Best places to live in Darwin?
8 Answers
Stuart Park, Parap, anything 0820!
Well I can't say that I agree with the previous two posts. Having lived in one of the 'premier' suburbs (each suburb quoted above will have a price tag of in-excess of $1,000,000 for anything half decent and not needing upgrading. Which has certainly been worth it in the run up boom to Inpex starting in Darwin. All the quoted areas have nice areas within, however large areas of the quoted suburbs are problematic with itinerants, dirty, crime (B&E's) and noisy (large apartment complexes). There are some nice little spots, but you will need to be selective. The houses will sell for $1.4 million plus, for the 'nice spots' and apartments from about $650k. Depending where you will be working, suburbs such as Brinkin (above Darwin's median price for houses also), parts of Nightcliff and Rapid Creek are good. Friendly neighbourhoods include Leanyer, Anula and Nakarra. I prefer the Northern Suburbs and can't comment on the Palmerston region. Access to the airport, major shopping centre (Casuarina) and supermarkets is a breeze from Leanyer, Anula and Nakarra but a pain from the above quoted suburbs by the property agents!
Larrakeyah, Cullen Bay, Fannie Bay
It really depends on the type of property you are after and the budget you are working towards.
There are some fantastic suburbs designed for families in the Palmerston area such as Bellamack, Zuccoli & Bakewell that have excellent value family properties.
Reply
Really depends on what you are after all of the locations that you mention have areas of high density units that are noisy and congested. Don't get me wrong parts of Stuart Park, Fannie Bay and Larrakeyah are beautiful and will always be in demand (at a very hefty price, especially Larrakeyah and Fannie Bay with water views), but others I wouldn't give you half of what they are asking with the issues of itinerants and noise. Things are getting better, at the expense of public housing being torn down, so Parap is also building in status (lots of real-estate agents class houses in Parap as Fannie Bay). None of the above suburbs are around the major shops except Leanyer, which is close to Casuarina Shopping Centre. I am still a big believer that the 'sleeping' suburbs from Moil to Malak offer the best value due to proximity to everything including the airport at a realistic price ($510k - $750k).