janinekidd

We previously lived in Brisbane but returned to the UK. Can anybody help as to what it is like living in northern territory Cairns etc ?? Any help greatly appreciated

Jamiem

Cairns, I think is in FNQ (far north queensland) -no doubt I will be corrected if I am wrong. Can't talk from experience as I have never been there, but friends have been and enjoyed. Not the same as living there though. Sorry I can't be more helpful with that.

I lived in Darwin for a little while though, and I loved it. I would still consider it now. A tad different from Redcar, but most places over here are :-)

Are you married, with kids etc. etc. sometimes that makes a difference.

Out of interest, what made you go back, and what made you want to return?

Cheers,

J

wannabauzzienurse

Don't know what it's like to live in Northern Territory but have been in Cairns for a year. Live here with OH and 2 kids 10 & 12. Cairns is about 1000 miles away from Brisbane but it has an international airport so pretty easy to get to the rest of Australia when the need arises.
Cairns is greener that most of Australia with a wet tropics climate, lots of rainforest covered mountains surround the city. Hot and steamy in summer with lots of rain, warm and dry in the winter, 27 degrees during the day at the moment.
Cairns haas a multi-cultural population which I like and a roaring tourist industry with people coming from all over to see the reef and rainforest etc. I would not want to live anywhere else.

Jamiem

Sounds an amazing place. I should visit... Do you have a spare room? ;-)

J

wannabauzzienurse

I wish we did have a spare room.........not yet unfortunately (need a bigger house!)

Jamiem

Oh bum! Never mind, -let me know when you have room :-)

Can normally make room over here in the sunny SW of WA!

J

wannabauzzienurse

Cool maybe we could do a house swap holiday sometime I here Margaret River is rather nice too

Jamiem

I struggle on here in difficult times

J

Pollyana

Nothing like Brisbane.

Can you give us any idea why you disliked Brisbane, and why you think Cairns or NT - both very different - may be better?

upyerfud

I also lived in Darwin for 6 months, and North Queensland for 6 before that and totally agree, I'd go back to Darwin tomorrow. Unfortunately I'm in Sydney at the moment, and possibly going to Perth soon. Obviously there's more work opportunities in Sydney and Perth, and a larger ( not necessarily better ) selection of nightlife etc, but other than that I'd pick Darwin every time. Lots of reasons: the weather's better, including the wet season, I'd rather be hot and wet than cold and wet like we've had here for the last 2 months. NT/FNQ build-up and wet season humidity problems are way over exaggerated on BE, its a lot easier to get used to hot weather than cold IMO. There's virtually no traffic, only 1 red light camera in whole NT, more laid back lifestyle, cheaper housing, fishings awsome - world class, cheap flights to Singapore/Bali, same roaring tourist trade as Cairns, National Parks within a day trip, excellent sporting facilities for adults and children.
Bad points: cyclones, cost of flights to rest of Australia (possibly a good point ?), big drinking culture ( not just Aboriginals ), eating out is distinctly average, finding a good job, food and fuel more expensive.
If you can get a comparable salary in Darwin to anywhere else in Oz, then as far as I'm concerned it's a great place to live, better than Sydney by far, no question. It's hugely underrated on BE.

Discovery

I think that the fact that Darwin is underrated on BE is actually good for those of us who live in Darwin. It helps keep the population to a managable 120,000 which is probably one of the reasons for the excellent lifestyle.

wanderingwombat

That makes Darwin a tad smaller than Cairns.

When we want to go to a big city there is always Townsville....

WW

Bix

Hi Janine.
Haven't been to NT but lived in Cairns for over 3.5 years now.

Cairns is a place of outstanding natural beauty.
The countryside is fantastic with oodles to do and see and all within a relatively small distance.

It is tidy, clean and litter free.
Lots of free entertainment. Firework displays, BBQ's in park and beach areas. Childrens playgrounds that are clean and vandalism free. Lagoon swimming pool on the Esplanade, just to mention a few.

It is a major holiday destination which means there are many attractions and activities.....and of course they are also available to locals.

Clubs cater for all sorts of arts, activities and sports.
Dining out ? Choose from over 300 eateries - top notch restuarants or fish & chippies.

Hubble bubble in the CBD nightclubs and pubs.
Yet only a few minutes to peace and tranquility.
Choice for old and young.

It is a family friendly society very tolerant of children and their needs.
The populace is sociable and friendly.
Very much laid back central.....people here work to live.

wanderingwombat

Just back from Brownsville. Need to have a shower to wash the dust off

WW

Shaun&Dee

I'm in Cairns and love it. There is plenty to do and a very laid back life style.
Shaun