Guest morgdots Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Having been 3 mts. in Dawin and loving this forum I was thinking how much I,ve learned from it and the little things I never thought about in our big move because I was so busy thinking about the big things! Thus I've decided to do a brainstorm of the silly little things you dont think of, May I point out that this is just from my own personal experience and things I,ve learned from talking to people! Ill add to it as I gain more information, remember I come from Ireland and on a 457 , cheers 1) For driving , apply for your international driving permit about 2 mts. before leaving home, the application can be downloaded off the AA website, you will need to apply for your NT liscence within 3 months of getting here. You get a basic car insurance in your Reggo which is your car tax. As far as I know it is like a basic 3rd party insurance but of course you can go to insurance company and get extra insurance. Driving is pretty much like at home in Ireland , on the left hand side. Vehicles are expensive, we bought a jeep in Sydney and had it brought up with Toll and although it cost 1800 dollars to transport it up, we saved about 5000 dollars overall doing this! Cars have to be tested every 2 years, no appointments needed , just go to the test center with your car paperwork and que up! Petrol/deisel is a bit cheaper than home but generally engins are bigger. You can get a personalised plate for 140 dollars! 2) Anyone with kids bring a big supply of high factor sun cream! You can only get up to factor 30 here, and do a big shop in the sales for sun clothes at home, clothes here are expensive! My son bought 3 t shirts yeaterday for 70 dollars! 3) If you are Irish on a 457 you can go to the hospital and be treated by producing your passport but have to pay for GP,s . If you are English you can appy for a medicare card. However....If you get a medicare card you will be taxed on this at the end of the year 1.5% I think, if you are on a 457 you can claim tax back. 4)On a 457 if you have a small baby , I,ve been told any immunistion injections will cost you 500 dollars! 5)Your electrical items will work here , just change the plug! However if the item has a transformer you can not change the plug, you will need a travel adaptor. 6)TV, my irish tv,s will work on the austar/foxtel (equivalent to sky) but they will not work off the analogue ariel! To get the analogue stations without the digital austar you need to purchase some sort of digital box which is about 50 dollars. It took us a month to get tv connected from when we ordered it! 7)Start taking garlic and vit. B to try stave off the insects, you will be eaten alive! 8)In Darwin there is a 9pm curfew for teenagers! 9)I f you want to own a cat there is also a curfew for them! They are not allowed out at night as they eat the wild life! 10)To buy so much as a bottle of wine here EVERYONE has to hand over ID! There is a drinking registar whereby if you have 3 major incidents ie drink driving , you are placed on a banned registar and you can not pruchase alcohol! There are also perscribed areas whereby drink , or a person intoxicated can not enter these areas , would mostly happen in most domestic situations where a house is not allowed have drink in it! and I have heard of people been taking to court for taking drink into perscribed areas! 11) Bush fires are quiet common but you get used to them! 12)If you are from Ireland and have kids....as regards education and you if want you kids to return to ireland for college, the child MUST have attended school for at least 2 of the previous 5 years in Ireland or they are regarded as an international student with international fees of + 20,000 per annum applicable, we got caught on this one ! 13) College here is +30/35.000 per annum! You can try for a scholarship! 14)If you are transporting a container, my advice is bring everything! absolutly everything! but be careful with xmas decorations! Customs hate to see them and will through them with a fine tooth comb! Anything they dont like the look off they will destroy ie pine cones. 15)When renting a place , its not an easy process , allow lots of time in hotel and be sure you rent with air conditioning and if possible a pool! you will need it! 16)Apply for your Tax number ASAP , you can used the GPO as an address , they give you I think 30 days to sort it and then put you on the higher tax bracket. 17) Set up a bank account as one of the first things you do..... 18)Telstar is supposed to the the best mobile network , personally im with optus boost which for 50 dollars prepaid a month I get 1000 dollard credit! Thus I call home lots 19)Darwin is EXPENSIVE! however some items I have noticed are cheaper than home like steak, fish and lamb! Ive, been told that supermarket prawns are farmed and are not good to eat for health reasons and to buy direct from the boats . 20)Scootering, scateboarding , BMX biking are all very popular sports here for the kids with parks set up for them! 21) The dry deason is fantastic, a bit like been in Spain weather wise , but the wet remains to be seen , I has a slight taste of it but cant really comment. 22) No kangaroos in Darwin! there are wallabies! like miniture kangaroos!, I have yet to see a big spider, have seen one snake out in the outback , although the dangerous wild life is out there it is nothing like the pre concieved ideas I came over here with, 23) The lightening is spectacular even though im terrifed of it lol , Ive never seen anything like the rain when it falls! hmmmeeeee...... hope this helps, Ill add to it as I think of things , ask if you think of anything you think i can help with ! cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo1 Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 Thanks for the information. really useful. Best wishes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louwexford Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 fantastic up morgots, i have taken a lot of your comments in mind, i have already done the summer clothes for us as the sales are on here in ireland, the phone deal look fantastic, will let the husband know, he is down in brisbane at the moment and its cold there, i.e. our irish summer, still himming and haaing over shipping, will decided in the next week, if i dont ship furniture i will definately ship personal effects, have to leave the house for rentable purposes, sure the head is wrecked knowing what to do, talk soon louise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PositivePixie Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Just wanted to pick up on the sun cream thing and ask a question. With regards to the sun cream - it isn't that its only up to factor 30, its just they aren't allowed to label it as anything more than factor 30+ If its got the + sign it means its more than 30. IMHO its so not worth bringing stuff from overseas as a) its cheaper here b) its nicer (spreads on more evenly etc) c) you can get it in bigger pump action vats and d) its better at protecting (from what I've experienced). (I'm ginger pale as well, so if it protects me, it will protect anyone - we just use Woolworths own brand vat of factor 30+ and it seems to work ok on me even in the hot hot sun bits ) The question - what do you use to combat the midgies up there, other than the garlic and vits? I had a MASSIVE reaction to them in Darwin (didn't have an issue for the previous 4 months anywhere else, sob), to the point I said I don't think I could go back (almost put in hospital bad), despite using a cocktail of bug sprays, covering up, taking vats of vegimite/pills etc, keeping in as much as possible (bearing in mind we live out of a campervan, so not as easy as being in a house situation) and doing everything you are meant to. Any recommendations on specific bug sprays or other home-brew type things? My legs were the most disgusting thing you have ever seen after three weeks up there lol. Cheers if you've got any thoughts on that one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Just wanted to pick up on the sun cream thing and ask a question. With regards to the sun cream - it isn't that its only up to factor 30, its just they aren't allowed to label it as anything more than factor 30+ If its got the + sign it means its more than 30. IMHO its so not worth bringing stuff from overseas as a) its cheaper here b) its nicer (spreads on more evenly etc) c) you can get it in bigger pump action vats and d) its better at protecting (from what I've experienced). (I'm ginger pale as well, so if it protects me, it will protect anyone - we just use Woolworths own brand vat of factor 30+ and it seems to work ok on me even in the hot hot sun bits ) Thought I'd add a bit about suncream too. 30+ in the UK is not the same as 30+ in Australia because the standards are tested differently. In the UK the suncream is tested on dry skin; in Australia it is tested on skin after it has been subjected to turbulent water for a set time. So don't expect the UK 30+ to be as effective as the Australian 30+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest morgdots Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Hi Louise, just bear in mind that I was speaking to a lady from cork who said she was hit hard with customs when she shipped over a ometer squared crate of personal belongings.Although it only cost her 200 euro to ship it , when it got do Darwin they wouldnt release the crate till she hande over a huge amount of money , i cant remember excately but I think it was up on the 1500 dollar mark, :0 My advice to you is go with the container if company are paying. We left alot of our stuff at home for rental too and only took the nice items , personal belongings and kids toys. Again , go with the itemised insurance ,its alot of work but worth it. Be very specific in ur valuations of items as we had a beautiful marble table that we paid 1800 euros for and it was smashed to pieces in transit but insurance will only pay 900 dollars even though we valued it at 1500 euro ! Take lots with you Louise, sheets , bead spreads, pillows , towles, they will save you a fortune here Bring duvets as I never though we would need them but I regreat not taking them now.....vi fantastic up morgots, i have taken a lot of your comments in mind, i have already done the summer clothes for us as the sales are on here in ireland, the phone deal look fantastic, will let the husband know, he is down in brisbane at the moment and its cold there, i.e. our irish summer, still himming and haaing over shipping, will decided in the next week, if i dont ship furniture i will definately ship personal effects, have to leave the house for rentable purposes, sure the head is wrecked knowing what to do, talk soon louise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest morgdots Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 great to hear all this, all I know about suncream is we came with a supply of factor 80 , so when getting low and went to the chemist to buy some I asked why we couldnt get higher than 30. The lady said its not available and cant be got and the reasoning was that if people use a higher factor they think they dont have to apply it as often so they only do up to factor 30 to encourage people to reappyling it more often, Ive already requested some be sent over from home but if I can feel more confident about the stuff here great , it will save a fortune Thought I'd add a bit about suncream too. 30+ in the UK is not the same as 30+ in Australia because the standards are tested differently. In the UK the suncream is tested on dry skin; in Australia it is tested on skin after it has been subjected to turbulent water for a set time. So don't expect the UK 30+ to be as effective as the Australian 30+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 My experience with British sunscreen is that it doesn't work nearly as well as the Australian stuff even though it claims to have a higher sunscreen factor. Maybe it is a different formula or something? I would love to visit Darwin again- loved the place and the atmosphere is so relaxed and happy. Really, really friendly people who go out of their way to assist! Good luck to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest morgdots Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Hi positive Pixie , thanks for your input on the sun cream , its all a learning process here and the more info the better As regards the insects , ohhh god what a pain! one of my little girls is eaten alive! We are trying lots of different things , the latest is garlic and vit B1 in the form of a pill called Betamin, apparently according to the pharmacist all the locals use it and its hard to keep it stocked. The latest home brew solution I have heard of from a lovely man in a camping store who is born and breed Darwinite who camps in the outback, he says get a little bottle of baby oil, spill half of it out and top it up with dettol and slap it on! Of course this is only for evening when the sun goes down which is the main time insects are an issue and has to be washed off before going out in the morning but apparently he says it works! there are many sprays which you have to go with a tropical one but there is one in particular that i have heard has cancer causing agents in it . People use it as it works but it can cause cancer....I cant name it on here but will name it in private mail if so wished. There is this thing you can get for bites, it is a clicker thing that is 20dallars to buy and it works! It gives a slight electric current on the bite, you press it 10 to 15 times and it stops itching! Another home remedy I heard for bites is to apply a hot spoon on it! as hot as you can take it, again this is treating the bite not preventing it.....my hubby works out near the mangroves and Im sure as the wet season comes people will come up with all sorts of ideas and if I hear of any ill post up here. My wee girls legs are in bits too so I understand where ur comming from. I make her wear legging to school now under her uniform! best of luck ! vi Just wanted to pick up on the sun cream thing and ask a question. With regards to the sun cream - it isn't that its only up to factor 30, its just they aren't allowed to label it as anything more than factor 30+ If its got the + sign it means its more than 30. IMHO its so not worth bringing stuff from overseas as a) its cheaper here b) its nicer (spreads on more evenly etc) c) you can get it in bigger pump action vats and d) its better at protecting (from what I've experienced). (I'm ginger pale as well, so if it protects me, it will protect anyone - we just use Woolworths own brand vat of factor 30+ and it seems to work ok on me even in the hot hot sun bits ) The question - what do you use to combat the midgies up there, other than the garlic and vits? I had a MASSIVE reaction to them in Darwin (didn't have an issue for the previous 4 months anywhere else, sob), to the point I said I don't think I could go back (almost put in hospital bad), despite using a cocktail of bug sprays, covering up, taking vats of vegimite/pills etc, keeping in as much as possible (bearing in mind we live out of a campervan, so not as easy as being in a house situation) and doing everything you are meant to. Any recommendations on specific bug sprays or other home-brew type things? My legs were the most disgusting thing you have ever seen after three weeks up there lol. Cheers if you've got any thoughts on that one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Julz Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 I little advise with regards to the mosquitos in Darwin....for those of you who don't already know they don't just come out at night, they are out all day in Darwin and tend to be worse just before a full moon. Apparently mosquitos don't like quinine which is an ingredient in tonic water. Its worth taking every precaution there is in Darwin to avoid getting bitten as there are a lot of mosquito boune diseases in that area (Murray Valley, Ross River, Kunjin and Barmah Forest viruses). I personally knew a few people in Darwin who had contracted Ross River virus and its not something you want to catch so take every preventative action you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJS2171 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Hi morgdots, Feeling a bit apprehensive about the idea of teenagers being subject to curfews?? Just how does this all work? I have mainly older children who have lots of freedom here in the UK so need to know about anything that will change that for them. Look forward to hearing back. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownEyedGal Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Hi Morgdots Really enjoyed reading your post. Amazing, such a wealth of info. I'm quite interested in knowing more about dealing with the mosquitos - like the other lady, I come up in massive bites when exposed and can get quite ill. This will help when I go to visit Darwin next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lychee123456 Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Hi I would also like to know about the curfew for teenagers, it sounds like a good idea to me!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest morgdots Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Hi I would also like to know about the curfew for teenagers, it sounds like a good idea to me!! Hey there, I wasn't thinking and should have mentioned this is in the Palmerston area only , it is not enforced in Darwin city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest morgdots Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Hi morgdots, Feeling a bit apprehensive about the idea of teenagers being subject to curfews?? Just how does this all work? I have mainly older children who have lots of freedom here in the UK so need to know about anything that will change that for them. Look forward to hearing back. Thanks Hi there , this curfew is in the Palmerston area, my neighbour is a cop and informed us about it , to be honest I have 2 teenage boys and the kids just hang out like at home so this isn't posing a problem for us. You will see teenagers hanging out in the air conditioned shopping centres during the day but in Palmo you just don't see them at night .My sons hear of the kids having house parties but unlike home they wrap up early and are quiet tame in comparison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest morgdots Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Oh when buying a car, you will be charged 3% of the purchase price when transferring it into your name .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lychee123456 Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Hey there, I wasn't thinking and should have mentioned this is in the Palmerston area only , it is not enforced in Darwin city. That's a shame, dont think i will be living there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GilraenH Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Oh when buying a car, you will be charged 3% of the purchase price when transferring it into your name .... Does that include bringing them in from other states? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest morgdots Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Hi there , we shipped a jeep up from sydney and had to pay the full 3% and a years rego but we were buying it so im sure that impacted that ....however , the only thing I know on moving ur own car interstate is that you have to re reg it so id assume you have to repay the reggo, ur car is not insured in that basic insurance included in the reggo if it is out of state, I can ask around and if i find out more details on this i will post here , cheers Does that include bringing them in from other states? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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