Australia Weather News

For those frustrated by scorching heatwaves and stifling humidity, Tasmania has often been seen as a welcoming refuge.

The island state's maximum summer temperatures generally hover in the mid-20s, offering relief from the extremes found on the mainland.

Its temperate forests, jagged shores and slower pace of life have also drawn families from across Australia.

But life in Tasmania is not free from challenges, with the state regularly among the country's worst performers in key metrics like education and health care.

While the number of people moving to the state each year has risen to about 13,000, this has been outweighed by an annual exodus of about 15,000 people leaving for the mainland.

Lisa Denny, a demographer based in Tasmania, has found most people leave the state in search of better employment, education or a lower cost of living.

She said the large number of people moving away meant those who were moving to the state for climate-related reason were not necessarily reflected in the data.

"We're starting to see more anecdotal evidence of people moving to Tasmania for climate-related reasons … but it's not becoming prevalent in the data," Dr Denny said.

Earlier this week, a young couple shared their story about moving to a small town near Hobart after experiencing extreme heat and humidity on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

Following that article, the ABC spoke to eight different families who moved to Tasmania for climate-related reasons.

While all of them still felt positive about the decision, they reported a mixture of frustrations with issues like public transport, health care and isolation.

So was it worth it to move to Tasmania for the cooler weather?

Steven Dover, 70, moved from Melbourne, VIC

The hunt for cooler weather and cheaper real estate brought Mr Dover and his wife to Tasmania in 2019.

"Our main consideration initially was the heat in Melbourne. We were starting to get a little uncomfortable," he said.

Mr Dover said they really enjoyed the temperatures in Tasmania, as well as the scenery and the quality of groceries.

"Beautiful countryside. We've really enjoyed taking our friends who come and visit to Cradle Mountain," he said.

Some of the drawbacks listed by Mr Dover were lower-quality restaurants, the isolation, cold bathrooms, a worse recycling system and conservative politics.

He said the biggest concern was undoubtedly the state of the healthcare system.

"It's almost impossible sometimes to get a consultancy appointment. Getting into doctors is really hard and we do worry about the state of the Launceston Hospital," Mr Dover said.

Darren Briggs, 53, moved from Adelaide, SA

Mr Briggs said he was mindful of his experiences with droughts and bushfires in South Australia when he decided to move to Tasmania in 2011, although his key aim was to further his education and career in medicine.

"Tassie is a bit of a refuge to me in many ways. I certainly looked at Tassie as a great place to be in a world currently experiencing climate change," he said.

Access to nature, community opportunities, the milder climate and it being a "great place" for bringing up kids were the main positives listed by Mr Briggs.

"It's good for my mental health and good for my physical health. I love the climate here, especially in the north-west," he said.

Mr Briggs said the main downside to life in Tasmania was the state's lack of appreciation and understanding for how the environment and climate change affected people's health.

"There's a lot of misinformation going around, especially in Tasmania, over what's important to our economy and our health," he said.

Tom Kingston, 79, moved from Ballarat, VIC

After researching the impacts of climate change and experiencing warmer, drier summers in Ballarat, Mr Kingston moved to the north-west coast of Tasmania in 2013.

"[Climate change] was going to impact on Australia heavily and in terms of the best places to be, one of the best was Tasmania," he said.

Mr Kingston said the climate had been exactly what he wanted and he had enjoyed the slower pace of life.

"Generally, it's lived up to expectations and we're not short on anything we need really, compared to living in Victoria," he said.

After relying on trains significantly while living in regional Victoria, Mr Kingston felt the lack of public transport in Tasmania was a significant drawback.

He also noted the conservative politics in the electorate of Braddon as a downside.

"So getting to Launceston for something, we have to drive generally, but living in Victoria we would be catching the train all the time," Mr Kingston said.

James Cheng, 49, moved from Sydney, NSW

Searching for a slower pace of life brought Mr Cheng and his partner to Tasmania about six years ago.

He said they were also growing frustrated by the "unbearably warm" heatwaves in Sydney.

"I realised the summer in Tasmania is so mild and that's what got me thinking this would be a fabulous place to move in the long term," Mr Cheng said.

Mr Cheng said some of the best parts of living in Tasmania were the moderate temperatures, the hikes and the fresh produce.

"I enjoy the hiking. You can do it any time of the year because the weather is just so conducive," he said.

Mr Cheng said it would be great if Tasmania had direct access to international flights, instead of passengers having to first fly to Sydney or Melbourne.

"Other than that, I think Tasmania is perfect," he said.

Paul McArthy, 73, moved from Sydney, NSW

After living for more than three decades in Sydney, Mr McArthy and his wife moved to Tasmania in 2010 to be somewhere less populated.

They originally considered moving to Townsville in Queensland, but decided the heat there might be a problem.

"Sydney was getting far too busy, far too noisy, far too many people," Mr McArthy said.

The couple have enjoyed the slower pace of life in Tasmania and feel as though their quality of life has improved.

"It's the slowing down. The lack of hustle and bustle of big city life. Tasmania is lovely and Hobart is like a big country town," Mr McArthy said.

Mr McArthy said his main frustration with life in Tasmania were the social inequalities, which he felt were caused by the state's Liberal government.

"All they care about is jobs and growth and that's not good enough," he said.

Jennifer Lavers, 46 moved from south-west WA

Extreme temperatures, repeated bushfires and a mass die-off of plants in south-west Western Australia caused significant eco-grief and anxiety for Dr Lavers and her family, before they decided to move to Tasmania in 2025.

"We literally watched hundreds of trees on our doorstep die and I just couldn't deal with it anymore. It just seemed impossible to keep anything alive," Dr Lavers said.

Dr Lavers said she feels more connected to nature in Tasmania and that it has been more "soothing to the soul".

"You can't put a price tag on being able to go about you life and not have to constantly check emergency apps," she said.

"None at all. We were able to afford to purchase a very large, pristine bush block and we now find ourselves immersed in the beautiful forest that we always wished for," Dr Lavers said.

Leigh McQueeney, 63, moved from Sunshine Coast, QLD

Mr McQueeney moved to Tasmania in 2025 after experiencing very hot summers and strong storms in Queensland.

His wife has multiple sclerosis, which makes her more sensitive to the weather, so finding somewhere with a stable temperature was key.

"Moving to Tasmania was the only sort of option for nine, 10 months of the year and we'll go overseas for the other months," he said.

Mr McQueeney said the couple were very happy with the move, particularly due to people's friendliness, great food and the beautiful scenery.

He said Tasmania compared favourably to the locations they visited touring across North America and Europe.

"When you come home to here it's just amazing — why did I bother going to Ireland?"

The main negative of the move for McQueeney was sourcing good services and a lack of tradespeople.

"I had to try four or five different garages before someone would look after my Volvo. I thought 'It's only a Volvo, it's not a Lamborghini,'" Mr McQueeney said.

Dan Owbridge, 53, moved from Vernor, QLD

The search for lower property values and cooler weather saw Mr Owbridge and his wife Sue Minto move to Tasmania in 2025, after a couple of years travelling the country in a caravan.

"After experiencing the last three summers in Queensland … where it was just so uncomfortable to sleep at night and you had to spend all your time in air conditioning, Tasmania became pretty appealing," Mr Owbridge said.

He has found the state "very accommodating" and "fantastic" to live in.

"We've had any issues we need addressed immediately," Mr Owbridge said.

The couple have been frustrated by some camping grounds and attractions in the state's north being closed over winter.

They have also had difficulties purchasing certain items.

"You can't assume thing you want will be available here and may need to allow for stuff to be shipped from the mainland," Mr Owbridge said.