Anyone Here From N T?

[indigirl]

I forgot to mention that the cockroches in darwin are HUGE.. you can almost hear them walk *shudder*

[Jake-K9]

I will make sure I pack the rubber mallet then :P

[Paptacular!]

Things to do with dogs... we have conformation shows, obedience and agility trials and clubs for all these activities.

There's an off-lead park in Palmerston and dogs are allowed on most beaches.

Lifestyle... easy peasy. Very laid back.

[felix]

Funny nobody mentioned crocodiles yet. People in other states are usualy obsessed with crocs here.

[Jake-K9]

Most of the advice here seems to have come from people who either live or have lived in NT, I guess being wary of crocs becomes second nature after you've been there a while, and you don't consciously think about it, and therefor it'd be easy to forget to mention?

Guess the malinut is going to have to learn how NOT to swim, unless there is some sort of isolated freshwater swimming area for the dogs up there?

[mr.mister]

I've lived in Cairns for seven years which has a very similar climate.

I personally loved the humidity, though it varies from person to person. I talked to people who'd lived there for 20 years and still couldn't handle the humidity. I also love cyclones (sadistic little me), the wet season, and everything that comes with it.

The things you really do need to watch out for, particularly for the dogs, is Cane Toads but mostly, Paralysis ticks. These guys will kill your dog if left unnoticed; many of my friends have lost dogs up there due to them. The most recent case was a Malamute. My friend was devastated as she'd had her for 6 years.

This means ritualistic, extremely thorough searching through the coat on a daily basis (we'd normally do it every evening while watching telly) including ears, nose, lips, armpits, groin, anus, in between toes, everywhere. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. By the time a dog shows symptoms of tick Paralysis (stumbling around, loss of use of back legs), it's normally too late. Use Frontline or whichever it's called in conjunction, but never rely on it completely; still check dogs daily.

[geo]

I'm 250km's east of darwin, not much to do unless you're a keen fisherman, only surf in the wet season (it's killing me not living near the waves)

when people say it's expensive, it surely is and unless you have a high paying job you wont get ahead financially.

many place to walk dogs, beaches are great, just watch out for the crocs, they have stalked dogs on their walkies before.

lots of alcohol related issues, but hey what city doesn't.. it's bogan central so you just gotta go with it.. lots of sporting clubs which is great..

you gotta weigh up what it is that makes you tick.

[felix]

I've lived in Cairns for seven years which has a very similar climate.

I personally loved the humidity, though it varies from person to person. I talked to people who'd lived there for 20 years and still couldn't handle the humidity. I also love cyclones (sadistic little me), the wet season, and everything that comes with it.

The things you really do need to watch out for, particularly for the dogs, is Cane Toads but mostly, Paralysis ticks. These guys will kill your dog if left unnoticed; many of my friends have lost dogs up there due to them. The most recent case was a Malamute. My friend was devastated as she'd had her for 6 years.

This means ritualistic, extremely thorough searching through the coat on a daily basis (we'd normally do it every evening while watching telly) including ears, nose, lips, armpits, groin, anus, in between toes, everywhere. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. By the time a dog shows symptoms of tick Paralysis (stumbling around, loss of use of back legs), it's normally too late. Use Frontline or whichever it's called in conjunction, but never rely on it completely; still check dogs daily.

AFAIK there are no paralysis tick in NT, only at the east coast. I will have to check though to be 100% sure.

[DaisyDog]

I've lived in Cairns for seven years which has a very similar climate.

I personally loved the humidity, though it varies from person to person. I talked to people who'd lived there for 20 years and still couldn't handle the humidity. I also love cyclones (sadistic little me), the wet season, and everything that comes with it.

The things you really do need to watch out for, particularly for the dogs, is Cane Toads but mostly, Paralysis ticks. These guys will kill your dog if left unnoticed; many of my friends have lost dogs up there due to them. The most recent case was a Malamute. My friend was devastated as she'd had her for 6 years.

This means ritualistic, extremely thorough searching through the coat on a daily basis (we'd normally do it every evening while watching telly) including ears, nose, lips, armpits, groin, anus, in between toes, everywhere. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. By the time a dog shows symptoms of tick Paralysis (stumbling around, loss of use of back legs), it's normally too late. Use Frontline or whichever it's called in conjunction, but never rely on it completely; still check dogs daily.

We don't have paralysis ticks...

[felix]

Yeah, no paralysis ticks here. Yey!

But cane toads are, so be careful.

[piperspal]

Dont forget there are other towns in the NT other than Darwin, Alice is nice, plenty of work and the caravan parks are great.

[Jake-K9]

The Alice may yet be an option, I'm not ruling anything out at this stage...

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

I've lived and worked in Darwin three times in my life. The first time I was in my early 20's. In and out of work constantly. Rents were high even back then. Second time was 9 yrs ago. Third time was for nearly 3 yrs and we only moved late last year, to Brisbane.

Good points: beautiful climate for most of the year. Relaxed lifestyle. Close to Asia so cheap enough to travel overseas. Lovely houses (the ones built for the tropics, anyway). No traffic. Not much noise either. No pollution except the fires smoke in the dry season.

Bad points: everything is expensive, much more so than you imagine. Rents are very high. Finding a dog-friendly rental is very difficult and as I was a property manager for 2 yrs, and as I was constantly encouraging my landlords to consider pet owning tenants, you will have trouble because they assume that all dog owners are irresponsible gits who allow their dogs to be flea-infested (and sadly there are many dog owners who are just like that). Vet care is variable and costly but if you find a good vet, stick with them. Doctors and dentists are impossible to see due to high demand and if you manage to get an appointment, you need a loan to pay the bill. Shopping is awful but only important to females anyway! Cane toads - enough said. You can't swim in the ocean due to stingers and crocs. No surf. Anti-social behaviour from a certain sector of the community. High crime in certain areas.

I loved our time in Darwin, and I do miss it, believe it or not. It's just that Brisbane has so much more to offer, rents are lower and demand is also much lower so as a tenant you have a good choice of properties. Shopping here is awesome. There is lots to do and plenty of choice in everything. I can afford to have my dental work done here as it's 1/3 of the cost in Darwin or lower. And if I need a doctor I can generally get a same-day appointment and only pay the gap up-front.

Would I live in Darwin again? Maybe, maybe not.

[Staff'n'Toller]

Any sure fire remedies for sandfly bites, you Territorians?

I just got attacked in the last couple of days...soooo itchy.