Give me some good news please!

Hi,

yesterday i I posted on transport thread asking about flights to Darwin for a Reccie visit and other bits and was overwhelmed by the negative comments made about NT. We will be coming on a 489 visa with two children 5 & 2 and really want to live there. I'm not naive about the climate and know it will be a huge change for us but we are so looking forward to coming. It's just put me on a bit of a downer.

So lovely people tell me the great things about NT please and cheer me up!

Thanks

Callie ?

Well I work with someone from Darwin who loves the markets there!

Hi Callie I have never been there but work with a girl who lived there for 13 years with her husband and two young children and absolutely loved it

My husband has also been there for work for a week or so and really enjoyed his time there

I reckon its part of the 'real' Australia - tough, brash, and close to some incredible landscape. I think people moving up there will have a much richer experience and many more stories than those who move to the middle of a major city; I spent 2 years in rural Autralia and for the most part absolutely loved it.

It is a place we havent yet visited but i sooo want too. Yes the climate is different to down here in Brissy and i agree with the poster that it comes across as 'real / true' Australia. It is also growing in popularity and you will probably find most people who 'snub' it haven't even been,lol.

Try not to be put off, everyone's idea of 'nice' or 'rubbish' is different, what doesn't suit them may well tick all your boxes.

Lots of luck with the trip and here's some links so you remember what you look were looking forwards too

http://www.tourismtopend.com.au/regions/darwin

http://www.darwin.nt.gov.au/live

http://www.arounddarwin.com.au/darwin_childrens_fun.html

Cal x

Kakadu National Park is pretty wonderful after the wet season.

Just because it didn't suit some people,does'nt mean it won't suit you. I've never been to Darwin,so I can't comment,but life is what you make it where ever you live,so I believe its worth a try atleast.Maybe start googling Darwin and see what comes up,good places to visit,things to do,acommo,go on goodle earth and have a virtual drive/walk around.All places have their share of good and not so good places,and its what suits the individual. I hope its all you want and expect it to be,and I will forward to hopefully reading your own positive posts on here re Darwin. Good luck and best wishes for a happy future.

Thanks for the comments and the links are fab Cal, the kids activities look great. Definitely feeling positive again!

knew you guys would cheer me up

Thanks

Callie x

Nice positive comments but, interestingly, nobody with first-hand experience of Darwin. Is there anybody there? :err:

Just tell yourself that you will make the most of it, if a few years down the line you aren't happy then you can plan to move on elsewhere in Australia. But for the time you are there, embrace the Ozzy experience and at least you will experience some proper Ozzy culture. Nothing has to be forever. You may love it but at the same time you don't need to feel trapped.

i would love the rural life but i could not put up with the humidity day and night .........some may love it ......?....its like being thrown in at the deep end .......i hope you love it but if you dont then you know you can move on , no big deal ......good luck ..

Hi Callie Mum!....

i was one of the posters on your other thread that "put you on a downer"

sorry if you felt this way but yes I do have first hand experience and yes I have seen many people arrive and then quickly leave the NT not realising what life was like but that they "love the heat" and so would be fine.

When I came to Australia I was sponsored by NT health on a 457 visa, not sure if it still the case but at that time they had stopped sponsoring direct pr as so many people got there and left fairly fast. You had to come on a temp visa and they would then do pr after a year.

We were based in Alice Springs not Darwin but visited Darwin on probably 10 occasions. Before arriving in Australia we had spent a year in India and 6 months in west Africa so were well acclimatised to heat and humidity but tbh I would never have wanted to live and work in Darwin with the weather.

Personally I loved my time in Alice but the NT is something you need to experience at its most challenging, surely better to do that on a holiday than to have a lovely holiday then move there only to realise that you cannot bear it?

The NT will always have a very special place in my heart, we fell in love with the place and the people, I would encourage anyone to go try it out but at the same time go with your eyes open and be aware of the challenges and limitations, both of which there are many.

We are no longer in the NT since I came up very close and personal to one of those many limitations after a huge car accident, so now the territory is no longer and option for me.

So I stand by my advice of trying to test out at least one of the challenges on you reccie rather than moving over with rose tinted glasses.

good luck

World's best barramundi fishing!:yes:

A totally fabulous place and great people. Been going there for better than 40 years.

Cheers, Bobj.

Darwin can be a transient city with people coming and going a lot, and can feel quite remote for some people. I spent a lot of time in the NT, and was sponsored on 457 visa, but I was closer to Alice. Spent a bit of time in Darwin as I had friends there.

Definatly go on a reccie, see what it's like, there is a lot of nice things about Darwin that it is not a massive city.

My husband worked up in Darwin for 6 weeks years ago (in the dry season) and he really liked the place. If you fancy travelling, Darwin is closer to the cities of many Asian countries than it is to many of the southern cities of Australia. The population is multi-cultural with people of more than 40 different nationalities living together with the Australian Aborigines and Australian born people.

Crocodile farming and fish farming are two of the city's industries. Thousands of people of the Australian Defence Forces are based in Darwin.

Nice positive comments but, interestingly, nobody with first-hand experience of Darwin. Is there anybody there? :err:

Yes! Well not right now, currently in UK!

But...lived in Darwin for many years, first as a backpacker, then a permanent resident, bought my first house there, became a citizen there, and became a mother there!!

A lot of firsts!

It's a great place for families, don't be put off by the "Why Darwin"? comments. Sure, it's not for everyone but that's what makes it such a unique place to be.

Hi Callie Mum!....

 

i was one of the posters on your other thread that "put you on a downer"

 

sorry if you felt this way but yes I do have first hand experience and yes I have seen many people arrive and then quickly leave the NT not realising what life was like but that they "love the heat" and so would be fine.

 

When I came to Australia I was sponsored by NT health on a 457 visa, not sure if it still the case but at that time they had stopped sponsoring direct pr as so many people got there and left fairly fast. You had to come on a temp visa and they would then do pr after a year.

 

We were based in Alice Springs not Darwin but visited Darwin on probably 10 occasions. Before arriving in Australia we had spent a year in India and 6 months in west Africa so were well acclimatised to heat and humidity but tbh I would never have wanted to live and work in Darwin with the weather.

 

Personally I loved my time in Alice but the NT is something you need to experience at its most challenging, surely better to do that on a holiday than to have a lovely holiday then move there only to realise that you cannot bear it?

 

The NT will always have a very special place in my heart, we fell in love with the place and the people, I would encourage anyone to go try it out but at the same time go with your eyes open and be aware of the challenges and limitations, both of which there are many.

 

We are no longer in the NT since I came up very close and personal to one of those many limitations after a huge car accident, so now the territory is no longer and option for me.

 

So I stand by my advice of trying to test out at least one of the challenges on you reccie rather than moving over with rose tinted glasses.

 

good luck

Agree with the above.I was also possibly guilty of being on a downer. So I'm sorry if it upset you. Not the intention but you asked what it was like.Darwin is like another country rather than part of Aus. Just that someone should go with their eyes open and if you do then good luck to you and I hope it all works out . Litchfield National park is nearby. That was great. Lots of interesting aboriginal culture in Darwin. Markets. You can feed crocodiles ( try not to use your own body parts to do this though!) Spectacular lightning storms.

Thanks everyone, we will have a holiday/ recce before we move and we're looking forward to seeing and experiencing all the good stuff you've all mentioned. It will be later in the year, but will let you know how we get on.

Cheers

Callie x

I visited Darwin after not having been there for over 30 years - it is now a vibrant, modern, little city - I loved it. Met a number of Brits and Irish working in the pubs and casino. You need a house with a pool to live there but you will soon get used to the humidity.

I have just left Darwin after living there for 4 yrs.Its not as remote as people think.Massive amount of construction going on New suburbs being built,new shopping centre going into Palmerston.There are some definite downsides to living in the Top End coming from the UK they will be very noticable........the cultural shock......the amount of the not so nice indigenous people.Crime is a major issue.The cost of living is horrendous,rentals are expensive.Please please please do your research carefully.I don't want to be the one to burst your bubble but a couple of weeks holiday WILL NOT prepare you for life in Darwin.

I love Darwin. Been up loads of times with work and a couple of times for a month at a time, in June-July too, my wife was super jealous. Don't know why there was so much negativity, Darwin is not too big, has everything you could want in a town, shopping, good restaurants, nightlife, lots of good pubs with live music. Choice of eating in expensive restaurants or cheap pub grub but good portions.

Plenty for kids to do, Darwin has the biggest outdoor wave pool in the Southern Hemisphere. Not been in there myself as I prefer swimming in the closed in swimming lagoon, next to the wave pool. Some great apartments, pubs, restaurants, nightlife, walks, around the pool area and port.

If you fancy a change pop over to Cullen Bay for an evening by the Ocean and good food.

The casino is pretty good and everyone goes on about the Mindil beach markets. Not being a market or casino type of person myself I can take them or leave them. Been to the casino a couple of times and it's nice, never been to the markets.

On the downside I couldn't live too far out of Darwin. There are some nice areas quite close but, in my opinion, Palmerston is horrible.

All those backpackers and FIFO people going there for R&R can't be wrong.:cool:

The wave pool is fun but quite small.The free waterpark at Leanyer is great for kids.The new waterpark in Palmerston is a bit of a let down....no pool .Mindil and Palmerston Sunset Markets are only on in the dry season May-Oct ish.You also have to remember Darwin is a huge Defence town as well as FIFO and backpackers it can make for interesting times.Visiting and living are two totally different things.Not many tourist attractions and once you have visited them a few times its boring.Litchfield National Park is great but gets very busy.Kakadu is at least a weekend trip its approx. 3 hrs from Darwin to Jabaru then hrs more travelling through the park.Contrary to popular belief wages DO NOT reflect the cost of living up there.Impex have just laid off 1400 from the gas project.Darwin CBD is now just one big construction site since planning permission was given to build high rises.Not much in the way of shopping in the city.

Im sorry if you think Im being negative but I believe you need to be prepared.The amount of people that we met up there who have packed up and gone back to the UK and Ireland or changed locations like us was quite shocking.We have moved with Defence to Victoria.Wow what a difference even my cigarettes are $4 cheaper a pack.

Agree with the above.I was also possibly guilty of being on a downer. So I'm sorry if it upset you. Not the intention but you asked what it was like.Darwin is like another country rather than part of Aus. Just that someone should go with their eyes open and if you do then good luck to you and I hope it all works out ?. Litchfield National park is nearby. That was great. Lots of interesting aboriginal culture in Darwin. Markets. You can feed crocodiles ( try not to use your own body parts to do this though!) Spectacular lightning storms.

To be fair, she didn't ask what it was like.

You took it down that negative path.

The wave pool is fun but quite small.The free waterpark at Leanyer is great for kids.The new waterpark in Palmerston is a bit of a let down....no pool .Mindil and Palmerston Sunset Markets are only on in the dry season May-Oct ish.You also have to remember Darwin is a huge Defence town as well as FIFO and backpackers it can make for interesting times.Visiting and living are two totally different things.Not many tourist attractions and once you have visited them a few times its boring.Litchfield National Park is great but gets very busy.Kakadu is at least a weekend trip its approx. 3 hrs from Darwin to Jabaru then hrs more travelling through the park.Contrary to popular belief wages DO NOT reflect the cost of living up there.Impex have just laid off 1400 from the gas project.Darwin CBD is now just one big construction site since planning permission was given to build high rises.Not much in the way of shopping in the city.

Im sorry if you think Im being negative but I believe you need to be prepared.The amount of people that we met up there who have packed up and gone back to the UK and Ireland or changed locations like us was quite shocking.We have moved with Defence to Victoria.Wow what a difference even my cigarettes are $4 cheaper a pack.

I thought I might try Litchfield when I was there on my own one weekend. Drove about half an hour and thought why bother, I'm on my own, I'm going to an outback park. I turned around, found a good pub that had the footy on and had a great afternoon having a laugh with some locals.

I should have booked on a tour to Litchfield, would have been much more fun with a few people. I'm not really a park person either, unless I have a mountain bike.:cool: