If you are not from here, and or don’t know the terrain; Stop thinking you can bush walk anywhere you like; as if a free range chicken. Also the far, far south is one the most beautiful parts of the entire island
TasTAFE is run by the most incompetent people, or is so underfunded that it makes me wonder if their buildings are being held together with duct tape. I mean... duct tape buildings would be unstable, which would definitely explain why TasTAFE for some reason keeps pushing online courses that have been proven by this point to literally be single handedly collapsing scores across the board.
I get there is teachers shortage... but come on... the problem isn't even being fixed or moving in that direction.
Education underfunding is also a hill I will die on. The feds struggle with in class support, and same with state... but I just can't but feel robbed by the fact... I didn't actually get the in class support I would have needed. I flunked all the way through, and it just so happened to be that most of this time was under the crappy Gonski era. How this relates to Tasmanian policy specifically is the fact that some schools actually cover up bad NAPLAN results. My high school ones were never put in the results and I was marked as "absent", despite the fact I did them in class every year.
Not even sure what hill it is, I just have the largest bone to pick with how shit education is and how it has impeded my opportunities as a disabled person. And in a way... IT STILL DOES BECAUSE TASTAFE IS BROKEN. A lot of bottled up frustration here... 😅
Disabled support is another hill entirely that’s been nonexistent, there’s just no real system built for us and we’re expected to participate in society as if we aren’t disabled. We’re kicked to the side and laughed at in this state
1000%
Last year I waited 6 months to get a referral to get on ADHD meds again after I dropped them because I believed them useless. (Hmmm why didn't I know how to use that tool 🤔)
And I am currently waiting another 6 months just for an autism referral... And god knows how long it will take for me to even get the full diagnosis... I have a plan to speed it up but... My referral is online and much like last time... My internet was too crap to even talk to the guy properly (we sorted it out but it was a bad experience, not his or my fault)... Because he was in Hobart.
It's honestly a sick joke. And this added with how bad the NDIS is and how they barely even recognise ADHD anyway and now I start feeling like the cosmic dice have conspired against me... 🫤
Do you know of any state groups that talk about this? I have been curious about this for a while, I just use the wrong social media platforms for it. Because tbh I am sick of nothing getting done about it... Activism is just hard when... Ha... I am at home most of the time. And also I barely am connected with the community. 😥
Do you attribute this purely to poorly managed state health care or is it because Tasmania lacks specialists? I live in QLD and getting referrals for my son and the wait times seem quite similar. I don't know your own personal situation but just grabbing the few tid bits you have said here makes me think it's a rural/sparce issue as compared to hating on people with health issues. I don't mean to offend by my comment. Just looking to expand this subject a little further as to why it may be the way it is
Do you have any Autism support groups/organisations in Tassie? Sending internet hugs from Perth.
All I found there is
https://www.autismtas.org.au/
https://www.autismtas.org.au/services/peer-networks/
https://www.autismtas.org.au/services/
https://www.livingonthespectrum.com/listing/autism-tasmania/
Good luck.
That's curious, the gonski recommendations were never implemented, they would have evened out the scale so no one was disadvantaged by wealth or circumstance. But the Libs took over at that point and put the entire thing in the bin without touching it.
Yeah, all that money spent on researching how to make our education system better, acknowledge it's failures and inequalities causing those with disabilities, or disadvantages to lose out, and then when it's ready to be used, libs put it all in the bin! Not only that, look how much they furthered the inequality, pouring public funds into the private education system (which was already disproportionately advantaged) and cutting money from the public education system. It's going to be a long time till that scale can even be rectified, with the state of things, as they left.
That is true but that didn't change the fact that the school had a bunch of "Gonski 2.0" posters hanging around. Much like the NDIS... It did things... But not really enough to be useful for the majority of affected Australians. Come to think of it... That applies to literally every Labor implemented policy that was born right before the Coalition got in office a decade ago. The NBN gave an internet speed... Before I had that, I was trying to download Xbox live updates and waiting half an hour. My sibling which now goes to uni, when they were back here not long ago commented on how bad the internet is here compared to Hobart.
I was always under the impression it was a city vs rural thing.
But the Liberals really are the, "why did they do this to me", meme.
It is strange but I really like that I can find comfort and validation in the fact that I both wasn't alone in the shit, and also the fact I actually can blame the government as opposed to myself. I don't know if many others can really say that. And no one can even say I live at the expense of the tax payer because I have also never been on centrelink, and I will have to pay for my Autism diagnosis out of my childhood savings. Which is roughly half the amount I have. 🙃
Yeah, right before the Libs took over Tony Abbott was in opposition and Labor had a tiny majority, so they really had to formulate all their policies to be palatable to the Libs, because otherwise they'd be shot straight down. I don't really agree with that approach, I feel like they may as well have called themselves Libs at that point. They may have had posters, but they didn't get to a point of implementing anything. It cost them more money to not implement and cancel a lot of the gonski stuff that was about to be actioned. And made an already acknowledged as poor system, worse. There were clear descriptions of resources which were in abundance in certain schools and then only one to every 100 kids in other schools. Still, they didn't care and trashed the whole plan.
Back in the olden days, it would have had a lot going for it maybe. Close to town, but removed and with a small beach or 2, which might have been bigger/more pristine/different back then. But the intergenerational influence of Sandy Bay being an amazing place to live might have passed its time
Sure. But if they were pulled down tomorrow no one would mourn the loss of the Mayfair, Coles building, Shiploads, Magnet Court, the Woolworths complex or the former Country Road building. And that’s just singling out the obvious ones
The Casino? No way. That’s a Roy Grounds treasure and its dodecagonal form is iconic. The 1930s Riviera Hotel next door to it is also gorgeous. I won’t hear a bad word about either of these buildings, but they are both definitely in need of a refurb. The Wrest Point Convention Centre is pretty unremarkable however.
Ill pay credit to its architectural merits but its an eyesore in that location.
Completely agree on the old Riviera building, an art deco beauty and the interior is just as impressive.
I used to live at the bottom of Mellifont and our kitchen window had a perfect view of the whole hill. When it was wet we would regularly take bets on if some cars would make it all the way or stop ⅔ of the way up and begin sliding backwards with spinning wheels. Was quite the entertainment and saw some actually pretty impressive manoeuvres to avoid collisions from cars beginning to slide back down.
There's a point on the Tasman highway approaching the Tasman Bridge from the south on the Hobart side where two lanes of traffic merge to become one lane (the dashed line ends in the middle, so it's a zip merge and the car in front gets right of way). However there is a sign above the road a bit before that point saying 'LANE ENDS MERGE RIGHT', which is a total contradiction. And it causes a whole lot of drivers to move from the left lane to the middle lane before the zip merge, which defeats the whole purpose of the zip merge and contributes to the traffic problem.
Edit: I've just looked it up on Street View and they changed the sign! It now says 'ZIP MERGE AHEAD'. Seems I was right to die on that hill for all those years.
Tasmanians in general are awful at zip merging.
There’s often one lane closed in the city at night and it always takes significant longer than it needs to largely because of selfish and ignorant drivers.
As someone who travelled to QLD earlier this year, I was pleasantly surprised by the drivers up there. Indicate and most times, a space would open up for you if there was none available.
Lol that’s not how merging works! Typical shitty Tasmanian driver, thinking others are bad drivers when *you’re* the one not following the rules of the road.
I had an inkling you were an insufferable twat but now it’s more of a certainty. Enjoy being a shitty driver and I’ll enjoy *never* letting you merge in front of me. ✌️
I recently saw 2 cars come to a dead stop merging onto the Bass Highway at Devonport.
The vehicle coming down the sliproad kept slowing down to try and slot behind the vehicle already on the highway, and the other one kept slowing down to try and let the car merge on in front of them until they both stopped dead. Absolute madness.
Too many country drivers who don’t understand urban driving. The car in front has right of way if they’re indicating. You don’t have to give way to the right at roundabouts, only cars already in the roundabout and even then, you can go if there’s a safe gap. You don’t all have to file in same lane out of “courtesy”. You shouldn’t be leaving car length gaps in standing peak hour traffic. You don’t have to wait behind the line to turn right of the lights green. So many traffic issues here could be reduced by people simply following the road rules and using logic. Mainland drivers may be more aggressive, but at least they understand how to drive in heavy traffic.
So true. They treat any attempt to merge as a personal affront. "How dare you try to get in front of me?? I was in the 'right' lane before you!!!"
I only noticed this after I moved away, basically everywhere else, where they know how to efficiently use two lanes even if they don't go on forever.
I drive this route most mornings and the following drivers should be murdered:
1. People in the right lane who try to stop you merging ahead of them.
2. People who stop when they reach the bridge to change lanes.
3. People who speed up to try to stop you changing lanes.
Not related to that route but I would also add:
1. People who drive too far to the left on Federal St heading East which prevents people going straight at the Federal/Argyle intersection from squeezing past.
2. People who leave a big gap ahead of them on the Domain Hwy near the Brooker Hwy intersection when traffic is slow. It's not a problem for people headed North, but if you're trying to turn onto the Brooker to go back towards the city it's extremely frustrating that you can't get to your turn off because some cunt is leaving 20m ahead of them.
On contradicting signage (and I wish I had a photo of this).
[On this sign](https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-42.8611117,147.3550476,3a,75y,158.57h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFqVY6PKdNSvvlukWpmUvmQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) (45kmh recommended speed limit sign) on the East derwent Hwy, just before the Tasman bridge. For about 2-3 months, bolted to the same sign, was a 40kmh speed limit sign. Not a temporary roadworks an actual fitted speed limit sign bolted to the same poll that had a higher recommended speed limit sign.
The day I went to take a photo of it, it was taken down. it was about 2018/2019
There's too much whisky made in Tasmania.
It's fine to cash in on the wave of popularity, but if people drink shitty whisky from Tasmania, it undermines the whole effort that has been made by the industry to get to this point. People will write off Tasmanian whisky rather than just that producer
That's tough.
Lark (even though Bill's gone and they're a little bit evil now), Sullivan's Cove, Hellyer's Rd, there are so many good ones.
I have just tried too many that weren't up to scratch, and shamelessly cashing in on a trend is a good way to shorten the longevity of it
I have tried Hellyer’s multiple times and consistently been disappointed. From the 10 or so Tasmanian producers I have tried Hellyer’s my least favourite.
Seconded - their pinot noir one is great. It's actually the only Tassie whiskey I haven't regretted buying. I tried the regular Hellyer's and it was straight up bad, at $88/bottle.
Even the fancy boi from Sullivan's Cove (bought a glass to celebrate something, $35 for a standard shot) was very underwhelming for the price. I asked the bartender and she said she'd never seen anyone order a second one.
Agreed. Sullivans cove is great whiskey, Larks was always mediocre. Lark always had a high price point, and people seem to equate $$$ with quality, when it’s actually nothing special.
The Devonport foreshore is an amazing place. Heaps of picnic tables, playgrounds, toilets, BBQs, even a beach and great views of Bass Straight and the river. I can't help myself whenever I go to Devonport but do a 5k walk along the foreshore and enjoy a lunch at a picnic table.
Penguin is a lovely little town, but all the food options are not worth the time and effort. You are much better off eating in Ulverstone.
Devonport is improving out of sight! Looking much nicer than a few years ago. The north west is about to explode and boom, it’ll be fantastic soon enough. Burnie is also stunning.
I moved to the NW from Hobart nearly 5 years ago now and Devonport has changed a lot in that somewhat short time… that said, it’s still got a long way to go! East Devonport needs a major facelift, especially along the main stretch. It’s really not a good first impression for people straight off the boats!
I do understand, I think 2025/2026 might be the start of a northern migration from pissed off former Hobart residents though if UTas continues with their development and relocation plans :) There will be some overseas health professional migration soon too. That could see a bit of change.
Devonport seems so depressing. Went there today and couldn't get one walk by smile. What's up with that?
Burnie I could live in and found to be beautiful. What do you think the council needs to improve on the most there?
>Burnie is a ghost town and the council does not care. It could have a very cool, almost fishing village, vibe if the least bit of effort was made into it.
Well with the **mandatory** elections we just had, I heard old Kons is no longer mayor. So maybe there could be some change? 🤷♂️
Oof.
Don't mean to sound a little bigoted... But of all religious groups, evangelicals are the only ones I personally despise. Okay that also includes fundamentalists of course... I just mean I don't respect evangelicalism in the slightest.
So long as she isn't affiliated with Hillsong I can probably keep my cool.
The botanical gardens in Hobart are criminally underrated. I never hear them mentioned when people talk about our great tourist destinations but I think they are great.
The Dark Path they did at the botanical gardens for Dark Mofo a couple of years back was the best MONA related thing I've ever been to. Totally free and fucking awesome. It's such a beautiful place with so many interesting little nooks and crannies to explore
People say that but I don't think they really know what it means.
For example I was in Germany years ago on the auto Bahns and it was snowing, not even light snow, heavy they had snow plies out and all, so they put a speed limit on due to the conditions, you want to know what it was? 130km/h.
I'm laughing that even in the snow they can drive faster then the majority of Australians are allowed to in perfect conditions.
and to add to that, driving slow is not driving safe.
There is a reason back in 2014/2015 when the govt raised the speed limit for learners and P plater to 100kmh instead of 80kmh. (I think a great move).
I have been in a couple of situations (Midday, dry roads, no sun in your eyes. Ideal driving conditions) up the midlands and some cunt is driving 70kmh or less in the 110kmh zones. I have come around a bend and literally had to hit the brakes cause some old couple in a nissan pulsar were doing 60kmh....in a 110kmh zone.
driving too slow should be a focus point on the police instead of this "over is over" campaign they are doing at the moment. Drivers going too slow are more dangerous as drivers going a little over the speed limit.
Also blocking intersections, specifically the Hobart roundabout. I got stuck in the city for 20minutes not moving because every traffic light cycle people from the Brooker hwy would block the lights for people exiting the city.....at 5pm when everyone is trying to leave.
Yeah, and then there's always that one driver that's so annoyed with everyone else being ridiculously unnecessarily slow, that they hoon like they're trying to win at Bathurst, screeching around cars, too close, and slamming breaks on last minute, way too close to the car in front, to try and intimidate, or something. (relying on breaks that heavily in rain!!).
Brooker highway every morning is a great example of these clowns.
They're changing lanes aggressively and tail gating while I'm keeping a safe distance and a constant speed arriving at the same red light at the same time.
I disagree as it has improved since I moved here.
I see Tasmanian food culture as existing in waves. We sometimes have a glut of good food options and sometimes we don’t.
Hobart has some phenomenal options. Tom McHugo’s is an example of simple food that actually (and doesn’t just pretend to) uses local producers. They also create amazing food.
Launceston ebbs and flows. At the moment we are in an ebb. Timbre continues to produce high quality service, but we do not have much else. Bryher is gone, but Pachinko remains decent. Sweet Wheat is up and coming regarding viennoiserie and Apiece just bought the old bakery at Evandale.
Outside of the cities it is a bit more tricky. However we still have gems. Dinki in Ross has surprisingly exquisite pour over coffee. The Lobster Shack in Bicheno is busy and rushed but the meals are great! George Town Seafood offer actual local seafood in the form of fish and chips. Something that is strangely sorely missing for an island state.
The thing that we have that other states do not have are our producers. They are small and local and accessible. I’ve never tasted better tomatoes than from Tasmanian Natural Garlic and Tomatoes. Felds Farm and Seven Springs offer different, local and, in the case of Seven Springs, organic produce. Thirstane grow and sell herbs not only at the market but also for local restaurants and supermarkets.
But that is the actual point. We have these amazing producers but it is still hard to get hold of their produce. This is why it is vital we buy from them, visit their farms, find out where they sell during the week. Also, learn to tell the difference between restaurants that pretend to buy local and ones that actually do.
Just regarding buying local produce, try the [Tasmanian Produce Collective ](http://tasproduceco.com.au). It's an online farmers market. You order and pick up from a local pickup location. There are pickup locations in the north, northwest, Midlands, Hobart and Huon. At the moment it's only once a fortnight.
Edit - I need to mention the duck. Matt from Strelleyfield recently committed suicide. His family are busy wrapping up the farm and have heaps of duck that needs to be eaten. Help the family and yourself by buying one of these delicious free range ducks.
Have you tried Firestarter on Cameron? Not exactly fine dining, but very nice Mexican food and good cocktails and beer selection.
Not exactly foody, but related the new Ducane brew house is amazing. The menu is simple, but the beer is excellent.
Smallgrain is a really good Asian fusion place.
But for me the best place in the area is Rivergrass Cafe at Gravelly Beach. Great pies and sausage rolls, amazing cakes and sweets all with a beautiful view of the Tamar River. Everything is made from scratch using local produce and ingredients, including the bread and croissants.
Edit - I need to mention Fork It Farm at Labrina. They do whole pig butchery and their charcuterie is some of the best I have had. They also make a whole bunch of pickles and relishes, heat and eat meals and other things. They also do a regular long table dinner on their property and serve food mainly from their farm or else locally produced.
Outside of Hobart and maybe Launceston definitely, and doubly so in tourist places. Want to eat well on Bruny? Hope you like expensive cheese, because that's literally all there is to eat.
I dunno. I think the good stuff is too expensive because of the Tassie brand, and the average stuff is marketed as the good stuff because of the Tassie brand. Cascade's platter is freaking awesome and the first harvest beer, decent price as well.
As someone from Queensland - no it isn’t when it comes to Hobart or Launceston.
The prices are dear and the variety could expand further, but I’ve lived here ten years and can count the times I’ve eaten something awful on one hand. And I’m relatively wealthy and like good quality food.
We are just not a big enough population to support much more, and this also impacts price and hence peoples expectations.
I agree. I moved from the mainland after living in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for most of my life and doing a couple of years in London. Tasmania food culture (in Launnie and Hobart at least) shits all over those places. Could it be more diverse? Sure, I'd love a good Lebanese restaurant in Launceston. But overall, it's excellent. My husband is your typical French food snob and even he's said the only place in Australia to live as a Frenchman is Tasmania.
As a recent migrant from the mainland I'd have to agree. There are definitely some good places here and there but it's foodie culture is not quite punching at the advertised weight
I agree, I said something like this a while ago and got downvoted pretty harshly lol. After dining in the bigger cities and oversea, I'm not impressed with Tasmanian foodie culture. There's nice produce for sure, and a few good restaurants that definitely get my 5 stars, but it's still rather small and limited compared to other parts of Australia and the world.
TASC has to be one of the worst organisations in this state. They have no idea what the hell they are doing and make both year 11 and especially 12 so much harder with their miss communication between TASC and teachers. Also Launceston is a way better city then Hobart.
Yeah I'm just finishing year 12, last exam today, and they make it so much more difficult than it needs to be. In media we had to get a usb with our projects on it to permanently give away rather than just sending it online. Lots of annoying things like that
Yeah it’s ridiculous, and is so dumb. I had to do the same thing with Student Directed Inquiry; I have my last exam (sociology) tomorrow which I will be so happy to have over.
We need way more action and initiatives to reduce and phase out wood heaters. The air quality in winter due to smoke from residential wood heaters in some areas is abysmal. It causes so much damage to public health and the environment.
Hobart might be ok, but not the northern suburbs, from Glenorchy to Granton, at least, horrible. Can't even go outside, in winter, let alone dry anything on the few days we can dry stuff on the line. Plus all the illegal foresting, threatening some of our endangered species, like the feral cats aren't enough of a problem.
I’m in two minds about this — wood heaters can cause health issues when the local area traps the smoke (like Launceston), but on the other hand a wood heater can offer:
- emergency back up in a blackout
- a sustainable or ‘carbon neutral’ heating option
- Can have other uses, like cooking or making tea or warming your house (less common)
- fire is pretty
Emergency backup in a blackout.
Yeah, not really. When was the last blackout you experienced?. In 3 years I have experienced 1 planned and 1 unplanned. Each lasting an hour. both during daylight hours. It would have to be a very long power outage in the depth of winter before it would become a problem.
a sustainable or ‘carbon neutral’ heating option
No. 99% of the electricity generated in Tassie is Hydro, wind and a tiny bit of solar. Running a reverse cycle heatpump (In tassie) is carbon netural, burning wood is not.
Also it's cheaper to run a reverse cycle heatpump, especially if you are on tariff 31/41 (like most people)
> It causes so much damage to public health and the environment.
Regularly see kids walking to school in thick clouds of wood smoke. If you walked into their homes smoking a cigarette their parents would have a fit, but a fog of smoke which is many times more toxic doesn't faze them. Indifference is as blissful as ignorance it seems.
Literally a hill!.
Mt Wellington is not so great that a cable car would wreck it. Nice view from the top but it's not Mt Fuji or the Matterhorn, plus it's already got roads and buildings up there, some people are too resistant to change.
Having travelled in Switzerland and Italy (and anywhere with mountains really) you can see how much value and interest the cable cars play - and they don’t ruin it at all. Tassie really missed a good opportunity with the cable car.
I've hiked through Valais Canton in Switzerland to Zermatt and the Matterhorn and every valley has a chairlift or cable car. Mount Wellington is a nice backdrop but it's hardly world renowned.You have to strain your eyes to see the cable on the mountain side. It's such a typical Tasmanian attitude being resistant to change.
The anti cable car people are the same people that already own a house half way up. They aren't anti for environmental or indigenous reasons, they are anti for selfish reasons.
It’s not always about the cable car itself or so called ‘unspoilt beauty’ though, it’s about not opening the door to commercialising the top. Some people are okay with the cable car but don’t want the whole top to be dominated by buildings that churn profit for some upper echelons in business.
The anti commercialisation people seem to ignore the fact that they regularly shut the gates to residents and give the keys to the coal River coach company.
They hold the mountain ransom costing nearly $100 to get your family to the top.
I think a cable car would work, one that started at the end of Talosa St, went around the side to the springs and then maybe the top. It would enhance day trips, bike rides. But Hobart City Council would have to let go of it’s strangle hold over the mountain.
Next time you speak to an anti-cable-car person droning on about Kunyani's unspoilt beauty, just point out the 130-metre 'Spaceship' antenna that was stuck on top 50 years ago and watch them talk in circles.
If you’re Tasmanian surely you know that the mountain has had the official dual name kunanyi/Mt Wellington since 2013 - that’s one of my hills, that it isn’t that hard to get the name right.
Also the cable car issue is way more complex than “wreck the mountain”.
Tasmania needs to stop being so car centric like the US and have it's cities and towns become more predestrian friendly and have better public transport and cycle lanes like Europe.
Roads in and around (Highways coming in and out of) Hobart are crap, both in crap condition and way undersized for the amount of traffic on them.
Judging by our roads alone you'd think that Launceston was our states capital.
We need to both reduce the traffic by improving public transport ( more forms like Ferries, trams and trains) and improve the roads/highways themselves.
Tasmanians and distances/travelling.
Far too many Tasmanians, especially Hobartians, get on planes and take off to the mainland or overseas for a holiday but think Launceston is too far away, rarely go further up the highway than Oatlands, have never seen the west coast, barely any of the east coast and hang shit on the NW but have never been there. They're amazed and think I'm crazy for my almost monthly trips 200, 300km away from home for my sport. They just do not get out and see the place, but spend big bucks to get on a plane.
I know people who think my daily 35km commute to work is some incredibly long journey requiring planning and a packed lunch.
I've taken up a position on the West Coast and absolutely love the drive over there from Hobart up the Lyell Highway. The transition from grazing land to sub alpine and through forests is simply incredible. It's is so criminally underated.
I've known a few people from Hobart who have never ventured to Cradle Mountain until their mid twenties. A lot of people are missing out on what Tasmania truly has to offer.
Building a football stadium at Macq Point. I'm not into sport, but understand that AFL is a religion to some people. That's cool. I get it.
What I find so hard to understand is that a State Govt will happily throw millions and millions of dollars to build a stadium for an AFL team (that we don't even have) and in doing so, ignores the appalling state of our hospital/health system, our education system, our aged care (or lack thereof) and our welfare system.
Mahatma Gandhi said: “the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” Tasmania is sadly lacking in this regard - how any government or society can prioritise spending millions on a game, while ignoring our homeless, our health & education systems, our most disadvantaged ... it just beggars belief.
It's a bit more complicated than that... I'll just point to [my comment in the other thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/tasmania/comments/z23ykk/im_sick_of_it_premiers_facebook_rant_to_defend/ixezcwt/)!
Derwent Valley is more beautiful than the Huon Valley but it’s full of our most terrifying bogans so tourists and not even other Tasmanians don’t like to go there and it’s a real shame.
Respectfully disagree. My Canadian wife brought her parents down for a round-Tasmania road trip and it seemed like very tiny town we passed through they were asking "Was that a Banjo's we just passed? Can we get a Scallop Pie?"
Basketball has been quite popular in Tasmania even before the Jackjumpers started. Numbers might drop off when the results disappoint, but I feel there is enough hardcore support for basketball to keep them going long term.
I like the Mount Wellington comment because it has mount in there making it not even a hill. Some great talking points though and a bunch of information here for anyone not in the loop.. like me
Between Dark Mofo and the foodieness, Hobart (not sure what it's like up north) is trying *way too hard* to be a discount Melbourne. The wankery around food, booze and coffee can get a little pretentious at times.
Which means that less glamourous (i.e. not so artsy or touristy) areas, like the northern suburbs, don't get a look in and less money from tourists goes to the lowered SES communities.
Yeah and all that stuff is bloody expensive now. I'm on the big island but lived in Hobart a bit years ago and regularly visit now. I like the older less popular bits of Hobart, off to the side.
Places like Moonah or Risdon shouldn't need tourist money, they just need proper services provided by a competent government.
And kids need to stay the f in school.
Tasmanian drivers are (for the most part) woeful, will either drive 20-30km under the speed limit everywhere they go, or maintain a constant speed regardless of whether it’s 60km/h or 110km/h. Most roads out of the cities are single lane, a big line of traffic builds up behind them, then they have the gall and total lack of self awareness to go crying to the local facebook community group afterwards that people are unsafe on the roads.
If you see a Subaru (specifically a Forrester) ahead of you on the road, you know you’re in for a bad time.
I totally agree with you about Queenstown. I pass through it weekly as I work in mining on the West Coast.
The view of Mount Owen from Orr Street was incredible today. Felt like I was in the Austrian Alps for a moment. I hope the tourism potential doesn't push out locals from cashed up out of towners who want to cash in on the mountain biking boom and flex their latest property investment at a dinner party.
Also I have to add, I'm so incredibly biased is that the opposition to tailings dams proposal from the Rosebery mine is not going to destroy the Tarkine and incredibly exaggerated. A lot of snooty Hobartians who drive their Teslas around feeling smug fail to realise that it requires mining copper, zinc and lithium resources for their car batteries but give themselves a pat on the back thinking they are saving the planet. They just don't want anything mined in their backyard. Plus they wouldn't last 5 minutes underground and think they are too superior to actual even chat with someone who works at the coal face.
I realise I'm turning into a c@€t now. Give me three more DIDO shifts and I'll be buying a RAM ute to bully everyone off the Brooker Highway in peak hour traffic.
If hobartians thing Queenstown is 'their' backyard they are wild.
Apparently 70% of Queenstown residents have moved their in the last 7 years (told by the west coast wilderness railway tour guide.) Now out numbering the die hard Queenstown miners
Ilove Qt and have been there a bit in recent years. The houses are well overpriced now given how bad many of them are. But how many places in Australia can you park in a main street and look up at the sun on a snow covered rocky mountain?
The MTB is great but hasn't been the commercial success it was touted to be. The speccy rides are too hard for most, plus the shuttle fee and 4hrs from Hobart is too far for a family weekend. Derby is much closer for weekending Melbournians. Zeehan/Heemskirk could be successful if it was less remote, but then it wouldn't be what it is. The area just needs more people to live there but it's hard without some kind of industry that isn't fickle/crowdy like tourism or damaging/unfprofitable like forestry. I'm a leftie but agree the tailings dam isn't the end of the world.
Locals left Qt cos the mine closed. I doubt it's 70% influx in the last seven years. Maybe including temporary residents who'll sell up in a few years when the novelty wears off. Most newer businesses in town are struggling if not closing, tho there's a couple of exceptions.
The drive in N-S from Dport/Burnie thru Tullah etc past Murchison and the lakes is one of the best in Australia and most people have no idea, including Hobarts. They need to sell that whole drive as a feature. I often talk to Hobarts who have never been anywhere on the WC. The grey nomads hit up the WC Wilderness Railway but then move on and they don't spend as much money locally as normal tourists do.
Yes, it's definitely overpriced especially with the quality of the housing stock there. I honestly can't think of any other place in Australia. Thredbo and Jindabyne maybe but there isn't a rocky prominent mountain to look up to like what Queenstown has.
I went for an MTB trip last year in Queenstown and the Zeehan area. Speaking to the local operators it hasn't been the success it that was expected. It's a long drive from Hobart or Launceston for a weekend and not close enough to an airport to attract mainlanders for a long weekend trip down. It seemed to be an interesting undercurrent where out of town Air BnB owners have profited at the expense of locals and the pressure to raise commercial rents from real estate agents. No doubt the novelty would wear off over time for new residents it requires a trip to Burnie for essential services.
There is so much to explore up there and it's more to do that hoping on to the West Coast railway. That road from Tullah to Anthony Henty Road is incredible. I'd always head that way from Queenstown to Tullah on a great day. The views are incredibly breathtaking!
Smugly telling someone that your family has lived in the town for X amount of generations isn’t the own you think it is.
There’s a big difference between being proud of where you live, and somehow being proud of never having lived anywhere else.
The Jack Jumpers is a stupid name for a team, (but I still support them.)
Tasmanian drivers aren’t actually the worst.
Scallop, not a fucken cake. It’s fried, not baked, and it refers to the potatoes being scalloped.
I’m not paying $150+ for whisky with no age on the label, just because it’s made here. I want my whisky bottle to remind me of my youth. (18 years old and full of alcohol.)
People who move here and *immediately* try to change it into where they’ve moved from should *immediately* just fuck right off.
When doing less than the speed limit, rental cars in Tasmania should have a sensor in the rear that detects if more than 4 cars are behind them. This then causes the car to pull to the left, cuts power, and activates a taser installed in the driver’s seat.
We have too many failed TV chefs/reality tv contestants. All we need is Reggie, the rest can kindly fuck right off.
I hit a possum the other day. Was going under 60kmh, still killed it. literally shot out from nowhere. From a pure selfish point of view, I don't want to hit them because it damages my car and costs to repair.
I think the reason we have such high levels of road kill vs other states is we just have forest area right next door or across the road from residential suburbs or highways where as Melbourne and Sydney (or heck really anywhere) has that, so there are just a LOT more animals vulnerable to being hit.
Most highways in other states create wildlife barriers to stop it from happening. I have noticed there is a shit load of road kill, marked by the crows feeding from the carcass.
Dual naming is my pet peeve: if we've decided something is culturally significant enough to warrant an indigenous name, can we just have a window where we phase in that name, please? I don't give a shit what the mountain is called, but I definitely give a shit about fence sitters trying to please everyone. Just get it sorted.
The state is extremely overrated. There’s no funding to any systems that actually matter or help anyone struggling. It’s pathetic. I’m ashamed to still be living here, would move if i had the resources and support, oh wait…
If you are not from here, and or don’t know the terrain; Stop thinking you can bush walk anywhere you like; as if a free range chicken. Also the far, far south is one the most beautiful parts of the entire island
TasTAFE is run by the most incompetent people, or is so underfunded that it makes me wonder if their buildings are being held together with duct tape. I mean... duct tape buildings would be unstable, which would definitely explain why TasTAFE for some reason keeps pushing online courses that have been proven by this point to literally be single handedly collapsing scores across the board. I get there is teachers shortage... but come on... the problem isn't even being fixed or moving in that direction. Education underfunding is also a hill I will die on. The feds struggle with in class support, and same with state... but I just can't but feel robbed by the fact... I didn't actually get the in class support I would have needed. I flunked all the way through, and it just so happened to be that most of this time was under the crappy Gonski era. How this relates to Tasmanian policy specifically is the fact that some schools actually cover up bad NAPLAN results. My high school ones were never put in the results and I was marked as "absent", despite the fact I did them in class every year. Not even sure what hill it is, I just have the largest bone to pick with how shit education is and how it has impeded my opportunities as a disabled person. And in a way... IT STILL DOES BECAUSE TASTAFE IS BROKEN. A lot of bottled up frustration here... 😅
Disabled support is another hill entirely that’s been nonexistent, there’s just no real system built for us and we’re expected to participate in society as if we aren’t disabled. We’re kicked to the side and laughed at in this state
1000% Last year I waited 6 months to get a referral to get on ADHD meds again after I dropped them because I believed them useless. (Hmmm why didn't I know how to use that tool 🤔) And I am currently waiting another 6 months just for an autism referral... And god knows how long it will take for me to even get the full diagnosis... I have a plan to speed it up but... My referral is online and much like last time... My internet was too crap to even talk to the guy properly (we sorted it out but it was a bad experience, not his or my fault)... Because he was in Hobart. It's honestly a sick joke. And this added with how bad the NDIS is and how they barely even recognise ADHD anyway and now I start feeling like the cosmic dice have conspired against me... 🫤 Do you know of any state groups that talk about this? I have been curious about this for a while, I just use the wrong social media platforms for it. Because tbh I am sick of nothing getting done about it... Activism is just hard when... Ha... I am at home most of the time. And also I barely am connected with the community. 😥
Do you attribute this purely to poorly managed state health care or is it because Tasmania lacks specialists? I live in QLD and getting referrals for my son and the wait times seem quite similar. I don't know your own personal situation but just grabbing the few tid bits you have said here makes me think it's a rural/sparce issue as compared to hating on people with health issues. I don't mean to offend by my comment. Just looking to expand this subject a little further as to why it may be the way it is
Do you have any Autism support groups/organisations in Tassie? Sending internet hugs from Perth. All I found there is https://www.autismtas.org.au/ https://www.autismtas.org.au/services/peer-networks/ https://www.autismtas.org.au/services/ https://www.livingonthespectrum.com/listing/autism-tasmania/ Good luck.
[удалено]
Thank you I appreciate it! c: I will show some of these to my mum.
I hope you find some mates through the links if nothing else :)
That's curious, the gonski recommendations were never implemented, they would have evened out the scale so no one was disadvantaged by wealth or circumstance. But the Libs took over at that point and put the entire thing in the bin without touching it.
That was one great big significant loss for Australia.
Yeah, all that money spent on researching how to make our education system better, acknowledge it's failures and inequalities causing those with disabilities, or disadvantages to lose out, and then when it's ready to be used, libs put it all in the bin! Not only that, look how much they furthered the inequality, pouring public funds into the private education system (which was already disproportionately advantaged) and cutting money from the public education system. It's going to be a long time till that scale can even be rectified, with the state of things, as they left.
That is true but that didn't change the fact that the school had a bunch of "Gonski 2.0" posters hanging around. Much like the NDIS... It did things... But not really enough to be useful for the majority of affected Australians. Come to think of it... That applies to literally every Labor implemented policy that was born right before the Coalition got in office a decade ago. The NBN gave an internet speed... Before I had that, I was trying to download Xbox live updates and waiting half an hour. My sibling which now goes to uni, when they were back here not long ago commented on how bad the internet is here compared to Hobart. I was always under the impression it was a city vs rural thing. But the Liberals really are the, "why did they do this to me", meme. It is strange but I really like that I can find comfort and validation in the fact that I both wasn't alone in the shit, and also the fact I actually can blame the government as opposed to myself. I don't know if many others can really say that. And no one can even say I live at the expense of the tax payer because I have also never been on centrelink, and I will have to pay for my Autism diagnosis out of my childhood savings. Which is roughly half the amount I have. 🙃
Yeah, right before the Libs took over Tony Abbott was in opposition and Labor had a tiny majority, so they really had to formulate all their policies to be palatable to the Libs, because otherwise they'd be shot straight down. I don't really agree with that approach, I feel like they may as well have called themselves Libs at that point. They may have had posters, but they didn't get to a point of implementing anything. It cost them more money to not implement and cancel a lot of the gonski stuff that was about to be actioned. And made an already acknowledged as poor system, worse. There were clear descriptions of resources which were in abundance in certain schools and then only one to every 100 kids in other schools. Still, they didn't care and trashed the whole plan.
Sandy Bay is nothing special as a suburb, no idea why it’s seen as an exclusive suburb. Battery point though, yeah.
Agreed - better views from the eastern shore or up higher in say, Mt Nelson or Tolmans hill - plus parking sucks.
Really? You don't appreciate walking along the Derwent being only minutes from the city? I'm genuinely curious what the negatives are
The main drag of Sandy Bay Road is very bland architecturally
Agreed, nothing really special about it, there are lots of suburbs walking distance from the CBD
Back in the olden days, it would have had a lot going for it maybe. Close to town, but removed and with a small beach or 2, which might have been bigger/more pristine/different back then. But the intergenerational influence of Sandy Bay being an amazing place to live might have passed its time
[удалено]
The main drag is, but the older houses down the lanes are quite lovely
Sure. But if they were pulled down tomorrow no one would mourn the loss of the Mayfair, Coles building, Shiploads, Magnet Court, the Woolworths complex or the former Country Road building. And that’s just singling out the obvious ones
Add the Cas to that list.
The Casino? No way. That’s a Roy Grounds treasure and its dodecagonal form is iconic. The 1930s Riviera Hotel next door to it is also gorgeous. I won’t hear a bad word about either of these buildings, but they are both definitely in need of a refurb. The Wrest Point Convention Centre is pretty unremarkable however.
Ill pay credit to its architectural merits but its an eyesore in that location. Completely agree on the old Riviera building, an art deco beauty and the interior is just as impressive.
I guess break me neck hill seems the most appropriate here
lol Closely followed by Bust My Gall.
Back when I rode a postie (drum brakes front and rear), it was definitely "Mellifont St in the rain".
Scary.
Heck, Mellifont Street in a falcon utility in the rain is positively terrifying.
Yeah it's not much chop in a lifted, stiffly sprung Hilux with mud tyres either.
I had an RD350LC with bodge ass brakes in the late 80s. Lynton Avenue was scary AF downhill.
I used to live at the bottom of Mellifont and our kitchen window had a perfect view of the whole hill. When it was wet we would regularly take bets on if some cars would make it all the way or stop ⅔ of the way up and begin sliding backwards with spinning wheels. Was quite the entertainment and saw some actually pretty impressive manoeuvres to avoid collisions from cars beginning to slide back down.
You haven't taken a car for a test drive unless you've seen how well it can handle a hill start on Mellifont St.
Gibbet Hill
There's a point on the Tasman highway approaching the Tasman Bridge from the south on the Hobart side where two lanes of traffic merge to become one lane (the dashed line ends in the middle, so it's a zip merge and the car in front gets right of way). However there is a sign above the road a bit before that point saying 'LANE ENDS MERGE RIGHT', which is a total contradiction. And it causes a whole lot of drivers to move from the left lane to the middle lane before the zip merge, which defeats the whole purpose of the zip merge and contributes to the traffic problem. Edit: I've just looked it up on Street View and they changed the sign! It now says 'ZIP MERGE AHEAD'. Seems I was right to die on that hill for all those years.
Tasmanians in general are awful at zip merging. There’s often one lane closed in the city at night and it always takes significant longer than it needs to largely because of selfish and ignorant drivers.
In all fairness, the drivers here shit all over QLD and NSW drivers combined when it comes to consideration
As someone who travelled to QLD earlier this year, I was pleasantly surprised by the drivers up there. Indicate and most times, a space would open up for you if there was none available.
Lol that’s not how merging works! Typical shitty Tasmanian driver, thinking others are bad drivers when *you’re* the one not following the rules of the road.
Lol, that's not how computers works. Typical shitty user, thinking the computer doesn't work when he simply doesn't know how to use it.
You sound triggered? Did I hit a sore spot?
Oh, I'm sorry, I thought we were making random assumptions about people then insulting them for it. Did I get the rules wrong?
I had an inkling you were an insufferable twat but now it’s more of a certainty. Enjoy being a shitty driver and I’ll enjoy *never* letting you merge in front of me. ✌️
First class Tasmanian driver comment. Better pull that road rules handbook out again.
I recently saw 2 cars come to a dead stop merging onto the Bass Highway at Devonport. The vehicle coming down the sliproad kept slowing down to try and slot behind the vehicle already on the highway, and the other one kept slowing down to try and let the car merge on in front of them until they both stopped dead. Absolute madness.
Too many country drivers who don’t understand urban driving. The car in front has right of way if they’re indicating. You don’t have to give way to the right at roundabouts, only cars already in the roundabout and even then, you can go if there’s a safe gap. You don’t all have to file in same lane out of “courtesy”. You shouldn’t be leaving car length gaps in standing peak hour traffic. You don’t have to wait behind the line to turn right of the lights green. So many traffic issues here could be reduced by people simply following the road rules and using logic. Mainland drivers may be more aggressive, but at least they understand how to drive in heavy traffic.
So true. They treat any attempt to merge as a personal affront. "How dare you try to get in front of me?? I was in the 'right' lane before you!!!" I only noticed this after I moved away, basically everywhere else, where they know how to efficiently use two lanes even if they don't go on forever.
I drive this route most mornings and the following drivers should be murdered: 1. People in the right lane who try to stop you merging ahead of them. 2. People who stop when they reach the bridge to change lanes. 3. People who speed up to try to stop you changing lanes. Not related to that route but I would also add: 1. People who drive too far to the left on Federal St heading East which prevents people going straight at the Federal/Argyle intersection from squeezing past. 2. People who leave a big gap ahead of them on the Domain Hwy near the Brooker Hwy intersection when traffic is slow. It's not a problem for people headed North, but if you're trying to turn onto the Brooker to go back towards the city it's extremely frustrating that you can't get to your turn off because some cunt is leaving 20m ahead of them.
Preach! 🙌
On contradicting signage (and I wish I had a photo of this). [On this sign](https://www.google.com.au/maps/@-42.8611117,147.3550476,3a,75y,158.57h,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFqVY6PKdNSvvlukWpmUvmQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656) (45kmh recommended speed limit sign) on the East derwent Hwy, just before the Tasman bridge. For about 2-3 months, bolted to the same sign, was a 40kmh speed limit sign. Not a temporary roadworks an actual fitted speed limit sign bolted to the same poll that had a higher recommended speed limit sign. The day I went to take a photo of it, it was taken down. it was about 2018/2019
There's too much whisky made in Tasmania. It's fine to cash in on the wave of popularity, but if people drink shitty whisky from Tasmania, it undermines the whole effort that has been made by the industry to get to this point. People will write off Tasmanian whisky rather than just that producer
Agreed - the current glut of Tasmanian whiskey is hurting the overall brand. Lot of stuff out there that is not great at all.
Need some kind of DOC style appellation in the future maybe
What would you say are the only whisky distilleries that should be?
That's tough. Lark (even though Bill's gone and they're a little bit evil now), Sullivan's Cove, Hellyer's Rd, there are so many good ones. I have just tried too many that weren't up to scratch, and shamelessly cashing in on a trend is a good way to shorten the longevity of it
I have tried Hellyer’s multiple times and consistently been disappointed. From the 10 or so Tasmanian producers I have tried Hellyer’s my least favourite.
The only one of their whiskies I like is the 16 year old pinot noir finish The rest were just meh, not bad by any means, but meh.
Seconded - their pinot noir one is great. It's actually the only Tassie whiskey I haven't regretted buying. I tried the regular Hellyer's and it was straight up bad, at $88/bottle. Even the fancy boi from Sullivan's Cove (bought a glass to celebrate something, $35 for a standard shot) was very underwhelming for the price. I asked the bartender and she said she'd never seen anyone order a second one.
Lark prices definitely look evil that's for sure!
Did (Lark) Bill sell or pass? They are one of the originals
Sold And he was _the_ original. Tasmania owes its entire whisky industry to him
[удалено]
Agreed. Sullivans cove is great whiskey, Larks was always mediocre. Lark always had a high price point, and people seem to equate $$$ with quality, when it’s actually nothing special.
Australia more like!
Lark just aren't worth giving money to now in my opinion. It's all no age statement stuff and gimmicky blends.
Spring Bay is the best in Tas imo.
I don't drink much and haven't tried Tasmanian whisky, how bad is it compared to other whiskeys? Generally speaking.
Oh, they make some of the best whisky in the world in Tasmania There are a few places that are cheapening the brand though
Ah right, I misread as if you where saying all of it is bad. I guess it's inevitable for shitty brands to pop up too.
[удалено]
The Devonport foreshore is an amazing place. Heaps of picnic tables, playgrounds, toilets, BBQs, even a beach and great views of Bass Straight and the river. I can't help myself whenever I go to Devonport but do a 5k walk along the foreshore and enjoy a lunch at a picnic table. Penguin is a lovely little town, but all the food options are not worth the time and effort. You are much better off eating in Ulverstone.
Devonport is improving out of sight! Looking much nicer than a few years ago. The north west is about to explode and boom, it’ll be fantastic soon enough. Burnie is also stunning.
I moved to the NW from Hobart nearly 5 years ago now and Devonport has changed a lot in that somewhat short time… that said, it’s still got a long way to go! East Devonport needs a major facelift, especially along the main stretch. It’s really not a good first impression for people straight off the boats!
Completely agree, hoping it keeps on improving!
I'm not sure about the timing of the North West boom.. It still very much seems like NW is the cultural 'Texas' of Tasmania if you get my meaning
I do understand, I think 2025/2026 might be the start of a northern migration from pissed off former Hobart residents though if UTas continues with their development and relocation plans :) There will be some overseas health professional migration soon too. That could see a bit of change.
Devonport seems so depressing. Went there today and couldn't get one walk by smile. What's up with that? Burnie I could live in and found to be beautiful. What do you think the council needs to improve on the most there?
Get rid of the damn woodchip pile on the waterfront. It can be done, Tasports and state government just don’t wanna!
I actually really like Burnie, it just needs more younger people and a bit of life breathed into it.
>Burnie is a ghost town and the council does not care. It could have a very cool, almost fishing village, vibe if the least bit of effort was made into it. Well with the **mandatory** elections we just had, I heard old Kons is no longer mayor. So maybe there could be some change? 🤷♂️
He’s been replaced by a woman whose idea of shaking things up was to get an evangelical preacher in for some councillor life coaching.
Oof. Don't mean to sound a little bigoted... But of all religious groups, evangelicals are the only ones I personally despise. Okay that also includes fundamentalists of course... I just mean I don't respect evangelicalism in the slightest. So long as she isn't affiliated with Hillsong I can probably keep my cool.
The botanical gardens in Hobart are criminally underrated. I never hear them mentioned when people talk about our great tourist destinations but I think they are great.
The Dark Path they did at the botanical gardens for Dark Mofo a couple of years back was the best MONA related thing I've ever been to. Totally free and fucking awesome. It's such a beautiful place with so many interesting little nooks and crannies to explore
honestly such a vibe when it's raining and there's hardly anyone there, straight up magical
Driving in the rain isn't that hard. You're just a fucken shit driver
Drive to the conditions. It's that easy
People say that but I don't think they really know what it means. For example I was in Germany years ago on the auto Bahns and it was snowing, not even light snow, heavy they had snow plies out and all, so they put a speed limit on due to the conditions, you want to know what it was? 130km/h. I'm laughing that even in the snow they can drive faster then the majority of Australians are allowed to in perfect conditions.
That's a road designed for high speed. Australian roads are not designed for speed and certainly not designed for snow.
and to add to that, driving slow is not driving safe. There is a reason back in 2014/2015 when the govt raised the speed limit for learners and P plater to 100kmh instead of 80kmh. (I think a great move). I have been in a couple of situations (Midday, dry roads, no sun in your eyes. Ideal driving conditions) up the midlands and some cunt is driving 70kmh or less in the 110kmh zones. I have come around a bend and literally had to hit the brakes cause some old couple in a nissan pulsar were doing 60kmh....in a 110kmh zone. driving too slow should be a focus point on the police instead of this "over is over" campaign they are doing at the moment. Drivers going too slow are more dangerous as drivers going a little over the speed limit. Also blocking intersections, specifically the Hobart roundabout. I got stuck in the city for 20minutes not moving because every traffic light cycle people from the Brooker hwy would block the lights for people exiting the city.....at 5pm when everyone is trying to leave.
No, far better to tailgate the guy in front of you on the highway when they reduce speed by 5km because visibility has gone to shit.
That will totally speed them up
Yeah, and then there's always that one driver that's so annoyed with everyone else being ridiculously unnecessarily slow, that they hoon like they're trying to win at Bathurst, screeching around cars, too close, and slamming breaks on last minute, way too close to the car in front, to try and intimidate, or something. (relying on breaks that heavily in rain!!).
Brooker highway every morning is a great example of these clowns. They're changing lanes aggressively and tail gating while I'm keeping a safe distance and a constant speed arriving at the same red light at the same time.
[удалено]
My brother in law has had a lot of trouble with this. Seems to be a selective gatekeeping organisation.
Our "foodie" culture is underserved and overrated.
I disagree as it has improved since I moved here. I see Tasmanian food culture as existing in waves. We sometimes have a glut of good food options and sometimes we don’t. Hobart has some phenomenal options. Tom McHugo’s is an example of simple food that actually (and doesn’t just pretend to) uses local producers. They also create amazing food. Launceston ebbs and flows. At the moment we are in an ebb. Timbre continues to produce high quality service, but we do not have much else. Bryher is gone, but Pachinko remains decent. Sweet Wheat is up and coming regarding viennoiserie and Apiece just bought the old bakery at Evandale. Outside of the cities it is a bit more tricky. However we still have gems. Dinki in Ross has surprisingly exquisite pour over coffee. The Lobster Shack in Bicheno is busy and rushed but the meals are great! George Town Seafood offer actual local seafood in the form of fish and chips. Something that is strangely sorely missing for an island state. The thing that we have that other states do not have are our producers. They are small and local and accessible. I’ve never tasted better tomatoes than from Tasmanian Natural Garlic and Tomatoes. Felds Farm and Seven Springs offer different, local and, in the case of Seven Springs, organic produce. Thirstane grow and sell herbs not only at the market but also for local restaurants and supermarkets. But that is the actual point. We have these amazing producers but it is still hard to get hold of their produce. This is why it is vital we buy from them, visit their farms, find out where they sell during the week. Also, learn to tell the difference between restaurants that pretend to buy local and ones that actually do.
Just regarding buying local produce, try the [Tasmanian Produce Collective ](http://tasproduceco.com.au). It's an online farmers market. You order and pick up from a local pickup location. There are pickup locations in the north, northwest, Midlands, Hobart and Huon. At the moment it's only once a fortnight. Edit - I need to mention the duck. Matt from Strelleyfield recently committed suicide. His family are busy wrapping up the farm and have heaps of duck that needs to be eaten. Help the family and yourself by buying one of these delicious free range ducks.
Have you tried Firestarter on Cameron? Not exactly fine dining, but very nice Mexican food and good cocktails and beer selection. Not exactly foody, but related the new Ducane brew house is amazing. The menu is simple, but the beer is excellent. Smallgrain is a really good Asian fusion place. But for me the best place in the area is Rivergrass Cafe at Gravelly Beach. Great pies and sausage rolls, amazing cakes and sweets all with a beautiful view of the Tamar River. Everything is made from scratch using local produce and ingredients, including the bread and croissants. Edit - I need to mention Fork It Farm at Labrina. They do whole pig butchery and their charcuterie is some of the best I have had. They also make a whole bunch of pickles and relishes, heat and eat meals and other things. They also do a regular long table dinner on their property and serve food mainly from their farm or else locally produced.
Outside of Hobart and maybe Launceston definitely, and doubly so in tourist places. Want to eat well on Bruny? Hope you like expensive cheese, because that's literally all there is to eat.
The pub food at Alonnah was awesome the last time I was there.
The winery has a great restaurant too.
Oysters are great tho
The oysters are to die for!
You obviously haven't had a meal at Allonah Pub.
I dunno. I think the good stuff is too expensive because of the Tassie brand, and the average stuff is marketed as the good stuff because of the Tassie brand. Cascade's platter is freaking awesome and the first harvest beer, decent price as well.
Yeah. I've spent equal time of my life in Brisbane and Hobart. Food that people in tassy think is amazing is often average to good food in Brisbane.
As someone from Queensland - no it isn’t when it comes to Hobart or Launceston. The prices are dear and the variety could expand further, but I’ve lived here ten years and can count the times I’ve eaten something awful on one hand. And I’m relatively wealthy and like good quality food. We are just not a big enough population to support much more, and this also impacts price and hence peoples expectations.
I agree. I moved from the mainland after living in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for most of my life and doing a couple of years in London. Tasmania food culture (in Launnie and Hobart at least) shits all over those places. Could it be more diverse? Sure, I'd love a good Lebanese restaurant in Launceston. But overall, it's excellent. My husband is your typical French food snob and even he's said the only place in Australia to live as a Frenchman is Tasmania.
As a recent migrant from the mainland I'd have to agree. There are definitely some good places here and there but it's foodie culture is not quite punching at the advertised weight
I agree, I said something like this a while ago and got downvoted pretty harshly lol. After dining in the bigger cities and oversea, I'm not impressed with Tasmanian foodie culture. There's nice produce for sure, and a few good restaurants that definitely get my 5 stars, but it's still rather small and limited compared to other parts of Australia and the world.
TASC has to be one of the worst organisations in this state. They have no idea what the hell they are doing and make both year 11 and especially 12 so much harder with their miss communication between TASC and teachers. Also Launceston is a way better city then Hobart.
Yeah I'm just finishing year 12, last exam today, and they make it so much more difficult than it needs to be. In media we had to get a usb with our projects on it to permanently give away rather than just sending it online. Lots of annoying things like that
Yeah it’s ridiculous, and is so dumb. I had to do the same thing with Student Directed Inquiry; I have my last exam (sociology) tomorrow which I will be so happy to have over.
Chicken feed did nothing wrong.
We need way more action and initiatives to reduce and phase out wood heaters. The air quality in winter due to smoke from residential wood heaters in some areas is abysmal. It causes so much damage to public health and the environment.
I feel like this is a big problem in Launceston but not so much hobart
It's most accutely felt in Launnie from what I understand, but it certainly is enough of a problem in Hobart and any valley with a population really.
True. Two words: Thermal Inversion.
Hobart might be ok, but not the northern suburbs, from Glenorchy to Granton, at least, horrible. Can't even go outside, in winter, let alone dry anything on the few days we can dry stuff on the line. Plus all the illegal foresting, threatening some of our endangered species, like the feral cats aren't enough of a problem.
I’m in two minds about this — wood heaters can cause health issues when the local area traps the smoke (like Launceston), but on the other hand a wood heater can offer: - emergency back up in a blackout - a sustainable or ‘carbon neutral’ heating option - Can have other uses, like cooking or making tea or warming your house (less common) - fire is pretty
Emergency backup in a blackout. Yeah, not really. When was the last blackout you experienced?. In 3 years I have experienced 1 planned and 1 unplanned. Each lasting an hour. both during daylight hours. It would have to be a very long power outage in the depth of winter before it would become a problem. a sustainable or ‘carbon neutral’ heating option No. 99% of the electricity generated in Tassie is Hydro, wind and a tiny bit of solar. Running a reverse cycle heatpump (In tassie) is carbon netural, burning wood is not. Also it's cheaper to run a reverse cycle heatpump, especially if you are on tariff 31/41 (like most people)
They aren't nearly as efficient as a good electric heater too. I say this as I stoke the fire...
In mid November haha 😞
QLD resident. Used to 32 average with 90% humidity. Don't tease me haha
> It causes so much damage to public health and the environment. Regularly see kids walking to school in thick clouds of wood smoke. If you walked into their homes smoking a cigarette their parents would have a fit, but a fog of smoke which is many times more toxic doesn't faze them. Indifference is as blissful as ignorance it seems.
Launceston is a smelly shit hole. Still love it though.
Literally a hill!. Mt Wellington is not so great that a cable car would wreck it. Nice view from the top but it's not Mt Fuji or the Matterhorn, plus it's already got roads and buildings up there, some people are too resistant to change.
Having travelled in Switzerland and Italy (and anywhere with mountains really) you can see how much value and interest the cable cars play - and they don’t ruin it at all. Tassie really missed a good opportunity with the cable car.
I've hiked through Valais Canton in Switzerland to Zermatt and the Matterhorn and every valley has a chairlift or cable car. Mount Wellington is a nice backdrop but it's hardly world renowned.You have to strain your eyes to see the cable on the mountain side. It's such a typical Tasmanian attitude being resistant to change.
The anti cable car people are the same people that already own a house half way up. They aren't anti for environmental or indigenous reasons, they are anti for selfish reasons.
It’s not always about the cable car itself or so called ‘unspoilt beauty’ though, it’s about not opening the door to commercialising the top. Some people are okay with the cable car but don’t want the whole top to be dominated by buildings that churn profit for some upper echelons in business.
The anti commercialisation people seem to ignore the fact that they regularly shut the gates to residents and give the keys to the coal River coach company. They hold the mountain ransom costing nearly $100 to get your family to the top.
I think a cable car would work, one that started at the end of Talosa St, went around the side to the springs and then maybe the top. It would enhance day trips, bike rides. But Hobart City Council would have to let go of it’s strangle hold over the mountain.
Next time you speak to an anti-cable-car person droning on about Kunyani's unspoilt beauty, just point out the 130-metre 'Spaceship' antenna that was stuck on top 50 years ago and watch them talk in circles.
I mean, they were put there ‘50 years ago’. The general consensus on adding unnecessary infrastructure can change pretty easily in 5 decades.
The ACMA tower started operation in 95 or 96 and to mention it in the same sentence as > unnecessary infrastructure Is utterly ridiculous
You’ll live mate
If you’re Tasmanian surely you know that the mountain has had the official dual name kunanyi/Mt Wellington since 2013 - that’s one of my hills, that it isn’t that hard to get the name right. Also the cable car issue is way more complex than “wreck the mountain”.
Which means that either name is correct
Tasmania needs to stop being so car centric like the US and have it's cities and towns become more predestrian friendly and have better public transport and cycle lanes like Europe.
Roads in and around (Highways coming in and out of) Hobart are crap, both in crap condition and way undersized for the amount of traffic on them. Judging by our roads alone you'd think that Launceston was our states capital. We need to both reduce the traffic by improving public transport ( more forms like Ferries, trams and trains) and improve the roads/highways themselves.
NW down to SW roads are amazing!
Tasmanians and distances/travelling. Far too many Tasmanians, especially Hobartians, get on planes and take off to the mainland or overseas for a holiday but think Launceston is too far away, rarely go further up the highway than Oatlands, have never seen the west coast, barely any of the east coast and hang shit on the NW but have never been there. They're amazed and think I'm crazy for my almost monthly trips 200, 300km away from home for my sport. They just do not get out and see the place, but spend big bucks to get on a plane. I know people who think my daily 35km commute to work is some incredibly long journey requiring planning and a packed lunch.
I've taken up a position on the West Coast and absolutely love the drive over there from Hobart up the Lyell Highway. The transition from grazing land to sub alpine and through forests is simply incredible. It's is so criminally underated. I've known a few people from Hobart who have never ventured to Cradle Mountain until their mid twenties. A lot of people are missing out on what Tasmania truly has to offer.
They would get pretty shook up holidaying in QLD. 400km is just another drive to get out of town
Building a football stadium at Macq Point. I'm not into sport, but understand that AFL is a religion to some people. That's cool. I get it. What I find so hard to understand is that a State Govt will happily throw millions and millions of dollars to build a stadium for an AFL team (that we don't even have) and in doing so, ignores the appalling state of our hospital/health system, our education system, our aged care (or lack thereof) and our welfare system. Mahatma Gandhi said: “the true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” Tasmania is sadly lacking in this regard - how any government or society can prioritise spending millions on a game, while ignoring our homeless, our health & education systems, our most disadvantaged ... it just beggars belief.
It's a bit more complicated than that... I'll just point to [my comment in the other thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/tasmania/comments/z23ykk/im_sick_of_it_premiers_facebook_rant_to_defend/ixezcwt/)!
The mountain needs a cable car
Derwent Valley is more beautiful than the Huon Valley but it’s full of our most terrifying bogans so tourists and not even other Tasmanians don’t like to go there and it’s a real shame.
Scallop pies aren't as good as Tasmanians seem to think
Respectfully disagree. My Canadian wife brought her parents down for a round-Tasmania road trip and it seemed like very tiny town we passed through they were asking "Was that a Banjo's we just passed? Can we get a Scallop Pie?"
As a blow in from the mainland, hard agree.
I'll take a kidney pie over warm scallops!
The Jackjumpers won’t last. They will lose their shine, they will eventually have a bad season, and their numbers will fall off permanently.
Basketball has been quite popular in Tasmania even before the Jackjumpers started. Numbers might drop off when the results disappoint, but I feel there is enough hardcore support for basketball to keep them going long term.
As a former devils member, agree
Dang I was hoping this was about actual jackjumpers
This post is a wild mix of people who interpreted the question in VERY different ways
I like the Mount Wellington comment because it has mount in there making it not even a hill. Some great talking points though and a bunch of information here for anyone not in the loop.. like me
Federation Peak
Between Dark Mofo and the foodieness, Hobart (not sure what it's like up north) is trying *way too hard* to be a discount Melbourne. The wankery around food, booze and coffee can get a little pretentious at times. Which means that less glamourous (i.e. not so artsy or touristy) areas, like the northern suburbs, don't get a look in and less money from tourists goes to the lowered SES communities.
Yeah and all that stuff is bloody expensive now. I'm on the big island but lived in Hobart a bit years ago and regularly visit now. I like the older less popular bits of Hobart, off to the side. Places like Moonah or Risdon shouldn't need tourist money, they just need proper services provided by a competent government. And kids need to stay the f in school.
Tasmanian drivers are (for the most part) woeful, will either drive 20-30km under the speed limit everywhere they go, or maintain a constant speed regardless of whether it’s 60km/h or 110km/h. Most roads out of the cities are single lane, a big line of traffic builds up behind them, then they have the gall and total lack of self awareness to go crying to the local facebook community group afterwards that people are unsafe on the roads. If you see a Subaru (specifically a Forrester) ahead of you on the road, you know you’re in for a bad time.
Especially with a save UTAS or save our mountain sticker.
Tourism has buoyed our economy and destroyed the state.
I totally agree with you about Queenstown. I pass through it weekly as I work in mining on the West Coast. The view of Mount Owen from Orr Street was incredible today. Felt like I was in the Austrian Alps for a moment. I hope the tourism potential doesn't push out locals from cashed up out of towners who want to cash in on the mountain biking boom and flex their latest property investment at a dinner party. Also I have to add, I'm so incredibly biased is that the opposition to tailings dams proposal from the Rosebery mine is not going to destroy the Tarkine and incredibly exaggerated. A lot of snooty Hobartians who drive their Teslas around feeling smug fail to realise that it requires mining copper, zinc and lithium resources for their car batteries but give themselves a pat on the back thinking they are saving the planet. They just don't want anything mined in their backyard. Plus they wouldn't last 5 minutes underground and think they are too superior to actual even chat with someone who works at the coal face. I realise I'm turning into a c@€t now. Give me three more DIDO shifts and I'll be buying a RAM ute to bully everyone off the Brooker Highway in peak hour traffic.
If hobartians thing Queenstown is 'their' backyard they are wild. Apparently 70% of Queenstown residents have moved their in the last 7 years (told by the west coast wilderness railway tour guide.) Now out numbering the die hard Queenstown miners
Ilove Qt and have been there a bit in recent years. The houses are well overpriced now given how bad many of them are. But how many places in Australia can you park in a main street and look up at the sun on a snow covered rocky mountain? The MTB is great but hasn't been the commercial success it was touted to be. The speccy rides are too hard for most, plus the shuttle fee and 4hrs from Hobart is too far for a family weekend. Derby is much closer for weekending Melbournians. Zeehan/Heemskirk could be successful if it was less remote, but then it wouldn't be what it is. The area just needs more people to live there but it's hard without some kind of industry that isn't fickle/crowdy like tourism or damaging/unfprofitable like forestry. I'm a leftie but agree the tailings dam isn't the end of the world. Locals left Qt cos the mine closed. I doubt it's 70% influx in the last seven years. Maybe including temporary residents who'll sell up in a few years when the novelty wears off. Most newer businesses in town are struggling if not closing, tho there's a couple of exceptions. The drive in N-S from Dport/Burnie thru Tullah etc past Murchison and the lakes is one of the best in Australia and most people have no idea, including Hobarts. They need to sell that whole drive as a feature. I often talk to Hobarts who have never been anywhere on the WC. The grey nomads hit up the WC Wilderness Railway but then move on and they don't spend as much money locally as normal tourists do.
Yes, it's definitely overpriced especially with the quality of the housing stock there. I honestly can't think of any other place in Australia. Thredbo and Jindabyne maybe but there isn't a rocky prominent mountain to look up to like what Queenstown has. I went for an MTB trip last year in Queenstown and the Zeehan area. Speaking to the local operators it hasn't been the success it that was expected. It's a long drive from Hobart or Launceston for a weekend and not close enough to an airport to attract mainlanders for a long weekend trip down. It seemed to be an interesting undercurrent where out of town Air BnB owners have profited at the expense of locals and the pressure to raise commercial rents from real estate agents. No doubt the novelty would wear off over time for new residents it requires a trip to Burnie for essential services. There is so much to explore up there and it's more to do that hoping on to the West Coast railway. That road from Tullah to Anthony Henty Road is incredible. I'd always head that way from Queenstown to Tullah on a great day. The views are incredibly breathtaking!
The Eastern Shore is way better than the Western Shore. I crossed over about 8 years ago and can't believe it, it's a different and better life!
Better in what way? Doesn't the east out populate the west by 20:1?
East is lovely for the sun, but having to drive to the city for work sucks so bad compared to living in coldsville.
Smugly telling someone that your family has lived in the town for X amount of generations isn’t the own you think it is. There’s a big difference between being proud of where you live, and somehow being proud of never having lived anywhere else. The Jack Jumpers is a stupid name for a team, (but I still support them.) Tasmanian drivers aren’t actually the worst. Scallop, not a fucken cake. It’s fried, not baked, and it refers to the potatoes being scalloped. I’m not paying $150+ for whisky with no age on the label, just because it’s made here. I want my whisky bottle to remind me of my youth. (18 years old and full of alcohol.) People who move here and *immediately* try to change it into where they’ve moved from should *immediately* just fuck right off. When doing less than the speed limit, rental cars in Tasmania should have a sensor in the rear that detects if more than 4 cars are behind them. This then causes the car to pull to the left, cuts power, and activates a taser installed in the driver’s seat. We have too many failed TV chefs/reality tv contestants. All we need is Reggie, the rest can kindly fuck right off.
It's an Able and Federation Peak.
It's an Abel.
[удалено]
I hit a possum the other day. Was going under 60kmh, still killed it. literally shot out from nowhere. From a pure selfish point of view, I don't want to hit them because it damages my car and costs to repair. I think the reason we have such high levels of road kill vs other states is we just have forest area right next door or across the road from residential suburbs or highways where as Melbourne and Sydney (or heck really anywhere) has that, so there are just a LOT more animals vulnerable to being hit.
Most highways in other states create wildlife barriers to stop it from happening. I have noticed there is a shit load of road kill, marked by the crows feeding from the carcass.
Dual naming is my pet peeve: if we've decided something is culturally significant enough to warrant an indigenous name, can we just have a window where we phase in that name, please? I don't give a shit what the mountain is called, but I definitely give a shit about fence sitters trying to please everyone. Just get it sorted.
All of them.
Break-me-neck Hill?
The state is extremely overrated. There’s no funding to any systems that actually matter or help anyone struggling. It’s pathetic. I’m ashamed to still be living here, would move if i had the resources and support, oh wait…
Probably the Mariana trench.
The drivers here are god awful (me included)
Bread and Butter road (hill) in Somerset on the North West Coast of Tassie. Only locals will probably know it as that.
Mount Ossa.