natty

Hi all

We have been here for the above mentioned time now and I thought I would give an update as we finally have all our stuff and broadband ( no more crappy old laptop and dial up- yeah )

Gosh, it feels like forever since I used to sit at home drinking wine on a Friday night reading all the forums and being obessessed with this website !!!

So here I finally am, on a Friday night in Tassie, drinking wine ( nothing changes does it !)

So I will probably ramble on so apologies if nothing makes much sense.

It has been a strange few months, a lot of things have been better than I expected ( eg job prospects, rob and I both got jobs within a month of being here)

Somethings have been worse ( unexpected and totally unprepared for homesickness)

Mostly things have been as I thought they would be, Tassie is cold but not as cold as the U.K. Tasmanians are very kind and friendly ( just dont mention the cricket !) Yes I now agree ( after posting that I disagreed in the first week) that the supermarkets are completely shite !!

There are days when I feel very homesick and want to be back in England shopping in Tescos and not having to spend $25 to buy a book ( they are soooo expensive in Tassie) There are days when I crave for all the things that I spent most of my time in England moaning about. At times I question why we did this, why did we move from family and friends that we loved, from a house that I loved, from my cats that I loved ???? Why?, was it because I knew I could afford a bigger house here ( thats seems like a very shallow reason) No I guess it was because we could and after you apply for the visa , it dominates your life and becomes this huge thing that you desperately want above all else.

When I said goodbye to my friends, I didnt cry- I was too busy thinking about all the stuff I had to do. I don't think I ever really comprehended the enormity of what we were doing.

BUT all this sounds terribly depressing so I am sorry for that, If I could make the decision again, I would still do it, I would still leave all those people because for one, I want to experience things in my life and I want to be able to say I did acheive this, that I did have the guts to come and make a new life here, make new friends and sit here in my new home feeling like it is just that, a home- that is the biggest achievement of all !!!

So after 3 months I have learnt a lot, all of it good. I love Tassie , its people, its beauty and its safety in world that doesnt feel very safe anymore.

So I have rambled on as I said I would and I am sorry that I havnt offered any useful practical stuff but feel free to message me if you want any info

I am off now to drink more aussie wine and sit with Rob watching England beat the Aussies at the cricket ( we hope !!!)

Nat xxx

Bordy

Great post Natty, the homesickness is fairly common. Make your goal for now Australian citizenship after two years then see how you feel. You can come & go as you please after that.
My mrs would have gone back anytime within the first year, we are here 6 years now & she very romantically told me "If you cack it tomorrow I'd stay in Melbourne" so it does get better honest.

mindblower

Excellent post this one, honest views of the enormity and psychology of it all. Can relate to a lot of whats said here, even though not in OZ yet.

True re obsession with this site -lol

hevs

LOL re the supermarkets

The homesickness does get better in time, its like grieving, it gets easier.

Good luck for the next 3 months
Hx

Professional Princess

I loved your post.

Why dont you start a thread on here or in the classified part of the site, and start an online book club, where you and others could post the books you have read, your opinions and what you could offer other members.

They could just pay the cost of the postage.

It might work out cheaper.

If you want a hand with wording it, I would help you.

Pollyana

Good to hear from you, Nat, and very jealous that you are down there in the Apple Isle!
You are right about the homesickness - it can be very unexpected - I never ever expected to fall victim to it, and sounds like you didn't either.
Equally right about the people - the Tasmanians are the friendliest people I've met.
Hope things continue going well, and you start to feel like its "home" soon

And now, back to the cricket.......

possoms

Nat I have only just found this thread dont know how I missed it

Sooo good to hear your update, sorry to hear of the homesickness dreading that part of it though suspect its par for the course.

The main thing is you say if you had to make the decision to go again you would, that brings so much comfort to me.

Cant wait to get there mate, oh and had a brilliant offer from the Webbs to go platypus spotting up at their rellies farm with a case of Boags sounds like bliss

Kay xx

Pollyana

I went platypus spotting up near Stanley - amazing experience, sitting at dusk near a large pond, watching the strange creatures slide through the water. Second only to penguin spotting in my book

possoms

oo sounds fab I spent ages looking for one but didnt see one, will have plenty of time to see them soon though

crozz

hiya natty we too are heading for tassie just wondered what you think of the place any advice or tips you could give us would be much appreciated cheers crozz.

oldgit

Hello Natty
Only just found your posting..... glad you made it....
Oldgit ( back in the UK for a couple of months more.... can't wait to get back to Tassie)

possoms

Where abouts in Tas are you Oldgit??

natty

HI Crozz

Sorry I only just checked the forum as been on holidays to Queensland and it made me think- why oh why did I choose Tassie !!!

No I am only joking ( although queensland was cool !)

Places and tips- mmm let me think.

OK We live in Hobart, right in the city which is cool for the first year but next year we plan to buy a house a few k's out of town so it will have a bit of land and be a bit quieter.

I prefer Hobart to Launceston- I only went there for a day so I shouldnt make a decision so rashly I guess, but I found it just too small. Hobart is a beautiful city with the mountain in the background and the beautiful harbour.
The most expensive suburb is Sandy Bay. Anything with a view of the river is now selling at a stupid price- Dont believe that Tassie prices are dirt cheap because they are not- whilst in Queensland we realised how much more you get for your money up there. Anything on the eastern shore ( bellerive, howrah, lindisfarne ) is cheaper but still getting expensive.
Average price for a 3 bed house in a good area is $350k. Anything in Sandy Bay starts at $450 and goes up and up !!!!

It is isolated here and sometimes it feels that you are not really in Australia at all- But in some ways that can be a good thing !!!
Shops are rubbish- supermarkets especially. The problem is that there just isnt much choice and what there is tends to be expensive. So my tip is bring everything with you- stock up on stuff like medication stuff ( antihistamines are really expensive if you suffer from Hayfever) bring all your clothes and shoes ( sorry talking from a womans perspective here !)
Holidays are more expensive so maybe try and bring some money to spend specifically on a first holiday as a break is really needed after the the stress and upheaval !!

These are all negative things so will now say good things.....

Bring your camera- tassie is gorgeous in any season
Bring your thongs- your not a true aussie without them
forget the car ice scraper- its gets cold in Tassie but never that cold !!! ( actually it did snow at sea level in Tassie last month but it was the first time in 20 years !!!)
Say goodbye to Grey and remember your sunnies- Tassie is always sunny with blue skies, even in winter.

Learn to enjoy seafood - it is so plentiful and lovely, sometimes at the weekend we go down to the harbour to a lovely place called Fish frenzy and have scallops and oysters and a nice bottle of sparkling wine and sit watching the boats and spying dolphins in the harbour. Life here is good !!!!

Nat xx

p.s Dont bank with commonwealth- rubbish !!!
Dont use Telstra- rubbish !!!- We use IINet for telephone and brodband- $80 per month

familyof6

Hello Nat
I am new to this forum, Hubby and I are in the tentative/thinking stages. Tasmania is a likely choice as brother and family already live there, in Lauceston.
Brother has been there for 18 years and says the climate is very much like the uk, which appeals to us, we like the changing seasons, although i dont much care for the feb march april biting cold and wind.

I have some resavations about Tas, im worried we'll be bored. we live right by the coast in dorset, the area is a tourist trap and as such there's plenty to do. small theme parks and attractions, studland and swanage beach, the old steam railway, corfe castle, poole quay, the list is endless, there is always something to do or somewhere to go on a warm sunny day...even on a cold rainy day
How would we enterain our children over in Tas?

Your comment about an un-safe world really struck a chord with me. What the uk holds for our children and our future granchildren is so worrying for hubby and I. The problems only seem to get worse and we wonder what the future holds - it dosnt look rosey thats for sure. These feelings are the very footings for our interest in moving to Au.

familyof6

natty
I wonder, do you have any web addresses for tasmanian estate agents we could have a look at. For renting and buying properties.thanks in advance