LadyMc

That's all useful info. Thanks very much

Very true!!

Hi hubby and I may be relocating to the Central Coast in a couple of weeks with our 3 year old twins and choco labrador. (I know, how do we not know if we are relocating or not. It's only two weeks away right?? Long story) He will be working in Tuggerah and I was wondering which are the best areas for renting. Ideally we would like to be near public transport and of course water. Also, can anyone recommend good daycare facilities. I'm open to family daycare or daycare centres. Can my dog swim in the lake? I have so many more questions but these will do for a starter. lol Really appreciate any input Jo

Hi I'm planning on going to Planet Kids at Nightcliff on Thursday morning if you would like to join us. Joanne

Hi We have been here in Darwin since July. Hubby's 3rd time. My first. We have previously lived in the Cayman Islands (very expensive), Dubai (expensive shopping) and the UK. Darwin tops them all expense wise. We spend an average of $250 on the weekly shop and then top up. I have to be honest ans say we don't particularly restrict ourselves and we do have nice food. We have 2 year old twins and buy lots of fresh fruit etc for them. We also have a dog. Her big bag of food costs around $120 and it lasts about a month. I can't give any info on vet fees etc. One thing I would say about Darwin is just how friendly the place seems. i love it here. It is easy to get around and there is plenty to do for kids if you have them, or plan to. There are some doggy daycare places and boarding kennels for your pups when you get here. Of course they will need to go into quarantine first. I would suggest putting them in Sydney as it will generally be cooler than Perth. I was worried sick about our pup, but she coped well. Jetpets is a company who can arrange the internal transfer to Darwin for you. They were very good, and reasonable. You can do it cheaper if you can find someone to fly with your pups and take them as excess baggage. Hope this is of some help Joanne

Hi ladies Happy to host a play date at our place in Fannie Bay so some of us newbies can get together. Le me know if you would be interested (our place is pretty much baby proofed) best times for me is in the morning. My twins are now 20 months (18 adjusted)

Hi I assume this is handling fees and then the flight is on top? Jo

Hi Himyarites pooch is due to be released from the big house (Eastern Creek Quarantine) soon. So I need to get her shipped up to Darwin and wondered if anyone had done the same; 1) Did you do it yourself or hire a company to deal on your behalf? 2) if you hired a company who were they and were you happy with them 3) if you did it yourself, what was involved? 4) what were the costs? Thanks in advance Jo

Cheers Ed i hadn't but I will Thanks again

Hi Well we have arrived and will shortly move into our rented place. Our container doesn't arrive for another month and we can either rough it completely or hire some furniture and appliances. i'm opting for the latter!!! Does anyone know of any reasonable hire places that don't want long term contracts? TIA Joanne

We are moving to Darwin next month (Arriving 19th July) "WE" are myself, hubby, our 16 month old twins and our choco lab. (Well she will be joint us after q-u-a-r-a-n-t-i-n-e (Ssshhhhh). Would love to meet up with other people. Despite the young age of our twins, we are actually a bit older. Shall we just say life began almost a decade ago!! I've started a facebook group called Darwin Mums and families (only me and hub as members at the moment). I thought we could perhaps use it for sorting out playdates and what have you. We'll see how it goes.

The shipper we are considering has advised us that around 60% of consignments have damage done upon the quarantine inspection. I suspect/ hope this is just a sales technique to get me to take the all risks insurance. Can anyone tell me if they had any damage done to their shipment and if so how bad it was. ​Thanks in advance

Hi Lessa We are not in Darwin yet, but will be from July 19th. I have 15 month old twins and will defo be interested in any playdates. I'd also love to hear about any kid friendly places you come across between now and then. How are you settling in? ​Joanne

We had our pup vaccinated on 3 March and were told we would need a blood test. I'd think I would rather be cautious and not risk my pup being turned round - or worse!!

Thanks for that SCOTTISHTRACEY. Appreciate it.

Thanks for that insightful comment VERY STORMY. I mistakenly thought that these forums were to provide support for people considering the big move, or having made it as well as providing useful information. Clearly I was wrong and I apologise for that. I am of course trying to do more research about Darwin. Hence the fact I asked questions on here. Perhaps it is my expectations that are causing some confusion. Perhaps I should make it clear I am not comparing Darwin with the UK or the facilities with those available there. I currently live in a concrete jungle and prior to this lived on a very small island with some facilities that were VERY expensive and just a couple of places that were within walking distance. I find that there is not a huge amount of information online about Darwin and especially about things for kids. I am having to base some of my expectations on my husband's time living there on 2 separate occasions for significant periods and my visits. At that time we were based in Larrakeyah and I would walk into town regularly

Hi FranG I am not in Oz yet. Hopefully we will be there in August. We did however move to the UAE when our twins were just 2 months old. Basically straight out of NICU, onto a plane and over here. We didn't know a single person and after a full year, still don't really know anyone. Certainly not anyone I could pick up the phone to. So I understand your concern about feeling alone. From what I know, Melbourne will be very different to hear (as will Darwin where we hope to be) in that there will be a much more community focus. You should make some friends quite soon. Particularly if you find and join some mums and tots groups. I have a skype call with my Mum almost every day. Sometimes for an hour. To be honest she doesn't really want to speak to me - just to watch the kids. (now 14 months). Skype has been an absolute godsend and I think has probably stopped me going insane. It helps you keep that connection with family and stops you feeling so alone. I'm sure you will be absolutely fine. Go for it!!

Thanks for your response. I visited Darwin before and loved it. It was just at the end of the wet so everywhere was lovely and lush green. I'm so very excited about the possibility of moving there. Especially the ability to walk out of wherever we live and push the babies somewhere. Where we are at now, we can't walk anywhere. It's always in the car and always quite a way away. I just think that Darwin will have much more of a community spirit. Hope I'm right. I just don't want to deprive my Mum of the only contact she will have with my kids. Skype uses a lot of data for video calls and a minimum speed 275kbps download. From experience I would say you really need 500kbps. Plus a decent upload speed. Obviously you are there at the moment Sammy1. Do you have kids? If so do you know if they have indoor place spaces for toddlers - soft play areas? I know they have lots on in the parks and the wave pool etc. Just wondering what there is for the hot and wet summer months

Hi We are looking to relocate to Darwin in August, but need to try and find some info out about broadband as it may be a deal breaker if we can't get it, it is too slow or is limited in download. I need a good speed and lots of download as I skype with my mother every single day for about an hour so she can see my 1 year old twins. When my husband was last in Darwin 9 years ago he could only have dial up!! I am assuming that broadband is now available but wondered if someone could confirm if it is widely available. I've checked sites like Telstra and can't establish coverage. I do note the max download of 500gb and then speed slows to a crawl. Does anyone have unlimited data download? Finally is it a big deal to get it installed in a rental property Thanks in advance