# What can y'all tell me about living in Tasmania? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 19, 2023, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240 "2023-07-19T06:07:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2023, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/1 "2023-07-19T06:07:00Z")
Especially the northern coastal area around Hobart, but any info, good or bad, would be nice. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2023, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/2 "2023-07-19T06:12:30Z")
Remember, it being part of Australia, everything will be trying to kill you. And they have extremely sneaky Tasmanian Devils. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2023, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/3 "2023-07-19T06:31:01Z")
Planning an escape, are we? I know nothing about down under. But there are bad snakes. The “Tiger snake” sounds particularly deadly. ---
**Author:** ![Jebbilene](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jebbilene/32/3414_2.png) [@Jebbilene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jebbilene)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2023, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/4 "2023-07-19T06:55:47Z")
It’s really pretty and outdoorsy. The climate is nice. There is a big, big shortage of GPs and other medical practitioners (and teachers, but that’s probably not relevant to you). There are not a lot of jobs in Tasmania, so the whole island has a kind of rural poor vibe, but with great scenery. There is a fair bit of tourism, though, that supports food and wine trail type things, and other ‘culture’ (e.g. [MONA](https://mona.net.au/)) if you are into that. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2023, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/5 "2023-07-19T07:49:46Z")
I had a look at the [MONA](https://mona.net.au/) website and I think that this gives a good idea of the Tasmanian character: > ### TASMANIANS > > It’s still free to get in to the museum. But there’s a catch. You have to pre-book your trip and pay a deposit; if you show up, you can get your deposit back. We are restricted with numbers so we can’t have people booking and then not showing up. If you do that, the cost is $10 and a lifetime of shame. > > The deposit is $10, adults and concession only. No deposit for under 18s (but booking still required). > > After your visit, you will receive an email wherein you can choose to have your $10 refunded, or leave it with Daddy Walsh and he’ll pop it straight on the doggies. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2023, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/6 "2023-07-19T11:31:29Z")
The island is about the same latitude south as is New York City, Boston, and Chicago are north. Otherwise, I’d be interested in learning more about it via this thread. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2023, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/7 "2023-07-19T11:45:11Z")
My cousins (who grew up here in Chicago) live outside of Hobart in a little town called Tinderbox. I visited them back in 1993, and they all still live there, so they must like it. First, Hobart is on the southern end of Tasmania, not northern. Perhaps you’re thinking of Launceston. The area was pretty, quite pastoral, quite hilly. If you love nature, it seems to be a great place to go. Weather when we went during their winter was in the 40s-50s, though we did get a sprinkle of snow one or two days out of the month I was there. I personally found it a little too small-towny and pastoral for my speed (as a visiting teenager, it kind bored the crap out of me, but now I would enjoy it more), but if you want to get away from the buzz of city life, it’s certainly not a bad choice. The people, as a whole, were very friendly and polite. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2023, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/8 "2023-07-19T12:58:14Z")
I have friends who live outside of Hobart, I visited them many years ago. It’s a very nice climate, similar to New England, much cooler temps than the rest of Australia. I enjoyed our time there, hiking and exploring. This was in January, that’s the only time of year we were there. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2023, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/9 "2023-07-19T13:08:12Z")
Looks like there are attractive pathologist job openings in Tasmania. One of them has a perk I’ve never seen before: _Provision of a fully maintained private plated motor vehicle or motor vehicle allowance of $27,535 per annum_ Your own vehicle, maybe with a personalized plate like WEPOST 'EM? And all those horticultural opportunities? Sign me up. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2023, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/10 "2023-07-19T13:15:15Z")
Well you could start with Hobart being in the south of Tasmania. The main city on the north of the island is Launceston. The two cities have run an ongoing and self-defeating rivalry for a century. @Jebbilene summary was pretty good. Due to scale, and isolation Tasmania is behind the mainland economically, especially in employment, despite a lot of cash being shipped across the Tasman as support. A sorta scaled down combination of a New England environment and a Deep South economy. > [@scudsucker](#): > > Remember, it being part of Australia, everything will be trying to kill you. This is not true, in Australia the police do not perform summary executions in the street as is the habit stateside. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2023, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/11 "2023-07-19T13:22:31Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > _Provision of a fully maintained private plated motor vehicle or motor vehicle allowance of $27,535 per annum_ One of the problems American companies operating in Australia have with recruitment is they don’t include a “company car” in the salary package. It is a standard practice for management and sales roles though there has been a move to using novated leases. I got a company vehicle with my first job out of uni and probably drove a dozen in the next 30 years. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2023, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/12 "2023-07-19T15:02:50Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Well you could start with Hobart being in the south of Tasmania. > The main city on the north of the island is Launceston. I know that Hobart is at the southern end, I don’t know why I wrote northern. ---
**Author:** ![TamTam74](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecae2f/32.png) [@TamTam74](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TamTam74)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2024, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/13 "2024-04-26T02:22:24Z")
Their mascot is a tasmanian devil named ‘Taz’. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Hope that helps. Just kidding. 😂😂 I had no intention of actually being helpful. 🤷🏼‍♀️😂 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2024, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-yall-tell-me-about-living-in-tasmania/987240/14 "2024-04-26T02:55:35Z")
In that case, your response was completely successful. 😁