Accommodation up north & west
 

Whats the situation for accommodation in GA up in the north and west? Pay obviously won't cover the rents so how do you plan for it - just save a wedge before you go or do many operators have basic digs you can use?

Hey mate, the last time I looked on a notice board in Broome the rents in share housing ranged from $140 + utilities to $250+ all inc. If you want a house to yourself, well $700+ a week is not unusual up in the NW.
Most guys just work a second job for the extra coin, others just have lots of coin to start with. But it all works out! Remember to make sure you have enough for some beer! :ok:

mmmm beer. At the end of the day its the only thing that keeps us sane whilst we ponder what made us decide it was a good idea to leave the bright lights.:}:} I think I'm cracking up right now.

this is the thing that bothers me the most about going up north... the accomodation costs are ridiculous from what I've heard... and with the low wages I want to know what to expect / how others cope etc

example... what do most operators tend to pay starting pilots out there? minimum wage or is there a chance you'd get more? forking out 150+ a week for even a hostel I've heard... does not seem to leave you with many savings... thats 600 a month gone just for basic living expenses.... money I could put into something else........:bored:

soseg, it's sacrifice for long term gain for those guys.

Fortunately for me, I have generous bosses, it's cheaper than living at home and paying board.

What are the rents like in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane for a semi nice newish unit in a nice area at the moment????


okavango, i can't comment much on the things in WA as I haven't spent a great deal of time there, but in the territory the wage is enough to live on. Unfortunately the newbies wage in GA has never been great so don't go buying that flash new car, jet ski, boat or house when you get your first job. In a lot of cases, even the second job won't be a gold mine. However, when you are a few rungs off the bottom, even in GA some reasonable coin is there to be earnt.

Anyone care to share what a metro driver would get on the east coast???

I've been looking at making the move to Broome however am also considering Kunu's (or wherever an operator will employ me...). Seems to me rent in a share house is about the same price as a share in a city appartment in Melb. Doesn't bother me too much, I'm looking forward to it. When there's a will, theres a way.

Rent has always been dear in Darwhine
You dont want ANYBODY moving in next door do you?

Another way to look at it is, tourist pay big $$$$ to visit these places for a couple of days. You will get to live there and really see places that tourists don't. Do it while you are young, I know a couple of guys that go back on holidays to the places that they got their first jobs in, for no other reason than they enjoyed their time there with the people.

tinpis, that person could be me moving in. Love the quiet life, no strippers, hookers or other wild parties. Unless you want something like that, and I'll arrange for the next time I'm in town:}

Mate ive ben in your position and i chose to stay in the city and do an instructor rating and regretted it. After 6 months of only flying when the weather was near perfect around and around the training area i decided to harden the :mad: up, save some coin, kiss the MRs goodbye and head north.

I was a little lucky in that i had more than min hours and so picked up a job reasonably easily but havn't looked back. Im only flying single engine VFR but the type flying you do up north, especially over the wet (can't wait), is IMHO much more challenging and rewarding that you would get if you stayed in the city as a newbie. Yes, its hot, yes you might find it hard to get a job, yes some pax smell quite badly (and the ones that dont usually throw up), yes you may have to work two jobs (or live on 2min noodles so you can afford beer), yes you will have to leave the comfort of home, yes at times is sux, but i reckon you're missing out BIG TIME if you dont do it.

Do youself (and your potential students) a favour and dont just instruct because you'll get to stay at home. Go north, get out in the real world for a bit 1st, then if you "want" to instruct go and do it in a year or 2.

You sound a lot like me. I was s#$t scared about leaving everything and everyone i know and just heading up with no idea what was going to happen but it turned out ok. Sometimes you just gotta walk up to the cliff and throw yourself off and see where you land. And look at it this way. If you head up and hate it or can't find work, move back home. What would you have lost?

Just my 2c.

Many operators in FFNQ (not cns) and Torres Strait will give you somewhere to live, in several companies it'll come out of your pay so you won't miss it. Weekly budget consists of:

$30 worth of of bread
$30 worth of mixed 2 min noodles
$30 worth of eggs and milk
$50 worth of pasta and mince
One pub meal + schooner ($25).

The rest naturally goes on beer and songs on the jukebox (if you can get one in between bob marley and 50 cent).

Don't even think about saving anything, if you want to try, refer above budget and remove pub outing, beer, eggs and milk and probably bread too.

Get up there

Hit the road dude, what is the worst thing that could happen? Think you will find nearly everyone who has gone north has been in your shoes, eg no job lined up and don't know what to expect.

One thing is for sure is if you don't go it is highly unlikley you will get that first big job from a cv in the mail. One thing in your favour is you don't have to drag a car full of kids and a Mrs about, so do it now befor its too late.

As to money, it comes in time (paitentence grass hopper) so the quicker you get going the quicker the coin will start building up. If you are not able to land a flying job right off there are plenty of other jobs up north that pay well i know of one bloke who went north for his first job ended up driving a grader and had enougth coin saved up in a year to put a sizeable deposit on a house.

If you don't know now if you want to instruct or not, then do yourself and future students a favour and don't, there already too many bitter and twisted instructors around just look at half of the posts on pprune.

Expect to earn a tad over $500 a week after tax on single award.

Half is rent the rest is food and booze.

In most pilot houses there is a bloke in each room and the resident couch warmer trying to get a job (or waiting for one of you to leave a room so he can take up a more permanent residence)

Don't even think that you will study when you get there, cause life revolves around booze and trying to get sleep between 4am starts and working six days a week.

Yeah you never have any money but everyone is in the same boat, just don't be a tight arse, share the beer!

Don't think about it, pack up hit the road and don't look back. Some of my best memories were the drives and overnight stops with the truckies and the random pissups along the way.

Why come to darwhine?
Try Tassy.

Sorry tinpis, poor effort at sarcasm on my part.

But for every newby reading this thread take in what has been said, pack up and leave the big smoke. Just about everyone on here has done it and has loved it, they may not love the pay and sometimes work sucks more than a brand new hoover but the lifestyle is awesome. 95% of the pilots are 20 something males that love a beer and a party.

And if your in Darwin of a Tuesday night, don't forget to check out TOT. It's unbelievable.

I think you should hit the road, it's what I'm doing. :ok: Bloody looking forward to it too!

Though, with a couple of years instruction up your belt, you can still of course get into airlines, and it gives you time to stay at home rent free, save a bit of cash or repay some of your debt.

Nah, forget that. Pay it off or do it when you get to the airlines. Accomodation only needs to keep the rain off in the wet and be airconditioned and a fridge for beer. If it keeps the flies and mozzies out, then your in flash digs.

Any trip that you make with your mates, whether it be to a piss up, dinner or just a night in the big smoke one weekend is an adventure. If its not, then your doing something wrong, or right, I can't work it out.

I've had trips where I've demolished wallabies, much to the horror of the nomads on tourist bus I had just over taken. I've broken down on the side of the road, then picked up by the boss about 1030pm when he realised I was AWOL and me being annoyed cause I had just set my swag up and then had to pack it up again.

But the accomodation, who cares. If you really wanna fly, you will find a way justify anything.

For guys who stay in Kunu's or Broome, how often do you go back to eastern coast to visit friends or family? I assume it costs a lot of money to drive or fly to Darwin just to catch the connection flight.:8

And most importantly, is there much chance of meeting opposite sex in places like Kunu's? :E

I assume there is a total lack of quality women up there. What do you boys do in regards to this?

Do you think PPRuNe is the only thing the internet is good for? :ok: (Don't just assume that :ok: is a thumb)

Ooooer...sorry how embarrass... the silly old git got the wrong thread :\

What he said!

The as for the lack of quality women, define quality.:}

Its always funny watching 20 odd pilots hitting on the one semi decent backpacker.

Some times you're lucky sometimes you're not. Some lower their standards and become myth and folklore during the late night drunk talk. CLEARPROP :}

Darwin is the place to be during the dry if you want to have a bit of fun. It may be the dry season for some, but definitely wet for others :}

Visually pleasing to the sober eye. No morning after regrets.


I think you should also answer this question, so I know what I could inevitably become :ugh::ugh:

I hope there are no chicks reading this forum, especially the ones that I know.:}

As said, during the dry season there are enough backpackers to keep everyone happy. And the standard is reasonably high. There are some smoking hot local girls in darwin also, in fact some of the hottest and coolest chicks I know are darwin girls. Extra's are that they love camping, fishing (can throw a cast net, tie nots and bait their own hooks) and don't complain about the mud or dust.

However the same problems that blokes have elsewhere are riff up here. With so many guys to choose from the girls get overly bitchy and picky, so if you pick up on town its probably not going to be a long term thing. But who wants one.:}

A typical night out in darwin consists of a 75/25 ratio of guys to girls. A good night may see it actually drop down to 65/35, but not often. Also a word of warning, if you see a big grey ship in the harbour, get to the bottlo and butchers early, thats the year round indicator that it's time to have a bbq and stay home. Unless you are a cross between Zoolander, the dude from The Transporter and Bruce Lee, you won't stand a chance. Of anything except for maybe the emergency ward at RDH.:}

I can go on for ever about darwins night life. Some stories the guys I work with don't believe until they actually meet the people I used to run with on the town. There were some massive saturday nights that have lasted till the pin was pulled about 8pm sunday. Thank god for RDO monday.:ok:

Any other questions guys????

Ah quality. as I read somewhere recently Kimberly 10 = Gold Coast 7 and it would not be far off the mark, how many kimberly 10's are there, well thats a whole different ratio! :ok:

:} Hahaha you guys seriously crack me up...sorry the air up there, there is at least one reading! Poor HOMEWORK he seems genuinely concerned! Hahaha how many female pilots are there up there and how do they handle the whole 'situation'/how do they get treated? :p

P.S. Back on the topic, soseg: What do you really have to loose? I can tell you that an instructor rating is going to cost you a lot more than giving it a go out bush! I can't speak for the north, but I moved to central Aus and loved every minute of it. You may be out of your comfort zone but the good times and friends made are well worth it! :ok:

Pilotette you and that certian mate of yours (you know who i'm talkin bout) need to get your ****e and head up here ;)

Hey AussieNick...Yeah I know! Well its definitely on the cards for me but she's planning on doing her ATPLs next followed by her MECIR. I'll get onto her about it though! :ok:

yeah so she was saying, ATPLs scare me lol

soseg, everyone says its a fun experience because it is. It's just a different kind of experience to what you have at home with mum and dad and your school mates just up the road. You make new friends, share experiences, learn self reliance and fly in challenging conditions just about every day with variables from weather, aircraft, pax, freight, destinations.

Some people pay big money to see what we see on a daily basis. I for one am so desensitized to it, that when people point out something (like crocs, sharks, schools of fish busting the surface of the ocean, flood plains covered in water so it looks like a large lake) I have to fake enthusiam.

As for the accomodation, for that money you can get a room in a small unit. Which is all you need. As for cleanliness, they are as clean as you and your flatmates keep it.

Anyone reading this thread. If you need convincing about going north, then you probably shouldn't be going up there. Those types of pilots rarely last long enough to find a job, or if they find one struggle from day to day to go to work. I've seen it and worked with it and it makes a terrible experience for the pilot, the collegues, the company and the clients.

If your not sure if you want to be an instructor or do it purely because you want to stay at home with mum and dad, thats not really the right attitude for instructing. Your short changing students.

People with the above attitudes are only in GA waiting for the airlines to call offering that big paying jet job and often are very bitter towards the industry. I have friends that are presently in regionals, domestic and international airlines and they all miss GA in a certain way and treasure the time they spent and the lessons they learnt.

Wait until you fly one!!

You'll take the girl any day :ok:

I have not flown one for many moons and my arse is still sore!

soseg, if thats gonna be your budget you'd be best looking at a backpackers.

LPG is about $0.76 and petrol $1.35 last time I filled up.

You'll meet up with a few other pilots in the backpackers, and a few women too :ok:

Greenie, i still remember the first long flight in an airvan I had, 5 hours in the seat, got out and couldn't feel my leg

Greenie, I'm flying twin with a couple of fancy bells and whistles and I reckon I would take the girl most days.

Everyday if I was stuck in an airvan, and I've never flown one.:ok:

Hats off to the brave young men that do. Your arse will never be the same from all reports.

I'll take a vfr islander over girls...except for maybe Miranda Kerr.

You're sick J3........:ok:

I'd take the Metro just so I can't hear her complaining all the bloody time!

bwahahaha, you think an islander is quiter than a metro, and yes I know I'm sick...

You don't hear the bongo salute too often now do you!

At least in the Bongo you have an excuse to never be home with the Mrs, cause it takes you so damn long to get anywhere hahahha

soseg, to put it into perspective, i pay $350 a week for a 2 bedroom duplex, with my missus