BlackPrince has given a fair account so it gives you an idea what you are in for in a big/busy base. I'm lucky to be in a quieter base, but that said we have seen what can happen to quieter bases. Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin were all closed at various times so it is indeed not all rosy. Looking at MEL, pilots are on average 92 (credit/block) hours for the month. Overnights are hard to judge, but looks like a few per month roughly. Maybe someone in base can comment. Many big bases are in the same boat. 90 hours a month for several month is not fun and unfortunately I don't see this changing until a significant number of new pilots have joined.