Funny, a lot of people lately have asked me what Tasmania is like.
[To all the Aussies that read my blog, I am writing this for the benefit of the readers who are from other countries. These are my opinions and observations and are in no way set in stone]
Now, let me see. It gets hotter than hot in summer and colder than cold in winter. Through Spring and Autumn the weather really doesn’t know what it is doing.
You can wake up to heavy frosts, wait for the sun to burn the fog off, take off your eleventy hundred layers of clothes and swan around in a t-shirt, only to be soaked in rain falling sideways.
Or you can have 35C days in September (early Spring), only to have them followed by a dreary day of 11C and rain.
Or you can have snow in November (late Spring).
Sounds like fun, no?
It is actually. I love Tasmania, I love the unpredictability of the weather. I love how we are an island and that if we wanted, we could drive from one end to the other in under a day.
I’m not sure how different being pregnant and giving birth is here to the US is. I gave birth to Amy in the Hospital with a midwife in attendence the whole time (standard practice). A doctor will check on you if you need it, but mostly you are left with one midwife (or 2 if you labour through a shift change).
The midwives encourage you to eat and drink during labour (I was given sandwiches that I promptly gave to Nathan and orange juice which was lovely). They also suggest that you bring along glucose lollies to help with energy levels, which I know is pretty different from the US practise of ice chips only. (Correct me if I am wrong there).
All babies are ‘roomed in’ with their mothers and are only taken off to the nursery if you request it or are too sick yourself. Mostly the babies that end up in the nursery, if not sleeping, end up being carried about with the midwives. I remember a midwife checking on me after Amy was born and she was holding 2 babies while she did her rounds.
Our NICU is called NeoNats (NeoNatal Intensive Care) and the son of my friend spent 13 weeks in there. (He was born at 27 weeks). She wasn’t charged a cent for it.
Breastfeeding is encouraged from early prenatal visits and the midwifes are really very hesitant to let mothers give up on it, at least to begin with. We don’t get given formula samples or coupons, so if you do decide to formula feed, or can’t breastfeed, you don’t get any formula free or at a reduced price. (I would have loved to have gotten free samples or coupons. I had plenty of people who would gladly have accepted them from me!)
I have no idea if this actually helps with how many mothers start and keep breastfeeding though.
Unless you are right in the suburbs, the public transport is pretty crappy. I am feeling ‘in touch’ and lucky because I just discovered a bus to Hobart runs past my door at 7am and would bring me home again at 5.15pm. It only runs once a day, but I am thrilled! It means that I would actually be able to get into town if I wanted.
We don’t have passenger trains (although I think we should) or trams. Taxi’s are very expensive, but I used to occasionally catch one home from work when I lived and worked in the city.
My particular suburb has around 6 houses and a pub. I don’t know my neighbours and therefore I will go days without talking to anyone except Amy, Nathan and Mum (on the phone).
Primary School runs from Kindergarten – Grade 6. Then our High School is Grade 7 – Grade 10. Then once Grade 10 is completed, you head to College (Grade 11 – Grade 12 and sometimes Grade 13) or TAFE (Skills and Cert Training).
College, TAFE and University are optional. Some teenagers (like I did) land a job and do on the job training as apprentices or trainees straight out of grade 10. [Okay, so I did 3.5 months of grade 11. Don’t yell at me]
Uhmmm, really, what else do you want to know about? If you ask me, I will do follow up posts, or I will go into more depth with stuff. Sorry there aren’t more photographs of stuff, I haven’t been into town recently. HOWEVER, I plan to be in town sometime this week, so if you would like to see some photos of Hobart, let me know and I will see what I can do.
Love this post!
OK. What is the official Tasmanian opinion on the Bugs Bunny Tazmanian Devil? How about the Queen and Prince Charles? And is that “going to school by radio” thing just a myth they tell us about here? Thought everyone outside the city did that.
(Personally, I don’t like that lady Charles married, but I guess that isn’t really a representative “American” opinion.)
On the breastfeeding: I’ve never seen those nipple devices before that look like earrings. Are they for stopping milk flow while you nurse on the other side or what? (Not to get too personal, but hey, you posted the pic so I thought I’d ask.) I breastfed Patrick and most of the other kids, but this last time, I’m a bit uncomfy whipping out the breasts when I have teenage sons at home. Formula. ;] Bad mom.
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How very interesting!! I love the views! It’s such a beautiful place.
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We love Tassie, although it was freezing when we went. We loved Cra
tiffs last blog post..Weekly Winners, limping it in edition.
Cradle Mountain…stupid send button. (Don’t say anything XBox)
tiffs last blog post..Weekly Winners, limping it in edition.
Very interesting. Although the cold doesn’t frighten me. I live in Michigan in the US. Our winters are freezing with more snow than I care for.
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I got VERY cheap formula – my kids were lactose intolerant so my doc used to write me a script for their formula and I’d get 5 tins for $3.60 on the PBS. Much better than the regular $16 each tin!
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The very best things about Tasmania are you, your Mum and Amy. And the biggest reason, at least as far as I’m concerned, for visiting there. So, if I EVER get a chance to go there, you’ll know my motivation.
Lous last blog post..Drop kick me, JC, through the goalpost of life
Woohoo thanks Lou
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No yelling here – I didn’t even make it to 3.5 months of year 11 – oops!
And AHEM Lou…….!
And the rest sounds spot on for my neck of Tassie too…..although I have more buses drive past here…..but we don’t use them!
The poor Tassie Devils aren’t all as healthy as Taz unfortunately…:-(
Good post Veronica!
G
xx
p.s. You forgot to mention the Drop Bears – ha ha!
Aahh, Tasmanian summers! I went on a 10 day hike in the Cradle Mountain area just before Christmas once. It rained for 8 days, and on midsummer day we woke to about an inch of snow. So there was I, doing my morning business with my pants around my feet, watching a hundred or so black leeches crawling towards me across the snow. 20 or so years later, it’s one of my more vivid memories of the trip! I never did get to see Cradle Mountain through the rain and fog.
Sounds a lot like the UK! If that Lotto win comes up I’ll come and visit – but only in the Summer lol!. Beautiful pictures though. Today our part of WA was approx 20C (but will only be 5C tonight), lovely and sunny.
That’s a cool cool post.
I love hearing the seemingly indifferent details, bus times etc lol.
nuice shots too.
(and Tiff, don’t worry, it happens to lots of laptops ;0) )
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Thank you for sharing your love of your country! The pics are great 🙂
Whenever you get the chance write some more on this. Its so interesting. I was so hungry when I gave birth here after a three day labor I had my hubby sneak in granola bars. Lucky you
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I would love to see some pictures of Hobart. This was a really interesting post and very informative. I sometimes forget that not everybody has summer and winter as the same time as me.
thanks for the great post. that was realy interesting. where i live in the US (near Boston) sounds like the weather is similar
Thanks Veronica! I’d love to see pictures of Hobart. How far away are you from the city?
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What’s it like to have Christmas in summer? Do you have different songs that don’t include “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”? Frosty the snowman probably isn’t right up there for Christmas songs, either.
I thought Australia was granted independence OF SOME SORT from England in 1900 or 1901?? I must be wrong.
When you watch TV, what do you watch? Does Australia create big productions? (sorry, all I’m thinking of is the Wiggles).
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Cool post.
Maternity care is similar here.
If you choose to have a specialist, you can go private and you have to pay for that though.
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Well I’m from Canada and had my first three there and it does not cost anything no matter what you need done or who does it . Then I got remarried and moved to the states and we had our new baby here in feb and we left with a nice new baby and almost 8500 in bills OMFG I was so shocked how high it was, and I had straight normal drug free birth I would hate to see it if I had problems. It sounds nice where you live,just thought I’d add that to my rant haha.
Bahahahaha… I thought you were going to show your special map of Tasmania. *sniggers*
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I always boast about Tassie. We have been all over Australia and there is still only one place I call home. I know that when I travel abroad it will be the same.
I write about Tassie on my blog and have tonnes of photos, I get upset when there are bad things said about our state because to me there is everything you need and more. I love living in the country and working in the city, there aren’t many places like that, it takes me 45 minutes to drive to work.
Keep it up!!!! (You watch the amount of tourists we get now they know about this fantastic place)
Wow,cool! Thanks for this post! Yes, more pictures please.
Regarding ice chips only during labor in U.S. – I had mine at a birth center with midwives – not in hospital, and they let you eat whatever you want & make sure you’re eating enough to have some energy, but everyone I know who went to the hospital for their birth was not allowed to eat (most had food snuck in to them). C-sections are so incredibly frequent in hospitals here, they want you to be ready for surgery when you are in labor!
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“Special” map of Tasmania?
Also, do post more, its very interesting to me anyway~!
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Wow. Nice post. I loved the pics! It’s funny, I’m from Ohio, and our weather is pretty spastic as well. We always joke around and say that if you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes and it’ll change. But that’s not really fair I suppose. It was consistent all day today! 🙂 I wonder if we’re at about the same latitude, only reversed…
cool..
funny you should say that..
i wasnt allowed to eat when i was in labour..
Tazs last blog post..32 Weeks Old
I second what Lou said. So, is Hobart your closest city? Somehow I imagined that you lived in the north of Tassie. Don’t know where I got that idea. I’d love to see more photos too.
Kat – “special” map of Tassie – it’s that hairy forest a few centimetres south of Navel…
Mrs C – I say ignore your discomfort and let your teenage boys know the beauty and real purpose of your breasts. You can discreetly cover yourself enough to not be obviously undressed and your boys will learn that boobs are not just sex toys. They will have more respect for their future girlfriends maybe?
nope not crawling and the jeans are pumpkin patch..
very expensive.. heh
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Nice Photo’s !!
i wondered what Tazmania was like, now I have an insight…
My work has blocked myspace and i’m back on blogger again for my sins, please swing by and leave us a comment, as i need all the help i can get to get started again !!
Many thanks Gareth
http://garethtidmarsh.blogspot.com/
I couldn’t leave a comment on your new blog, it kept crashing, but glad to hear that the pregnancy is going well !!
I have to tell you that Tassie has got to be Australia’s best kept secret. I love Tassie. The mountains and wilderness areas are awesome as are the rivers & beaches & well, everything about it (with just one exception). I didn’t like Queenstown very much, very bleak & oh so different from all the beauty that is Tasmania.I loved the forest walk, wilderness railway from Strahan, Gordon River cruise, taking the “Fat Man” across the Pieman, Dove Lake & Lake St. Clair. We also saw the Huon Valley, Mole Creek, Priscilla (the Pig in the Paddock), the tessilated pavement, Richmond, Ross & Campbelltown with all their wonderfully preserved historic & convict built buildings & bridges. Port Arthur is stunning, totally! We loved everthing we saw at Devonport, Launceston, Wynyard, Burnie, Penguin, St. Helens, Swansea, Low Head and, of course, Hobart & Mt. Wellington. What a beautiful & impressive capital city! My favourite town was New Norfolk, perfectly lovely! And not to forget those adorable devils, fingers crossed they survive the cancer problem. Tassie wouldn’t quite be the same without them. Wherever we went in Tassie we were met by a warmth & friendliness sadly forgotten by some folk on the mainland. And I have to add to all this, the food we had the absolute pleasure to enjoy was so fresh & delectable, wherever we ate. I love everthing about your beautiful gem of an island & wish I could go back again & again & again! You are so lucky to live there, why would anyone want to live elsewhere.
I loved hearing all about your home, sounds like a wonderful place. Would love to see more pictures
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