Austrial

Hi Gidza I am not able to find the link to the table. However, if you have Sony Bravia - click on the home button on your remote - then use your left cursor to find the settings icon (it will look like a folder) - select that and then scroll down till you find digital auto tune (if your tv is digital) - select tune for first time - select germany or spain or denmark as the country - it will take some time auto-tuning (approx 5 minutes) - you should get circa 35 stations (of course some will repeat in different stations) - you will get some radio channels too - Hope this helps.

Thanks, I didn't think of that!! I will ask someone.

Thanks amibovered, the building manager says the line is active, I will try and contact the owner to find out.

I have a DG834GT Super-G Wireless Modem Router with me in Australia which I brought over from the UK. It is not working in Oz:mad: This is what I have tried - I have used split filter (even though there is no phone), I bought a new 4 pin RJ12 to RJ12 cable (to connect the wall socket to the ADSL port in the modem). The i led light just does not come on, only the wireless and power lights come on. After I connect the ethernet cable to one of the LAN ports to the laptop the light for the number of the LAN port comes on. I tried plugging the RJ12 cable directly from the wall socket to the laptop (without using the modem) and even that did not work. The building manager has connected ethernet cables on the server board unit on the wall to "activate" the socket ....(he has used a desk top ethernet switching unit and has connected the socket for incoming cable to ethernet port 1, cable from socket for bedroom to port 3 etc) I would be grateful for any advice...in simple language as I am not very technical. Thanks in advance.

Hi, I brought three TVs - Sony Bravia, Sharp and Toshiba - all digital tvs. Initially, I did not get any reception. I resolved the problem by going into settings - finding "first tuning" - in Sony Bravia I chose Denmark (as the transmission is identical to Australia - as is Italy, Netherland and Austria). In the other two TVs Australia was present as a choice. As I do not have any top box or fox tel, I selected antenna (not cable) and then selected auto-tune. And...after some trepidation...I got about 35 free to air channels...good quality picture and sound too! I was only able to do this because some kind soul in Poms in Oz had kindly put up a link to a table setting out all countries and the format in which they transmit TV programmes. So I was able to pick up the country which transmitted in the format identical to Australia. As you can see by my language I am not at all technical...my nine year old probably is more technical than I am!!

Katherine is not that far away...it will be here soon! Will keep you posted. Cheers mate!

Hi Bob, I know you are a nature lover, but even then, checking weather station that early? :wink:I hope the thunder in Darwin didn't wake you in Qld:biglaugh: Another storm is predicted either tomorrow or Friday...if it is during the evening or early night i may go to see the choppy waves...I just love to see stormy seas!

Wonderful showers early this morning...the lightning was continuous at 4am....with intermittent explosive thunder....overall, from the balcony, the picture was like a panoramic night landscape lit up by cosmic fireworks...beautiful, awesome but also scary! It feels cooler now! btw...when you come in may, the weather will be gorgeous...it will be dry with little humidity...you will absolutely love it and you will think my post about humidity was entirely fabricated....till you face your first build up in Oct / Nov!

No rains yet, let alone any storms. The humidity and heat is increasing. If the car is parked in the sun for any length of time, when we get in, till the air con kicks in, we begin to understand what turkeys might be going through on XMas day, only worse, because we live to describe it! That said, the tropical look; plethora of Outdoor and nature treats; the lilting expectation of dazzling displays of lightning, symphonies of thunder, rain and crashing waves at East Point...makes this build up worthwhile... The humidity has clearly got me...better cool off with a shower...or I may go into mango madness next!

Hi Aksahdaks One more thought...some people come to the NT as they it as a "stepping stone" for their career in Australia (i personally dont see anything wrong with this) and as soon as they can they move elsewhere..there is a constant flux of people...so my guess is that the NT govt would see "strong ties" to the NT as a favourable factor for nomination as they will be investing in people who will be staying in the NT longer term and making a contribution. That is why emphasis is usually placed in family ties to the NT, or children doing schooling in the NT or specific research interests connected with the NT etc. Alternatively, you may wish to consider a different visa route?

Hi Aksahdaks I agree with Lucharmily...although I have no experience of completing the relevant paperwork, my hunch is you need to demonstrate why the NT Government should nominate you. Therefore you need to highlight what particular strengths you would bring to NT...e.g. if you work in a sector for which there is a strong demand for skilled professionals you may wish to highlight that...it would be good to give examples of any special experience / skills you have...then try and weave your skills / strengths with how they will complement the specific attributes of NT....(e.g. if you have evidence of working with culturally diverse people you may wish to emphasize NT's multi-cultural society...) it would be a good idea to show evidence of your interests / hobbies and then link those to the strengths of NT ...e.g. lots of opportunities for outdoor activities, sports etc....if you are multi-linguistic you may wish to emphasize on the diversity of languages / dialects within the NT; if you have experience of working / volunteering with NGOs and with diverse ethnic populations you may wish to emphasize about your transferable skills....so the idea is to see how transferable your skills set / experience / expertise / interests are to the NT...I would suggest you show as much evidence as you can to back up your statements....all this is speculative advice as I have myself not applied through this route...good luck (you may wish to consider using an agent to help you with your application, as people like me who have not done this before will not be able to give you any specific advice).

I am sorry to hear the above news Aksahdaks. Did they give you any reasons? I'm afraid I cannot help you with your query about reapplying as I came through a different route. As you know, I am very new to Oz myself. But on PIO I'm sure there are threads relating to your query. Would it be worth considering an agent for your next application? Just a thought.

I agree..the humidity is increasing, the good news is that the sauna is free! .... On a serious note, I'm finding that using too much AC is also problematic...in that I feel congested as if I have a cold... The trick is to find the right balance in temperature I guess! Got to rush to work...I'm not a morning person....and Darwin wakes up so early for work! (yes 6.30 am is early waking time for me:) Got to sleep earlier, I tell myself each day!

I just love sitting on the shore watching the waves, boats and beautiful sunsets...at east point, the waves have cut crevices into the rocks. When you stand on the rocks, you hear waves lashing below...the sun, lapping waves, the occasional jet and a distant tanker on the horizon...oh a vista perfect! Still loving it!

Hi bigsteve, Essington school in night cliff is good as is Charles Darwin University which is not far away. Hope this helps.

Hi Freebo I am a newcomer to Darwin, been here for a month. If you like nature and outdoors there are some fantastic outdoor spots to visit within a few hours from Darwin. You will need to hire a car, if you have 4wd even better. Litchfield, Kakadu parks to name just two are wonderful. There are some wonderful spots near Katherine too. Best to come before the wet season though. I am sure more seasoned travellers and locals will be able to give you more specifics. Pumpkin is right, there is nothing exceptional in the city centre...the beaches are lovely (but you cannot swim - crocs, jellyfish) to stroll, sit, watch sunsets. Hope you enjoy your break where ever you eventually decide to go.

Hi Leorio Sorry I cannot help you with your query as I do not know anything about the construction industry and have myself only recently arrived here. My suggestion is to repost your query in one of the main forums (check with the moderators which would be best) as many more people will read your post. Someone will definitely help out, the pio is usually good with advice and support. Good luck.

Hi, good luck with your application. Btw, it was phantom comics, not tarzan comics with the old jungle saying line, for the sake of accuracy!

The build up has begun...the humidity is rising...if any of you are old enough to remember Tarzan comics there was an oft repeated line...old jungle saying...similarly, old Darwin saying (I'm making this up) ....in Darwin, even sweat sweats! However, still loving it!

I have just come to Oz from UK. I have been told about salary packaging (salary sacrifice) schemes. Essentially, depending on your employer (Hospital, Commercial [e.g. Govt Departments, businesses], Not for profit organisations [Public Benevolent Institutions] and Rebatable [e.g. NGOs]), you are allowed to nominate certain amount of your salary (before it is taxed) for certain types of expenditures - e.g. expenses linked to having / running your car (see Novated car packaging scheme); or EPAC salary solutions card (for daily expenses like groceries, fuel etc), or rent / school fees or EPAC entertainment meal card. So basically, depending on your employer type and your own salary, you will be able to sacrifice a portion of your salary before it is taxed to spend on the above domains; resulting in you paying less tax. This is not suitable for everyone. This post is not meant as financial advice or tax advice. As I am very new to Oz, I found this tip useful so I thought I would share it with others too. Most will perhaps already know about it. If you did not know about this, please research EPAC salary packaging and Novated car packaging and you may get some helpful tips. Good luck, stretch your dollars by their collars!!

srg73, yes that should be fine. Lee and Lee thanks for the tip, that price is much better than UK prices. Chortlepuss - 2.8 would have been great to get! I will be lucky to get 1.8 now! Happy Heart - so true - I will try to see as much of NT / Australia in case I ping pong back...so that I will not appear on another thread...I wish I had....before leaving Oz:)

Often, small but important things can be missed during the move from UK to Oz, despite all the info out there. I wish I had brought with me a 3G or 4G wifi unlocked modem. If you do this it will make life much easier in the first few months when you are settling down and do not want / cannot get a fixed line broadband connection. With the wifi modem, all you need is to buy data sim cards from providers like Optus, Telstra (make sure your modem is compatible withbtheir SIM), dodo or other provider. Also bring at least three UK to Oz plug adaptors, they are fairly expensive here. There, these are my two penny / cents worth of tips, what are yours, for future Ozventurers?

Hopefully my kids will come here in Feb or March if things go well, not entirely decided yet.

Gosh, that is a whole lot of hours, almost 4 typical working weeks packed into two! I bet he will need to sleep for most of his six days off. I respect people who are willing to work so hard, but hope it does not negatively impact on his health. Darwin certainly seems family and child friendly.