Advice needed, moving to Darwin

[Guest WishIdneverleft]

Hi,

my husband and I are moving to Darwin with our 2 boys age 7 and 5. we are just waiting for the 457 visa to be granted which we've been told should take approx 12 weeks, we hope to be in Darwin around september. We are currently living in Dar es salaam, Tanzania but are from UK.

We have been reading many posts talking about how expensive it is to live in Darwin, please could somebody advise us on approx. monthly household bills, food etc. as we are trying to budget for our arrival.

 

Thanks, Emma

 

Advice about moving to Darwin? ........................Don't

[Guest LouiseDay]

Hi, i've been here for 2 years and heat during the build up is exhausting. I was pregnant as well !!!! The way I adjusted and the kids as well was not to rely on the air con. They sleep in it for their daytime nap but not over night. We use it to cool the house down during the evening but turn it off when we go to bed. My mother in law (aussie) told me it would take 2 wet and 2 dry seasons to fully aclimatise and she was right Our most expensive bill so far has been $700 for a qrt.

We currently live in Durack in Palmerston and it is lovely. We did live in Rosebery for a while but were on a busy road and it was a nightmare. The bikies would open up their enginees right outside out house and roar up the road. So check that you aren't on a bus route or a main road.

Food here is expensive. Fruit is really expensive and you really need to check it before you buy as it doesn't last long. Also you can't leave any food out or you will get ants and cock roaches. There are tiny sugar ants up here that get into everything. My pantry is a haven to Tupperware. My friend's daughter goes to Rosebery school and is really happy and my neice is in Good Shepherd private school and my sister in law is really happy. Other good schools are Durack and Bakewell. Hope your move goes well.

[j9blossom]

Advice about moving to Darwin? ........................Don't

 

Are you just trolling to stir up trouble? Seriously, if you have nothing positive or constructive to say I think it's better if you.... Don't.

 

I notice that you haven't been back on here since 2008, then all of a sudden you come back on and post a handful of negative comments about the NT. If you don't like the NT then don't come back, easy.... the rest of us who DO like it here will stay here and be happier :cool:

[Guest Julz]

I lived in Darwin for 20 months and although I didn't personally like the place I knew lots of people who loved it there. For me I didn't like the whole isolation, heat, humidity, insects, extreme UV and as a family it wasn't for us, however there are lot of families who love it up there. Its true what they say about the place though, you either love it or hate it and only you can make your mind up.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

Please try debating like sensible adults. I have deleted a number of posts

[Bobj]

The Darwin?

Could quite easily live there. As a matter of fact, 15 years ago, Jo and I looked at a few blocks of land to retire to. It is a really vibrant city and very cosmipolitan. Spectacular places to go and see. Absolutely fantastic fishing, whether it be sea, or fresh water.

 

Used to go there every year, but since my son no longer lives there, haven't been for the last couple of years.

 

Cheers, Bobj.

[Guest Welshmark]

Hi lychee123456,

 

We should move similar time and have a 16 year old less than pleased,but willing to come and a 10yr old and 13yr old who are excited and positive but still going to miss their friends!

 

Depending where we live may be nice to hook up, or happy togive our details so kids can email etc to make a link with someone going through same thing in UK,leaving friends and school is a big deal.

 

Just nice to know we are not alone I guess.

 

AJS

 

Hi AJS,

 

I have been looking through the threads because I expect to be in Darwin by end of August, so it's only a few weeks for me and I have a very reluctant 17yr old boy, so I imagine I'm facing similar issues. We are moving out on my 457 visa but getting nervous about the set up costs and rental values, just wondering if you are moving much out from the uk, we intend to buy new, which may not be the best option.

 

Maybe our kids could tie up in the future

[Guest Welshmark]

Hi morgdots,

im coming over with my wife and 17 yard old, i am looking at rentals for about 750 to 800, my employer is only covering temp accommodation for a short period, how long does the application take to secure a rental and what references do they require.

 

Welshmark

[Guest Julz]

Hi morgdots,

im coming over with my wife and 17 yard old, i am looking at rentals for about 750 to 800, my employer is only covering temp accommodation for a short period, how long does the application take to secure a rental and what references do they require.

 

Welshmark

 

I hope you mean 750 to 800 a week because the only thing you will get for that a month is a one bedroom apartment if you are lucky. Have a look on www.realestate.com.au which will give you an idea of whats available and at what cost.

[Guest morgdots]

Hi morgdots,

im coming over with my wife and 17 yard old, i am looking at rentals for about 750 to 800, my employer is only covering temp accommodation for a short period, how long does the application take to secure a rental and what references do they require.

 

Welshmark

Hi Welshmark . Congrats on ur big move!! What area are you looking to live in, we were 5 weeks looking for the right house which we thought was a long time but in hinesight I feel we rushed into it now, we were just so desperate to move out of the company appartment, Im afraid I cant really advise on the application process as we only applied for one house that we didnt get and the house we are in the landlord just took to us so there was no application. My advise would be dont jump at the first thing , if you are heading out to palmerston you will easily find a house in that price range. From what Ive seen of the application process as regards references they are looking for references from previous landlords but you are probably owner occupier so its N/A . I feel for you with your reluctant 17 year old , we were in the same situation and now we are sending him back home to finish school, however he is already talking about comming back here next summer. I feel the key for us was letting him go home and therefor he is making the decision to come back on his own next year and he is so much more happier now Oh i think an application only takes a few days ....., if you need advise on anything just bellow!!! cheers

[AJS2171]

Hi Welshmark,

 

I have got a couple of rental agent application forms I could email for you to look at if you like.

 

Some use a points system and need various ID/proof etc, most ask for some kind of references, others have minimum requirements they will ask for. Job offer letter, proof of bank account, payslips, passport etc all seem fairly typical things to have to supply. Past landlord refs and character refs are on the forms I have but I think a good job offer letter can help ease the need for absolutely everything. If you are like me you will bring as much to help as you can. I think you have to view and many other families may go for same property so the better prepared and ready you are, hopefully you will stand a good chance of being accepted on the home you want.

 

 

 

I have asked alot about this as it is a big deal worrying when you only have limited time in temporary but while people say it is competitive new properties do show upon the web sites regularly so I guess it is a case of keep going until you get accepted!!! There is not much more you can do until you arrive as I have asked!!!

 

If you want me to send info send me a PM with your email.

 

You asked about bringing over your belongings, I have an uplift included in my relocation package so am packing the space with as much as possible, there is a second hand market on gumtree.au but not as big in Darwin as other places in Australia and feedback seems to be you can find bargains in shops but costs are fairly high for new household goods, hence why I am bringing as much as possible.

 

Hope that helps a bit. Be good to keep in touch re how children settle in.... teenagers hey!!! I agree with Morgots I think there is a point with older children where they need space to make their own choice, we offered our daughter an option to remain in the Uk with family so ultimately although she is not overly keen it is her choice to come. Not easy stuff at all though!!

 

Good luck with the move.

Take care AJS:biggrin:

Edited July 17, 2012 by AJS2171

[Guest Welshmark]

I hope you mean 750 to 800 a week because the only thing you will get for that a month is a one bedroom apartment if you are lucky. Have a look on www.realestate.com.au which will give you an idea of whats available and at what cost.

 

 

Yes I did mean a week, been looking on real estate regular and my new boss is going help secure a property on my behalf which hopefully means I won't be in temp accommodation for long. Just waiting the go ahead to book flights

[Guest Welshmark]

AJS2171

 

Thanks for the info, we also gave my son a chance to stay behind which is didn't take up, so I'm just waiting for the date to book flights then the adventure begins.

 

We drop My email on a pm later.

 

Welshmark

[Guest Welshmark]

Hi morgdots,

 

Thanks for the heads up.

 

I gave my son an option to stay behind and he's took the oz option which is great. I have been looking at Palmerston and Roseberry for housing and centre of Darwin for apartments, still to decide really.

 

Any advice on the best areas would be great

 

Cheers

 

Welshmark

[Guest Julz]

Hi morgdots,

 

Thanks for the heads up.

 

I gave my son an option to stay behind and he's took the oz option which is great. I have been looking at Palmerston and Roseberry for housing and centre of Darwin for apartments, still to decide really.

 

Any advice on the best areas would be great

 

Cheers

 

Welshmark

 

I lived in Darwin for 20 months and lived in the suburb of Lyons which is next to the hospital. Its a very new suburb, beautiful houses, very close proximity to schools, casuarina shopping centre (the main shopping centre in Darwin), cinema, beach and about a 15 minute drive to Darwin. There is also a brand new suburb called Muirhead which is being built now, it is directly across the road from Lyons.

 

Other areas near there that I know of that are OK are Wanguri, Brinkin, Leanyer, Jingili and Fannie Bay. Areas to avoid are Nighcliff and Rapid Creek as they can sometimes flood in the wet season.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Julie

[Guest morgdots]

Im so happy for you, I wanted to give my son the option of staying behind but my hubby had been in poland working for 2 yr. and flat out refused to break the family up leaving him behind, I knew we were doing the wrong thing dragging him kicking and screaming and in hinesight I was right, so I have 21 days left with my son before he does the return journey on his own but he is so much happier now and already talking about returning here next summer.Have you looked at schools? Do you know what year he will be going into ?It is so different here and that it what really swung our decision to send our son ack to do the leaving cert at home

 

AJS2171

 

Thanks for the info, we also gave my son a chance to stay behind which is didn't take up, so I'm just waiting for the date to book flights then the adventure begins.

 

We drop My email on a pm later.

 

Welshmark

[Guest morgdots]

Where to live depends on what kind of life style you want, we are not city people, we came from a village with 1000 people in it so didnt want to live in the city. There are so many good areas in Darwin, and its such a compact city you are never far from anything ! All the other areas mentioned in the other post i agree with, another place I like is up Lee Point road as it is near the beach and casurina shopping center , marrara , water park etc. I just really like the feel of the place, its airy and doesnt feel hemmed in like some other areas. We are in Rosebery in Palmerston which we love! Palmerston is about 25 km from the city and offers most things that can be found in the city , its out Stuart Highway so for visiting many national park you are already out in the rural and its cuts the journey, Stuart Highway offers most commercial shops you would be looking for , the beauty of Darwin is that if you are used to the big cities in ireland , Darwin compares like a big town, but facilities are incredible! Areas to advoid apparently in Palmerston that I have been told by a copper (not my openion just what ive been told) Moulden and parts of Grey, now personally I have met some lovely people in Grey! Durack would be a lovely area but an older suberb, personally i prefeer the more modern areas.Good shephard is a good school in palmerston, The high school is not bad but it depends what ur after, If ur kids wants to learn they will offer you the sun, moon and stars but they are less strict than other schools which suited my son lol I think ill do a pointer list about darwin of thing to remember! lol, anything you need to know just ask and ill help if you can!

Hi morgdots,

 

Thanks for the heads up.

 

I gave my son an option to stay behind and he's took the oz option which is great. I have been looking at Palmerston and Roseberry for housing and centre of Darwin for apartments, still to decide really.

 

Any advice on the best areas would be great

 

Cheers

 

Welshmark

[Guest Welshmark]

Guys,

 

Thank you all for your help. Goods news, visa granted and flights booked for the 28th August, arrives in Darwin very early on the 30th. Looking temp accommodation until I get rental sorted, any suggestions would be welcome.

 

If there are any expat clubs in the area forward details

 

Cheers

 

Mark

[Guest Julz]

Guys,

 

Thank you all for your help. Goods news, visa granted and flights booked for the 28th August, arrives in Darwin very early on the 30th. Looking temp accommodation until I get rental sorted, any suggestions would be welcome.

 

If there are any expat clubs in the area forward details

 

Cheers

 

Mark

 

We stayed in the Quest serviced apartments in the city for the first 3 weeks, very nice and clean and within walking distance to most things. I had friends who stayed in similar apartments in Parap, a suburb near the city but can't remember the name of it. Its not a big place so you should be able to google serviced apartments or the like in Darwin pretty easily.

 

Good luck!

 

Julie

[andyjmason]

What we did was we took all our personal belongings, sofa, our bed, one of the kids beds, dining table , pool table , one chest of drawers, .....i gave away all my electrical items which were easy to replace here. They are the one thing that are cheap, We were renting out our own house so had to leave alot of stuff in it so we had to buy new here. Most houses will come rented with a dishwasher, hob and oven but that is it. We have our girls in a private catholic school for 2 reasons, 1, the schools are catchment area, you have to live in a specific area to gain entry to the school and as we were in the CBD we didnt qualify for the public schools while we were looking for a house in the palmerston area , and 2) we are catholic and wanted our kids to recieve their sacrament of confirmation . We have our boys in a public middle school and senior college.... they seem fine , I was pretty impressed by the schools but the educational system is just so different to ireland we are having difficulty comprehending the curriculum and standards to the extent we are concidering sending our eldest boy back to ireland to compleat his education.The younger kids we hope will fall into the system more easily......We are in Rosebery in Palmerston which we like, there are good surberbs out here . The prices are rising rapidly so for a nice 4 bed you are you are looking at up on 800 a month....we pay even more than that .My advice is if you are sending a container bring as much with you as you can. What part of Darwin are you thinking about????? As regards a vehicle , we bought a commadore initially but we are buying and shipping a jeep up from Sydney as when it comes to the more expensive vehichles there is often a big savings to be had by shipping one up.....anything else you need to know just bellow!!!! ill answer whatever I can ! vi

 

 

Hi,

Just a thought on your son's education and how confusing secondary school seems here. We moved our son at 16 after he had completed his GCSEs and done pretty well at a church school in England. He entered year 12 here, although he had not completed lower 6th back home (AS year). We were really worried how he would adjust to the system which had us bamboozled. I am a teacher and have an English degree but his English studies here completely confused me.

He adjusted really well though and in contrast to the UK system of GCSEs and A levels I would much prefer the Aus way of doing it. He has had to work really hard but the units seem to be completed, tested/assessed and done with in quite an efficient way so the pressures that ensue with the UK system aren't evident in the same way here.

Alexander, too, has said he prefers the system here and I think if he could have chosen the full high school experience here instead of the UK one, he would have done so.

I would give it a chance for your son if you can. The disruption and loneliness of missing his parents and siblings may outweigh any benefits of returning to Ireland. A school friend of ours whose parents moved to Malaysia with work opted to send him to boarding school back in the Uk with the same worries as you and he quickly went from an A grade student to a fail as he was so sad about being away from his family life. He's in his 40's now and still refers to that time with great bitterness about it, despite re-sitting everything and now owning a successful chemicals business.

Your other info about Darwin is really helpful. We are considering moving up from Melbourne with work. It does seem sooooo expensive compared to here, but wages are slightly better.

Best Wishes

Jo

[andyjmason]

Our son came over at 16 and is just completing Year 12. He loves it here, having been quite nervous at the start. He doesn't want to leave now. Once they start school they soon make friends and that's half the battle. On day one of school our son came home saying he hated school, by day 3 he had 2 new soccer mates and was planning his weekend activities with them. His adjustment was far smoother than ours in many ways.

Good luck

Jo