Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone here would be able to give me some guidance on employer's willingness to either take on someone on a working holiday visa, or sponsor an international applicant.

I'm specifically looking at Darwin, this is the region of Australia that most interests me in trying out, and I have a pretty extensive work experience in analytics, project management and business analysis broadly; and in healthcare data specifically.

I've applied to a few positions so far, but understandably most aren't looking to hire someone for only 6 months, or go through visa sponsorship.

Am I wasting my time with my current outlook? Alternatively, I've been looking at pivoting into medical radiography since the schooling cost in Canada is heavily subsidized, and then applying for those positions in Darwin.

Thank you very much for any advice and help! I want to make this dream a reality.

Looking to buy a used car (Ute / 4wd). Any tips on where to go or where to avoid?
Has anyone had any experience buying interstate (for $$) and driving it in and changing over rego? Is it worth the effort?

What questions should I be asking the seller / dealer?

Appreciate any advice
- a hatchback user

Hi a'll, I'm a 4 year Darwin local but I've never made it out to Kakadu 😱

I'm hoping to head out there on some kind of tour before this dry season is completely over.

Was hoping for some info about any cheaper 4WD day tours.

I'd plan to camp somewhere near Jabiru the night before and join a tour from there.

I unfortunately don't have the skills nor a 4WD to head out on my own, and I figure the guides would know the best areas to head to see some of the wildlife in action.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all!

I’m a local looking at applying for a role with PHN (Primary Health Network), but am unsure whether they offer paid maternity leave? Has anyone worked with them before and can comment?

I can’t find the information online and was unable to get a clear answer from the office I called? Strange. Anyway.

Thanks heaps!

I have been looking for a decent used car in Darwin, but most of the cars I find online have over 200,000 km and do not seem to have been properly maintained.

I also checked a few dealers, but their prices seem terrible for used cars.

Is this just normal for the Darwin used car market, or am I looking in the wrong places? Any tips on where to find a reliable used car would be appreciated!

As emergency services continue to search for a downed aircraft and its pilot in waters off the Northern Territory, details of a second serious incidentinvolving Air Frontier has come to light.

Two months before Tuesday’s crash near Groote Eylandt, Air Frontier nearly lost another plane after a pilot was forced into an emergency landing on a Darwin beach.

Air Frontier confirmed on Tuesday afternoon it was missing a Beechcraft Baron twin-piston VH-AKH after it departed Gove Airport in Nhulunbuy at 11am. It was due to land at Numbulwar about 11.50am.

About 10 minutes before the pilot was due to land the plane in the community 467km from Katherine, a person on a nearby vessel called emergency services after seeing a plane crashing into the sea of the Gulf of Carpentaria.

The report has prompted an urgent search involving multiple agencies for the aircraft and the pilot, believed to be the sole occupant.

Search teams were stood down at 9pm Tuesday before resuming at 6.30am Wednesday.

Police said several vessels and aircraft were assisting, along with police divers.

These include the Alyangula Police vessel PV Tasman Point, an Anindilyakwa Land and Sea Rangers vessel, a Nautilus Aviation helicopter and the NT Police Air Wing PC-12 fixed-wing aircraft.

Divers were conducting underwater searches of the sea floor from Groote Eylandt near the crash site near Isle Woodah later on Wednesday.

They will try and locate and recover aircraft debris and other evidence that may help understand the circumstances of the crash.

Air Frontier chief executive Kylie Hunt said Air Frontier had grounded all five Beechcraft Baron aircraft in its fleet pending advice from the relevant authorities.

“Air Frontier is deeply saddened by this accident and our thoughts are with our pilot and their family at this incredibly difficult time,” Ms Hunt said.

“The family has been contacted and we are supporting them as this situation unfolds.

“We are also making sure our staff have the support they need.”

It is not the first time this year the air charter business has made headlines.

In June, nudist beach goers in Casuarina, Darwin were exposed to an emergency landing from a Cessna T207 Turbo Stationair 8 (piston-single) due to fuel starvation.

The Air Frontier light aircraft was in the middle of carrying out several journeys between Darwin and the Tiwis on June 24 when trouble struck after 1pm Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service and NT Police responded to the incident but no one was reported as injured.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau states the “serious” incident happened after the plane engine failed “reportedly due to fuel exhaustion”, with the matter still under investigation.

Air Frontier, with bases in Darwin and Arnhem Land, has experienced a few hairy landings over the past 10 years

In February 2020, one of its pilots was forced to make a belly landing at Darwin Airport after the landing gear failed to come down.

Another aircraft faced a crash landing at the airport in 2019 when it experienced a “problem with a front wheel”. The plane had to be removed by crane delaying flights for two hours. No one was injured in either of these incidents but in 2017, tragedy struck when two pilots were killed in a crash in scrubland near Gunn Point Road.

Darcy McCarter and Daniel Burrill were flying in a Cessna 210 from Darwin to Elcho Island to transport a coffin when the aircraft hit severe turbulence. Daniel Burrill, 33, died in Cesna 210 crash at Howard Springs.

The ATSB found a combination of “airspeed, turbulence and control inputs probably led to excessive loading on the aircraft’s wings” leading to the plane breaking apart mid-air.

The plane carrying the two pilots went into an “uncontrolled descent” before it crashed into scrubland killing Mr McCarter and Mr Burrill and destroying the aircraft.

ATSB said they found the pilots had no experience flying in the Build Up season. “Although pairing a supervisory pilot with a pilot new to the company was likely to reduce risk in other instances, in this case it did not adequately address the weather-related risks because neither pilot had experience flying in the region during the wet season,” they stated.

Air Frontier has been operating in the NT since the 1980s and specialises in corporate, government and private charter services as well as offering scenic flights and tours.

Their website states their fleet stands at more than 40 aircraft

Last night my car was vandalised by a drunken local who was having a domestic with her husband/ partner.. Instead of sorting it out, she decided to smash my car with a log and destroying the bonnet and back pillar which can’t be just replaced.

My father in law caught her doing it and when we all came out side, the whole tribe decided they all wanted to kill us and called us every racial slurs possible .

We called police, apparently they are “very busy” and will send someone when they can.

We get a phone call 1hr and 15mins later from dispatch saying a message was passed on to call us back…. WE WANTED A UNIT TO US!!!

She admitted there’s no staff at night and what did they want us to do! They were only gonna send someone if there basically was a death.

The last government was the same, this government is the same. All talk, same bullshit.

The worst part, I had my car fixed and resprayed a month ago.

Hi everyone, is there a way to get to the famous mataranka hot springs and bitter springs from Darwin, if you cant drive?

We’re looking to add one more person to our D&D group.

We’re a pretty relaxed group. We like actually playing the game, but having a laugh and getting along with everyone is more important than knowing every rule.

You don’t need to be a D&D expert. Happy with someone newer as long as you’re keen to get involved and can turn up reasonably consistently.

We play every Thursday in Wanguri and usually have a good mix of roleplay, combat and general laughs.

If you’re interested, chuck a comment below with a little bit about yourself and whether you’ve played before.

Another Camden Smith article today about some restaurant opening in Cas Square with thousands of bookings. I really thought there had to be a statement at the start of articles like this stating they had taken money to write the drivel like that. I'll bet he gets free meals for a month afterwards. (& no I'm not a competitor I'm just tired of the NT 'News' being shite)

Hi all,

Keen for on the ground, local recommendations rather than just trusting Weatherzone etc.

I enjoy watching and photographing storms and in particular, arvo / evening storms and lightning. Whilst having a beer or three lol. So not fussed on chasing, just want to rent a room / apartment with a balcony and good views and get some shots.

A few questions:

1. Darwin Harbour the best vantage point to rent or would you recommend another location?
2. Which direction is best to face?
3. From Doctor Google etc, early November seems to be the go to date, does that fit your experience?
4. I don't want to book say a 4 day trip (3 nights) and I miss the action - is it safe to expect at least a few good storms a week in November?

Thanks!

Just drove down Dinah Beach Road and there were like at least 6 cop cars out there. Any idea what's going on tonight?

Hey, what's happening in North Muirhead? Construction fences, new signage (but not filled in to meet legal requirements), security personnel, Larrakia Nation Rangers. DHA are obviously planning something but I thought the stopwork order was still in place. Has anyone been notified by DHA about asbestos removal or anything else? Would be nice to know a date before all the snakes try to get into your backyard!

Hey all! I’ve booked a week long solo trip to Darwin in the September school holidays.

I’ve got an old school friend I’m going to catch up with while I’m there, but want to do some exploring as well.

I’m probably going to take my swag, hire a 4wd, and go camping in Kakadu for 3-4 days/nights, and want to book a day trip into the Tiwi Islands too.

Would love to hear everyone’s recommendations on places to go, natural landmarks I MUST see, great camping spots and places to line up in Kakadu as well as in Darwin and the surrounding region more generally.

Tell me your favourite spots and experiences.
Thanks so much!

Howdy,
Moving to Darwin shortly from Melbourne and was seeking a bit of feedback or recommendations on places to live? Have mainly been looking CBD, Stuart Park, Fannie Bay and Parap.
Is there anything about those areas in particular I should be wary of or avoid?

Anyone know who has some in stock? Bunnings palm and darwin all out

Hi everyone,

I am from Sydney but want a break from the concrete jungle.

I am thinking of traveling to the NT for 10 or so days around mid October.

I am in my mid 30's so not really into clubbing or late nights drinking.

Should I hire a car or do organised tours from a hotel I book in Darwin?

Is mid October a good time? I know it's just before the wet season so I'm hoping for some good storms!

Any other suggestions?

Been asked a hundred times but now it's my turn.
Looking at feasibility of a pool in Palmerston. Bit of coffee rock a metre and a half down so thinking concrete half above hdd as of below surface to avoid rock breaking. Any idea on builders, costs of a decent size (6m x 4m) and pitfalls?

Hey guys,

Me and my partner are planning to do a camping holiday in Kakadu in early October for roughly 5-6 days. Having checked the website, it seems that a lot of the major parts of the park (Jim Jim Falls etc) is currently closed. We're relatively fit, and would enjoy at least one challenging hike during this time.

We are currently thinking of visiting: Ubirr, Bardedjilidji walk, Burrungkuy, Nawurlandja, yellow water wetland, Gunlom.

I've read that the Yurmikmik trails are beautiful during wet season, but unsure whether anyone has done them during late September/ earlyOctober ? Is it worth a detour?

Anything else you would recommend in seeing? Also, how does one spend downtime in Kakadu?

Thanks so much for your insights!

I applied for a role four weeks ago and have direct experience in the same title for the same project, meeting all the essential criteria. Today I received the application outcome and they’ve hired someone internally which is perfectly fine. However, I’m curious if I have the right to ask why my application wasn’t shortlisted or considered for an interview?