anyone in hobart
 

an opportunity has come up which is making us contemplate a move to hobart, we currently live near Brisbane. just wondering what peoples thoughts are on the place, is there plenty to do, is it too rainy that you can't go outside, is it expensive?

Re: anyone in hobart
 

Approx 250,000 people according to Wikipedia, in answer to your title. :lol:

Re: anyone in hobart
 

😂Lol, well I hope at least one of those 250,000 is on here!

Re: anyone in hobart
 

I think there used to be a poster in Hobart called IanandHelena (?). Not sure if they are receiving emails from BE but you could try looking for their profile and maybe sending an email if the option is there.

Alternately, Polly loves Tas and has been there loads of times.

Re: anyone in hobart
 

I suppose it depends on what you're after.

I love Tasmania, but we are outdoorsy and don't like big cities. So, if that fits you: You will like it.

It has also become something of a foodie destination - lots of wines, cheeses and produce come out of there.

A lot of retirees going there these days to get out of the mainland heat and also cost-of-living is a bit lower.

The other part of the equation is stable employment - it sounds like you are contemplating a move because of a job offer, so that would be sorted too. I wouldn't want to test the Tasmanian employment market.

Hobart as mikelincs said has 250,000 people and is the biggest city by far. It is isolated; the ferry to Melbourne is a long ride, and while in theory it's not a long flight to Melbourne or Sydney, once you factor in price, parking, etc - it is and the cost of that really adds up. Historically, Australians have seen Tasmania as an inbred backwater.

So, if you are outdoorsy, can do without cities and have stable employment: Go for it.

If you need your weekend in the city etc - don't.

Re: anyone in hobart
 

:thumbup:
Brisbane to Hobart,you lucky gits. If I could get a job I'd move tomorrow.

Not sure if IanandHelena still pop in, but I think they were happy there. I had a partner there for a few years, spent lot of time dwn there and loved it.

There is plenty to do if you like boats, wildlife, mountains, lakes, hiking - general wild outdoor pursuits. Also plenty of historical places to visit, they really treasure their heritage. Food and wine/beer/cider are excellent and there are festivals all over the state to celebrate the fact. Lots of pubs - some of them are pretty like British ones too, and there's a general laidback air to the place.

It can be expensive because most things have to come from the mainland, but as internet shopping draws this is far less of an issue than it used to be.

Carcajou mentioned flights - you can get really cheap ones and they are increasing them from next year as the airport has had a large makeover. It also hopes to restart international flights next year, with the return of Customs and Immigration agents.

Weather? You get the lot. Snow - even down to sea level in Hobart at times, a fair number of wet days but not excessive, and a lot are just early or late showers. Equally lots of sunshine and warm days. I've been there inn a rare 38 degrees (yuck) but the tops are usually 27-29ish and its a much drier heat than Brisbane so far more pleasant to get out and about even on the odd hot day.
I've been visiting for nearly 20 years and there are still bits I haven't seen.

The main issue is work. If you have that sorted, go for it!

Re: anyone in hobart
 

Have a browse through http://www.discovertasmania.com.au/home/index.cfm that'll give you a fair idea of how beautiful and interesting the island is.

Re: anyone in hobart
 

I read this with interest Polly as it might be a place scouse and I end up. Tassie is the only Oz state we haven't been to but we really like what we've heard about it. Thanks for adding to the store of knowledge!

Re: anyone in hobart
 

I would move to Hobart in a flash, my missus calls it 'the Whitby of Australia'. The town hall there even looks like its from Yorkshire. Great bars, pubs and restaurants, lots of places to visit, on the whole friendly people. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in Tassy though, having spent time working in Launceston and Burnie and visiting a lot of the smaller towns like Strahan and Queenstown - nice to visit but wouldn't suit our lifestyle to live there.

Re: anyone in hobart
 

Have you been to Devonport Spuddy, and if so what do you think about it as a place to live? I like that you can get the boat to Melbourne from there but that's about all I know :lol:

Re: anyone in hobart
 

I would, if there was an economy beyond tourism and 99.87% of jobs were for the government.

If you have found some work, grab it with both hands and never let it go. Hobart is a great spot.

Re: anyone in hobart
 

Never struck me as a particularly inspiring place but I haven't spent more than a couple of days there. Some lovely small towns along that northwest coast though, not too far from Devonport - places like Penguin and Wynyard, then Stanley and Smithton furtehr out.

Re: anyone in hobart
 

Thanks Polly, will check them out. Looking for a place where we won't have to travel for basic facilities (shops, medical - and pub, of course!) Sea or river view as well, so I don't want much :lol:

Looking at a few places around the country, no idea yet where we'll end up :unsure:

Re: anyone in hobart
 

Can vouch for pubs in both Wynyard and Stanley :lol:

From memory Wynyard had a fair few shops, also a small airportbeach, some stunning cliff/beach walks nearby, pubs etc. Didn't need anything medical but its a fair sized place so must be reasonable. Its also closer to Burnie/Devonport - Stanley is a fair bit further on along the coast. I think Penguin is slightly smaller.
Burnie has good facilities, and is a larger town.

Re: anyone in hobart
 

Cheers Poll, appreciate the pointers. Good to have recommendations for the pubs too :lol:

Re: anyone in hobart
 

One of the best lock-ins I have had was in Wynyard when I was backpacking 20 years ago, such a fun night! I must go back and spend time in the town again one day instead of just going through it cos I had such a good week there:) Amazing beach walks too!

Re: anyone in hobart
 

I like the sound of it! If we do end up there and you're still in Oz, you could visit and we could try to recreate your backpacking night - as long as I don't have to actually carry a backpack coz I'm old now and would collapse and die, thus ruining the night.

Re: anyone in hobart
 

Looks like there could be a BE commune in Tassie when we all retire :D

We'd definitely retire there (although might have to have a month in Cairns to get through the worst of the winter, my NE English roots seem to have deserted me when it comes to the cold).

Mind you, we've only been there once on a long weekend and fell in love with the place - we did buy our current house on the basis of driving along the top road and falling in love with here, so we do have a track record for such acts.

Re: anyone in hobart
 

:lol:I couldn't backpack now, arthritic feet have put paid to that, we could still drink in the pub and pretend we are youngsters again though :thumbup::sneaky:

Re: anyone in hobart
 

What she said ▲▲▲! We're still here, still loving it. (I don't agree with the part about "it can be expensive" though, that isn't what we've found. Also, housing is definitely cheaper.)

Re: anyone in hobart
 

I guess its probably evened out since was spending time living there rather than visiting :)

Definitely agree on the housing, comared to the big island that seems to be much cheaper.:thumbup:

Re: anyone in hobart
 

It's definitely the most underrated part of Australia. It can only grow in leaps and bounds once the rest of the world wakes up. Which actually seems to be happening. So add to the list a highly probable good long term real estate gain. By that, I mean overtaking the rest of the Australian mainland on a pro rata growth basis.

Tasmania as a whole is also a long shot contender for the best foodies place in the world. It will end up very high on that list as well. Only Sydney and Melbourne better or equal it from an Australian perspective at present.

Add our names as very likely to retire there as well..... Caveat being I have to do the big lap around Aus in the next few years to see if anywhere else can equal it.... I doubt I'll find anywhere as good that suits our likes and dislikes though.

Re: anyone in hobart
 

Pockets of real estate in Hobart may go up but I doubt Tasmania as a whole - there is still not enough potential for industry or finance there to drive the job market, and foodie-ism, which by definition is small-scale, is not going to be on a big enough collective scale to do that. I don't think enough retirees will come down to engineer a real-estate boom in the rest of the state.

The problem is geography. Why would you put a business in Tasmania when you have no possibility of road or rail transport of your product to mainland Australia? The population base is too small to support the tech and financial industries, and young Australians do not want to go there - they want to be in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane (in that order).

It's also too far off the beaten track to easily include on the de facto standard package tours for overseas visitors.

While I think Tasmania will continue to grow in popularity, the capacity for that is limited.

I think someone (not retired) moving to Tasmania without a job already lined up, probably needs about a half-million to million Dollars in reserve.