would you live in Alice??

[kellyjamie]

Hi all,

Jamie has been told he stands a very good chance of getting a job offer from a non-profit organisation but the job is in Alice Springs. Its working with disadvantaged Aboriginal kids. What do we do? Do we apply and have a very good chance of getting it and having to go there or do we pass the opportunity up? We are still waiting to hear about the job on the Gold Coast.

 

Ive checked the website for moving to AS and it says why not experience the true outback for 2 years give your kids a real experience etc etc. Jamies quite concerned with the fact that if the native people of oz dont like the white aussies what chance is there of them taking to us? He would love the chance in one way as it would be an amazing experience but on the other i doubt we,d get any visitors and is it really just a large outbak town with nowt to do except wipe dust out my eyes? Opinions plz peeps?

Kel:wubclub:

[Guest nm123]

Have you been to Alice? I went a few years back to do a Uluru etc tour and there really isn't much around... I'm not sure I could live there for a month, let alone 2 years, but that's me!

[Guest siamsusie]

Hi all,

Jamie has been told he stands a very good chance of getting a job offer from a non-profit organisation but the job is in Alice Springs. Its working with disadvantaged Aboriginal kids. What do we do? Do we apply and have a very good chance of getting it and having to go there or do we pass the opportunity up? We are still waiting to hear about the job on the Gold Coast.

 

Ive checked the website for moving to AS and it says why not experience the true outback for 2 years give your kids a real experience etc etc. Jamies quite concerned with the fact that if the native people of oz dont like the white aussies what chance is there of them taking to us? He would love the chance in one way as it would be an amazing experience but on the other i doubt we,d get any visitors and is it really just a large outbak town with nowt to do except wipe dust out my eyes? Opinions plz peeps?

Kel:wubclub:

Yes Kelly I would indeed. My husband has friends that have worked in AS for many long years and they wouldnt work anywhere else. It would be a good experience. Centre of Australia, no sea. Exceptionally hot in the summer, can become chilly in the winter (desert). You might receive more visitors than say myself in Karratha because you have Ayers Rock (450 kms) not too far away a huge tourist attraction. We have many Aborigines here in Karratha, and I have made a few nice friends within their community, and my husband works with a fair few and they all work in harmony with one another. It is definately not sophisticated but I would recommend it for 2 years, your nearest city would be Adelaide 1540 kms or Darwin 1516kms. Perth is 3600 kms. Bobj. is another good person to ask Kelly, he worked the railroads and would be able to give you his opinion. The famous Ghan Train goes through Alice Springs from Adelaide to Darwin (a brilliant experience)

Someone once said if you came from europe as a woman and arrived in Karratha (outback mining town) they would give you a month, I have had nothing but good experiences which has prepared me well for other parts of Australia, so I personally I wouldnt hesitate going to the NT's for a limited period at all. Not a lot to spend your money on, so saving would be possible lol.

If the package is good, it is worth considering:wubclub: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year... Susie x

[kellyjamie]

Thanks Susie i was really hoping for a positive post about AS as i know its not everyones cuppa so you given us just that!

 

I know alot if not most folk will say "my god are you mad!!" but were thinking of how much of an experience it would be for our kids? i mean when will they ever get to do that again? im totally open to evryone any race religion or creed and i want my children to be the exact same take them as you find them attitude, and im wondering if spending 2 years in Alice Springs would help that? None of us have ever been before so cant comment on it hence i need all the advice i can get

 

many thanks again x

[Guest Aldo]

It was (might still be) the crime capital of australia.

[Guest siamsusie]

Thanks Susie i was really hoping for a positive post about AS as i know its not everyones cuppa so you given us just that!

 

I know alot if not most folk will say "my god are you mad!!" but were thinking of how much of an experience it would be for our kids? i mean when will they ever get to do that again? im totally open to evryone any race religion or creed and i want my children to be the exact same take them as you find them attitude, and im wondering if spending 2 years in Alice Springs would help that? None of us have ever been before so cant comment on it hence i need all the advice i can get

 

many thanks again x

You are welcome Kelly. There are many wives of Fly in Fly outs that would never consider a post such as Karratha and in a way its a pity because I have managed to see so much of WA in the 4 years (vis dependant! lol) of the Pilbara and the Kimberleys, Broome etc. NT have massive National parks/ Aboriginal Reserves etc. the most amazing history Kelly. I would imagine your overseas visitors would fly into say Adelaide or Darwin and then fly up to Alice Springs or take the Ghan. You would be seeing so much of Australia on that route!.

The Ghan Rail Journey Adelaide to Darwin (Amazing)

Alice Springs Hospital is part of a large Teaching Hospital Health & Families - Alice Springs Hospital

 

Alice is served by 19 public and private schools......

and I have just noticed it is now Christmas Day here:wubclub: xx

[Guest Aldo]

Down like Alice the meltdown of a tourism mecca | The Australian

 

sounds a bit rough to me..:mask:

[kellyjamie]

Thanks Aldo and Susie

 

Merry Christmas Susie have a wonderful day x

 

P.S a couple of jobs up near you aswell!

[kellyjamie]

dear god! ive just read that article it sounds hellish?

[Guest siamsusie]

Thanks Aldo and Susie

 

Merry Christmas Susie have a wonderful day x

 

P.S a couple of jobs up near you aswell!

:laugh:There is always plenty of work for people up here Kelly.. accomodation is always the problem...

and Kelly remember there is crime in London, and Melbourne and Perth and ..... eh:wink:

 

 

Susie xx

[paulv]

Down like Alice the meltdown of a tourism mecca | The Australian

 

sounds a bit rough to me..:mask:

 

Jeez Aldo, a big strong fella like yerself scared of a few scrapes on the walk home. That's par for the course in any sizeable town in the UK, Australia, anywhere.

Look on the positives- I bet the property is affordable!

The very best of luck with whatever you choose Kel n Jamie.

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi Kelly

 

I'd suggest a PM to Jolaaled:

 

http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/members/jolaaled.html

 

Jolaaled is a lady called Alison. She is a teacher and she is now working in the NT for a year, based in Darwin. She has only been in the NT for about 6 or 8 weeks now but one of the first things she did was to attend a meeting in Alice Springs for a couple of days.

 

She told me that her impression of the tourist areas was that they are very nice. She was less impressed by the rest of the place.

 

Reading the article that Aldo provided the link to, a major problem seems to be lack of funding with which to do anything meaningful.

 

Would the employer be offering immediate PR on an RSMS visa? I wouldn't consider Alice Springs for anything less. Two to three years is survivable anywhere in the world, frankly. It is not a life sentence.

 

I agree with Siamsusie that "the Alice" as it is known is the jumping off point for trips to Uluru and your friends and families would come to visit you for that reason alone. You can get a lot of house for the money in the Alice, as well. I spent ages investigating the real estate in Alice Springs when Wiccanwitch and her family were considering the NT - before the Minister for Immi pulled the rug from under their feet. I thought the houses are good. A lot of them have their own pools, the gardens are large and the houses are spacious inside.

 

How many children do you have and how old are they? I'd be concerned about whether the standard of education is as high as I would want it to be. Jolaaled could definitely help you to investigate this aspect.

 

All the very best for Christmas and the New Year, hon, to you, Jamie and family.

 

Hugs

 

Gill

xx :santadance:

[Guest PommieLady]

There was a similar thread to this one about a year ago, I asked all the Australian's I know if they would live in AS it was a resounding no.

Good Luck

[paulv]

There was a similar thread to this one about a year ago, I asked all the Australian's I know if they would live in AS it was a resounding no.

Good Luck

 

 

From my (somewhat limited) experience of Australians, if you ask them if they'd live anywhere else but the house they live in now, most would say no. Call it contentment, call it fear of the unknown, I'd say that most people are just conservative.

[Guest Aldo]

Jeez Aldo, a big strong fella like yerself scared of a few scrapes on the walk home. That's par for the course in any sizeable town in the UK, Australia, anywhere.

Look on the positives- I bet the property is affordable!

The very best of luck with whatever you choose Kel n Jamie.

 

That's great pauly but i'm not going:err:

[Guest Aldo]

From my (somewhat limited) experience of Australians, if you ask them if they'd live anywhere else but the house they live in now, most would say no. Call it contentment, call it fear of the unknown, I'd say that most people are just conservative.

 

You could always do the old research researce research thingy.

I'd say that most people are just conservative.

I'd say it wouldn't be on my list of places to bring up young kids in Australia, but that's just me.

[Bobj]

G'day mate, unfortunately The Alice has a sad reputation regarding the Aboriginal people. However, the town has a vibrant community spirit and, if one can put up with the desert dust, the heat in summer and the chilly winter nights, it has the same modern facilities that any town of 27,000 people has, plus a very good boarding school.

Sadly, The Alice I knew of 45 years ago, would be totally different to The Alice of today.

Having said that, I could definitely live there...except for the fishing.:sad:

In terms of offering the average family a decent life, I would say "no", one would need that pioneering spirit to overcome the isolation that the desert town has.

As with all towns in the Australian outback, The Alice has very good road, rail and air services.

 

Cheers, Bobj.

[olly]

It can also depend on what sort of experience you are after, I think there are plenty of fantastic experiences to have in outback Australia, very different, sure, but experiences you may never get in some other places. I met a nurse recently on an overseas tour who was heading to Australia and she said she was heading to work in for 2 years in an outback hospital, and realised it might be tough but she was going to give it a go anyway. Is there a chance you could do both at some stage, spend some time in both places? There was a program on TV (ABC in Australia) about nurses/doctors from overseas working in Aussie rural communities, and it was interesting to watch. Some of them liked it and some of them definitely did not.

You might find you are doing some very good and enjoyable work up there, who knows? Without mentioning names, another forum member who was living here in Melbourne, mentioned they were for job reasons tranferring to Port Hedland and asked me what it was like. One of the things I said was that it was different (and very different to Melbourne). When she came back from a weekend in Hedland to have a look, I laughed when she said it was like going to Mars or something (the red soil etc) ! The outback towns can certainly be a shock for some Brits coming from the green pastures of England, but I guess you have to be up for it (even for a short time?)

Good luck with your decision.

[Guest Gollywobbler]

Hi Olly

 

People with no children can have adventures that people with kids would not consider, I suspect.

 

Cheers

 

Gill

[Guest siamsusie]

G'day mate, unfortunately The Alice has a sad reputation regarding the Aboriginal people. However, the town has a vibrant community spirit and, if one can put up with the desert dust, the heat in summer and the chilly winter nights, it has the same modern facilities that any town of 27,000 people has, plus a very good boarding school.

Sadly, The Alice I knew of 45 years ago, would be totally different to The Alice of today.

Having said that, I could definitely live there...except for the fishing.:sad:

In terms of offering the average family a decent life, I would say "no", one would need that pioneering spirit to overcome the isolation that the desert town has.

As with all towns in the Australian outback, The Alice has very good road, rail and air services.

 

Cheers, Bobj.

Merry Christmas o wise one..... I could live in Alice quite easily but then I can live anywhere. I do love the water though like you, but I could easily manage a 2 yr stint .

For me a town like Alice is far better to live in then all these man made cities which have their own social implications. Good advice there Bob!

[Guest siamsusie]

It can also depend on what sort of experience you are after, I think there are plenty of fantastic experiences to have in outback Australia, very different, sure, but experiences you may never get in some other places. I met a nurse recently on an overseas tour who was heading to Australia and she said she was heading to work in for 2 years in an outback hospital, and realised it might be tough but she was going to give it a go anyway. Is there a chance you could do both at some stage, spend some time in both places? There was a program on TV (ABC in Australia) about nurses/doctors from overseas working in Aussie rural communities, and it was interesting to watch. Some of them liked it and some of them definitely did not.

You might find you are doing some very good and enjoyable work up there, who knows? Without mentioning names, another forum member who was living here in Melbourne, mentioned they were for job reasons tranferring to Port Hedland and asked me what it was like. One of the things I said was that it was different (and very different to Melbourne). When she came back from a weekend in Hedland to have a look, I laughed when she said it was like going to Mars or something (the red soil etc) ! The outback towns can certainly be a shock for some Brits coming from the green pastures of England, but I guess you have to be up for it (even for a short time?)

Good luck with your decision.

Port Hedland is just up the road from me 2 hours, well if you are coming from Melbourne sure it will be different. Red earth yep sure is, its probably called Iron Ore in many instances pmsl....

Mars, well thats one way of putting it, but historically "this is Australia"!

I personally will never regret having had this experience. Merry Christmas Olly:wubclub:

[Guest siamsusie]

Jeez Aldo, a big strong fella like yerself scared of a few scrapes on the walk home. That's par for the course in any sizeable town in the UK, Australia, anywhere.

Look on the positives- I bet the property is affordable!

The very best of luck with whatever you choose Kel n Jamie.

Property is actually pretty expensive Paul, its native land and has to be released same as here in Karratha.

Look on the positives as you say....indeed yes....

Being a Bushman's wife hasnt done me any harm:laugh: well you havent heard me whinge:wink:. Merry Christmas Susie x

[olly]

Yes Susie, I would be also hapy to go and live in the outback for a while, it's a very interesting part of our country, and so are many of the people. Sorry I didn't mean it to be a criticism of being different to Melbourne, I too don't like manmade cities very much either. I think the British person who asked me got a bit of a culture shock which her family weren't expecting. I enjoy reading your posts Susie. All the best. Olly

[Cerberus1]

Susie is right about real estate not being cheap, - besides lack of development due to native land, there's also a US military base near Alice and I believe they buy up a lot of the real estate for the servicemen / families (according to the taxi driver we spoke to in Alice).

[Guest mutikonka]

No. I took an instant dislike to the place. and not just because of the open sore of Indigenous people's status. The 'camps' are a lot worse than places I saw in Africa. Not sure why anyone would want to live in such isolated, parochial and dull place. where KFC seems to be one of the more sophisticated dining options. But while I was there I met a girl from Doncaster working in a local hotel who just loved the place. Takes all sorts, I suppose.