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Tasmania here we come! 18 months down the line!


DigiGander

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As I see the homeless man on the side of the road this morning on my way to work, I felt some guilt. Why have I been offered such a great opportunity? 

Grace

Background

So after 18 months, a couple of delays and what seemed to be a test of our faith and patience, our 489 Visa to Tasmania was finally granted on 16 January 2019. This date I will remember and the the song playing in my car will forever be part of me going into the future. 

 

We started the process in July 2017 and our final submission happened at the end of September 2018. Since then we were waiting and waiting. In all honesty that was the hardest part. Getting all the paperwork together and filling out endless amounts of forms were challenging, but at least you were doing something. Waiting for approval feels so powerless. So we just decided to trust God on this and finally we were rewarded yesterday. 

 

Why Tasmania? That question I have asked myself numerous times. Sometimes our journey takes us to places you never would've expected. Here's the thing though, the more research we do on that small little island, the more impressed we are with the lifestyle and community. In fact, I have started to prefer this option to Adelaide, which was our other one. 

 

Our journey has begun today. Our goal of PR is still far away, so we still have some miles to go. 2 years of living there and 12 months of work is the criteria and then the applications start all over. We are ready and we know we are blessed beyond measure.

 

That's probably where all the mixed feeling come in. So mixed and so all over the place. Currently I am just trying to focus on channeling it all into happiness although I am sure there's going to be loads of tears in the next couple of months.

 

Some advice given

Bite sized chunks - The process of visa applications have 4 steps. Approach each one diligently and don't worry about the timing and the next process. It will drive you crazy. Worry about now, the next form or next test. 

 

Plan, but don't plan. Once you start the process you are going to feel like you are living in limbo, so stop spending on stuff and spend on experiences. It's much more fulfilling and as you miss South Africa, savour the memories you made while still here. You won't miss your fancy furniture. 

 

Read or listen The Barefoot Investor - It's a great guide for doing money matters correctly from the get go. I'm definitely implementing that when I get to Tas. 

 

Ask a question. If you want to know something about our journey, ask away. I love meeting new people. 

 

Some advice asked

We are flying out in March, so we have a lot to do. I don't want to waste time when I get there. 

In order of importance, what would you advise we do first so that we don't fall into any issues getting admin issues sorted out. Let me know your experiences. 

Name the best value for money suburbs to look at with proper schools for primary and nursery schools.

 

 

 

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Hi. Congratulations on the grant. I also received mine (489 Tasmania) on 11 January 2019. I was hours away from withdrawing it inorder to lodge 190 for SA. I am also heading out in March but only to activate. I can totally relate to the feelings you have described. I am nowhere near ready to move, still need to sell the house, cars, finish job contracts etc. I am sure others who have gone before us will be able to answer your questions in more detail  than I can, but here is my 2 cents.

1. Dance and breathe, and dance again.

2.  There is a trello someone posted on this forum. I started using it earlier this week. It has great structure and some items I hadn't though of. Very easy to use and you can share tasks with your family members. It seems useful for both the move and with settling in the other side. I don't have the link for the public one but if you do a search for "@Mauro trello" the thread  will come up. 

3. From web searches and other people's reviews  I think Tolman's Hill, Mt Nelson, Kingston and Sandy Bay have great accommodation options and schools. But it will of course depend on your preferences and where you intend to work.  https://www.homely.com.au/search/suburbs-in-greater-hobart-tasmania

3. If you hadn't started already start decluttering. I followed advice on this group and started last year October. Even sold a few items I realized I was never going to use. The less stuff you have to deal with the easier it is to think and plan and pack.

 

If you find flight deals please let me know.

 

Best wishes for the future. 

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18 hours ago, KayB said:

Hi. Congratulations on the grant. I also received mine (489 Tasmania) on 11 January 2019. I was hours away from withdrawing it inorder to lodge 190 for SA. I am also heading out in March but only to activate. I can totally relate to the feelings you have described. I am nowhere near ready to move, still need to sell the house, cars, finish job contracts etc. I am sure others who have gone before us will be able to answer your questions in more detail  than I can, but here is my 2 cents.

1. Dance and breathe, and dance again.

2.  There is a trello someone posted on this forum. I started using it earlier this week. It has great structure and some items I hadn't though of. Very easy to use and you can share tasks with your family members. It seems useful for both the move and with settling in the other side. I don't have the link for the public one but if you do a search for "@Mauro trello" the thread  will come up. 

3. From web searches and other people's reviews  I think Tolman's Hill, Mt Nelson, Kingston and Sandy Bay have great accommodation options and schools. But it will of course depend on your preferences and where you intend to work.  https://www.homely.com.au/search/suburbs-in-greater-hobart-tasmania

3. If you hadn't started already start decluttering. I followed advice on this group and started last year October. Even sold a few items I realized I was never going to use. The less stuff you have to deal with the easier it is to think and plan and pack.

 

If you find flight deals please let me know.

 

Best wishes for the future. 

Thanks for the well wishes. I would love to see the Trello you were referring to. I will see if I can find it. 

We have already sold our house and basically everything we have. It was liberating. 

I haven't found flight deals, but I did realise that if you fly Emirates, you get a total of 46KGs as apposed to 30KGs of Qantas. This is the option we are exploring now. 

 

Good luck with your move as well when you get there. When are you planning to go permanently? 

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On 1/18/2019 at 1:40 PM, DigiGander said:

Thanks for the well wishes. I would love to see the Trello you were referring to. I will see if I can find it. 

We have already sold our house and basically everything we have. It was liberating. 

I haven't found flight deals, but I did realise that if you fly Emirates, you get a total of 46KGs as apposed to 30KGs of Qantas. This is the option we are exploring now. 

 

Good luck with your move as well when you get there. When are you planning to go permanently? 

Will move permanently in December hopefully. Found flights on Qatar airways. Hoping the stopover packages will be as good as thay say. 45 kg baggage allowance.

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