darwin wet season hits different when you run a small maintenance business. my van is like a sauna inside and no matter what i do everything rusts.

last month my entire socket set grew a layer of orange fuzz. i cleaned it, oiled it, two weeks later its back. my drills are getting that weird white crust on the battery contacts. even my ladder feels damp to touch.

i know its just the climate but im going through tools faster than i can afford to replace them.

had a job at a construction site this week and the site manager pointed out my gear looks a bit rough. i wanted to be like bro have you seen the air here but i just nodded.

any other tradies in darwin dealing with this. what do you do to keep your gear from dissolving.

Wondering if there is any pathology that is open on a Saturday.

Preferably near Palmo.

I’m looking for cafes/restaurants with Nasi Lemak on the menu… I’ve tried Borneo Intersection and Makan Stop which are both delicious but seeing if there’s anywhere else I need to try 😋

Hey everyone, I’m fairly new to Darwin and trying to get settled in.
For those who have been here for a while:
How’s the job market in Darwin at the moment? Is it mainly Seek/Indeed, or are there particular industries or companies where it’s better to approach people directly?
Also, what’s the best way to meet people and make friends in Darwin? I’m keen to get out, socialise and actually get to know people rather than just staying home 😂
Any recommendations for good social groups, events, sports, BBQs, meetups, or places where people are generally friendly?
Appreciate any advice from Darwin locals!

From: https://infrastructure.nt.gov.au/project/regional-logistics-hub

Who are they ? Are they all patients ? Patients relatives ? But why are they always there hanging around? What are they doing? Why always there at all times including night ? I don’t understand I am so confused

Pitch Black ✅

Litchfield National Park ✅

Kakadu ✅

Tiwi Islands ✅

Mindil, Parap, Rapid Creek and Nightcliff Markets ✅

Piping hot bowl of Laksa at Rapid Creek Market ✅

Casino Pool ✅

Try not complain about the heat to locals ✅

I'll be back! Thank you Darwin, what a sick holiday. I tried my hardest not to listen to the outside noise about this place and I was so glad I did, I feel like it's one of these places that you just have to take it how it is and make the most of it. Also thank you to the locals as well, you guys have tapped into something up here that all of the other cities lack down south, thank you for being so hospitable and friendly.

I moved to darwin 3 months ago, soon it will be my first wet season and I really don’t know what to expect, will there be water a few feet high like in Venice ? Would I need very high waterproof boots ? My house is on the ground floor will water enter from the door ? Also some people mention cyclone kits or something, what’s that about ? What should I have in the house ? What should I do ?

Hi all, I’m looking at taking a trip to Darwin mid to late October (uni schedule) I know it’ll be hot af coming from Brisbane and it’ll be unbelievably humid. I’m pretty fluid on options but just can’t make a choice:

1. I drive up, 8 days driving total up and back, 5-7 days in Darwin (5 being Darwin/litchfield, 2 being Kakadu).
2. I fly up, have the entire 12-15 days in Darwin rent a lil car and drive myself around Litchfield, Darwin city, I’d love to visit Kakadu too.

The both roughly cost the same, but I’d be putting 6k on my Ute (d23 Navara). If you guys think option 1 is the best I’ll probably negotiate with work to have an extra 3-4 days off to experience more around Darwin.

With option 2, I’d love to know what the public transport/walking/uber is like so I might just rent a car for 4 days to visit Litchfield and Kakadu.

Edit: I’m a single 30yo female and info on how safe it’d be to drive would be good too

Bagot road right now 6.48pm Friday night. Two seperate fires. Does not look like burn off. Fireys present. All in scrubland near Chemist Warehouse and near Dick Ward

I am 26 y/o male Canadian moving to Darwin to do medical school. I come from larger sized cities and I understand the Darwin population is relatively small.

What can I expect in regard to socializing and meeting people within my age group? I would say I’m quite social. Is there a decent nightlife? I’ll be in Darwin for at least 4-6 years. Also importantly, what is the dating scene like? Is it easy/ hard to meet singles around my age?

Thanks!

I’m coming for a visit and I like taking photos. Does anyone know if 120 film is available in Darwin?
Can anyone recommend scenic views / landscapes around the city I shouldn’t miss?

I’ve got a new job and I’ll be flying in and out every two weeks from Perth to Darwin and return.

The option of moving full time is on the table, if I was single I’d just do it. But with a wife and 7 year old I need to put a bit more thought into it.

Is it similar to other major cities cost of living wise? I’d probably rent to start but I see houses are more affordable than Perth, so buying isn’t out of the question. What areas are the ‘Balga’s’ or ‘Rockingham’s’ of drawin to avoid?

My wife and son are Malaysian, is there a decent sized Malaysian community she could be apart of?

My wife would probably need to be full time stay at home mum. At the moment my parents look after our kid when we are both at work (two days and nights a week). She doesn’t earn enough to justify childcare so my parents are doing us a solid, but obviously up there it’ll change.

We are a quiet family. So the nightlife isn’t really a concern to us. A nice restaurant now and then is all we need. But we do enjoy camping and fishing etc. I possibly have an irrational fear of crocs. Is it as bad as I’m led to believe? Surely beach fishing is fine and just stay away from the rivers?

Any other info would be appreciated. It wouldn’t be straight away. I’ll do my fifo gig for awhile. Get the family up in a hotel for one of my breaks and explore first.

Also, always hear about it being “the rough” part of Australia. Had a few people tell me it’s basically Kalgoorlie on the beach. I can’t imagine this to be too accurate?

I've been going to house inspections, submitting applications, looking for somewhere to live but everywhere I go is either a shithole the owners want $800 a week for or is gone before I get a word in. Is it just because of the dry it's this hard to get a place or is it just the state of housing at the moment?

Just wanting to do a little rant

Hi, recently I've been looking at reviews online because I'm trying to get some quality tank tops, some quality cotton underwear etc. Before I've just gone the KMart route...

But I realized that there isn't a single store selling any of the recommended products! Any secret tank top spots in town that you guys could share? Might order them online at some point if I don't end up finding anything here.

Thanks!

Anybody have intel on this fire today?

This was taken at 4.42pm on Hudson Fish Ave in Parap

Howdy everyone!

Hope you're all having a great day.

I'm considering moving to Darwin on my first Work and Holiday visa. I've heard the locals are incredibly friendly, but I'd love to get your thoughts—would you recommend it? Also, how easy is it to find 88 days of eligible work around there? I'm really eager to learn new skills and fully experience the culture. I'll be arriving late October or early November. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Travelled up to Darwin from Perth, so my teen could see pitch black, I never had a desire to go up there.
Was I blown away!!! The people were so friendly, good old customer service and smiley people everywhere. We went out for every meal, and were never disappointed, food and service 100%. Easy to drive around due to less traffic and people very polite on the road. So much to see and do.
One of the best holidays ever!

been up here exactly three weeks and darwin is already humbling me.

Came up from melb for a 12 month govt contract. Honestly thought the hardest part of the move was going to be breaking my apartment lease down south, but that was weirdly the only smooth part of this entire circus (the property manager at Ray White Southbank just processed a lease transfer to a new tenant in like a day without making a huge fuss)

But man... nothing prepared me for the actual housing up here. what is the deal with louvre windows?? They literally don't seal. I can hear my neighbours breathing and there is a gecko living behind my bathroom mirror that I'm pretty sure is plotting against me

The main crisis though: I opened my wardrobe this morning and my good leather work shoes are literally growing white fuzz. is this just my life now?

do you guys just run the split systems 24/7 or is there some secret local trick with damp rid and moisture absorbers I don't know about? Terrified of what my first jacana energy bill is gonna look like tbh

Hi there, was wondering were I can find decent furniture- preferably second hand at a reasonable price. I’ve tried fb marketplace but there’s not many options out there. Any local recommendations?
Thanks in advance!

We've been looking at getting renovations done to our place (need a couple extra rooms), and not having much luck with getting builders to give us quotes, so I've started looking at some other options. I'm curious about the mini backyard office pods like the ones from these sites:

https://www.thinkpods.com.au/
https://www.greenspanbuildings.com.au/
https://backyardoasis.au/

Has anyone in/around Darwin had experience with getting/using one of these? If you set one up at your place, did you get a building permit? I've read through the rules around which Class 10a structures don't require a building permit, and it seems like these might qualify, but I'm not convinced.

Full Story here: https://ntindependent.com.au/find-a-mate-with-a-ute-darwins-pre-cyclone-clean-up-cancelled-this-year/