Moving to Tassie

Elbo

Elbo

pesky scooter kids git off ma lawn
My wife and I are thinking about moving our family to Tassie. I'm particularly keen to hear from people what it's like on the North Central Coast, Penguin/Burnie/Ulverstone/Wynyard/Flowerdale area, as well as inland a bit around there? We probably need to be near a somewhat larger population centre for work, but would be looking to buy some land and build a simple house (not a tiny house, but more like an off-grid shed conversion) on a couple of acres once settled. Being close to good trails and the beach is important, as well as being around people who value local organic food, healthy living and a good home-schooling community.

Let me know if you've made a move to Tassie and how you like it?
 
clockworked

clockworked

Like an orange
I moved to hobart.
If you're realistic about the climate and the social services and facilities then it is fine!

There are heaps of positives, and different things appeal to different people, so i won't dwell on those.

The negatives can be fairly similar though
1. Tasmania has been farmed for a long time. The decent farmland is owned by a limited number of people, and the joke here is that to buy farmland you need to have the same surname as the seller.
2. Housing is now as expensive as anywhere on the mainland. Wages are not equal.
3. People underestimate the dark and the winter. If you've lived somewhere similar and know what you're in for you'll be fine. Honestly, i think I'm genetically predisposed to the seasonal change!
4. Tasmania is not as liberal as it seems from the mainland. You hear about all the progressive things happening here but they are a vocal minority.
5. Tasmanians already have friends and they don't need you. All my close friends are recent arrivals to the island. That being said, tasmanians are much friendlier and more helpful to strangers on a superficial level
 
safreek

safreek

*******
One of the good points of Tassie is that if you are on medical marijuana you can actually drive whilst medicated, now that's progress
 
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
clockworked said:
I moved to hobart.
If you're realistic about the climate and the social services and facilities then it is fine!

There are heaps of positives, and different things appeal to different people, so i won't dwell on those.

The negatives can be fairly similar though
1. Tasmania has been farmed for a long time. The decent farmland is owned by a limited number of people, and the joke here is that to buy farmland you need to have the same surname as the seller.
2. Housing is now as expensive as anywhere on the mainland. Wages are not equal.
3. People underestimate the dark and the winter. If you've lived somewhere similar and know what you're in for you'll be fine. Honestly, i think I'm genetically predisposed to the seasonal change!
4. Tasmania is not as liberal as it seems from the mainland. You hear about all the progressive things happening here but they are a vocal minority.
5. Tasmanians already have friends and they don't need you. All my close friends are recent arrivals to the island. That being said, tasmanians are much friendlier and more helpful to strangers on a superficial level
Click to expand...
^ wot he said.

Also a recent import to Hobart as of April this year. Haven't had a chance to really meet anyone as we are WFH and covid etc, but it does seem to be true that the redneck/dipshit/weirdo quotient is a little higher than the mainland. Its a little special ;)

I'm finding the cost of living a fair bit higher. Groceries (especially fruit and veggies) are expensive.

But totally worth it - and thats even with me not having made it to any decent mountain bike trails yet!
 
jrewing

jrewing

Eats Squid
Had some encounters with some North Coasters, Burnie Ulverstone. Change your rego plates to Tas Id suggest.
Weather forecasts don’t work well here.
Soil is the richest Red colour soil up north nth/west. Pretty isolated that way, but I always enjoy heading up there. Be easy to setup as self sufficient. Burnie-devonport is populated enough to meet all needs.
So much beautiful farmland but as Clockworked said it’s owned by the same families mostly.
Tasmania is very European in climate.

If you love tractors you will fit in haha.
 
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nathanm

nathanm

Eats Squid
@Stredda will be the man to talk too.

and for all the new Hobartians, if you want to meet new people of like mind, get along to the twilight enduro at Glenorchy MTB park in a couple of weeks. I will be there signing autographs.

Its a relaxed couple hours of riding with a good crew and opportunity to meet some local riders.

Also check out the Hobart Wheelers/Dirt Devils Facebook page.
 
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
birddog69 said:
I am only up the road when you're ready. BTW, I am an import as well.
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Thanks mate. Yeah, I have been a long drawn out combination of busy, demotivated, cold and then sick… I will get there eventually!!!

Am hoping the weather and finally access to an office in the city will improve things :)
 
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
jrewing said:
Had some encounters with some North Coasters, Burnie Ulverstone. Change your rego plates to Tas Id suggest.
Weather forecasts don’t work well here.
Soil is the richest Red colour soil up north nth/west. Pretty isolated that way, but I always enjoy heading up there. Be easy to setup as self sufficient. Burnie-devonport is populated enough to meet all needs.
So much beautiful farmland but as Clockworked said it’s owned by the same families mostly.
Tasmania is very European in climate.

If you love tractors you will fit in haha.
Click to expand...
Changes the plates because registration here is very bloody cheap!
 
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
Cheka said:
Something to bear in mind -

www.abc.net.au

One Hobart GP's retirement triggers wave of people on the hunt in an overloaded system

When Liz Christie heard her regular GP was retiring from the profession, she was disappointed, but figured she would just switch to another doctor in the Battery Point clinic — then she got a message saying she would need to find a new practice.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au
Click to expand...
Yeah, i had to ring around a lot of surgeries to find a GP that would take new patients. Got there eventually...

Am also wanting to get my collarbone plate removed - in the public system. Lets see how long that takes me :)
 
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
Lots of things are randomly really expensive. Trailers for example - even paying the $300 it costs to put it on the ferry, I've paid for that and more by buying a new one in Melbourne, using it once to cart stuff down here and flipping it at local prices.
 
Stredda

Stredda

Runs naked through virgin scrub
Elbo said:
My wife and I are thinking about moving our family to Tassie. I'm particularly keen to hear from people what it's like on the North Central Coast, Penguin/Burnie/Ulverstone/Wynyard/Flowerdale area, as well as inland a bit around there? We probably need to be near a somewhat larger population centre for work, but would be looking to buy some land and build a simple house (not a tiny house, but more like an off-grid shed conversion) on a couple of acres once settled. Being close to good trails and the beach is important, as well as being around people who value local organic food, healthy living and a good home-schooling community.

Let me know if you've made a move to Tassie and how you like it?
Click to expand...
I live in Penguin having only recently moved from Latrobe. Both towns are great but house prices are not all that cheap because of them both being a great place to live. Depending on what work you are both looking for would also determine where you are looking to set up home base. The reason we moved was that our kids are now both adults but will probably be at home for a few more years yet and we wanted a place with a bit more space. We were looking for any place along the coast from Latrobe to Penguin as my wife works in Devonport (and occasionally Burnie) and I work in Burnie.
Once you go inland too far, your commute to the cities becomes a bit of a pain while the towns along the coast are all close to a brilliant dual lane highway.
Latrobe is riding distance from some of the Wild Mersey trails, Railton is smack in the middle and Sheffield is on the southern side. Once again will depend on where you work. Sheffield and especially Railton have a high population of bogans too. :p
Devonport has some trails at Kelcey Tiers which you can ride to from town and it's not that far from the Wild Mersey trails too.
Ulverstone doesn't really have any trails in riding distance but either Wild Mersey or Penguin is 15/20min drive away.
Penguin so far has been a great move for us, it's 10min longer for my wife's commute but knocks off half an hour each way for me. I've been involved with both the Wild Mersey trails and with the Cradle Coast Mountain Bike Club who are responsible for the Penguin MTB Park and Dial Range trails. The bike park is a 5 min ride away and as I run a lot of the trail maintenance it's really handy not having to drive half an hour to do a trail inspection. Also, the club has quite a few plans for park upgrades, and future trail development in the Dial Range.
Once you head west as far as Burnie, you are getting further from any decent trails although they have a pretty good pumptrack and jumps area.
I kind of think that the Latrobe to Penguin strip along the coast is the sweet spot.
 
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Elbo

Elbo

pesky scooter kids git off ma lawn
jrewing said:
Had some encounters with some North Coasters, Burnie Ulverstone. Change your rego plates to Tas Id suggest.
Weather forecasts don’t work well here.
Soil is the richest Red colour soil up north nth/west. Pretty isolated that way, but I always enjoy heading up there. Be easy to setup as self sufficient. Burnie-devonport is populated enough to meet all needs.
So much beautiful farmland but as Clockworked said it’s owned by the same families mostly.
Tasmania is very European in climate.

If you love tractors you will fit in haha.
Click to expand...
Haha, you're speaking my language. I'm a surveyor and my wife is a chiropractor, but we'd be keen to start a small business like market gardening or worm farming. Any excuse for a tractor or bobcat I reckon. Wife is from England too, so she'll feel at home in the cold and dark winters haha.
 
Elbo

Elbo

pesky scooter kids git off ma lawn
Stredda said:
I live in Penguin having only recently moved from Latrobe. Both towns are great but house prices are not all that cheap because of them both being a great place to live. Depending on what work you are both looking for would also determine where you are looking to set up home base. The reason we moved was that our kids are now both adults but will probably be at home for a few more years yet and we wanted a place with a bit more space. We were looking for any place along the coast from Latrobe to Penguin as my wife works in Devonport (and occasionally Burnie) and I work in Burnie.
Once you go inland too far, your commute to the cities becomes a bit of a pain while the towns along the coast are all close to a brilliant dual lane highway.
Latrobe is riding distance from some of the Wild Mersey trails, Railton is smack in the middle and Sheffield is on the southern side. Once again will depend on where you work. Sheffield and especially Railton have a high population of bogans too. :p
Devonport has some trails at Kelcey Tiers which you can ride to from town and it's not that far from the Wild Mersey trails too.
Ulverstone doesn't really have any trails in riding distance but either Wild Mersey or Penguin is 15/20min drive away.
Penguin so far has been a great move for us, it's 10min longer for my wife's commute but knocks off half an hour each way for me. I've been involved with both the Wild Mersey trails and with the Cradle Coast Mountain Bike Club who are responsible for the Penguin MTB Park and Dial Range trails. The bike park is a 5 min ride away and as I run a lot of the trail maintenance it's really handy not having to drive half an hour to do a trail inspection. Also, the club has quite a few plans for park upgrades, and future trail development in the Dial Range.
Once you head west as far as Burnie, you are getting further from any decent trails although they have a pretty good pumptrack and jumps area.
I kind of think that the Latrobe to Penguin strip along the coast is the sweet spot.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the detailed reply @Stredda. I have friends in Penguin and have been there a few times, but it was a while ago now. Always liked the area and the trails there. Good tip about travelling along the coastal highway and commuting along that strip of coast. It definitely sounds like the area between Latrobe and Penguin would work for us. Will have to do some more research to see what options there are for work for both of us.
 
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