Moving to Tasmania from mainland (qld) questions

[Tjsmum]

Hi PiO members,

We are looking at moving from North Queensland to north Tasmania, has anyone done a similar move? 
 

If so, we have plenty of questions to ask! 
 

if not, feel free to put in recommendations or any other form of input you think would help with our enquire with moving to Tasmania from Queensland 

The main reason for moving is that we cannot handle the oppressive NQ heat Any longer!
We have lived here for a decade (as a couple) and are looking for a cool change, moving back home to the UK is not an option. 

 

[Toots]

Are you retired?  There are quite a few people who retire here from the mainland.  If you aren't retired, employment can be a problem.  We retired from Sydney 9 years ago.  We came to Tasmania often on holiday and I always had a hankering to live here.  No regrets.

We get nice warm summers.  The weather doesn't really settle until round about Christmas time and we do get the odd hot day but as the weather is changeable the hot weather doesn't go on and on.  Today was cold, windy and wet.  Any questions, just ask.

[Tjsmum]

25 minutes ago, Toots said:

Are you retired?  There are quite a few people who retire here from the mainland.  If you aren't retired, employment can be a problem.  We retired from Sydney 9 years ago.  We came to Tasmania often on holiday and I always had a hankering to live here.  No regrets.

We get nice warm summers.  The weather doesn't really settle until round about Christmas time and we do get the odd hot day but as the weather is changeable the hot weather doesn't go on and on.  Today was cold, windy and wet.  Any questions, just ask.

Thank you @Toots for your reply.

We are a family of 4, hubby and I are in our late 30s, the work shortage is my biggest fear relating to Tasmania, whilst I am multi skilled, hubby is very limited in his work choices.

He has worked mainly on farms and within poultry factories, he has a HR & forklift license.

I can work pretty much anywhere, I have a diploma in childrens services, I’m currently self employed as a domestic and commercial cleaner, I have experience within the hospitality and retail sectors and also fruit picking. 

Edited March 7, 2023 by Tjsmum
Spelling mistake

[Toots]

Have a look at what's on offer jobwise in north west Tasmania.  Plenty of fruit/veggie picking and packing jobs but that's fairly seasonable.

https://www.seek.com.au/jobs/in-Devonport-&-North-West-TAS

Launceston and Hobart probably have more to offer. 

Fruit/veggie picking and farm work all over Tasmania.

https://au.indeed.com/q-farm,-picking,-fruit-l-tasmania-jobs.html?vjk=0d3359aaf31f1df8

Hospitality

https://www.seek.com.au/jobs-in-hospitality-tourism/in-Launceston-&-North-East-TAS

 

Edited March 7, 2023 by Toots

[Marisawright]

@Tjsmum, best bet would be to look for jobs first.  You can fly down for interviews.

[Tjsmum]

2 minutes ago, Toots said:

Have a look at what's on offer jobwise in north west Tasmania.  Plenty of fruit/veggie picking and packing jobs but that's fairly seasonable.

https://www.seek.com.au/jobs/in-Devonport-&-North-West-TAS

Launceston and Hobart probably have more to offer. 

Fruit/veggie picking and farm work all over Tasmania.

https://au.indeed.com/q-farm,-picking,-fruit-l-tasmania-jobs.html?vjk=0d3359aaf31f1df8

 

There isn’t much work wise at the moment, it will be a few more years before we actually move, I have to make one more trip home for my dad (he’s unwell).

Do you mind if I ask:

How did you move from Sydney to tas? Was it via car and boat or plane?
Did you bring any possessions with you?, if so, we’re they shipped over and how much did that cost? 
 

[Toots]

We drove from Sydney to Melbourne and got the ferry from Melbourne to Devonport.  We shipped quite a bit of our stuff and from memory I think it was just over $3000.  

[Tjsmum]

5 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

@Tjsmum, best bet would be to look for jobs first.  You can fly down for interviews.

@MarisawrightThanks for your reply 

We Wil have around 2 months worth of savings to keep us afloat until we find work, flying down for job interviews isn’t convenient for me, as I work long hours and run the household ,, I’d be seeking interviews via Skype or teams.

[Tjsmum]

@Toots Thank you for the cost info, we are planning on travelling the same as you, we will drive both cars and the camper trailer in tow. 
 

We are looking at taking the majority of our small 2bdrm house with us, cats included ‍ 

Our moving budget will be 10k, hoping to put no more than 3quarters of that into shopping costs.

We are liking the looks of Latrobe, or anywhere north of there that has affordable rental houses, 

Edited March 7, 2023 by Tjsmum

[Toots]

2 minutes ago, Tjsmum said:

@Tootle thank you for the cost info, we are planning on travelling the same as you, we will drive both cars and the camper trailer in tow. 
 

We are looking at taking the majority of our small 2bdrm house with us, cats included ‍ 

Our moving budget will be 10k, hoping to put no more than 3quarters of that into shopping costs.

We are liking the looks of Latrobe, or anywhere north of there that has affordable rental houses, 

Latrobe is very nice.  Good school, shops, and a hospital.

[Tjsmum]

4 minutes ago, Toots said:

Latrobe is very nice.  Good school, shops, and a hospital.

@Toots Yes, it’s very similar to where we live on the Atherton tablelands, we are not fussed on city life, and are used to driving an hour to Cairns to do the big ticket shopping, but we also don’t want to live in the sticks….

 

Latrobe seems to tick all the boxes at current, Devonport is a 15min drive away, the only thing Devonport doesn’t seem to have is a Big w, we can make do with Kmart..

Can you please tell me what shops you have in Devonport other than what I have mentioned, I know there is a coles there, that will be our main food shop.

[Toots]

14 minutes ago, Tjsmum said:

@Toots Yes, it’s very similar to where we live on the Atherton tablelands, we are not fussed on city life, and are used to driving an hour to Cairns to do the big ticket shopping, but we also don’t want to live in the sticks….

 

Latrobe seems to tick all the boxes at current, Devonport is a 15min drive away, the only thing Devonport doesn’t seem to have is a Big w, we can make do with Kmart..

Can you please tell me what shops you have in Devonport other than what I have mentioned, I know there is a coles there, that will be our main food shop.

In Devonport there is a Coles, Woolies, Kmart, Harvey Norman, Bunnings, lots of small shops, cinema, butcher, greengrocer etc.  For BigW you'd have to go to Hobart.  Don't know why there isn't one in the north.

[Tjsmum]

9 hours ago, Toots said:

In Devonport there is a Coles, Woolies, Kmart, Harvey Norman, Bunnings, lots of small shops, cinema, butcher, greengrocer etc.  For BigW you'd have to go to Hobart.  Don't know why there isn't one in the north.

@Toots I did a quick search on google maps to see where the big stores were located, i to was wondering why there isn’t a big w up the north, could atleast have one in Launceston.

We can survive on Kmart and if push come to shove as much as I don’t like online shopping I can always do big w online.

How have you found the electricity bill difference? We don’t have aircon so our bill is affordable at present but Tasmanian homes have heaters/radiators like UK homes do, don’t they? 

[Toots]

2 hours ago, Tjsmum said:

@Toots I did a quick search on google maps to see where the big stores were located, i to was wondering why there isn’t a big w up the north, could atleast have one in Launceston.

We can survive on Kmart and if push come to shove as much as I don’t like online shopping I can always do big w online.

How have you found the electricity bill difference? We don’t have aircon so our bill is affordable at present but Tasmanian homes have heaters/radiators like UK homes do, don’t they? 

There used to be a Target in Devonport but it closed.  There is a large Target in Launceston and another one in Burnie  We really could do with an Aldi but Aldi doesn't exist here.  

The electricity bill is fairly low for us as we have solar panels but I know a family of 3 who just received their bill and it was $250.  They have no solar panels and we don't need air-con on the north coast.  Of course the bill rises in winter due to heating the house.  Some privately owned houses have radiators like the UK homes but very rare in rentals. At the moment a decent rental is pretty hard to find and rents aren't cheap either.  You get what you pay for.  Most rentals have a heat pump but the insulation on some of the rentals is just about useless.

2 bedroom rentals available in Latrobe just as an example.

https://www.realestate.com.au/rent/with-2-bedrooms-in-latrobe,+tas+7307/list-1

 

[Skani]

13 hours ago, Tjsmum said:

We are a family of 4, hubby and I are in our late 30s, the work shortage is my biggest fear relating to Tasmania, whilst I am multi skilled, hubby is very limited in his work choices.

He has worked mainly on farms and within poultry factories, he has a HR & forklift license.

With that sort of experience I don't think he will have trouble finding employment if you are living in a rural area.   One of the problems lately in  the Tasmanian rural sector has been the difficulty in finding accommodation:  the vacancies exist but housing is the problem.  However somewhere like Latrobe/Devonport will be easier than more remote areas like Smithton.  I 've heard road transport people here on radio say that finding truck drivers is a problem  so having an HR licence is a good start.

Hospitality has a similar problem here - so many residences have been converted into Airbnb's that staff  required for hospitality can't find accommodation.  So if you can land a house for yourselves I don't think you'd have trouble finding employment.

I can empathise with the reasons for wanting to move.  I landed in Tasmania (Hobart) as a child because my English mother couldn't stand the heat and humidity of the north coast of NSW - so not even as extreme as far NQ.  Even my Australian father found the climate there - where he had grown up - difficult after several years in the UK.

We have quite a few "climate refugees" from Queensland.  A friend of ours visited a mate of his near Mole Creek (out the back of Deloraine) and said every property on the road, except his mate's, had been bought by expat Queenslanders.

Yes, Tasmanian homes have electric heating - usually called " heat pumps" here but generally known as reverse cycle air conditions - but many, especially in rural areas, have wood burners instead of/as well as.  

[Tjsmum]

3 hours ago, Toots said:

There used to be a Target in Devonport but it closed.  There is a large Target in Launceston and another one in Burnie  We really could do with an Aldi but Aldi doesn't exist here.  

The electricity bill is fairly low for us as we have solar panels but I know a family of 3 who just received their bill and it was $250.  They have no solar panels and we don't need air-con on the north coast.  Of course the bill rises in winter due to heating the house.  Some privately owned houses have radiators like the UK homes but very rare in rentals. At the moment a decent rental is pretty hard to find and rents aren't cheap either.  You get what you pay for.  Most rentals have a heat pump but the insulation on some of the rentals is just about useless.

2 bedroom rentals available in Latrobe just as an example.

https://www.realestate.com.au/rent/with-2-bedrooms-in-latrobe,+tas+7307/list-1

 

That electricity bill is $500 less than our bill! Our bill is constantly $750 no matter what the season.

Sadly the rental crisis affects everywhere in Australia

I do have to say though after looking at that link you sent me I’m rather mind blown as to how a unit is between 400-500$ a week! 
I thought it was expensive up here! 
 

I did like the look of this place, but it’s way out of our budget and of course not in Latrobe,  

My 4th cousin just recently moved back to Perth from Hobart and he had a combustion heater, he said that worked a dream. 

[Toots]

7 minutes ago, Tjsmum said:

That electricity bill is $500 less than our bill! Our bill is constantly $750 no matter what the season.

Sadly the rental crisis affects everywhere in Australia

I do have to say though after looking at that link you sent me I’m rather mind blown as to how a unit is between 400-500$ a week! 
I thought it was expensive up here! 
 

I did like the look of this place, but it’s way out of our budget and of course not in Latrobe,  

My 4th cousin just recently moved back to Perth from Hobart and he had a combustion heater, he said that worked a dream. 

 

Yes, that house is round the corner from us and the owners have been trying to sell it for best offer over $1,600,000.  Obviously no takers so they are renting it out in the meantime.  The owners have moved to a smaller place.  Good, decently priced rentals are like hen's teeth.  There is a bit of building going on plus more state housing is being built so hopefully that will make a bit of a difference.

The log burners for heating are quite common here.  Mind you the cost of good firewood is quite expensive unless you go foraging for it yourself.

[Toots]

According to this, Tasmania's electricity is more expensive than most other states.  As I said our bills aren't high as we have solar panels but the three girls who share a small house near us had a bill of $250 for 3 months.  It will probably nearly double during winter.  They are out at work all day so won't being using power then.  I don't know why your bill is so much higher.

 

[Tjsmum]

3 hours ago, Skani said:

With that sort of experience I don't think he will have trouble finding employment if you are living in a rural area.   One of the problems lately in  the Tasmanian rural sector has been the difficulty in finding accommodation:  the vacancies exist but housing is the problem.  However somewhere like Latrobe/Devonport will be easier than more remote areas like Smithton.  I 've heard road transport people here on radio say that finding truck drivers is a problem  so having an HR licence is a good start.

Hospitality has a similar problem here - so many residences have been converted into Airbnb's that staff  required for hospitality can't find accommodation.  So if you can land a house for yourselves I don't think you'd have trouble finding employment.

I can empathise with the reasons for wanting to move.  I landed in Tasmania (Hobart) as a child because my English mother couldn't stand the heat and humidity of the north coast of NSW - so not even as extreme as far NQ.  Even my Australian father found the climate there - where he had grown up - difficult after several years in the UK.

We have quite a few "climate refugees" from Queensland.  A friend of ours visited a mate of his near Mole Creek (out the back of Deloraine) and said every property on the road, except his mate's, had been bought by expat Queenslanders.

Yes, Tasmanian homes have electric heating - usually called " heat pumps" here but generally known as reverse cycle air conditions - but many, especially in rural areas, have wood burners instead of/as well as.  

if push came to shove for work, hubby would drive at least an hour.

Yes, sadly housing crisis has affected all of Australia.

The problem for us, Is do these jobs require vaccination?

A lot of the jobs I’ve seen advertised require vaccination and this puts me out of work, luckily here there is a niche for unvaccinated workers. 
 

Hubby is vaccinated against Covid and I am not, due to several family members falling victim to vaccine injuries I wish to remain unvaccinated. 

I love that term “climate refugees” ill Run with that, it’s rather surprising how many Queenslanders are down there, but I don’t blame them, this is heat is disgusting 

[Toots]

Continuing with the cost of electricity in Tasmania   ............................  according to this, Tasmania is cheaper than other states.  Who to believe???

https://www.premier.tas.gov.au/site_resources_2015/additional_releases/tasmanians-get-the-lowest-electricity-prices-but-only-scare-tactics-from-labor#:~:text=The independent Tasmanian Economic Regulator,regulated electricity prices in Australia.

Because all of Tasmania's electricity is produced by hydro power station, Tasmania is now 100 per cent self-sufficient in renewable energy and is the first state in Australia to be so.

[Toots]

11 minutes ago, Tjsmum said:

if push came to shove for work, hubby would drive at least an hour.

Yes, sadly housing crisis has affected all of Australia.

The problem for us, Is do these jobs require vaccination?

A lot of the jobs I’ve seen advertised require vaccination and this puts me out of work, luckily here there is a niche for unvaccinated workers. 
 

Hubby is vaccinated against Covid and I am not, due to several family members falling victim to vaccine injuries I wish to remain unvaccinated. 

I love that term “climate refugees” ill Run with that, it’s rather surprising how many Queenslanders are down there, but I don’t blame them, this is heat is disgusting 

In the ACT, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory, no workers are required to be vaccinated against Covid.  This may be different for people working in aged care, health services, and disability support services.

 

[Tjsmum]

1 hour ago, Toots said:

 

Yes, that house is round the corner from us and the owners have been trying to sell it for best offer over $1,600,000.  Obviously no takers so they are renting it out in the meantime.  The owners have moved to a smaller place.  Good, decently priced rentals are like hen's teeth.  There is a bit of building going on plus more state housing is being built so hopefully that will make a bit of a difference.

The log burners for heating are quite common here.  Mind you the cost of good firewood is quite expensive unless you go foraging for it yourself.

It’s a beautiful house! I’d buy it if I could, oh one can dream……

The market for selling is tough right now, the main buyers are investors, my 4th cousin is currently trying to sell his place in Hobart, to no avail, so he too is renting it until it sells.

With skyrocketing interest rates, housing will only get more expensive until the govt starts building more social housing, they are now stopping the NRAS here, leaving thousands facing the possibility of homelessness becuase they can no longer afford the rent payments. 
 

The price of firewood has jumped up here as well, can’t save the pennies on any angle sadly. 

[Tjsmum]

16 minutes ago, Toots said:

Continuing with the cost of electricity in Tasmania   ............................  according to this, Tasmania is cheaper than other states.  Who to believe???

https://www.premier.tas.gov.au/site_resources_2015/additional_releases/tasmanians-get-the-lowest-electricity-prices-but-only-scare-tactics-from-labor#:~:text=The independent Tasmanian Economic Regulator,regulated electricity prices in Australia.

Because all of Tasmania's electricity is produced by hydro power station, Tasmania is now 100 per cent self-sufficient in renewable energy and is the first state in Australia to be so.

That’s great that Tas power is produced via Hydro, way to go tassie! 
 

Our bill is so high hecause hubby has 3 15min boiling hot showers everyday, to help with his muscles it’s like walking into a sauna! 
I have tried to point it out on the electricity bill to him and it falls on deaf ears, I kind don’t blame him though, I often have boiling hot baths to soak my muscles, working hard physical jobs requires it….

Yes you are correct on the Cov Vac front for those jobs, I have seen some jobs advertised, simple jobs like cafe assistant and shopkeeper require the vax, I scratch my head and think why, then I see that the job is part of a franchise or big company that requires it, I am yet to see a simple job that doesn’t ask for it.

[Skani]

5 hours ago, Tjsmum said:

 

My 4th cousin .... had a combustion heater, he said that worked a dream. 

Yes, they are lovely if you can get a reliable supply of good wood and somewhere dry to store it.  We had one for 30 years in this house  (3 bedrooms and a quarter of the way up Mt. Welllington so sometimes snow in winter) and it kept the place really toasty.  But since I'm now widowed and getting a bit ancient    I have replaced it with a pellet heater.  I do miss the log burner though.  

[Bulya]

5 hours ago, Tjsmum said:

That’s great that Tas power is produced via Hydro, way to go tassie! 
 

Our bill is so high hecause hubby has 3 15min boiling hot showers everyday, to help with his muscles it’s like walking into a sauna! 
I have tried to point it out on the electricity bill to him and it falls on deaf ears, I kind don’t blame him though, I often have boiling hot baths to soak my muscles, working hard physical jobs requires it….

Yes you are correct on the Cov Vac front for those jobs, I have seen some jobs advertised, simple jobs like cafe assistant and shopkeeper require the vax, I scratch my head and think why, then I see that the job is part of a franchise or big company that requires it, I am yet to see a simple job that doesn’t ask for it.

You couldn’t pay me to live in Qld let alone Nth Qld.  As for the high hot water bill, is there no solar hot water??