Hello Darwin

[sweetbub]

:wave: My name is Kirsty and I am 24 I am married to Dan who is 25 and we have a 13 month old son called Jaxon.

Do you all know each other?
I am currently working so I don't get on here much.

What ages are all your kids? Jaxon would love a playmate.

We were going to have another bub but have decided to put that on hold for a bit while we buy a place to live hate paying rent.

So do you all like Darwin, i'm in two minds hate the wet season don't mind the dry though.

Well hope to chat to you all.

Kirsty

[Bree3]

Hi Kirsty,

Nice to meet you, i am 24 also and have two daughters. Madison is 21 months and Kaylee is 7 months.

Are you working Full time? I work as well but just two days a week. I'm hoping to get another day or two so i can get some more money to go twoards our house deposit.

How long have you been in Darwin for?

[sweetbub]

Hi Carly nice to meet you.
We have been in Darwin for 16 months.
Your girls are close in age how do you cope with that?

I work 4 days a week which is great. We are also looking at buying a place. what are some good area's?

[Bree3]

It can be hard at times ecspecially at the moment because both girls are teething but usually it's ok. The first year is always the hardest, so i've been told.

Palmerston is good for buying at the moment, there are new suburbs going up there all the time. We will more then likely buy something there. If you buy somewhere closer to the city like Stuart Park or Larrakeyah although it is more exspensive you are garanteed to make money off it. My Parents brought a townhouse in Stuart Park about 7 years ago and it has pretty much doubled in Price.

Palmerston is nice though lots of families live out there. It's also cheaper to buy there.
We have been going to open houses for the past few months to get some ideas of whats out there. If you go to www.domain.com.au (http://www.domain.com.au) that will have all the listings for Australia. We go on it all the time to have a look at properties and then look in the saturday paper to see when they are open.

Where were you guys before you moved to Darwin? Did you move up here for work or just for something different?

[Lizzie1985]

Hi Kirsty,

I am Liz i am 21 and am getting married in 16 days to my partner of 6 years, we have 2 kids together Anna who has not long turned 4 and Cohen who is almost 16months.

We live in Leanyer, but are more then likely going back to Melb at the end of this year.

Honestly i am over Darwin, i could never live here long term i have been here a year and that is long enough, we will just go back to coming here for Holidays.

I am so picky with areas in Darwin, really there is only 2 suburbs i would live in Leanyer and Wanguri area.
I would never live in Palmerston, Nightcliff or Fannie Bay. I avoid those areas as much as i can! Bit hard to avoid Fannie Bay though i am there almost everyday.

I don't know any of the girls that come in here anymore.

[Bree3]

Liz, thats a shame that you hate Darwin so much because it's such a beautiful place. Everyone is different like that, i for one would never want to live in a big city like Melbourne or Sydney. I perfer the quitet lay back life style i guess. Leanyer and Wanguri are nice but we have been told by a few people that the properties there won't increase in value as much as the suburbs closer to the city. I lived in Leanyer for about 5 years back when i was in high school and the main thing i remember about it was all the mozzie's. There is all this swamp type area behind it, i don't know it might be different now but we couldn't even sit outside. Could have just been that our house was to close to the swamp or something like that. I'm assuming your house is ok though which is good because they are such nasty things mozzies.

Kristy, Just keep looking around and go to the open houses and you'll soon know what area is right for you and your family. As you know Darwin is pretty small and each suburb will have it's good and bad areas just like any other city. If you would like me to recommend some more places let me know and i will PM you.

[smiles]

Hello!

We bought a place in Durack earlier this year, and every now and then we get plagued with sandflies..
I lived in Leanyer growing up too! And yeah, the mozzies were really bad, we were near the child care centre ('Minbani' I think)..

I have a love/hate relationship with Darwin. I love the lifestyle up here, I have family up here but I don't like the heat, and I don't like most of my history that smacks me in the face everytime I visit Casuarina lmao

I have 2 kidlets, DS is 2.5 and DD is 3 months.

Cheers!

[Lizzie1985]

Oh Carly i don't hate Darwin, i actually do like it i am just ready to go home if you get what i mean. I want the kids to grow up around the family.
I have heard so many people go on about the Mozzies, but i only see them once in a blue moon, i am right near Hibiscus Shopping centre, so not sure if the swamp is near us, never knew there was one?:laughing:
Leanyer is actually really cheap i think, but i just like Leanyer cause it is quite, nothing happens here, everyone seems to either work or is a family. I like suburbia life ;)

As you said though every Suburb has its bad areas, i mean when we first came here before we had a house we were living in Karama, and that wasn't too bad. lol

I just don't like Nightcliff area, some of our friends lived/lives there and have had a few pretty bad experience.
I don't know where one of the guys my DF works with but he woke up to his car on fire:eek:
We have a friend that lives in Bayside they really like it there, we don't really go there so not quite sure what it is like

I am half half about the lifestyle here alot of it seems to have something to do with drinking, maybe that is just the people we know, but everywhere we go you can buy alcohol, it is just so in your face all the time it is just yuk. I do like the laid back feel, markets, and everything though.

Hope you are able to find a house in an area you like Kirsty!

[no1pearl]

Hiya!

DH and i bought a unit in Woodroffe as Pearl was due and we've had no dramas thus far. We would have liked to stay in Leanyer, but this has worked out fine - off the rental train anyway. We figure (hopefully) we can keep this when we need to upgrade.
We used a loan broker who helped us through the whole thing.
Me, South Aussie Bred and love it here! Wet is best, lots of swimming and muddy gardening, it's warm and doesn't matter if you get wet, - once the major part of build up is over it's awesome! Rolling sky, and cracks of lightning through the nights.
I haven't been on for ages - spilled cordial on the laptop, so i'm borrowing this one now. NO DRINKS IN SIGHT!! (Laughs)

i have asked this before, but any Darwinians into EC? would love to catch up.

Bloody head cold got me yestarday, so i'm gonna go and stick some more tissues up my nose - nothing else seems to ease the constant drips!!

Ciao for now.

[smiles]

Hey Tania what's EC? And did Paul go to Dripstone?

[sweetbub]

Thank you all for your input Carly we moved with DH job he is in the Army.

[EandN]

Hi sweet bub,

My name is Caitlin, I'm 24 too and have 2 girls, Elora is 3 on monday :smiliedance: :crying: and Natalia is nearly 8 months.
We moved to Sydney from Darwin 2 years ago, but i still use the Darwin forums sometimes.
My partner is in the Army too, so is carlys.
We moved to Sydney for the Army.
Where were you from before you moved to Darwin?

[Bree3]

Kristy, My DH is in the Army as well, is your DH at Robertson Brks? If he is Palmerston my be a better suited area to buy a house because it's close to the base. Palmerston has pretty much everything you need anyways, i like it out there.

Liz, I know what you mean i would be the same if i was living away from home.

A few weeks ago i got the girls pictures done and finally got them back. I'll put them up in the Gallery :)

[earthfairy]

Hi Ladies!

My name too is Kirsty & I spent 2 years living in Darwin - DH is in Navy!

While there are many things that i winged about in Darwin now i moved away i do miss it!
Yes its hot & the shopping is **** but just think about all the beautiful sunsets & the tropical wet season storms! The were Wikid!!!!

I went back to Darwin 4 weeks ago as i was in my best friends wedding - she got married down by the museum near the ski club - this reminded me of all the wonderful times i had in Darwin! Sorry - going down memory lane LOL!

We lived in Wanguri to start with & loved it! We had an awesome house with a beautiful backyard & pool! Then we moved to Winnelli RAF base - this was ok there too..

My best friend is a real estate agent in Darwin & i know that if you wanted someone on the look out for you she would be more than happy to help. Joy is a happy, friendly, bubbly girl & i love her to bits!!!!

PM me if you want her details.
Take Care Ladies!

Love & Light
Kirsty x

[sweetbub]

Dh is in the army at robbo he is in 2cav before that we were at townsville.

[Bree3]

Townsville is alot like Darwin isn't it? Thats just what i've been told. My DH was in 2 Cav but got transfered at the beginning of the year to 1CSSB.

[sweetbub]

Yes very much the same. why did your DH transfer?

Where were you before darwin? How long is your posting for?

[Bree3]

I have been here since i was 5 so nearly 20 years. Dh has been here for 4 years he is origally from Ballarat VIC, Darwin was his first posting. We are posted up here for another 3 years. His job finished in 2 Cav so they transfered him to 1CSSB, we didn't have to move which was good. All my family besides my mum are back in Melbourne as well.

[sweetbub]

Cool So where will you be posted toin 3 years? do you want to move?
I love being posted around we will be in Darwin for 4 years so thought we will buy a house since we have heard pricing keep rising here.

Where in Darwin do you live? We are currently on Defence Ess Berrimah.

[Bree3]

Don't know where we will be in 3 years, Dh has put in for a transfer to this computer job so hopfully that will all go through before then. I have a feeling we will end up in Melbourne next but i would want to come back and settle here. Yeah it's are really good idea to get into the market, we are hoping that this time next year we will have a place.

We live in the RAAF Base so just down the road from you guys. Hopefully you guys got a good house, we don't i hate everything about it but unfortuantly DHA won't let us move.

[sweetbub]

we have a good place we had about 5 to choose from.
we will prob buy a townhouse in the next 6 months cause it's just the 3 of us for now.

Are you having anymore bub's?

[Bree3]

I have given myself a 3 year window to have another baby. If we are in our own place and are finacial enough to get a bigger car before the 3 years are up then i will love to have another baby. If that doesn't happen then i will be more then happy with my two daughters. How about you? How many do you want to have?

[sweetbub]

I am the same we want to get the house first and be able to afford another so we are in no rush yet we are both still young so we will prob have a 3-4 year age gap.

Do you work? Are your kids in childcare?

[sweetbub]

Just a bit of a personal question do you get any government assistant we are only entitled to $40 a fortnight.
I don't know how people survive I had to go back to work when Jaxon was 7 months old.

[Bree3]

I work at Wardrobe World with my step dad. At the moment i work every Thursdays and Saturdays but am hoping i will get another day soon. I'm in the office doing all the payroll and admin stuff and pretty soon will be starting a bookkepping course which will be great.

The girls go the Mitchell st child care centre. Well it will be Kaylee's first day on Thursday, she has been comming to work with me but it is starting to get a bit hard now. The office is in the factory and can get a bit noisy so she doesn't get much sleep.

I'm hoping that with this bookkepping course will enable me to eventually do it for a living. Then i will be able to work from home and or set my own hours. So then if i do have another bub i won't have to stop work completly.

What do you do?

[Bree3]

Yes we get $260 for the both of them, even before Kaylee was born i got around $120. I'm not sure how it all works but maybe go see them and make sure you are getting everything you are entiled too.

[sweetbub]

I have spoken to them and that is everything i'm entitled to.

I work at a hotel doing front reception. Before moving here I worked for DHA doing reception.
i work 4 days a week and are lucky that my husbands sister lives here and is a family day carer so she looks after jaxon and we pay her $20 a day.

[Bree3]

Wow thats really good child care can be so expensive. I've worked at hotels before, my mum use to be a manager at few. I never knew hoe rude people could be before i did hospitalty haha.

I was thinking about the centerlink payments and thought that it might be due to the fact that you are working as well. Your combined income would proberly be a bit more then single income families. Mine went down quite a bit when i started working and i only work 12 hours a week. Anyways it was just a thought.