We’ve been here ten weeks and have completed three unique house sits, lived in four diverse places, and have finally ended up somewhere remarkably similar- yet completely different – to our money street abode. It’s a place we like to call the ‘sideways house’… for more reasons other than the obvious.
1. Leave your watch at home… its called Tassie time and it’s the only time, there’s not even a look in for the infamous Carole time. Its Tassie time or no time. No work on Fridays or Sundays, and things happen when they happen: so deal with it.
2. Traffic etiquette 101: when driving along skinny winding narrow road, pull over onto strange non tar-mated, slopping muddy patches – otherwise known as ‘passing places’ -to let zoomie traffic past. This manoeuvre is completed by slowing (without braking), and pulling over (without indicating) and not stopping (despite the said passing place being 3m in length)…
3. Try not to piss anyone off because you’re bound to meet them the next day or they’ll be the second cousin of somebody you meet the next day…we’ve even started to bump into people we know in shops…and we can count the number of people we know on one hand.
4. Don’t think you’re the only person who came here for a life style change…you’re not. Neither are you unique or special for that matter. Tassie only opens its doors if you’re a dreamer, a little left of centre, or a convict.
5. Things grow, and they grow well… including mould. Not even our considerable time spent in the NT did we need to deal with mould. If you happen to discover mould, turns out the secret to removing stains is lemon juice and salt. Thanks Google and random strangers walking down the street.
6. Recognise and accept that you are and always will be a ‘mainlander’ … even if you’re from Ireland.
7. Hand brake. Use it, and use it well.
8. Wearing shorts, flip flops and tee shirts regardless of weather conditions should only be attempted by ‘real’ Tasmanians…not mainlanders pretending to be Tasmanian.
9. You’re always there. In fact you’re there before you can even begin to wonder if you’re there yet…this could be in related to tip number 1, or the fact that there is 500,000 people living in total living in Tasmania, of which approx 300,000 live in Hobart (peak hour anything simply does not exist), and the land mass size is aprox 64, 500 km2
10. If you don’t have a spectacular water or mountain view, you’re ‘slummin it’
My god has it been 10 wks it feels like longer the main landers miss you so much please don’t attempt t-shirt thongs in freezing temperatures even if the tasmanians and bear can do it ! Surely unpredictable Perth drivers have made you well equipt to carrying out evasive maneuvers ? Take care I look forward to the next update
It has indeed been longer than ten weeks since we waved a teary good-bye to two dvd watching munchkins and a sad sister. We rambled over through the red centre before Tassie, so we’ve actually only been in Tassie ten weeks…almost 11 now 0: Feels like we’ve been here all our life. Odd that, reminds me of when you guys moved into Dianella…it just fits.
I’m thermaled up top to toe, including a moose beanine with ear flaps… The chicken leged, short wearing tasmanians are on their own as far as I’m concerned!