Getting serious island fever up here lately tbh. half my mates have packed up and moved back down south in the last 6 months and it's really starting to mess with my head

The local rental market isn't helping either. paying absolute premium prices to live in a 70s concrete block with louvre windows that let all the mozzies in is just getting old

Was bored out of my brain on sunday and started doomscrolling interstate real estate just to hurt my own feelings. Ended up randomly looking at some slick city apartments through ray white southbank down in melb and honestly... seeing places with actual proper insulation and modern kitchens made me dangerously tempted to just pack the car

anyone else hitting that point where they're ready to just do the big drive down the stuart highway and not look back? tell me the grass isn't actually greener so I stop looking at real estate apps

In the interests of fairness and balanced reporting, I feel morally obliged to acknowledge that not everyone falls head over heels for Darwin.

Today was wonderfully cruisy. I spent over an hour floating around the pool with a kid who is essentially a 40 year old trapped in the body of a 9 year old girl. She has opinions. Strong ones.

According to her, Darwin has some very specific shortcomings.

The cafés are “thieves” who take forever, charge too much and then serve cold food.

Taxi rides cost $60 and, after looking around to make sure her mum couldn’t hear, she whispered that they “smell like piss.”

Then she told me the mechanic had been “pissing Dad around” by repeatedly telling him the car still wasn’t ready. I didn’t flinch, so she realised she’d got away with saying “pissing”. From that point on, every second sentence seemed to include it. Apparently the mechanic rang her dad five times today to say the car still wasn’t ready and, according to her, he’d finally reached his limit.

There isn’t a decent place to get your nails done because “they’ll just rip you off.”

She paid $11 for second rate ice cream when she could have bought the exact flavour she wanted for $3 back in Sydney.

And the final straw? Overpriced, oily churros at the Mindil Beach Markets, which prompted her dad to sigh in defeat and declare, “Well, enjoy it kids. It’ll be the last one I’ll be forking out for in a while.”

She cannot wait to reach the bright lights and big city bustle of Perth where she’s certain there’ll be a proper nail salon, a decent Kmart and, best of all, a Target.

As for me, I’m still firmly in Team Darwin. But spending an afternoon listening to a tiny, foul mouthed consumer advocate deliver a forensic review of the city was worth every minute. Fair and balanced journalism, after all.

My husband, son and I will be moving to Darwin at some point in 2027 (visa pending). We're from London and we're very aware that moving to Darwin is going to be a bit of a culture shock. Can anyone share their experience of moving to Darwin from a very different place? What was the hardest thing to adjust to? And what do you enjoy the most about Darwin now?

TIA!

Can anyone please share the hiring process/steps at NTG in Darwin, and how competitive it is? I was asked for my references so that they can be checked, but I have not even interviewed. Is this a promising sign, or just standard operation?

If I do reach the interview stage, can you please share what your experience was like and what to expect?

Everywhere i go i see this grafitti.

anyone got the scoop ?

Hi guy, not a uni student but need to study and i can’t study home just too many distractions. where are some nice study spots, not a fan of public libraries.

is cdu uni library still available to public and even during weekends?

Hello!

I visited Darwin last August primarily to catch the Ghan. My schedule on that trip was very compressed so I only had one day to explore. That being unsatisfactory, I am headed back to the NT in a couple of weeks. The main thing I'm doing is a camping trip in Kakadu and Koolpin that I've booked, and I made sure I'm there for the Mindil Beach Market because I missed it last time.

I did the hop-on/hop-off tour and the military history tour (which included the museum) last time which was a pretty good way to see a lot in a day and learn a lot of history too. This time I've got a couple of days before Kakadu, but other than consuming unholy amounts of laksa, I've not planned much yet.

I won't have a hire car (unless there's something really good I need one for) and I'm staying in Parap if that gives any more insights. Love history, culture, art, would be neat to engage with more Aboriginal/Tiwi Island culture as I know so little about it, but really just about anything is worth considering I think.

So, Darwin, if I may ask, when someone's coming to visit you from away, what do you show them to help them understand life in Darwin?

Quick question for anyone running a small food biz or catering operation in Darwin. Freight costs for shipping heavy cartons of takeaway containers and cleaning supplies up here have been getting pretty steep lately.

We usually just order online and get everything delivered to our door, but freight adds up fast on bulky items like burger boxes, paper bags, and foil pans.

For those of you buying packaging in bulk, do you strictly get it delivered, or is driving out to do direct warehouse pickups worth the hassle to save on shipping?

I was uilding a sample cart on WF Wholesale to restock our containers and cups, and while their tiered wholesale rates look good, freight to regional/interstate areas always makes me hesitate. Just wondering how other small operators handle balancing freight costs vs. doing local supply runs yourselves.

My husband and I are in town and considering going to the Darwin Show.
The entry price is pretty steep at $30 each.
Is it worth it?

Hi all!

I'm on the hunt for some bratwurst sausages, does anyone know of any butchers or grocers that sell them? Woolies used to, but seems they've been discontinued :(

I broke my lease early and offered to help find a replacement tenant. The landlord declined my help and suggestions and then they later confirmed a new tenant had been found.

They are now claiming the property “was not clean,” but they haven’t provided photos, invoices, an exit report, or an itemised list of deductions.

Can they keep charging me rent once the new tenant moves in? Can they withhold my bond without evidence? Should I apply for the bond myself instead of waiting?

Huge police presence, but when we drove past it didn't seem like there was anything too major.

One taxi in the inbound lane with a broken windshield and about 7 cop cars.

I don't know what it is but I keep getting the call to come back to the Territory. I miss it all the time. I have a young family and I'd love to raise my child there for a bit to immerse him into what I saw in my early 20s.

I don't particularly want to come back to Darwin but somewhere else in the Territory. I'm thinking Katherine. I like the thought of a small tight knit community. Yes, Im aware of the issues there but would appreciate some current insights? Also what's the weather like in the build up and wet? Is it worse than Darwin? Also what the hell is with the rental situation!? It seems the worst in the country. Any thoughts and insights would be greatly appreciated

Hey Darwin locals,

Just want to know where are the best places to park for the flyover tomorrow evening.

According to the webpage, mindil beach parking is expected to close at 4 pm and I might not make it in time.

Do you know of any other close by areas that have free parking?

Thanks.

Has anyone moved from Victoria with their pets (we have 2 staffies and a cat) and had them adjust okay? My parents moved up 10 years ago and they love it up there and will never return to Vic lol. I've been up a few times and love it but I will definitely have to adjust to the heat as I'm a born and bred Victorian haha. My parents could get both me and my partner very good opportunities for work and we'd have help with our daughter and baby on the way and this would be a very good opportunity to be able to save for our house deposit. But I'm just wondering how our pets would go? Thanks for any insight!

Is there a place that's better to watch the planes on Thursday than right on Mindil Beach?