libra81

Anyone living in the Northern Territory, any info or advice most appreciated thinking of relocating here but not sure which area yet

Hino

Hi Libra,

I'm presently in NSW but I've spent a lot of time living and working in 'the territory' and I'm only too willing to offer any help I can.

njk435

I've lived near Darwin since 2006, absolutely love it. I visit other parts of Aus fairly regularly (I'm in Albury-Wodonga until Nov) and I am always happy to be on the plane home.

What line of work are you in?

libra81

Thanks for the replys, its all a bit confusing at the minute. At present I am a nurse but in the future i want to practice midwifery, I will be relocating with my husband and 6 year old son.

So what is life really like living and working in the NT and if any where are the areas bes avoided. Any ifo greatly appreciated

mohogony

The N.T a great place to live, you have Man eating crocs and deadly Taipan snakes swimming down the main steet evertime the local river floods , Nice mild 60c degrees summer days , nothing but endless desert wasteland and the highest crime rate in OZ.

bcworld

I've spent a lot of time in the NT this winter, mostly in Darwin but also Alice Springs. As for areas, there's really only Darwin, nearby Palmerston & Alice Springs as major centres....the 4th biggest town doesn't even have 10000 people! Do you have a specific area in mind, or does a potential employer have a specific area in mind for you?

I would have to say that the NT is an acquired taste! I can see the charms of Darwin, it's very multicultural, has good food and during the dry season it has spectacular weather and great markets - I couldn't live there though. Just came back on Friday after an 11 day stint and I was going a bit nuts by the end of it. Time to going nuts would probably drop to 4 days in the wet season!

Darwin does have the advantage of becoming a bit of a low cost travel hub...i've checked out options for weekends instead of coming back to Melbourne and return flights to Bali, Singapore or Vietnam can be had for under $400.

It also has the feel of a place that economically is about to do very well.

Alice Springs I'd struggle even more with - it has amazing clear blue skies but I really can't see the appeal in this place - I think you'd have to be really into the nearby oudoor activities to make a go of it there - and accept that for much of the year the weather might make it a no go. Where would you go for a day out - Tennant Creek? 500km away population 3000! Flights in and out of Alice can be prohibitively expensive (although Tiger Airways flies there now) - a weekend away on the East Coast could be a very expensive proposition.

As Mohogony eluded to the NT does have some serious social problems. The highest murder rate in Australia, 5 x higher than the rest of the country (and the UK) - some people comfort themselves with the fact that this generally revolves around the indigenous community. You will see plenty of drunk / high aborignal people walking the streets and it's a pretty sad state of affairs.

paularn

I lived in Darwin for 2.5 years, actually we lived in Palmerston, short drive down the road. At the time I was there, it was a developing area, so the schools were all new and it was a nice place to live. IF I was to live there again, I would look in Palmerston again.

For the most part I enjoyed it, at the time, I probably didn't think so so much. While the weather is great, as are the markets (when they are on). Hubby had spent 4yrs in Katherine and 5 in Darwin....so by the time we were moving he was tired of how remote it was from the rest of the country.

I'm a nurse, I worked briefly at the Darwin Private Hospital and I had my daughter at Royal Darwin Hospital (public). The midwives/doctors there were great.

I'm anxious to return to Darwin....for a holiday :-)

Morko

As I´m here in Darwin for just a short contact as a nurse aswell, I really just can talk about work related issues, to be honest. Time was too short to get into the Darwin lifestyle enough to be able to make a fair conclusion on that. I work fulltime in the Darwin Private Hospital in OT an do additional agency shifts in the Royal Darwin Hospital on surgical wards mainly. Staff, doctors and patients are really nice up here. Yes there are obvious social problems related to the high consume of alcohol but not just in the aboriginal population. I really like to work and live here in Darwin so far, but the famous "build up" hasn't begun by now, so that could change^^. Accomodation prices are nearly unaffordable in Darwin as long you haven't got an employer who subsidy your rent. Another minus on my list is that you have really wonderfull beaches which you can't use the most time of the year (Crocs, jellyfish...).

If you have any further (work related) questions just feel free to contact me via pn and I'll try to answer them as good as I can.

Cheers,

Morko

njk435

IF you want to work in Health, I'd say you are better starting off in Darwin / Palmerston area. The main hospitals are on the same site, Darin Private and Royal Darwin Hospitals are in the Northern Suburbs of Darwin - near Casuarina and the new suburb of Lyons. Palmerston has a health precinct too, but Darwin is best for midwifery etc.

Once you have got here and got quals sorted out etc. then maybe Alice would be a good spot. There will be plenty of job opportunities in the rural areas too. The NT struggles to get medical staff up here from the other areas of Australia.

Just to put your mind at ease - I have been here 3 years and not seen a single snake in the street, teh crocs I have seen have either been in a park or in the bush - where they live! The hottest it has been is about 35 Celsius, when it drops to 17 at night in the dry, we put a quilt on the bed and wear socks!

The territory is a great place to live and work, it isn't always easy or nice, but 80% of the time it is. It is 100% better than living in colder parts of Aus that's for sure

naylam

I agree with Nige Darwin/Palmerston are the areas to stay in and mahogany might be stretching the truth a touch. The dry is fantastic but the wet does get a bit oppresive however after three years here the dry makes up for it all.

libra81

I would just like to say a big thank you to everyone for the replies. I know it wont be easy and i dont expect it to be good all the time but we want an adventure and from what i have heard the NT will deliver this.

Housing does worry me a little, from what i have read this does tend to be expensive up in Darwin, hopefully we may be elligible for subsidised housing, but need to get a job first

naylam

It is a touch expensive to rent here - averaging at about $500 - 600 a week depending where it is etc but I'm sure you'll be fine and it's great here!

mohogony

The Nt and the outback is a hell hole that why 90% of the population of OZ lives along the coast as far away from the outback as possible.

naylam

LOL Mohogany..thats why we all have an opinion and can express it. Actually i live about 20 kms from the coast so that's cool. Personally I like it in Darwin and glad I came here.

mohogony

l guess Darwin would'nt be as bad as the rest of the NT, but l would'nt go swimming there with all those crocs and stingers. Darwin was totally destroyed and rebuilt twice, one when the Japanese bombed it in WW2 then cyclone tracy destroyed it in the 1970's.