Not Here For The Money
Nov 10In our interviews, we heard of lucrative job offers on the mainland.
Many of you have been tempted by the bright lights of bigger cities, with promises of career progression, generous pay rises and annual bonuses. You told us that, generally, you can’t earn that kind of money in Hobart.
When asked to justify your decision to stay here, some of you compared wages to the cost of living. In Hobart, our houses are more affordable, parking is cheaper. You calculated that this goes some way towards levelling the difference.
Others responded with a question – how can you put a value on the Hobart lifestyle?
What’s the value of being surrounded by the natural environment?
What’s the value of having more time with your kids, less time on the train?
What’s the value of knowing your neighbours?
What’s the value of night-time auroras, spring-time snow and picture-perfect light?
What’s the value of clean air?
Those of you who moved to Hobart from other parts of Australia or the world talked about it in our interviews. So did Hobartians who moved away for a time, and then chose to move back.
You told us that even after returning from a holiday, you are reminded that you’re coming home to something special. Perhaps something more valuable than a pay slip?
You want to live in a place where the kind of person you are is more important than the kind of car you drive.
Of course, this is no excuse for companies to rip off their workers, or offer salaries that make it impossible to get ahead. It certainly doesn’t justify the social inequality you spoke of, the huge differences that exist from suburb to suburb.
No matter how smart, connected or resilient you are, it seems there will always be a job somewhere else where you could earn more money. But for most of you, there is something more valuable to be earned in Hobart.
November 15, 2017 at 3:10 pm
TonyOn what is a hot day, we still have the freshness that provides vitality to life itself. There is no better place than sitting outdoors of a barmy night with a good local drink and a view of the mountain. The noise of a Sydney or Melbourne would be a distraction from the enjoyment
November 20, 2017 at 10:12 pm
SarahI love being able to walk to work in the city within half an hour, from our recently purchased first home situated in the ‘inner suburbs’ of the city.
On the weekend, a short drive will bring me to 5 different dog beaches, multiple surf spots, bushwalking, rockclimbing, mountainbiking, kayaking…..
Or if we are feeling social, several wonderful social restaurant strips populated by eateries selling some of the best local produce in Australia.
Low key, accessible, incredible surroundings.
I don’t care what they might pay me elsewhere. I wouldn’t swap it.
November 22, 2017 at 3:21 pm
CarrieI live here because I can walk to work without having to pay through the nose in rent for the privilege (though before house prices rose I might have been able to buy in the inner suburbs – now I can’t :-(). Everywhere I walk in the city, I can see sunshine, light and views of our stunning environment. I can drive to beaches or up the mountain in only half an hour with hardly any traffic. But I still get all the benefits of living in a capital city – culture, facilities, events, restaurants etc. Here, I don’t have to loose half my life commuting, either to work or to fun places! I get to live my life instead!