Hobart, Tasmania, Australia - Original Version
Created | Updated Feb 5, 2002
Well ... Hobart. What can I say. It is one of the those places that other people who don't live there have a tendency to have a go at (as do some of the people who do live here for that matter). BUT I thought that to give you explorers some idea of the place, I'd tell you why I live here.
We moved here three and a half years ago, from Brisbane, Queensland - against the tide of humanity that mostly goes north for the sun, not south away from it. We had been to Tassie (as it is called) on holidays and were impressed by its outstanding scenery, sense of history (anything older that 100 years is ancient in Australia) and its laid back pace. It seemed like a great place to be for a while. We are currently living in an "outer suburb" called Blackmans Bay that is 15 minutes drive from the CBD (any time of day - we have no rush hour) and are within 15 minutes walk of three beaches - clean beaches that look out to the Southern Ocean through the mouth of the Derwent River. Behind us in the distance is Mt Wellington, about 1200 metres in height, that has snow on it occasionally in winter. The location is ASTOUNDING.
And all this in a capital city ... Hobart is the capital city of the state of Tasmania. The population of Hobart is about 180,000, and of Tassie about 480,000. For those who don't know, Tassie is that island that lies off the bottom of Australia. The rest of Australia we like to call the "Mainland". The population of Tassie has started to fall recently, by about 1000 a year, as we have a bit of an economic problem - hard to get work in some sectors, not alot of industry. On the other hand ... about one quarter of the state is National Park, much of which is World Heritage listed. We have the most wilderness of any state in Australia, despite our small size. If you are into "going bush", this is the place to be. House prices are cheap here. The average house price in Hobart is A$108,000 ... pretty good, but if you are wanting to sell, it can take a while.
"Culture-wise" we are a bit behind, I guess. Many touring shows don't come here, and we have to go to Melbourne for them. The cafe culture is big, as it seems to be in most places now. The pace here is slow, so you don't really come here if you are after a dazzling social and cultural life. We have found that we can't keep up with what IS on here anyway, so do not miss "the big lights".
Hobart suits us well. The weather is very temperate - Winter ranges from between 0-5 celcius to 10-15 celcius. Summer from 10-15 to anything from 25-40. Not all that cold, despite what the Mainlanders say.
I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoyed scenery, old stuff, Bed and Breakfasts, open fires, bush-walking, climbing ... anything outdoors really.
Come and visit!!! I'd welcome comments from other folks who have been here or live here, or from people who want to know more.
We moved here three and a half years ago, from Brisbane, Queensland - against the tide of humanity that mostly goes north for the sun, not south away from it. We had been to Tassie (as it is called) on holidays and were impressed by its outstanding scenery, sense of history (anything older that 100 years is ancient in Australia) and its laid back pace. It seemed like a great place to be for a while. We are currently living in an "outer suburb" called Blackmans Bay that is 15 minutes drive from the CBD (any time of day - we have no rush hour) and are within 15 minutes walk of three beaches - clean beaches that look out to the Southern Ocean through the mouth of the Derwent River. Behind us in the distance is Mt Wellington, about 1200 metres in height, that has snow on it occasionally in winter. The location is ASTOUNDING.
And all this in a capital city ... Hobart is the capital city of the state of Tasmania. The population of Hobart is about 180,000, and of Tassie about 480,000. For those who don't know, Tassie is that island that lies off the bottom of Australia. The rest of Australia we like to call the "Mainland". The population of Tassie has started to fall recently, by about 1000 a year, as we have a bit of an economic problem - hard to get work in some sectors, not alot of industry. On the other hand ... about one quarter of the state is National Park, much of which is World Heritage listed. We have the most wilderness of any state in Australia, despite our small size. If you are into "going bush", this is the place to be. House prices are cheap here. The average house price in Hobart is A$108,000 ... pretty good, but if you are wanting to sell, it can take a while.
"Culture-wise" we are a bit behind, I guess. Many touring shows don't come here, and we have to go to Melbourne for them. The cafe culture is big, as it seems to be in most places now. The pace here is slow, so you don't really come here if you are after a dazzling social and cultural life. We have found that we can't keep up with what IS on here anyway, so do not miss "the big lights".
Hobart suits us well. The weather is very temperate - Winter ranges from between 0-5 celcius to 10-15 celcius. Summer from 10-15 to anything from 25-40. Not all that cold, despite what the Mainlanders say.
I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoyed scenery, old stuff, Bed and Breakfasts, open fires, bush-walking, climbing ... anything outdoors really.
Come and visit!!! I'd welcome comments from other folks who have been here or live here, or from people who want to know more.
