Hi there


We live in Howrah ( actually 5 houses outside of Bellerive) we have a big house with amazing views and its a very very safe and quiet area- and only 10-15 mins into the city.

Rokeby is pretty rough from what I have heard- you can basically tell the worst areas- (they are cheap) and the best ( they are expensive !!) just like the UK really- if it looks too good to be true, it probably is!!

Best suburbs on western shore are Sandy Bay, West Hobart, Batery Point
Best Suburbs on the eastern shore ( 2 degrees warmer than the western shore- i kid you not !) is Bellerive, Acton Park, Sandford, Howrah ( well I would say that!!)

Kingston ( western shore) is very very popular with families and pretty safe and quiet- also Blackmans Bay- you do have to commute on the Southern Outlet though which is a bit of a nightmare but nothing compared to the UK !!

as for schools- we want to put our child in the Cottage School ( Bellerive) which is independent - i have heard the best public school is Taroona (the suburb next to Sandy Bay) but its also pretty expensive.

of course this is all just IMHO !!!

Nat xx

Me and nipper went to Howrah beach yesterday, it was bloody hot and we needed to cool down. It's a lovely beach.

Couldn't get that link to work, but I'll give it another go later! Thanks.

Ok seeing as you tassie lot are keen to answer questions on this thread that have probably been asked a million times i'll give it a go

My husband (43), myself (37) and two daughters (10, 7) are desperate to get out of the UK, we have looked at many countries, Aus, NZ, Canada etc but I have a longing to be in Aus. The problem is, my husband doesn't want the extreme heat which is why i was thinking maybe Tassie. What sort of typical temps do you get in winter/summer coz although he doesn't like the heat i do!! Im tired of being so cold and wet here in Scotland. Tasmanian scenery looks breathtaking which is another reason im so keen.

What are the pros and cons of living there? And why did you choose Tasmania over 'Mainland' Aus?

That's it for now, but im sure i'll soon find something else to ask you

Hi Nat

Thanks for all the info, all helpful in putting together a picture of where we might concentrate our search on. Some houses may look fine on the internet but until you have actually driven around the area, you don't really know.

Like all parents, we want the very best schools for the children (don't think we have any spare cash for private though) and this is will decide where we settle, assuming we could afford to!

Sam

If you're looking for cooler weather, Tas is the place for you. It has 4 seasons, so far we have only been here since Oct, so have only experienced last knockings of spring and summer. The spring was wet and windy, the summer has been glorious, dryest on record apparently. We've had a couple of over 30c's days, but mostly temps between 17-25c, very comfortable. I personally can't comment on winter weather, I'm told it can get cold, but thats coming from Ozzies. I really can't imagine it being worse than Scotland!

I would say the pro's are as follows, it's quiet here very small population, although growing steadily. It's a lovely place to bring up children, although I can imagine teenagers being a little bored. I am told that when the kids come of age they tend to move to the mainland for job opportunities, but come back to Tas to bring up a family. Crime is low, and is mainly petty crime. It doesn't matter where you end up living, you will almost certainly have fantastic veiws. The people are very friendly and are very welcoming. You have less out going bills to pay. The air is reputed to be the cleanest in the world. The houses are the cheapest in the whole of Oz.

The cons would be, you are living at the bottom end of the world, miles and miles away from friends and family (this is very difficult to cope with at first). If something happens to a rellie back home it is expensive to get back and not to mention a mission! Teenagers will get bored, and job opportunities aint great for them. Gas is fairly new in Tas and not all homes have it. The heating out here is positively pre historic!

It would also depend on the type of work that you and your hubby does, some professions just aren't required out here.

I hope I have answered your question to your satisfaction. Any more questions fire away!

We have found a private school with an exceptional reputation and it really isn't expensive at all, under $2000 for both children and we can pay monthly.

I agree, private schools are very reasonable compared to UK especially the catholic schools.

Winter is cold but nothing like the UK- lowest average day time temp is about 8 degrees and it never gets frosty- well not on the eastern shore anyway. When the sun is out it still feels pretty warm- you can easily get sunburnt in the middle of winter on a sunny day. I love winter actually because the sun seems to shine all the time so you have those cold sunny days which the UK never seemed to get enough of. Once the sun goes its cold though especially with no central heating or double glazing- bbbbrrrr- better buy yourself an electric blanket or two !!

Nat xx

the link won't work cos there is an extra " http:// " bit......just remove that and it works.

Are the private schools predominantly catholic? I am an atheist and would find it difficult to get my head around sending my kids to a private school if the school was based on certain religious values....
How come fee's tend to be so reasonable for private schools - where do they tend to get their funding from ?

Like others i'm hoping we manage to find a good public school within whatever area we end up settling...fingerscrossed it'll be one with good teachers as i think personally that's half the battle won then. Both myself , my older brother (1yr older) and my younger brother who is 9years younger than me went to the same infants and junior schools - so basically had the same educational start in life. I stopped my education after A-levels choosing not to go to University - my older brother left school at 16 with a few CSE'S at the time (showing our age there! ) and went on to join the Army for his career, whereas my younger brother went to UCL in London and attained a 1st class honours degree and is now doing a masters degree whilst pursuing a successful career. I think if people are motivated to learn and enjoy learning then they will do well in either a public or private school....Support of parents and teachers are the most important elements i think....and as long as they have the facilities needed... One family can turn out so different academically - a lot of it depends on the child involved.
But saying that it is very worrying. My daughter is bright (dont all parents say that about their kids ) - and i do worry about the fact that she would have done a full year of school here - and then come to Oz this year only to have to wait until next year before starting school again (she's not 5 till this march)....Hopefully this will not affect her too much... As for my 1 year old - then i guess he'll just start the Australian education system from the start - so he'll have nothing to compare it with...

On a different note though, I'm quite interested in learning something myself if i'm not going to be working when i arrive on the island (once settled of course) and have thought about evening classes etc etc - are there many places offering courses in the Hobart area? I did start learning Spanish at work about 8 years ago as a few of us had a private tutor paid for by our company (and in company time) - but stupidly gave it up after about 7months as i prioritised my social life at the time above the homework we were given! Although i'm fairly good at reading Spanish, and can get by when anywhere Spanish - it would be nice to get the pronounciation going a bit better! (nothing quite like Spanish with an Essex Girl Accent!)....

Cathy my hubby is an Athiest as well, and I am just open minded, but we are happy to smile politely when talk of god is mentioned by the children for the sake of peace of mind!!! I feel Christian values are a pretty good start in life, whether we want to get into all the nitty gritty with it or not it can't hurt compared to sending them to 'some' public schools

Dont get me wrong i'm not criticising anyone choosing to send their kids to private schools - especially if they're catholic I hope my previous thread didn't imply that because i never mean't it to..
I know you had a really bad experience of a public school in Glenorchy - but i'm hoping that not all the public schools are quite so bad? ( i would imagine from previous write up that the one in Risdon might be a bit undesirable - but probably more so from those attending! ) I think i have a bit of research to do into the schools in the area's that we're considering!!!!
Do all schools wear uniform? My daughter wears a uniform and i like them wearing one....although we did see some girls at Melbourne airport wearing the most hideous brown check dresses that i'd ever seen!

I wasn't keen on the public school back in West Aus. either, maybe I'm just a snob.... The young girl I work with now in Huonville said I made the right choice not sending them to Huonville public school as all her friends from there are now single Mum's. Friend's send their girls to Blackman's Bay primary and they are very happy with that school. Just depends where you live I guess, I'm sure the more expensive suburbs will have a better 'class' of child and family they come from. Whereas cheaper areas like Glenorchy, Claremont, Moonah and anywhere else further out of the city will be questionable. They all wear uniform, most times it is a polo shirt and skirt or shorts etc.

You're probably right about location being the key thing... The thing is - apart from going on other people's recommendations etc - you just dont know where's going to suit your family until you arrive and have a really good look about. We tried to do that in November - but only scratched the surface of what we wanted to see - and to be honest most of what we "liked" was going on what the area looked like - without knowing really what was actually available there.... in a way it may be a good thing that our daughter wont be starting school immediately - as it'll give us a good chance to view a few places with her with us and see what kind of feel we get about the places...

polo shirt and skirt or shorts is good - my daughter's quite a girly girl - i'd have a nightmare persuading her to wear something she didn't like! She moans over here about wearing grey trousers if the weather's really cold - she'd rather wear her school dress or a skirt!

nothing quite like Spanish with an Essex Girl Accent!)....

If you must go to Hobart this will not hold you back

Where I am (near Launceston) we are very choosy about Spanish with an Essex Girl Accent

But then, of course, we are a little more select here in Northern Tasmania

Have I started page 69 yet

All the very best

Oldgit