Darwin, NT - 7 Months in

[maplanka]

Good morning, afternoon or evening to you all,

 

So, we are 7 months in to our Australian adventure, and all seems to be working out for us at the moment. Yup, some of you might have cringed when you saw “Darwin” the title. Lol! It is not as bad as people may lead you to believe.

As we are classified as the “outback” people tend to have the view that it looks like the surface of Mars up here, red, dusty and nothing in sight for days. Truth be told, it is more like the “bosveld” up here, as you need to travel at least 6 hours dead south before you get a glimpse of the red planet.

 

Anyway, just thought I needed to clarify that bit for any prospective arrivals.

 

Yes, it is hot and sticky in the wet, and bloody freezing in the dry, where the temperature does dip below 21° on occasion. Brrr! What’s the max down south again….?

 

Silliness and friendly interstate banter aside, it really isn’t all that bad up here in the NT. We have been in Darwin for 7 months and we are settling in very well.

 

We came over on a 489 regional skilled visa which binds us to the Northern Territory as noted in our visa conditions. Truth be told, we were not happy with the visa subclass we were offered nor the state, however, after being here and integrating a bit, we would actually find it hard to move away from here. It is a love story for us, which might not be the same for all. I am fully aware that different people have different views, opinions and needs, so please do not take my experience, needs or onions to heart, as that is exactly what they are, my opinions and personal experience.

 

Granted, Darwin is not littered with malls and we are not spoilt for choice, but what we miss in the retail market we make up for in other areas. Nature is on our doorstep, and if you like to get out and explore, there is no better or more diverse place to do this. And you don’t need a tank or 4x4. Most of the roads in the parks are surfaced so you will be able to do so in a standard run of the mill sedan. There are 4x4 only routes for the braver, equipped and adventurous folks, so you can get all dirty and “stuffs” should that be your thing.

Also worth a mention, it is a standing joke in Darwin, but the absolute truth. No matter where you want to go in Darwin or between Darwin and Palmerston, no matter what time of day, peak traffic or not, everywhere is 20 minutes away. Even with road works on the major arteries. Food for thought.

 

We wanted a change of lifestyle from the hustle and bustle of the city life, and Darwin offers exactly that. It’s like Potch at the sea, just can’t swim in the sea unfortunately. (Crocs! And I’m not talking about the ugly footwear.)

Don’t want to write an essay and bore you, so I’ll just leave it at that.

 

For any prospective arrivals to Darwin, you are welcome to fire off any questions, and I will respond to you based on my knowledge, experience and personal opinion. As stated earlier, don’t take this as the absolute truth, as I am sure there will be others with very different opinions.

Edited July 29, 2016 by maplanka
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[Guest]

Thankyou Maplanka for your insight into Darwin. It is about time that someone from the NT posted. The Darwin thread is always very quiet and I am sure that others will appreciate the feedback. My cousin who lives in Sydney (an Aussie) raves about Darwin, he always says that if he could he would move there as it is a beautiful part of the Country. I wish you all the best for your future in Darwin. ?

[joweni]

We have just spent a week in Darwin and loved every minute. It was glorious to escape the cold of Adelaide and soak up the sun. Don't know how I would go in the humidity though?

[leeferg1]

Do yourself a favour and take a trip to Kununurra - but only in the dry!  It's only 8hrs drive from Darwin so not too bad for a long weekend.

If you've got a tinny, going up the Ord River is a must - pretty spectacular scenery.  And then there's Lake Argyle.....there's actually tons to do and see.

So, if you feel like you need a bit of WA, Kununurra would be a good choice. 

[LisaActually]

Awesome Review Maplanka

 

My husband, myself and out 11 month old daughter are moving to Darwin in October.  We are in the same boat it was neither our first choice of city or visa, but we will make the most of it.

 

Looking forward to the adventure.

 

Lisa

[CGP]

Great post. It goes to show that with the right attitude people can be happy anywhere. As a warning to us all, the opposite is also true.

[JennyB]

Thanks for the information Maplanka. We have only just started the process and NT is the only region that is open to my occupation (marketing specialist). What is the job market like in Darwin? I have been looking on Seek and Linkedin and there doesn't seem to be too much available. 

[maplanka]

Hi JennyB,

 

Darwin is small compared to the other major centers and the number of vacancies reflect accordingly. There may not be a hell of a lot to choose from, but there are jobs which need to be filled.

The biggest thing which would count in your favor would be the fact that you are here, in the NT, or Darwin for that matter. Physical location is very important in such a small market, as there is a potential cost saving from the employer in having to relocate a candidate from one of the other states, and also time it takes to go through this process. (This was the case for both me and the Mrs. Not that we were second choice candidates.) Employers do tend to go with local resources, because interstate relocations tend to end up short term in most cases, where a spouse or partner dislikes it here and inevitably the move back starts. (I can't state this as fact, but this is the general consensus from all of my interactions regarding this topic.)

"Local is lekker" comes to mind. There is also a big drive from government to use local companies and labor.

 

I had a quick look on seek.com.au and found about 7 jobs in your line. Not sure whether they are exactly what you do, but they are all probably worth applying for.

Also, maybe search by keyword for your title or skills, as they do sometimes get the classification wrong. This might bring back more results. (Example: Marketing Officer for a builder might be classified under "construction" and not "marketing and communications".)

 

Networking is very important. I would advise you to join a church, charity or volunteer program to kick off your networking.

You'd be surprised to find how many jobs are available, but doing the rounds by word of mouth. We met lots of people at our church in our respective industries who shared our details as well.

 

Don't let any of this get you down though, as there's plenty of work up here. You have made the right decision to come over, which is one of the hardest decisions to make.

Just keep the faith and remember your reasons for coming over.

 

Also, just a note: You do not have to immediately start work in your nominated field. You can take up any form of employment in the short term, while you hunt down that dream job.

I packed shelves at the local Coles supermarket and freelanced for a while before I landed my current job.

 

You can do this!

Edited August 6, 2016 by maplanka

[JennyB]

Hi Maplanka

Wow! I didn't expect such a detailed response. Thank you! You have given me lots to think about and I really appreciate your answer and suggestions.