks again

Hugz

 

CC

x

[em&paul]

 

Hi

 

Definatly glad they are building as OH is a carpenter. We keep looking at realestate.com too for rentals and buying. Always good to hear of good areas so what we know we are looking at is ok.

 

Emma

 

:v_SPIN::v_SPIN:

[Guest Colin R]

True I think a developer bought a few blocks on Greenpark. There are building everywhere it seems not sure that the population is growing that much though or the figures dont match up. Many are moving down from the mainland mainly because they get more for their money over here we have met a few and they have said that they have sold moved here into a similar type of house or better and have no mortgage! and because a number of businesses are moving here they are getting transfers. There are a couple of more developments going ahead soon they are off the Channel Highway.(soon to be bypassed) also take a look at Margate. really up and coming now not too far out of Kingston 8kms there is a company called Gardiner Homes they have been building out there and they are good so are Maveric Homes There are a few being built on the Bundella Road but all the new houses dont seem to have big blocks. Big land release in Snug too. Problem is that house prices are going up maybe not as much as they have been but they are not dropping . Kingston is getting bigger another 33 shops being built and of course it has most things there , Medicare, Service Tas, huge Doctors /Pharmacy complex nearing completion. Dentists , Chiropractor , Xray, and BigW there is nothing much you cant buy in Kingston now but it still has a friendly feel about it and I hope that never changes

Sally

[em&paul]

 

Hi

 

What I love is when you tell people you're moving to Oz and then when they ask where you say Tasmania!!

 

Emma

:notworthy:

[Guest Colin R]

And then they reply "Tasmania why are you moving to Africa ?" (thought it was Tanzania) Luckily it seems not too many know about Tasmania but I think the secret is getting out now.

Sally

x

[joanna123]

I just wanted to say hello everyone. Sally, your defence of Tassie (and Herbster) was hilarious. You really are a Tasmanian now!! To Emma and Paul (and any others) it might help to know another story/perspective..

 

 

I migrated here six years ago (I cannot believe it has been that long). I came for a holiday and met my Tasmanian husband here after three weeks. I have to say, whilst I found Tasmania intoxicatingly beautiful, unique and quiet with small population - AND I left England hating it, as time moved on I began to realise the opportunities that living here in Tassie can offer you. I visit London/UK frequently, and have since leaving realised I am madly in love with it. It's bred into me forever! But I do see the lifestyle, low stress environment Tasmania provides that I now am blessed with having. There are people here that will amaze you, the sheer unconditional friendship and support you find in Tasmanian's or 'adopted' Tasmanian's is unsurpassable. Time is available here. You can be the person you always wanted to be, but never had the time or inclination to be in the UK. Lifestyle is key - you begin after a while to protect it vehemently.

 

Like Liz, I do get homesick (especially as I came here alone and my family are in London) and struggled for years with homesicknesses and misery - not all the time, but you would be a fool to think it won't hit you.. I must have been, because I really thought (having lived in another country for a number of years previously) that I would be fine - I am wordly and independent etc, but it is so much further away from the UK than anywhere else in the world (pretty much).

 

 

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship advise new migrants it takes around five years to become a 'local' and to settle. When I first read this I laughed.. But it's probably (for some - including me) a realistic period. I love my new life and am not sure I would change it, even though I am a city girl at heart.. Visiting the places in Tasmania I get to visit, seeing the views, mmewting the people, the incredible world-class food and wine experiences etc is amazing. And if you choose to migrate here, I can't believe it wouldn't amaze you too.

 

 

These are my personal opinions.. I have lots more specific experiences in Tas/mainland if you would like to hear them.. Just ask

 

 

Joanna.