axlcalvin Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Firstly hi everyone! I am a 32 year old guy currently in Dallas TX. I am a Lead Software Developer/Consultant. I have been in the states for 8 years and am Indo-Portuguese by descent who was born in India. :wink: I am also an Australian permanent resident. I have always wanted to live and work in Australia. So I decided that 2016 would be the year that I'd take a leap of faith and move half way around the world. I have got a great new job in Hobart and will be moving in the last week of December. I wanted to get some inputs /advice from you guys. I know this forum is for poms specifically but i know you blokes have been helping folks from other parts as well with some great friendly advice. Due to the timing of my arrival, I will have to hit the ground running. I will be arriving with a clean slate. All I will have with me is my passport and US driver's license. I am staying in a hotel for the first week and so need to understand how I can go ahead and find a place to rent along with buying a car (obviously getting the license as well). I have been looking through websites like gumtree and realestate.com for cars and rental places. Most people need me to be in Hobart which is fair enough. I could use all the advice I can get. It would be great to make some friends as well as I do not have a single friend or acquaintance in Hobart as of this time. So I hope to meet great new people. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 (edited) Welcome to Hobart! Most real estate agents want a prospective renter to inspect the property personally before signing a lease. Having secured employment already should be a distinct bonus for you as they will want proof of employment. There is another new arrival in Hobart in PIO - PommyPaul - and my impression is that he secured a rental fairly quickly once he had employment. Do you know the actual location of your work? That could help target the areas in which you should search for accommodation. For cars these might help: http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/search.aspx http://www.carsguide.com.au/buy-a-car/all-new-and-used/all-states/all-locations/all-bodytypes/all-makes/?postCode=Hobart+7000%2C+TAS I won't be of much use socially as I'm almost old enough to be your grandmother :cute: but my advice to meet people informally is just plonk yourself down at a table outside the pubs/bars along Salamanca Place. Or, for something more structured, the Australian American Association meets the first Wednesday of the month at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania in Sandy Bay and one of their main aims is to welcome and introduce new US settlers to the state. http://www.aaahobart.org/ Of course there are many clubs, organisations and activities in Hobart so if you let us know what sort of things you are interested in we can try and point you in the right direction. Feel free to ask any other questions. Edited December 27, 2015 by Skani Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Take a look on allhomes.com.au and domain.com.au as well. You could also try http://www.cppm.com.au, they're an upmarket real estate agency and they do quite a lot of furnished rentals - you might be better off taking a short-term lease for a few months from them, to give you time to get to know the areas. Here's an example: http://www.cppm.com.au/index.cfm?pagecall=property&propertyID=2977546&realestate=36a_Broadwaters_Parade_SANDY_BAY_TAS_7005 I assume you'll want to be in the trendier areas. They are all in or near the city centre - Salamanca/Battery Point on the waterfront, or North Hobart/New Town at the other end of Elizabeth Street. Having said that, Hobart is a small place and nowhere is very far from anywhere else! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strick Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 I don't think you'll have problems converting an American driving licence to a Tasmanian one. You probably just have to present yourself to a Service Tasmania office and they'll convert it for you. When you take out insurance don't forget to check if you can transfer your US no claims bonus. I was able to use my UK bonus and saved a 1000 bucks that way with the NAB bank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canada2Australia Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Pardon the threadbomb, but what is this talk of bonuses for drivers licenses and is it available to Canadians as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PommyPaul Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Think most of your questions have been answered there, but being fairly new to hobart myself (been in Tasmania a few months and settled in hobart about 3 weeks ago now), i'd say you've made a good choice, great place to live! Good luck with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Pardon the threadbomb, but what is this talk of bonuses for drivers licenses and is it available to Canadians as well. The bonus is in relation to car insurance - a reduced premium if you can show you haven't had previous claims. I'm not sure if it applies to your previous Canadian insurance record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlcalvin Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 Talk about friendly Tassies! Thanks for the replies guys! Much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlcalvin Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 Welcome to Hobart! Most real estate agents want a prospective renter to inspect the property personally before signing a lease. Having secured employment already should be a distinct bonus for you as they will want proof of employment. There is another new arrival in Hobart in PIO - PommyPaul - and my impression is that he secured a rental fairly quickly once he had employment. Do you know the actual location of your work? That could help target the areas in which you should search for accommodation. For cars these might help: http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/search.aspx http://www.carsguide.com.au/buy-a-car/all-new-and-used/all-states/all-locations/all-bodytypes/all-makes/?postCode=Hobart+7000%2C+TAS I won't be of much use socially as I'm almost old enough to be your grandmother :cute: but my advice to meet people informally is just plonk yourself down at a table outside the pubs/bars along Salamanca Place. Or, for something more structured, the Australian American Association meets the first Wednesday of the month at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania in Sandy Bay and one of their main aims is to welcome and introduce new US settlers to the state. http://www.aaahobart.org/ Of course there are many clubs, organisations and activities in Hobart so if you let us know what sort of things you are interested in we can try and point you in the right direction. Feel free to ask any other questions. Thanks Skani. The general location of my work place is near the Franklin Wharf area in down town Hobart. The street is called Murray St. Thanks for the car websites. I did come across car sales before but I will check it out in detail now. A funny thing is that I drive a 2015 Lexus IS250 here which is leased and was cheap. I know Australia has some extra levy on "luxury" cars and cars are a lil costly anyways so it will be few a few good years before I can even think of getting one of those again plus I think there are no car leases in Australia that are directly offered by the car makers. I read that Toyotas, Mazdas and Hyundais are the cars to buy in Australia based on sales and service. Thanks for the advice about meeting people. Will check out http://www.aaahobart.org/. Ill do my best as I am quite the introvert. BTW all good and kind people are welcome to be my friends..no age bar :cool: Regarding my interests, I get varied responses at time. But here you go: Computer Programming, Technology, Heavy Metal, play station games, comics, sci-fi books, movies and tv shows, cricket and Pro wrestling(WWE - would you believe that) Thanks and I am sure I will have lots of questions. For now, would you be able to suggest good banks. I have heard of ANZ. Citibank is global but its a downer that they are not in TAS. I found another smaller bank Suncorp bank as they are close to my work place and have some good plans for people migrating to Aus to be able to move their money and set up a bank account before arriving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlcalvin Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 Take a look on allhomes.com.au and domain.com.au as well. You could also try www.cppm.com.au, they're an upmarket real estate agency and they do quite a lot of furnished rentals - you might be better off taking a short-term lease for a few months from them, to give you time to get to know the areas. Here's an example: http://www.cppm.com.au/index.cfm?pagecall=property&propertyID=2977546&realestate=36a_Broadwaters_Parade_SANDY_BAY_TAS_7005 I assume you'll want to be in the trendier areas. They are all in or near the city centre - Salamanca/Battery Point on the waterfront, or North Hobart/New Town at the other end of Elizabeth Street. Having said that, Hobart is a small place and nowhere is very far from anywhere else! Thanks Marisa. This is brilliant. I was not aware of cppm. The property you listed is fantastic in every way except that it is 5.8 kms from my work place. I will have a rental car initially with me but I am thinking how I would commute daily in case I do not have a car. Public transport seems to be taking too long as per google. I wonder if I can uber. Thanks once again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlcalvin Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 @Strick thanks for the advice mate. I will do that first thing when I get there. @PommyPaul, Thanks for the wishes mate. I might have some questions for you. I might PM you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Public transport seems to be taking too long as per google. I wonder if I can uber. Uber doesn't exist in Hobart (yet). The public bus service in Hobart is called Metro. This is their website for services to southern suburbs of Hobart (there is a similar webpage for northern and eastern suburbs) http://metrotas.com.au.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/MetroTas_Guide_HobartSouth_JUL12.pdf As you can see, the Hobart City bus Interchange is adjacent to Murray Street so will be very close to your place of employment if you need to catch buses. National Australia Bank (NAB) - one of the "big four" Australian banks has its own subforum on PomsinOz. You may find everything you need there: http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/banking-ask-nab/ The main NAB branch in Hobart is one block away from the bus interchange - so not far from your work location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlcalvin Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) ^^Thanks Skani. Will check out the NAB section. Oh no....no uber...:cry: Edited December 28, 2015 by axlcalvin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Thanks Marisa. This is brilliant. I was not aware of cppm. The property you listed is fantastic in every way except that it is 5.8 kms from my work place. I will have a rental car initially with me but I am thinking how I would commute daily in case I do not have a car. Public transport seems to be taking too long as per google. I wonder if I can uber. Thanks once again! If you are going to live in Tasmania you need a car, period. IMO it should be one of the first things you organise, even if you have to buy an old banger at first. You'll be missing out on a lot of what Tassie has to offer if you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 ^^Thanks Skani. Will check out the NAB section.Oh no....no uber...:cry: There have been discussions at Tasmanian government level as to whether it will be permitted. My guess is that it will be given the "go ahead" in 2016. If there's a bit of delay at the moment in a response from NAB it will be because of public holidays - Australia has quite a few over the Christmas - New Year period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PommyPaul Posted December 29, 2015 Share Posted December 29, 2015 @Strick thanks for the advice mate. I will do that first thing when I get there. @PommyPaul, Thanks for the wishes mate. I might have some questions for you. I might PM you. No worries, yes feel free to ask anything.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlcalvin Posted January 4, 2016 Author Share Posted January 4, 2016 If you are going to live in Tasmania you need a car, period. IMO it should be one of the first things you organise, even if you have to buy an old banger at first. You'll be missing out on a lot of what Tassie has to offer if you don't. Thanks Marisa. Yes that is something I have been doing quite diligently..Have a passion to check out cars and now am well versed with the best options. Would you recommend buying a new car or a used one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlcalvin Posted January 4, 2016 Author Share Posted January 4, 2016 There have been discussions at Tasmanian government level as to whether it will be permitted. My guess is that it will be given the "go ahead" in 2016. If there's a bit of delay at the moment in a response from NAB it will be because of public holidays - Australia has quite a few over the Christmas - New Year period. Thanks Skani..I did message them and got a response as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlcalvin Posted January 4, 2016 Author Share Posted January 4, 2016 Happy new year guys I wish you a wonderful and successful year ahead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Would you recommend buying a new car or a used one? Well...it depends on your financial situation...and only you know that. Obviously buying new is ideal because you are covered by the warranty should there be any problems (and there is something special about having a car new off the showroom floor :cute:). On the other hand there is rapid depreciation in the value in its early life. Only you can decide what that is worth to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 4, 2016 Share Posted January 4, 2016 Thanks Marisa. Yes that is something I have been doing quite diligently..Have a passion to check out cars and now am well versed with the best options. Would you recommend buying a new car or a used one? As a new migrant, I would never buy a new car. I'm sure you know that a new car loses a large percentage of its value the moment you drive it out of the showroom - so that will present a problem if you don't like Australia and decide to return home after a year or two, because you'll make a huge loss on selling the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlcalvin Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 Thanks Skani and Marisa. Yes there are definitely pros and cons to buying a new car. Agree about the warranty as well as the immediate loss of value. BTW I saw that Toyota offers warranties on their certified car program which could work for me. For example a 2013 Corolla Sedan with 30k miles is up for around $15800 with about 2-3 years of limited warranty (engine, transmission etc). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlcalvin Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 Its now 2 weeks away and Im freaking out a lil Still lots of work left to do. BTW can you please recommend good prepaid phone plans. I have a good Android as well as an Iphone 6 that I do not use. Any good prepaid phone plans with good value and good internet speeds (hopefully 4 G). I was told that Telstra was my best bet but I will mostly stick to Hobart and its suburbs and may fly to Melbourne or Sydney on work...Would Telstra still be a good option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 I don't have any personal knowledge of prepaid plans but this might help you make a selection: https://www.whistleout.com.au/MobilePhones Telstra is probably still your best bet: even within Hobart suburbs there can be "black spots" because of the hilly topography and, AFAIK, Telstra still has the best coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axlcalvin Posted January 9, 2016 Author Share Posted January 9, 2016 Thanks I will check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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