North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

Ron, sounds good mate, but you're way off th mark. Those of us who've lived here for any serious length of time will beg to differ. The cost of living here is/has always been on the high side, due largely nearly everything having to be freighted in. Add to that the rise and rise of the housing market, and it puts the average wage earner who doesn't already own their own home on a serious backfoot. A big % of the blokes I work with are blow-ins, here to make the quick buck, and will move on to the next 'project' when this one cuts out. At $2500-3000/week take home, paying $5-600/week for acccomodation is not a problem, but, not everyone here is on that money, and, as a consequence, the normal 'joes' wage just doesn't cut th mustard. Came back 4yrs ago, after a 6yr sojourn in FNQ, and was stunned at the cost of housing then. Still going up, and in my street alone the 'removal' trucks have done a roaring trade, 3 families gone, all been here for years, 2 retired, and 1 priced out. The retire'ees, looking to other parts where their dollar will stretch a bit further, and the other bought a house and 5 acres for half of what he got for his place here, in th Tablelands.
The 'diversification' of industries/services here is beng hammered flat by the rising cost of 'doing business', and although there are new houses/warehouses going up..For the most part they stand empty, some for as long as they've been there.
I've spent the most part of my life here, and will probably cark it here, but, that doesn't stop me feeling for those who will never get the chance to put down 'roots' in 'Gods Country', because it's too damned exxy, and they only get the 'average' wage.
Just me 2cents.
graham.(olfart)(shorty) (kingi)(lots of unprintables).
0439078594.

graham.(olfart)(shorty) (kingi)(lots of unprintables).
0439078594

PMSL I think I have started a trend

ronje wrote:Am I right in guessing that its the construction of the LNG terminal that's pushing costs?

Nah, way more complex than that. Inpex has had little if any impact on Darwin to date, there may be a few crumbs falling later on but Inpex is a much tighter ship than CoP. They will simply install an off the shelf Bechtel LNG plant and rape the gas fields.

I too am leaving Darwin which I find very sad but as stated a few time the cost of living has got rediculous , not only that the landlords that we have had to deal with over the last 2 1/2 years where not prepared to do any maintance on the building that we have rented. We will be moving over to the Daintree instead where the blocks with a house , shed and decent size pool are currently good value for money . And will still be able to get out and catch a barra and get some muddies and it is only an 8 hr drive to the Gulf for the run-off . Darwin has been a great spot ,don't get me wrong but it has changed allot in the time I have been there.

Look at the other way. I sold up on the NSW central Coast and bought cheap in Tassie. Yes, like everywhere) my place in Tassie doubled in price in a few years. But I made bugger all over the years in comparison to the Central Coast.
Now I would struggle to buy up here

When you work FIFO, does the company pay for your flights? If not, the money you save in rent would go in flights - result in the same expenditure as living here.
Plus you have to account for the extra time involved in flying.

The cost of living in darwin is higher and I'm not leaving now I've been here for a number of years. Yes my mortgage was more than half my wage for a while and I can't have a 7m boat. On the other hand I drive 10min to work, close to lots of bot ramps, can fish after work if I choose, has plenty to do for my kids compare that to a recent holiday down south.

and I was surprised, the cost of property and to eat out. a 7m boat that sits in the driveway a house 10k from the city in every state except that country Tassie would have to match here if not more. And yes fuel is 20c a litre less down south But i drive half the distances in Darwin.

To answer the posts original question I recon lots have left darwin 6 people from where I work because of living cost and just as many have turned up for a new job as well.