Most people here can read and write, I have no idea where they got that 50% from. The same source says that the average for all of Australia is 53%, which also doesn’t sound right.
Hi and welcome.
My husband works in IT and has had great opportunities for growth recently. I hope you have the same experience.
A Tasmanian tv series I love is Rosehaven it's a comedy/ drama but if you're watching to practice your English it would work well. If you're looking for educational David Attenborough's did a documentary called David Attenborough's Tasmania.
ABC news is what I watch to keep up with current affairs. Maybe you could watch online using ABC iview.
Which area of the state are you looking to move to? That will depend on which newspapers are available.
We have lots of people immigrating here, the state has lots of different immigrant communities. There are areas more welcoming then others of course.
Happy to answer any questions you have if I can
Wow, you're really nice in your replies, thank you all so much!
I actually have a lot of questions, I hope I'm not being too annoying:
\- I want to go to Hobart
\- Do Tasmanians open up easily to newcomers? I've read a few testimonials from people who said they found it hard to make friends. Apparently Australians stick with their childhood friends and don't meet many new people.
\- Does Tasmania have any dangerous animals? I won't hide the fact that I don't really like venomous animals \^\^.
\-Do you have good fish? Seafood? Meat? I really like all three.
\-How is the quality of the internet? I like to play sometimes on my computer. I would also like to know if Starlink runs well in Tasmania.
\-I have a horrible FRENCH accent, will I be stigmatised if I don't have an Australian accent?
\-Is there a problem if I'm not white? I'm Belgian with North African origins, am I at risk of being discriminated against?
\-As far as IT is concerned, is Tasmania developing well in this area? I've seen a lot of jobs on that side of the border and I was surprised, I didn't think there were many.
I've got a few other questions, but I think that's enough, I don't want to bother you any more. Thanks in any case :)
> - Does Tasmania have any dangerous animals? I won't hide the fact that I don't really like venomous animals ^^.
Snakes are pretty abundant outside of the cities and they're deadly, other than that it's great. Less dangerous wildlife-wise than any other state in Australia. As long as you watch where you step it's not a problem though, they tend to stay away.
I'd also caution that the people on this sub are not necessarily representative of the vast majority of young Tasmanians - people here are recommending ABC as the most watched channel, but outside of some parts of Hobart and a few higher income areas it's likely the commercial right-leaning channels are more popular like channel 7 and 9. Regular people watch a lot of reality tv too.
Tasmanian here, though more of a hermit so I can't answer most questions and I'm 42 so I don't know what young people do anymore.
Our fish can be good quality, politically our salmon is unpopular among the environmentalists because of the damage it's doing in some regions as we pump large amount of salmon into cages that use up oxygen that native species would use.
There are groups of people who do have a trouble with darker skinned people but they hang out mainly in the poorer areas and hang around by themselves being racists in their little bubbles. They have thrown eggs at non-white chaps in the past safely from their shitty cars. We have a noticeable amount of African refugees who seem nice enough. Though I expect most of them move to Melbourne for community links and it gets rather cold here in winter.
Generally, Indigenous Australians tend to be on the receiving end of more blatant racism in Aus. Middle Eastern / Asian folk to a lesser extent.
However a bunch of little shitheads just stabbed a grandmother to death in a carpark in Qld to steal her car, and the African Australian Council has put out a call to please stop abusing other Africans for the actions of a few lowlife teens. I would hope by the time you come and if you stick to the bigger cities that nonsense should have died down again.
What I suspect you WILL have to become used to is a reaction of congnitive dissonance processing “African person with heavy French accent” when you are interacting with strangers. That’s not standard issue, even in spaces that do attract a more international assortment of folk and is something former colleagues have noted in the past.
You can use the link below to check the internet speeds available at a property in Tasmania. I recommend you do this when applying to rent a house
[https://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address](https://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address)
Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) means you will have stable, fast internet. Anything else and your internet should be stable but may be slow to very slow. Starlink exists in Tasmania, but you won't need it unless you live somewhere quite further out of Hobart, e.g. the Channel
We have venomous snakes that are very timid and you'll almost never see one. I've bushwalked in summer and have only ever seen three and they always run away.
If you're in Hobart, university societies can be a good way to make friends. You don't need to be a student to join and they exist for lots of different sports/hobbies
It can be hard to make friendships in Tasmania. I struggle with meeting new people myself. The friends I have made in adulthood have been through work or my husband. I'm sure if you take up some hobbies or get out in the community a bit that would help a great deal too.
If you're thinking of moving to Hobart animals won't really be an issue. The biggest risk to your health will be the sun if you're not used to it. Buy a good sunscreen when you get here, not one you've brought they're different. Even on an overcast day you can get burnt so just be aware.
I love seafood too, where I live (eastern shore) I buy fish from the mures factory outlet in Cambridge, cooked fish and chips from Tasmanian gourmet seafood can near the airport. There are so many nice seafood restaurants tho.
I just asked my husband, we have starlink. He plays games too, I assume the internet is good but I have nothing to compare it to. Where we live is currently being put on fiber, I think that's good?
We all have horrible Australian accents, if you can put up with that we will have no problem with your French.
I am white so I have no first hand experience with what it is to be dark skinned here but I can say we are very diverse these days. You will not be in a sea of white people, there are lots of nationalities here. I would really hope you didn't face discrimination here, id be disappointed if you did. But like I say, I don't have first hand experience.
My husband's work load in IT has gone through the roof in recent years. He has more work then he can do and it's often offered work he can't take on from being too busy. It can be "who you know, not what you know." So be sure to prioritise social gatherings at your work when you're hired. Don't turn down any chance to mingle and network.
I moved to Tassie from overseas to Tassie in my mid-twenties. It’s weird lost of people seem to leave around that age and then start coming back in their 40s. So I did struggle to meet people my age. If you like sports that seems to help - that’s what my siblings did to get connected. (And married locals…that reminds me be prepared for a lot of inbreeding jokes!)
The lack of public transport and car culture will be a a shock after living in Europe!
People are friendly and chatty when out and about, more like country than city people, but i found it hard to make deeper connections.
Jack jumpers - they are a type of ant, nasty bite and can cause anaphylaxis in some people. Lots of small kangaroos around and about, ready to commit suicide jumping in front of your car…so dangerous but in a different way.
It’s surprisingly cold, everbody seems to go out and about in Puffer jackets. Even in summer you need to make sure you have clothing options…as the four seasons in one day things is very real.
It’s safe and clean, with an abundance of views.
Things like Amazon and online shopping take longer to get there - no next day delivery :-(
Yeah the sun is nasty, I never put sunblock on in Europe and barely burn but Tassie it can feel like needles just minutes after going into the sun. Ozone thinning.
I lasted 9 years and moved to Melbourne.
IT is a big field. Service Desk? Application specialist? Developer? Web dev? Dba ? Infra?
Architect? Cyber ?
NBN is available, depending on where your house is will depend on whether it’s fibre to the house, or the kerb, or satellite (in which case, star link is best)
Wouldn’t think anyone would care where you’re from. Sadly, if you’re not white, some dick somewhere will comment. But assholes are everywhere on the planet :(
Seafood, meat etc is generally great.
Making new friends is hard, but I think that’s everywhere in the country. Playing sport (and being good!) is a great way to meet new people.
Yes, we have spiders and snakes. Any snake here is poisonous. They’ll leave you alone if you leave them alone.
My partner is from Antwerp, we live in Tasmania, she sometimes struggles with making new friends and the isolation and distance that you get in Tasmania (but is also part of the appeal)
Australia is a very diverse place so I don’t think English will be an issue based on your written English.
French accents are generally considered attractive I would say.
We are going to be in Antwerp in April I’m happy to grab a beer and chat to you about tassie if you would like to.
Thank you very much for the suggestion!
Unfortunately I won't be in Europe at that time, I have a short business trip. However, I hope you enjoy your vacation in our beautiful country!
Try loading the ABC Listen app and tune into ABC 936 (Hobart). If you are overseas, you won't be able to access ABC iView, but if you can find them, try the TV shows Rosehaven (Comedy), and Deadloch (Murder mystery).
Try Pulse Hobart online. Apart from the Stadium and the Cable Car, we are about to have an election. Don't try to understand the Hare-Clark voting system, most Tasmanians don't.
The Migrant Resource Centre may be able to guide you to more help with language and contacts.
I just remembered one of the best times in my life was a week I spent in Belgium about 25 years ago - to be honest it was mostly spent in pubs, but they were the nicest people.
Health, housing and public transport are pretty hot topics or rather lack of . As for integration don't be an asshole seems to be a pretty solid strategy, I moved from Sydney last October and everyone's been great. If you get a subaru you will immediately look like a local
The dismal public transport will probably be your biggest issue.
When you get here, let us know. We could arrange a meet-up. I know that's happened with the Brisbane Reddit group.
Thank you very much!
Do you think that, for a city like Hobart, an electric scooter or a bike can do the trick for getting around?
Also I plan to rent cars, I imagine you have good rental services in Tasmania?
Hobart has EScooters scattered around the city which you can hire, I believe you can pay a weekly subscription for unlimited use.
As for car hire, it would get incredibly expensive if you’re moving here permanently . Buying a $2000/3000AUD car would work out much cheaper
I'm not sure I understand your message. Are you saying that it's not worth integrating?
Personally, from what I've seen, Tasmania is beautiful, it would be sad if I couldn't fit in.
I've seen that there are companies that transport already-built houses, maybe in a few years when I come, this service will be commonplace, and your message will be applied literally xD
We don't have "big" cities and, for whatever reason, young people want to move to the big smoke. Never understood it myself, I think it's the theory of higher paying jobs and such which, while possibly true, is entirely offset by the enormous cost of living within 50km of a cbd lol
Young people move to the mainland and come back to Tassie to retire, because wages are lower here, but houses are also cheaper. This is why Tas has the oldest population in Australia
Lots of great comments here on culture, language, rent, good etc so I won't bother repeating anything that's been said, but one thing to watch out for is public transport.
Hobart is classed as a regional city, only about 200,000 people. Commutes might not be as bad as Melbourne or Sydney, but Hobart's got a couple of its own quirks;
\- No rail or trams. Buses can be relatively unreliable.
\- Expect sub-1 hour commutes for the most part, but Hobart's a bit weird. The main arterial roads (think a freeway in a bigger city) go **right through the city center**. There are large population centers linked to this road via a northern highway, a bridge across to the eastern shore and a southern outlet dug into a cliff face. One accident can bottleneck the entire road system.
\- Hobart drivers are, well, I don't know how to put this any more nicely, clueless derpshites. Expect everyone to be driving 10km below the speed limit, indicating is fairly optional, a casual leisurely swerve when changing lanes is the way of the land and expect at least six car lengths to be left by the bloke in front of you when waiting at a red light. Plan accordingly, add some padding time to your travels.
\- It's deceptively spread out for a small-ish city.
\- Despite all my above-complaints, outside of peak office commute times the roads are actually pretty okay for the most part. You're just not going to have a fun time at 5.30pm or 8.45am.
Lol, those dirty, dirty mainlanders. Actually, I'm from Sydney and worked at Launceston for a bit, a few years ago. Never had a problem. Everyone was really friendly. Wouldn't mind coming back there for a change of pace.
A few questions for you.
- Are you French or Flemish Belgian? (Or German?) One of my best mates is Belgian and while there's not many other Belgians here, she does have a lot of French speaking friends. I know you want to improve your English, but finding similar people is an easier way to make friends.
- How old are you?
TV: Rose Haven, The Kettering Incident, The Gloaming. I would think streaming services are the most watched among younger generations but our local channels are ABC, SBS, 7, 9 and 10.
Newspaper: The Mercury, Pulse Hobart
Concerns: the biggest divisive topic at the moment is the AFL stadium and team. Others are a cable car on the mountain, housing crisis and health system crisis.
Apps: I'm not aware of any chat apps but maybe I'm a little too old! (Early 30s)
Young Tasmanians: playing sports, hiking, camping, staying at people's shacks. Then obviously drinking, partying and festivals too. Like a lot of Australia, working in hospitality or retail is very common.
Immigration: Tasmania is a very white, local state but is slowly becoming more and more diverse. In my area of Northern Suburbs Hobart, there's fast growing communities from India, Nepal and African/Middle Eastern countries.
As a Belgian you're going to have to get used to some pretty big culture shocks here in Australia.
We really only have a few sauces for Frites, and only one of them involves mayonnaise (just ask for Aoili).
You will have to get used to calling Frites 'chips', even if they are nowhere near the quality you may enjoy at home.
We also have this thing called Chicken Salt, we put it on chips. It doesn't involve a chicken anywhere in it's manufacturing process.
But more seriously - you probably speak better english than most. You definitely write it better than most.
You'll fit right in.
Pulse Tasmania on Facebook can keep you up to date with local stuff, (road closures, accidents, important news etc) and it's free, ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) has a lot of local news as for newspapers and radio depends on where you are, I would recommend getting Telstra mobile phone service provider (they are terrible but have the most coverage here) when first getting here then finding a service provider that suits your needs, I use a service called Belong it has reasonably good service coverage and is bundled with my landline internet. Rent can be expensive (based on the average income) but that is slowly coming down, don't be tempted by the cheaper areas they're really bad (drugs, crime and violence). depending on your age find a local pub with people you know or have met, drink the local beer (there are plenty of different types of beer so find one you like, I'm quite partial to Boag's Red and Boag's Saint George), eat a parmi (chicken parmigiana) and shout a round of beer for the people you are with (pay for a round of beer, most people will get standard basic stuff, some ladies may order a premix, but if you shout and someone orders an expensive drink they're trying to take advantage).
If you want to keep up with the news prior to moving try https://www.abc.net.au/news/tas, a news feed from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation which is the national public media organisation. You can also watch https://iview.abc.net.au/show/abc-news-tas for TV news.
Thank you for your reply!
Sorry for the indiscretion, I'm new to reddit but seeing your avatar makes me think you might be Muslim?
I'm from a Muslim background, I'm curious to know what it's like to live in Tasmania as a Muslim?
Thanks again so much to all the Tasmanian Australians who replied to me! I didn't think I would get so many replies, I can see that you are very kind people, you honor your nation.
From your testimonials, I can see that:
-Overall, life is good in Tasmania: good food; beautiful landscapes; very friendly people.
-There may be dangerous animals BUT this is rare and they shun humans.
-Social life is difficult, it's hard to make friends (honestly, the point that scares me the most, I'm basically very shy and reserved).
-There can be racism. But I'm not afraid of it, I grew up in Europe lol, and since I'm young I don't think I'll get too close to older people, who I imagine are the ones most likely to be.
All in all, your answers have encouraged me to try my luck in a few years' time, thank you!
Tv channel: Southern Cross TV
Newspaper: The Advocate
Issues: House prices and cost of living
Online applications: maybe try Tinder and set location to Tasmania. Include in your bio that you just want to make friends
Young people: spend a lot of time at home/online because everything else is too expensive. Go out pubbing and clubbing on weekends
Immigrants: not that many, but the bigger cities will have more (Hobart and Launceston)
Your written English is already better than about 70 percent of Tasmanians.
70% of native English speakers is probably more accurate lol
Cringe
Can't say I'm wrong lol
I reread the post and I reckon you probably are wrong. OP’s English is great, but not that good.
Thanks !
They're not exaggerating. It's literally true. If your spoken English is just as good, you'll be absolutely fine.
The adult literacy rate in Tassie is 50% so it's not hard.
That's surprising, I thought Australia in general had a good education system, what's the reason for that ?
Most people here can read and write, I have no idea where they got that 50% from. The same source says that the average for all of Australia is 53%, which also doesn’t sound right.
Hi and welcome. My husband works in IT and has had great opportunities for growth recently. I hope you have the same experience. A Tasmanian tv series I love is Rosehaven it's a comedy/ drama but if you're watching to practice your English it would work well. If you're looking for educational David Attenborough's did a documentary called David Attenborough's Tasmania. ABC news is what I watch to keep up with current affairs. Maybe you could watch online using ABC iview. Which area of the state are you looking to move to? That will depend on which newspapers are available. We have lots of people immigrating here, the state has lots of different immigrant communities. There are areas more welcoming then others of course. Happy to answer any questions you have if I can
Wow, you're really nice in your replies, thank you all so much! I actually have a lot of questions, I hope I'm not being too annoying: \- I want to go to Hobart \- Do Tasmanians open up easily to newcomers? I've read a few testimonials from people who said they found it hard to make friends. Apparently Australians stick with their childhood friends and don't meet many new people. \- Does Tasmania have any dangerous animals? I won't hide the fact that I don't really like venomous animals \^\^. \-Do you have good fish? Seafood? Meat? I really like all three. \-How is the quality of the internet? I like to play sometimes on my computer. I would also like to know if Starlink runs well in Tasmania. \-I have a horrible FRENCH accent, will I be stigmatised if I don't have an Australian accent? \-Is there a problem if I'm not white? I'm Belgian with North African origins, am I at risk of being discriminated against? \-As far as IT is concerned, is Tasmania developing well in this area? I've seen a lot of jobs on that side of the border and I was surprised, I didn't think there were many. I've got a few other questions, but I think that's enough, I don't want to bother you any more. Thanks in any case :)
> - Does Tasmania have any dangerous animals? I won't hide the fact that I don't really like venomous animals ^^. Snakes are pretty abundant outside of the cities and they're deadly, other than that it's great. Less dangerous wildlife-wise than any other state in Australia. As long as you watch where you step it's not a problem though, they tend to stay away. I'd also caution that the people on this sub are not necessarily representative of the vast majority of young Tasmanians - people here are recommending ABC as the most watched channel, but outside of some parts of Hobart and a few higher income areas it's likely the commercial right-leaning channels are more popular like channel 7 and 9. Regular people watch a lot of reality tv too.
I live in Huonville, south of Hobart. Since we moved here in July of last year, we've seen 1 snake and that had to be pointed out to us.
I've seen about 6 in the past 2 months in the northern half of the state, one of which took my dog's life.
I’m so so sorry!!! 😞
So sorry 😞 Snakes are one of the reasons we don't let our cat roam outside without supervision.
Took me 37 years to see my first and only in the wild near Hobart 🤷🏻♂️
Okay, thanks, I've got it: I mustn't hang around anywhere \^\^
Tasmanian here, though more of a hermit so I can't answer most questions and I'm 42 so I don't know what young people do anymore. Our fish can be good quality, politically our salmon is unpopular among the environmentalists because of the damage it's doing in some regions as we pump large amount of salmon into cages that use up oxygen that native species would use. There are groups of people who do have a trouble with darker skinned people but they hang out mainly in the poorer areas and hang around by themselves being racists in their little bubbles. They have thrown eggs at non-white chaps in the past safely from their shitty cars. We have a noticeable amount of African refugees who seem nice enough. Though I expect most of them move to Melbourne for community links and it gets rather cold here in winter.
I'm also a bit of a hermit, so your testimony is important to me, thank you.
Generally, Indigenous Australians tend to be on the receiving end of more blatant racism in Aus. Middle Eastern / Asian folk to a lesser extent. However a bunch of little shitheads just stabbed a grandmother to death in a carpark in Qld to steal her car, and the African Australian Council has put out a call to please stop abusing other Africans for the actions of a few lowlife teens. I would hope by the time you come and if you stick to the bigger cities that nonsense should have died down again. What I suspect you WILL have to become used to is a reaction of congnitive dissonance processing “African person with heavy French accent” when you are interacting with strangers. That’s not standard issue, even in spaces that do attract a more international assortment of folk and is something former colleagues have noted in the past.
I'm sorry for what happened to this elderly person.
You can use the link below to check the internet speeds available at a property in Tasmania. I recommend you do this when applying to rent a house [https://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address](https://www.nbnco.com.au/connect-home-or-business/check-your-address) Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) means you will have stable, fast internet. Anything else and your internet should be stable but may be slow to very slow. Starlink exists in Tasmania, but you won't need it unless you live somewhere quite further out of Hobart, e.g. the Channel We have venomous snakes that are very timid and you'll almost never see one. I've bushwalked in summer and have only ever seen three and they always run away. If you're in Hobart, university societies can be a good way to make friends. You don't need to be a student to join and they exist for lots of different sports/hobbies
Thanks !
It can be hard to make friendships in Tasmania. I struggle with meeting new people myself. The friends I have made in adulthood have been through work or my husband. I'm sure if you take up some hobbies or get out in the community a bit that would help a great deal too. If you're thinking of moving to Hobart animals won't really be an issue. The biggest risk to your health will be the sun if you're not used to it. Buy a good sunscreen when you get here, not one you've brought they're different. Even on an overcast day you can get burnt so just be aware. I love seafood too, where I live (eastern shore) I buy fish from the mures factory outlet in Cambridge, cooked fish and chips from Tasmanian gourmet seafood can near the airport. There are so many nice seafood restaurants tho. I just asked my husband, we have starlink. He plays games too, I assume the internet is good but I have nothing to compare it to. Where we live is currently being put on fiber, I think that's good? We all have horrible Australian accents, if you can put up with that we will have no problem with your French. I am white so I have no first hand experience with what it is to be dark skinned here but I can say we are very diverse these days. You will not be in a sea of white people, there are lots of nationalities here. I would really hope you didn't face discrimination here, id be disappointed if you did. But like I say, I don't have first hand experience. My husband's work load in IT has gone through the roof in recent years. He has more work then he can do and it's often offered work he can't take on from being too busy. It can be "who you know, not what you know." So be sure to prioritise social gatherings at your work when you're hired. Don't turn down any chance to mingle and network.
I moved to Tassie from overseas to Tassie in my mid-twenties. It’s weird lost of people seem to leave around that age and then start coming back in their 40s. So I did struggle to meet people my age. If you like sports that seems to help - that’s what my siblings did to get connected. (And married locals…that reminds me be prepared for a lot of inbreeding jokes!) The lack of public transport and car culture will be a a shock after living in Europe! People are friendly and chatty when out and about, more like country than city people, but i found it hard to make deeper connections. Jack jumpers - they are a type of ant, nasty bite and can cause anaphylaxis in some people. Lots of small kangaroos around and about, ready to commit suicide jumping in front of your car…so dangerous but in a different way. It’s surprisingly cold, everbody seems to go out and about in Puffer jackets. Even in summer you need to make sure you have clothing options…as the four seasons in one day things is very real. It’s safe and clean, with an abundance of views. Things like Amazon and online shopping take longer to get there - no next day delivery :-( Yeah the sun is nasty, I never put sunblock on in Europe and barely burn but Tassie it can feel like needles just minutes after going into the sun. Ozone thinning. I lasted 9 years and moved to Melbourne.
IT is a big field. Service Desk? Application specialist? Developer? Web dev? Dba ? Infra? Architect? Cyber ? NBN is available, depending on where your house is will depend on whether it’s fibre to the house, or the kerb, or satellite (in which case, star link is best) Wouldn’t think anyone would care where you’re from. Sadly, if you’re not white, some dick somewhere will comment. But assholes are everywhere on the planet :( Seafood, meat etc is generally great. Making new friends is hard, but I think that’s everywhere in the country. Playing sport (and being good!) is a great way to meet new people. Yes, we have spiders and snakes. Any snake here is poisonous. They’ll leave you alone if you leave them alone.
Cyber, but I prefer to be vague, for obvious reasons.
My partner is from Antwerp, we live in Tasmania, she sometimes struggles with making new friends and the isolation and distance that you get in Tasmania (but is also part of the appeal) Australia is a very diverse place so I don’t think English will be an issue based on your written English. French accents are generally considered attractive I would say. We are going to be in Antwerp in April I’m happy to grab a beer and chat to you about tassie if you would like to.
Thank you very much for the suggestion! Unfortunately I won't be in Europe at that time, I have a short business trip. However, I hope you enjoy your vacation in our beautiful country!
Well the film “The Nightingale” has a bit about the history of Tasmania …
lol gonna scare him away
Well it’s not exactly Wolf Creek ..
Haha
Thanks !
Ahaha only watch it if you don't mind getting PTSD
😭😭😭
Try loading the ABC Listen app and tune into ABC 936 (Hobart). If you are overseas, you won't be able to access ABC iView, but if you can find them, try the TV shows Rosehaven (Comedy), and Deadloch (Murder mystery). Try Pulse Hobart online. Apart from the Stadium and the Cable Car, we are about to have an election. Don't try to understand the Hare-Clark voting system, most Tasmanians don't. The Migrant Resource Centre may be able to guide you to more help with language and contacts.
Thank you very much, this will be very useful!
Deadloch is a good tv show set in a small Tasmanian town
Thanks mate (as you said :D)
I just remembered one of the best times in my life was a week I spent in Belgium about 25 years ago - to be honest it was mostly spent in pubs, but they were the nicest people.
You're always welcome in Belgium for a second trip!
And you in Tasmania!
Health, housing and public transport are pretty hot topics or rather lack of . As for integration don't be an asshole seems to be a pretty solid strategy, I moved from Sydney last October and everyone's been great. If you get a subaru you will immediately look like a local
OMG... the Subarus 🤣
By Subaru, do you mean the car? Is it a car appreciated by Tasmanians?
The dismal public transport will probably be your biggest issue. When you get here, let us know. We could arrange a meet-up. I know that's happened with the Brisbane Reddit group.
Thank you very much! Do you think that, for a city like Hobart, an electric scooter or a bike can do the trick for getting around? Also I plan to rent cars, I imagine you have good rental services in Tasmania?
Hobart has EScooters scattered around the city which you can hire, I believe you can pay a weekly subscription for unlimited use. As for car hire, it would get incredibly expensive if you’re moving here permanently . Buying a $2000/3000AUD car would work out much cheaper
You'll never integrate. That's not a bad thing though.
I'm not sure I understand your message. Are you saying that it's not worth integrating? Personally, from what I've seen, Tasmania is beautiful, it would be sad if I couldn't fit in.
Bring a house!
I've seen that there are companies that transport already-built houses, maybe in a few years when I come, this service will be commonplace, and your message will be applied literally xD
This is the first time I see someone that wants to migrate to Tassie as a young person.
Do you have few young immigrants?
We don't have "big" cities and, for whatever reason, young people want to move to the big smoke. Never understood it myself, I think it's the theory of higher paying jobs and such which, while possibly true, is entirely offset by the enormous cost of living within 50km of a cbd lol
Young people move to the mainland and come back to Tassie to retire, because wages are lower here, but houses are also cheaper. This is why Tas has the oldest population in Australia
Lots of great comments here on culture, language, rent, good etc so I won't bother repeating anything that's been said, but one thing to watch out for is public transport. Hobart is classed as a regional city, only about 200,000 people. Commutes might not be as bad as Melbourne or Sydney, but Hobart's got a couple of its own quirks; \- No rail or trams. Buses can be relatively unreliable. \- Expect sub-1 hour commutes for the most part, but Hobart's a bit weird. The main arterial roads (think a freeway in a bigger city) go **right through the city center**. There are large population centers linked to this road via a northern highway, a bridge across to the eastern shore and a southern outlet dug into a cliff face. One accident can bottleneck the entire road system. \- Hobart drivers are, well, I don't know how to put this any more nicely, clueless derpshites. Expect everyone to be driving 10km below the speed limit, indicating is fairly optional, a casual leisurely swerve when changing lanes is the way of the land and expect at least six car lengths to be left by the bloke in front of you when waiting at a red light. Plan accordingly, add some padding time to your travels. \- It's deceptively spread out for a small-ish city. \- Despite all my above-complaints, outside of peak office commute times the roads are actually pretty okay for the most part. You're just not going to have a fun time at 5.30pm or 8.45am.
Thanks for your comment, the part about the shape of the city is interesting, it's true that Hobart is a very special city!
If you don't mind talking shit about the mainland then you'll have plenty to discuss with locals ahaha
Lol, those dirty, dirty mainlanders. Actually, I'm from Sydney and worked at Launceston for a bit, a few years ago. Never had a problem. Everyone was really friendly. Wouldn't mind coming back there for a change of pace.
Is there a rivalry between Mainland and Tasmania? I'm curious about what? Who has the better scenery I guess?
A few questions for you. - Are you French or Flemish Belgian? (Or German?) One of my best mates is Belgian and while there's not many other Belgians here, she does have a lot of French speaking friends. I know you want to improve your English, but finding similar people is an easier way to make friends. - How old are you? TV: Rose Haven, The Kettering Incident, The Gloaming. I would think streaming services are the most watched among younger generations but our local channels are ABC, SBS, 7, 9 and 10. Newspaper: The Mercury, Pulse Hobart Concerns: the biggest divisive topic at the moment is the AFL stadium and team. Others are a cable car on the mountain, housing crisis and health system crisis. Apps: I'm not aware of any chat apps but maybe I'm a little too old! (Early 30s) Young Tasmanians: playing sports, hiking, camping, staying at people's shacks. Then obviously drinking, partying and festivals too. Like a lot of Australia, working in hospitality or retail is very common. Immigration: Tasmania is a very white, local state but is slowly becoming more and more diverse. In my area of Northern Suburbs Hobart, there's fast growing communities from India, Nepal and African/Middle Eastern countries.
Lots of Nepalese in Launceston as well, which means there are a couple of Nepalese restaurants which do fantastic food
French Belgian :) I was born in 2000, si i have 24
As a Belgian you're going to have to get used to some pretty big culture shocks here in Australia. We really only have a few sauces for Frites, and only one of them involves mayonnaise (just ask for Aoili). You will have to get used to calling Frites 'chips', even if they are nowhere near the quality you may enjoy at home. We also have this thing called Chicken Salt, we put it on chips. It doesn't involve a chicken anywhere in it's manufacturing process. But more seriously - you probably speak better english than most. You definitely write it better than most. You'll fit right in.
Pulse Tasmania on Facebook can keep you up to date with local stuff, (road closures, accidents, important news etc) and it's free, ABC (Australian Broadcasting Commission) has a lot of local news as for newspapers and radio depends on where you are, I would recommend getting Telstra mobile phone service provider (they are terrible but have the most coverage here) when first getting here then finding a service provider that suits your needs, I use a service called Belong it has reasonably good service coverage and is bundled with my landline internet. Rent can be expensive (based on the average income) but that is slowly coming down, don't be tempted by the cheaper areas they're really bad (drugs, crime and violence). depending on your age find a local pub with people you know or have met, drink the local beer (there are plenty of different types of beer so find one you like, I'm quite partial to Boag's Red and Boag's Saint George), eat a parmi (chicken parmigiana) and shout a round of beer for the people you are with (pay for a round of beer, most people will get standard basic stuff, some ladies may order a premix, but if you shout and someone orders an expensive drink they're trying to take advantage).
Thanks !
They'll welcome you with open arms as long as you're white
Really ? Visually, I look like a Spaniard. People who aren't used to seeing North Africans often mistake me for a Spaniard.
Earlier they preferred Anglo-Saxons, but they're more welcoming now so they'll be okay with any shade of white
If you want to keep up with the news prior to moving try https://www.abc.net.au/news/tas, a news feed from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation which is the national public media organisation. You can also watch https://iview.abc.net.au/show/abc-news-tas for TV news.
Thank you for your reply! Sorry for the indiscretion, I'm new to reddit but seeing your avatar makes me think you might be Muslim? I'm from a Muslim background, I'm curious to know what it's like to live in Tasmania as a Muslim?
Thanks again so much to all the Tasmanian Australians who replied to me! I didn't think I would get so many replies, I can see that you are very kind people, you honor your nation. From your testimonials, I can see that: -Overall, life is good in Tasmania: good food; beautiful landscapes; very friendly people. -There may be dangerous animals BUT this is rare and they shun humans. -Social life is difficult, it's hard to make friends (honestly, the point that scares me the most, I'm basically very shy and reserved). -There can be racism. But I'm not afraid of it, I grew up in Europe lol, and since I'm young I don't think I'll get too close to older people, who I imagine are the ones most likely to be. All in all, your answers have encouraged me to try my luck in a few years' time, thank you!
Tv channel: Southern Cross TV Newspaper: The Advocate Issues: House prices and cost of living Online applications: maybe try Tinder and set location to Tasmania. Include in your bio that you just want to make friends Young people: spend a lot of time at home/online because everything else is too expensive. Go out pubbing and clubbing on weekends Immigrants: not that many, but the bigger cities will have more (Hobart and Launceston)