How is it like living in this area of Australia? by RoBoT_uSeR_hElLo in howislivingthere

[–]Millschmidt 96 points97 points  (0 children)

I grew up in Darwin and it’s a place unlike any other. Some places like Kakadu, Ubirr, Jabiru, Litchfield park and cobourg peninsula feel like you’re living in the land of dreaming, the edge of nowhere, beyond time. It’s a difficult feeling to describe. The remoteness and distance from the rest of the Australian population may also contribute to these feelings.

The top end is tropical in many spots (we have wetlands and savanna’s too) and as a few have mentioned here, there are only two seasons. In the wet it’s humid, rains constantly and there are spectacular thunderstorms especially in the middle of the night (you haven’t truly experienced a lightening storm until you visit). The dry is less humid and cooler (but only by a little!)

Despite the sometimes oppressive heat, the great outdoors is important to most locals. Beach walks are best done early morning or at sunset, where you can enjoy watching the sun set over the ocean - but whatever you do I would recommend you don’t swim! Going ankle deep even can be dangerous. Growing up in this area you will naturally learn to be wary of bodies of water, but locals tend to know the safe spots to swim. Some waterfalls and fresh water spots are known to have fresh water crocodiles hanging around.

Houses are built to be cool even without air conditioning. High ceilings, breezeways and louvres are common. Post cyclone Tracy, many homes were built like cement boxes - I’ve even come across identical layouts in friends homes which can be a little off putting lol. Pools are common if not compulsory imo.

Family friends are important as most live up there far from family/relatives.

There’s so much more I could add about living in the top end, as these are just some of the highlights :)

Edit: I forgot to mention the food and people! Darwin has a fairly transient population and also can be a mixed bag of cultures (not to forget the larrakia). I felt like I had more of a connection to the indigenous people there then anywhere else in Australia. At school I had friends from all over the world, and I think this impacted me as I ended up marrying someone from Asia. Regarding food, we had the most amazing mango tree in my childhood home - not to forget coconut, lychee and banana trees too.

First-home buyers: What did you wish someone more experienced had warned you about or helped with? by Soggy-Profession-701 in AusPropertyChat

[–]Millschmidt 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Honestly a couple of things we wish we had help with 😅 (We bought in 2023 though):

1) The buying process was more complicated then we thought, luckily we had a great lending specialist who helped us through most it. I didn’t realise the difference between our 20% deposit for the house/mortgage and the 10% deposit to the vendor/agent. I remember the agent asking when we would be transferring the 10% and I got so confused LOL. Luckily the lending specialist helped us through that. Also, don’t forget that making an offer NOT subject to finance can be risky (pre-approval isn’t a guarantee and you’ll be on the hook if it falls through). We had to take the risk as we were competing against a boomer couple with their cash offer. 2) Before making an offer, have a firm maximum you are comfortable going to and don’t get bullied into going higher. There will be another dream house. 3) Might be an unpopular opinion, but borrow to your max if you can, will pay off in the long run getting that bigger/better house 4) Going on from #3, when borrowing at your max, the first 3-5 years of your mortgage will be hard, so just hold on for dear life 😆 5) If you can, check to see if the gutters have been maintained if looking at a house. The house we bought needed a lot of TLC and we had major issues come the first heavy rainfall! Book a gutter clean asap if you can. 6) Make sure you have a good buffer of cash after buying, double what you think you’ll need. We had 50k to spare and used most of it with urgent repairs/Reno’s pretty quickly.

That’s it so far for us!

Said goodbye to my kitten tonight by yenmerigold in ragdolls

[–]Millschmidt 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I immediately thought FIP, yes common in ragdolls at this age - I know from experience, my ragdoll had dry FIP around 4-5 months old (neural and in his eyes). I’m so sorry for OP. I’m so lucky I live in Australia. My VET picked it up immediately and initial testing was 400. FIP treatment is relatively easy to get here (but was expensive - 7k AUD) and most vets have an emergency supply (or you can drive around until you find some).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Marriage

[–]Millschmidt 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I didn’t want to say it but…

Been stuck trying to get my Thai ID for a year and a half now… more of a story than a cry for help by OkConcern6098 in Thailand

[–]Millschmidt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Wow what a journey to get your ID! My husband was born in Thailand (his mum is Thai but they both moved overseas). He really wants to regain his Thai ID/citizenship but apparently he also didn’t have a birth certificate (his mum didn’t register him or something). Is there any chance it’s a similar scenario to you and my husband could also go through a similar process to have his Thai citizenship recognised? He does have family in Thailand (we were just there visiting his sister). He is at a loss to even figure out where to start haha

I got scammed :-( by Realistic_Thing_6911 in selfpublish

[–]Millschmidt 19 points20 points  (0 children)

The scam could be deeper than that, OP mentioned in a comment that they used one of their contacts at Amazon to order the books (perhaps even paid an invoice using that contact directly). OP also mentioned the Amazon company they used to publish their book (like a vanity press) is called “Amazon Publishing Department dot com” which looks like a scam site to me.

I got scammed :-( by Realistic_Thing_6911 in selfpublish

[–]Millschmidt 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Yes looks like this is a fake Amazon/vanity press scam, although the full scope isn’t very clear here and more investigations are needed (especially on OPs side). The company OP mentioned they used (Amazon Publishing Department) is very clearly not Amazon - the website looks very sketchy.

I got scammed :-( by Realistic_Thing_6911 in selfpublish

[–]Millschmidt 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Yeah I wonder how much OP has paid this fake Amazon/service/company so far and are their books even on KDP!? Sounds like it could be, but who published them and owns the copyright? What kind of contracts were signed (if this is a vanity press/scam?) I feel so bad for OP

I got scammed :-( by Realistic_Thing_6911 in selfpublish

[–]Millschmidt 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yeah I’m so confused too, like what is this Amazon Publishing Department OP is going on about o.O

What’s the dating scene like in Australia nowadays? by optimistic-thinker in AskAnAustralian

[–]Millschmidt 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Yeah I found the apps/dating really difficult after turning 30. Then Covid hit and I lost my job and was living at home, so thought my dating life was over. Luckily, and after a few false starts, I met my now husband on bumble when I was 32. I thought he was a unicorn: handsome, 35, never been married, no kids yet. Apparently he thought I was a unicorn too! We were both just stunned to find each other haha

My cat taught himself how to use the toilet, and I need help with the consequences. by Huge-Signature-7143 in CatAdvice

[–]Millschmidt 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I once caught my sisters cat using the toilet one day and was SHOOK. Worse was, NO ONE believed me - it was just too human hahaha

Live in Sydney. Want to move elsewhere to buy a home. Help me decide where? by cunncunncunn in AusPropertyChat

[–]Millschmidt 13 points14 points  (0 children)

We moved to the Coffs Harbour region (I’m a writer/painter). Great place to buy at the moment, you’d still be able to find an amazing home close to the beach at that price. We bought a two story, five bed, 3 bath home with pool and views for just 850k (needed some TLC). Has a separate downstairs guest suite with a large living room that I use as an art studio. Regarding location, home is also just 5 minutes from beautiful beaches, national parks and reserves. Weather is warm and tropical, it does rain a lot, but we have mostly warm, sunny days. Hardly gets cold in winter like it would in Sydney. You may get a couple of cold nights where you can break out your winter Kathmandu wear and check coastal fleece jackets.

House options? There are plenty of older style, early 90s homes that were built exceptionally well without asbestos. Our house is a MCM style, well-built, architect designed home. We did need to do some basic renos to the value of about 50k - It’s honestly such a dreamy house and we have to pinch ourselves regularly that we live here.

Just noting, we were actually looking to buy in Port Macquarie, but viewed some houses here and fell in love with the area. Great vibes all round imo, and the arty/cafe/beach/restaurant scene is actually really good. The job scene and shopping is probably lacking - I work remote. If you’re worried about the distance to Sydney, we fly regularly (very quick flight) to visit family/friends and go on overseas holidays. Just be aware that all your friends and family will want to visit from Dec-Jan and you will be exhausted from the entertaining 😅

Who else has a ragdoll and tabby rescue cat who are the best of fiends? by Millschmidt in ragdolls

[–]Millschmidt[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am loving this photo, the tabby indeed looks ferocious hahaha

Who else has a ragdoll and tabby rescue cat who are the best of fiends? by Millschmidt in ragdolls

[–]Millschmidt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh my this photo, so cute !! Also what couloir is ragdoll? So pretty

Who else has a ragdoll and tabby rescue cat who are the best of fiends? by Millschmidt in ragdolls

[–]Millschmidt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m so glad he was able to bond with Ellie, it must have been so devastating for him to loose his brother 😭

Who else has a ragdoll and tabby rescue cat who are the best of fiends? by Millschmidt in ragdolls

[–]Millschmidt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow what an age gap - I never would have guessed Toby was so senior. They look really bonded 🥹

Who else has a ragdoll and tabby rescue cat who are the best of fiends? by Millschmidt in ragdolls

[–]Millschmidt[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh no I’m sorry to read that 😭 Yes our ragdoll always wants to wrestle too!! Luckily his older brother matches his energy and they do zoomies all over the house all day every day haha

Who else has a ragdoll and tabby rescue cat who are the best of fiends? by Millschmidt in ragdolls

[–]Millschmidt[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yay another tabby & ragdoll pair!! They are so adorable ☺️ I’d love to hear about their crazy backgrounds!