smallbear

It's really hard to write this review, because I have grown to dislike the place so much.

Is it just the middle-class pretensions of the area, the thin veneer over the deep and immoveable boganry? No, I can deal with that. The whole country is pretentious, we're known for it, read a wine label and you'll understand.

It's so much more than that, it's the actual raw experience, day to day, of living here. I spend a lot of time in the house and am subjected to the neglect of people's dogs, the roar and squeal of their chainsaws, the constant desire to bang something, anything, with a hammer. My wife and I are both musicians and we are the most quiet people in the street. It's that bad. And, speaking of quiet and streets, even if you find one, and ours is one of the best, you can hear the dogs up the hill and as far away as Lenah Valley.

It's a Two Chainsaw Tasmanian hell-hole and I am hoping we can move sideways to West Hobart, meet a few normal people and have a little peace and quiet. But living here kind of crushes hope. You can see it in the downcast eyes of people on the street, sitting in their cars, their gardens and on the bus. Everyone hates it, but no-one wants it to change. People won't look you in the eye, they're untrusting and untrustworthy. It's ostensibly suburban, but I don't feel safe here, there's no community spirit.

I've been honest in my ratings. You can't get a doctor here, there are no shops, no night-life, no culture. If you use Mount Stuart as a base, then maybe you can venture out to Hobart for your culture, but you'll always be escaping, and always in denial (although the DSO do perform at the Friend's School occasionally). You don't want to come back and you know it. Every second suburbanite here is a tradesman, think about that for a moment. If the rest have two chainsaws and use them as often as possible, if the rest have barking dogs that go all day, imagine what it's like to be surrounded by tradesmen. When I say bogans and pretension, I mean bogans and pretension. I don't mind what people do with their lives, but I do mind very much what they do with mine.

There, I told you I shouldn't start.