Hi everyone we need help

we have just heard from our emgration agent to say that our aprox visa granted date is July 2010. our medicals run out in Aug 2010 we thought we were looking at Jan.
we have been told about state sponsership which Tasmania does but what is Tasmania like?
we were looking to go to Brisbane but need to know as much as we can about Tasmania, so any info would be great. I am a hairdresser and have been on seek but there are no hairdressing jobs on there.
whats life lke there, the schools, facilities, homes, etc

Carl

http://www.tas.gov.au/
http://www.development.tas.gov.au/mi...orms_and_lists
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...light=tasmania
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...light=tasmania
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...light=tasmania

Another good idea is to grab hold of a copy of The Lonely Planet-Tasmania. Very good reading, with heaps of useful information.

Hiya

First of all, if you have been looking into Brisbane and like what you see, you'll find Tas a very different prospect!

In many ways, Tas is seperate and totally different to the rest of Oz, some of that is good and some not. The population is just over 500,000 with a country slightly larger than Switzerland, this means that you can sit on a stunning accessible beach on Easter weekend with hardly a soul around, you don't have to fight the tourist buses here! On the other hand, it does mean that some facilities are not so great, clothes shopping is poor, (IMO), choice is limited at times cpmpared to some of the bigger centre in Oz and you do have to pay airfares to Melbourne or Sydney, every time you want to go somewhere as there are very few direct flights.

The island itself is beautiful, so many wonderful places for walking, kayaking, camping etc. The weather is probably more similar to UK than the rest of Oz (although I'm saying that after the wettest winter here in over 50 years, so that does colour my impression a bit!) but on the good side, it rarely gets too hot, it is not humid, flies are not an issue, and mozzies only have the odd nibble of your limbs, so you can actually get enjoy the outdoors.

We have been here for about 14 months now, our children are very settled in school, we both work, (in healthcare, plenty of jobs about), have our own house and are able to travel a fair bit to see some more of Tas and the mainland.

As far as jobs for hairdressers are concerned I really don't know, there are plenty of salons around, including some smart trendy places in Hobart. House prices have risen a fair bit over the last 5 years, but you can still get good value here compared to many other states, have a look on realestate.com for more ideas.

Good luck, shout up if you need any more info, also have a look at the links posted above.

Sam

Tasmania and Brisbane are very different places, Brisbane which is up towards the equator has a warm climate while Tasmania which is down closer to Antartica has a much cooler climate. Outside Brisbane you have tropical beaches and rainforests in Tasmania theres snow capped mountains and parts resemble scotland or New Zealands. Tasmania is the size of Ireland with only half a million people so you can go to beaches and places and often have them to yourselves, half the state is national parkes, Tasmania is great if you love the outdoors and stuff like hikeing, boating fishing, horseriding and that sort of thing, but if you like large cities, shopping and night life then Tasmania is not ther place for you.

Hello again are there thing like hospitals, cinemas department stores and such like in Tasmania is it a tourist area too?

thanks for the posts

Its touristy if you like the wilderness, areas of unspoilt natural beauty - mountains, lakes all that kind of thing. Not Gold Coast touristy stuff.
And yes, there are hospitals, cinemas, shops etc but they tend to be concentrated in Hobart (south) and Launceston (north) - don't expect too much of the smaller places, it really is still rural and unspoilt, and long may it stay that way

Tasmania is an amazing place to live, For me I love it, There are cinemas and supermarkets, There are no super shopping centres yet.
With shopping its more local friendly shops, we have been living here 18 months and quite a few of the shops in Launceston close early on Saturday and very few open Sunday.
Schools are hit and miss like anywhere in the world. There are lots of country fairs which can be great fun.
You find people are more relaxed and friendly, when I start work at 7 am, I find people who are walking past me do say hi. First few times this happend I was thinking mmmmm this seems strange.
Personally if you was looking at Brisbane I can not see you liking Tasmania.
Gary

Yes theres plenty of hospitals, cinemas and department stores but mostly in the two largest cities Hobart and launceston. Melbournes not that far if you wanted really large department stores and shopping centers.

Personally I think of Tasmania as a real place. Brisbane, on the other hand, is superficial, soulless and hard; all fur coat and nae knickers. (I live, for the time being, in Brisbane)

Brisane and Tasmania are probably about as different two places can get in OZ.

I live in Tas and have visited Brisbane and couldn't agree more!

Think you need to have a look at both places, maybe on a visit before you decide. I like many aspects of Tas but still feel that if you like what you found out about Brisbane then this may not be the best choice for you.

Sam

Tasmania is beautiful, I live in Tasmania , its absolutely beautiful but suits some and not others, why not do a reccie first, and see which climate agrees with you more. Good luck with your decision s xx

Excellent way of summing them up. I think of Tasmania as having a soul, unlike Brisbane. I'm also trapped in Brisbane, but I know where I'd rather be.

Funny, I think of Brisbane the other way round, all knickers..ie great place to be ...but no fur coat (no Sydney Harbour to look at here). Personally I think Brisbane is a subtle place that hides its soul in lovely spots in its inner city surburbs and far flung islands. It rewards constantly with soft beautiful private small life moments rather than big dazzling loud moments obvious to all...great place to be if pub life has lost its allure.

IMO, they are not as far apart as some others. A lot of Queenslanders treat the city as a place to be during the working week while planning the next weekend trip to a mountain, island, beach or national park. Suits outdoor people. I always imagine Tasmanians having a somewhat similar attitude to cities/towns....ie not putting huge pride and emphasis on the CBD as a source of most entertainment but getting more in tune with the geographical region in which they live.