Retiring in Tasmania

[Toots]

1 hour ago, InnerVoice said:

Good to hear. How much is the ferry for a car and two passengers, and how long does it take?

The fares for the Sealink Bruny Island service vary depending on time of day. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and you can get the ‘light’ fares on the ferries.

The Bruny Island ferry costs from $32.20 return. That’s the light fare, but the normal fare that the majority of people will pay is $38. This fee covers the car, driver and all passengers.

It takes about 20 minutes.

 

[InnerVoice]

1 hour ago, Toots said:

The fares for the Sealink Bruny Island service vary depending on time of day. Go early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and you can get the ‘light’ fares on the ferries.

The Bruny Island ferry costs from $32.20 return. That’s the light fare, but the normal fare that the majority of people will pay is $38. This fee covers the car, driver and all passengers.

It takes about 20 minutes.

Wow! That sounds very reasonable. No holiday is complete without a boat trip!

[Nemesis]

9 hours ago, can1983 said:

that info is a couple of years out of date, rarely have to wait more than 20 minutes was there last weekend and its currently peak season

Just going on chats with some locals there last week. They reckon its usually ok these days, but sometimes the Sunday afternoon queues are still up to 3 hours. The good news of course is that the ferries keep going till everyone is off the island that wants to get off!

And you can get through a stunning amount of cherries while queueing up! That guy must make a fortune selling to motorists waiting to cross!

Edited January 17, 2023 by Nemesis

[Skani]

On 16/01/2023 at 18:32, Blue Flu said:

Obviously there are educated people in Tasmania. I would suggest though, due to poor professional employment outcomes,  there has been a long history of the most talented crossing The Tasman to seek greater opportunities on the Mainland.

Fortunately the educated people - even the "uneducated" -   in Tasmania  know that they don't cross the Tasman  unless they are going to New Zealand.   It is true many go to the mainland (via Bass Strait) or overseas for employment opportunities and it's equally true many return in their 30s or 40s when they have children because they think it's a great place to bring up a family.  I can't think of anyone in my  circle of friends or professionals (doctors etc.) who hasn't lived/worked on the mainland and/or overseas at some stage.  What it does give is a broader world view than that of someone who has lived in Sydney all their life.

Quote

Now Tasmanians live shorter lives, 1 year and a quarter less than all other parts of Australia.

Not true of the N.T.  

The main discrepancy in Australian  health outcomes - throughout the whole country - is between regional and metropolitan areas due to differing level of access to health resources.  Health statistics in Tasmania reflect this difference  because a greater proportion of Tasmanians live in regional areas than in any other state or territory

[Toots]

21 minutes ago, Skani said:

Fortunately the educated people - even the "uneducated" -   in Tasmania  know that they don't cross the Tasman  unless they are going to New Zealand.   It is true many go to the mainland (via Bass Strait) or overseas for employment opportunities and it's equally true many return in their 30s or 40s when they have children because they think it's a great place to bring up a family.  I can't think of anyone in my  circle of friends or professionals (doctors etc.) who hasn't lived/worked on the mainland and/or overseas at some stage.  What it does give is a broader world view than that of someone who has lived in Sydney all their life.

Not true of the N.T.  

The main discrepancy in Australian  health outcomes - throughout the whole country - is between regional and metropolitan areas due to differing level of access to health resources.  Health statistics in Tasmania reflect this difference  because a greater proportion of Tasmanians live in regional areas than in any other state or territory

My very good friends who now live in Dover (Tas) were both scientists at the CSIRO in Sydney and both also worked in the UK.  Both have travelled extensively all over the world and are perfectly content now here in Tassie.  Tasmania is not everyone's cup of tea but for those of us who have chosen to live here, we love the place  ............  warts and all.

[Blue Flu]

5 hours ago, Skani said:

Fortunately the educated people - even the "uneducated" -   in Tasmania  know that they don't cross the Tasman  unless they are going to New Zealand.   It is true many go to the mainland (via Bass Strait) or overseas for employment opportunities and it's equally true many return in their 30s or 40s when they have children because they think it's a great place to bring up a family.  I can't think of anyone in my  circle of friends or professionals (doctors etc.) who hasn't lived/worked on the mainland and/or overseas at some stage.  What it does give is a broader world view than that of someone who has lived in Sydney all their life.

Not true of the N.T.  

The main discrepancy in Australian  health outcomes - throughout the whole country - is between regional and metropolitan areas due to differing level of access to health resources.  Health statistics in Tasmania reflect this difference  because a greater proportion of Tasmanians live in regional areas than in any other state or territory

I perhaps should have wrote worldly people instead of educated. There is a vast difference. (not counting more recent education declines ) I meant to write Bass strait. I've no idea if returning to Tasmania is the outcome of the majority in later years or not. I know my doctor is from Tasmania and has no intent to return. There are two other Tasmanians (or were, as one just moved to another surgery) working there who are settled as well in terms of having a family. 

I was surprised as well that NT did not get a  worse rating . I did state that the findings found Tasmanian poor outcomes to be throughout the island. That is not suggestive of a rural/urban divide. 

I suspect until the population owns up to poor outcomes, be that medical care, aged care, housing fiasco , falling education outcomes, turbo immigration numbers impacting on living standards and the 'hold' drugs (cartels etc) have over this nation , and demands better the rot will simply continue . 

 

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Blue Flu said:

I did state that the findings found Tasmanian poor outcomes to be throughout the island. That is not suggestive of a rural/urban divide. 

I guess it depends on your definition of "urban".  There is only one proper city in Tasmania and even it is not very big.

[Skani]

1 hour ago, Blue Flu said:

I perhaps should have wrote worldly people instead of educated.

"I...should have written..."  Thank goodness for my excellent Tasmanian education (alongside future Oxford dons, Man Booker prizewinners,  M.I.T. mathematics professors and Nobel laureates).

Quote

I did state that the findings found Tasmanian poor outcomes to be throughout the island

They aren't actually:  they correlate with socio economic areas but no surprises there.

However, rather than lecturing us you should be devoting your energies to  your escape from that hell hole of Perth.  And when you've found the perfect location you can tell us all about it.  

[Blue Flu]

3 hours ago, Skani said:

"I...should have written..."  Thank goodness for my excellent Tasmanian education (alongside future Oxford dons, Man Booker prizewinners,  M.I.T. mathematics professors and Nobel laureates).

They aren't actually:  they correlate with socio economic areas but no surprises there.

However, rather than lecturing us you should be devoting your energies to  your escape from that hell hole of Perth.  And when you've found the perfect location you can tell us all about it.  

Sadly decline in educational standards is not confined to Tasmania, but a policy brought in to run universities by administrators along a business model line and get rid of academics. All about money and visa establishments for foreign students. 

Not lecturing , purely stating facts which debate is always welcome. Your right though. While Merth may not exactly be a hell hole along Mogadishu levels of decay, it is doing itself no favours in allowing the mainstreaming of certain practices.  Rubbing shoulders with Nobel laurates and the gaggle of others mentioned has certainly paid dividends . No when I find 'the perfect place' you surely don't think I'm going to let on to this lot on the forum?   Goodness some may  end up as neighbours with grey hound dogs and annoying house extensions.   

[Blue Flu]

4 hours ago, Marisawright said:

I guess it depends on your definition of "urban".  There is only one proper city in Tasmania and even it is not very big.

Well we are in talking Tasmanian terms. 

[Skani]

11 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

. Your right though. 

Obviously decline in educational standards started some time ago in other places.

Quote

Goodness some may  end up as neighbours with grey hound dogs and annoying house extensions.   

I am sure she - I mean those type of people - would be at pains to keep well away.  

[Blue Flu]

30 minutes ago, Skani said:

Obviously decline in educational standards started some time ago in other places.

I am sure she - I mean those type of people - would be at pains to keep well away.  

As I stated the rot set in all over when university became a business and visa factory.

As for those sort of people (they know who you are) we live in hope that taking a dive off an enormously high cliff might sound like an extremely good idea. Their contribution to the wellbeing of society (jest) will surely be quickly forgotten. 

[InnerVoice]

In the UK, it's likely that if you live on a council estate you'll encounter more antisocial behaviour than if you live in a residential area with a high level of owner-occupancy. That doesn't mean to say that everyone who lives on a council estate is riff-raff, or that everyone who owns their home is nice. My parents lived in their last home for nearly 40 years, which was on the boundary of an estate owned by Lord & Lady Something-or-other. When they moved there back in the seventies, they had a lovely uninterrupted view of the countryside that went on for miles. Several years later, Lord Something upgraded to a new Lady Something, who turned out to be a right nasty piece of work. She was horrible to people who lived in the village – many of whom worked on the estate – and also planted an assortment of fast-growing trees along the perimeter of the estate, 'for her privacy'. Over 10-15 years they completely eclipsed any view my parents had, as well as most of the light from their garden too. In the end they had a costly legal battle to get her to cut them back as they could prove a historic right to light, but even then the views/light were nothing like they were before. What struck me about the whole incident was how someone who was very well off and with a high standard of education, could be quite so self-centred.

After 25 years here I've found that you can't really make generalisations about Australians either. If you live next to a large family with young children and dogs, you can probably expect more noise than from an elderly couple, but that doesn't automatically make them the neighbours from hell. It's about whether there is consideration shown to others. We lived for a couple of years in Paddington, which is now one of the most upmarket suburbs in Brisbane, but one of our neighbours a few doors down had parties going on to unearthly hours almost every weekend. Myself and another neighbour left polite notes on a couple of occasions which didn't work, so the next time it happened I called the police. Guess what, a few days later I came home from work to find one of our windows had been smashed!

When I'm interested in buying (or even renting) a property these days I always visit the area a couple of times on Friday and Saturday evenings, to check the noise levels. I also ask the next-door neighbours if there are any known flood issues in the area, or other problems with the property they might know about, which allows also gives me an excuse to suss them out too. While this won't guarantee that I'll never have to deal with anti-social behaviour, at least I'll have taken some precautions.

[InnerVoice]

@Blue Flu according to the statistics below (courtesy of Numbeo), Perth has a relatively low crime rate, so you either live in a very bad area (sorry), or you have a misconception of the place.

[Blue Flu]

4 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

@Blue Flu according to the statistics below (courtesy of Numbeo), Perth has a relatively low crime rate, so you either live in a very bad area (sorry), or you have a misconception of the place.

Just goes to show that stats don't relate to what's happening on the ground. A crime has to be reported first to register. I don't know if the comment section in the crime part of Numbeo remains intake , but even I, no lover of Perth, found them over the top. Yes I live in one of Perth's better areas. It matters not. Perth is the biggest methamphetamine city in the world. It has got worse over past three years or so as witness around me. Better areas just mean those in the business are inclined to be very disciplined in plying their trade. No misconception on my part.   . It is an area where people come into for entertainment. (dine etc)  I can tell you I have no misconception of the locality. I have noted previously we have a multibillion dollar   methamphetamine trade in Perth (it was valued at some two billion dollars back in 17, probably doubled by now) Apparently highest price is paid in WA (miners part of the reason given) I chose not to say too much more but here in Perth we have a problem. 

[Blue Flu]

18 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

In the UK, it's likely that if you live on a council estate you'll encounter more antisocial behaviour than if you live in a residential area with a high level of owner-occupancy. That doesn't mean to say that everyone who lives on a council estate is riff-raff, or that everyone who owns their home is nice. My parents lived in their last home for nearly 40 years, which was on the boundary of an estate owned by Lord & Lady Something-or-other. When they moved there back in the seventies, they had a lovely uninterrupted view of the countryside that went on for miles. Several years later, Lord Something upgraded to a new Lady Something, who turned out to be a right nasty piece of work. She was horrible to people who lived in the village – many of whom worked on the estate – and also planted an assortment of fast-growing trees along the perimeter of the estate, 'for her privacy'. Over 10-15 years they completely eclipsed any view my parents had, as well as most of the light from their garden too. In the end they had a costly legal battle to get her to cut them back as they could prove a historic right to light, but even then the views/light were nothing like they were before. What struck me about the whole incident was how someone who was very well off and with a high standard of education, could be quite so self-centred.

After 25 years here I've found that you can't really make generalisations about Australians either. If you live next to a large family with young children and dogs, you can probably expect more noise than from an elderly couple, but that doesn't automatically make them the neighbours from hell. It's about whether there is consideration shown to others. We lived for a couple of years in Paddington, which is now one of the most upmarket suburbs in Brisbane, but one of our neighbours a few doors down had parties going on to unearthly hours almost every weekend. Myself and another neighbour left polite notes on a couple of occasions which didn't work, so the next time it happened I called the police. Guess what, a few days later I came home from work to find one of our windows had been smashed!

When I'm interested in buying (or even renting) a property these days I always visit the area a couple of times on Friday and Saturday evenings, to check the noise levels. I also ask the next-door neighbours if there are any known flood issues in the area, or other problems with the property they might know about, which allows also gives me an excuse to suss them out too. While this won't guarantee that I'll never have to deal with anti-social behaviour, at least I'll have taken some precautions.

Quite. When looking at houses some years back here in Perth, I checked out locations at various times. Not just noise pollution but for unsavory types as well. Day time can obviously differ from nights. It did pay dividends. 

These  days I look more carefully at constant pulled curtains, constant washing of certain items on line and an assortment of other things to ascertain if likely to be a clandestine meth making house. (very common)  

[Marisawright]

Back on topic:  

I think Hobart has a setting that can't be beat.  Where else in Australia can you stand in the middle of town, with a snow-capped mountain towering behind you, and a great expanse of  sea stretching in front of you?   I find it lifts my spirits every time I visit.  Every time we visit, we debate about moving there, for that reason.  

The things that hold us back:  it's a hilly city with poor public transport.  One day we may get too old to drive, and then we'd be marooned in our home, unless we can afford to buy in the (very small) central area.  Also as has been mentioned, reservations about medical care.  I guess we are spoiled right now because we're in Melbourne which has great public transport and world-class medical facilities, so it's a lot to leave behind.

[Blue Flu]

28 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Back on topic:  

I think Hobart has a setting that can't be beat.  Where else in Australia can you stand in the middle of town, with a snow-capped mountain towering behind you, and a great expanse of  sea stretching in front of you?   I find it lifts my spirits every time I visit.  Every time we visit, we debate about moving there, for that reason.  

The things that hold us back:  it's a hilly city with poor public transport.  One day we may get too old to drive, and then we'd be marooned in our home, unless we can afford to buy in the (very small) central area.  Also as has been mentioned, reservations about medical care.  I guess we are spoiled right now because we're in Melbourne which has great public transport and world-class medical facilities, so it's a lot to leave behind.

Public transport a prime consideration for reasons given for me. Hilly as well would rule a place out. I suspect Hobart would simply not have enough of a vibe to maintain my like or curiosity. Too limited in population to enhance a pool of diversity in thinking and interests. 

Melbourne most likely is as close as it gets to ticking off the desired boxes. 

 

[Toots]

49 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

Back on topic:  

I think Hobart has a setting that can't be beat.  Where else in Australia can you stand in the middle of town, with a snow-capped mountain towering behind you, and a great expanse of  sea stretching in front of you?   I find it lifts my spirits every time I visit.  Every time we visit, we debate about moving there, for that reason.  

The things that hold us back:  it's a hilly city with poor public transport.  One day we may get too old to drive, and then we'd be marooned in our home, unless we can afford to buy in the (very small) central area.  Also as has been mentioned, reservations about medical care.  I guess we are spoiled right now because we're in Melbourne which has great public transport and world-class medical facilities, so it's a lot to leave behind.

A lady round the corner has one of those mobility scooter things.  She was off to the shops on it earlier this morning.  She also rides it whilst exercising her old mongrel Prince.  She and Prince have to stop at every lamp post and shrub whilst Prince has a pee.  Takes then forever to cover a couple of kms.  She is 87.  I might treat myself to one when I turn 80.  That's not for a while yet though.

[InnerVoice]

4 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

These  days I look more carefully at constant pulled curtains, constant washing of certain items on line and an assortment of other things to ascertain if likely to be a clandestine meth making house. (very common)  

 

3 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

I suspect Hobart would simply not have enough of a vibe to maintain my like or curiosity. Too limited in population to enhance a pool of diversity in thinking and interests. 

If you find the position of people's curtains or the contents of their washing lines sufficiently engaging, I imagine you'll find plenty in Hobart to maintain your curiosity!

Perhaps take a visit there and experience it first-hand - that's what we intend to do.

[InnerVoice]

3 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Back on topic:  

I think Hobart has a setting that can't be beat.  Where else in Australia can you stand in the middle of town, with a snow-capped mountain towering behind you, and a great expanse of  sea stretching in front of you?   I find it lifts my spirits every time I visit.  Every time we visit, we debate about moving there, for that reason.  

The things that hold us back:  it's a hilly city with poor public transport.  One day we may get too old to drive, and then we'd be marooned in our home, unless we can afford to buy in the (very small) central area.  Also as has been mentioned, reservations about medical care.  I guess we are spoiled right now because we're in Melbourne which has great public transport and world-class medical facilities, so it's a lot to leave behind.

@Marisawright thanks for getting it back on topic

We have some impressive mountains around Cairns. Walsh's Pyramid is almost as high as Sca Fell, with fabulous views from the summit - and then there's Mount Baldy and Bartle Frere (over 1600m). That said, they're not the same as 'real mountains' - you know the ones with trees at the bottom, rocks in the middle, and (sometimes) snow on the top. I've missed seeing those diverse landscapes. especially as we haven't been out of Queensland for nearly 4 years now. My biggest concern about moving to Tassie is how we'd handle the winter, given that we've have been in the tropics for over a decade. I think I might have gone a bit soft in our old age!

Personally I wouldn't make a decision about my retirement years based on what my needs might theoretically be in the last 3-5 years, and that's assuming we suffered a significant decline in health prior to death (and didn't just fall off the perch, as many do). Free public transport once you reach retirement age is great, but for us fare-paying passengers we've found that for short journeys, Uber isn't much more expensive than two bus fares - and a lot more comfortable too.

[calNgary]

I've removed a few posts as yet again another thread is now discussing Perth. Discuss Tas as per the topic or don't post.

         Cal x

[Toots]

7 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

@Marisawright thanks for getting it back on topic

We have some impressive mountains around Cairns. Walsh's Pyramid is almost as high as Sca Fell, with fabulous views from the summit - and then there's Mount Baldy and Bartle Frere (over 1600m). That said, they're not the same as 'real mountains' - you know the ones with trees at the bottom, rocks in the middle, and (sometimes) snow on the top. I've missed seeing those diverse landscapes. especially as we haven't been out of Queensland for nearly 4 years now. My biggest concern about moving to Tassie is how we'd handle the winter, given that we've have been in the tropics for over a decade. I think I might have gone a bit soft in our old age!

Personally I wouldn't make a decision about my retirement years based on what my needs might theoretically be in the last 3-5 years, and that's assuming we suffered a significant decline in health prior to death (and didn't just fall off the perch, as many do). Free public transport once you reach retirement age is great, but for us fare-paying passengers we've found that for short journeys, Uber isn't much more expensive than two bus fares - and a lot more comfortable too.

Most of the posts here are about Hobart and its so called vibe or lack thereof, public transport around the city etc.  A heck of a lot of people don't come to Tasmania for the nightlife or city "culture".  Folk like me and my friends are here for the wildlife, the mountains and the wilderness.  Of course I live in a town for convenience but spend many days exploring the island.  Needless to say I have no interest in cities so the lack of whatever they have to offer doesn't interest me.  Yes, we do go to Launceston/Hobart now and again but that's about it.  We also fly up to Sydney and Melbourne now and again for a few days or a week.  We don't feel cut off from anything here.  

My elder son and his wife recently spent a few days in the South West National Park approx.100 kms from Hobart.  They climbed Federation Peak which at 1250m isn't as high as your Bartle Frere but a majestic place nevertheless.

Federation Peak

 

[ramot]

8 hours ago, InnerVoice said:

@Marisawright thanks for getting it back on topic

We have some impressive mountains around Cairns. Walsh's Pyramid is almost as high as Sca Fell, with fabulous views from the summit - and then there's Mount Baldy and Bartle Frere (over 1600m). That said, they're not the same as 'real mountains' - you know the ones with trees at the bottom, rocks in the middle, and (sometimes) snow on the top. I've missed seeing those diverse landscapes. especially as we haven't been out of Queensland for nearly 4 years now. My biggest concern about moving to Tassie is how we'd handle the winter, given that we've have been in the tropics for over a decade. I think I might have gone a bit soft in our old age!

Personally I wouldn't make a decision about my retirement years based on what my needs might theoretically be in the last 3-5 years, and that's assuming we suffered a significant decline in health prior to death (and didn't just fall off the perch, as many do). Free public transport once you reach retirement age is great, but for us fare-paying passengers we've found that for short journeys, Uber isn't much more expensive than two bus fares - and a lot more comfortable too.

I think it does make sense to consider what your needs might be, as you age, irrespective of where you settle.

When we retired 20 years ago, we were fit, ready to take on a new adventure, which in our case was to retire to live in Australia, with no immediate family here, we admit we didn’t even think about the long term of our decision. We bought a 2 storey house, never considered we might not be able to manage going upstairs to bed one day. The good news is that there are actually 2 downstairs bedrooms and a bathroom, but that was just good luck. When that  day comes, we will have to leave towels and bed linen  for any visitors  on the bottom step!!! 

So think about buying wisely if you hope to be able stay in your home as long as possible. Honestly Moving house, the older you get is very hard work, as we have seen many friends go through this recently, and it’s a fact of life that it’s reassuring to have good health facilities fairly close as you age. We luckily bought somewhere that we love, and have great medical facilities locally, but that was sheer luck, as  like many people we didn’t really think it through.

 

[Toots]

14 minutes ago, ramot said:

I think it does make sense to consider what your needs might be, as you age, irrespective of where you settle.

When we retired 20 years ago, we were fit, ready to take on a new adventure, which in our case was to retire to live in Australia, with no immediate family here, we admit we didn’t even think about the long term of our decision. We bought a 2 storey house, never considered we might not be able to manage going upstairs to bed one day. The good news is that there are actually 2 downstairs bedrooms and a bathroom, but that was just good luck. When that  day comes, we will have to leave towels and bed linen  for any visitors  on the bottom step!!! 

So think about buying wisely if you hope to be able stay in your home as long as possible. Honestly Moving house, the older you get is very hard work, as we have seen many friends go through this recently, and it’s a fact of life that it’s reassuring to have good health facilities fairly close as you age. We luckily bought somewhere that we love, and have great medical facilities locally, but that was sheer luck, as  like many people we didn’t really think it through.

 

Totally agree Ramot.  We chose a house all on the one level.  We didn't want a big garden.  Level walk to town.  Lots of good places to walk our dog.  10 mins from nearest hospital.  Lovely countryside/ocean practically on our doorstep.  Hopefully we will never have to move again.