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the Northern Territory's lifestyle magazine. - Australian Hotels ...

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fresh <strong>lifestyle</strong>s Australia’s Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory liviNG iN The TerriTory<br />

14<br />

A Great Lifestyle<br />

shAre <strong>the</strong> pleAsures of moNsooN-iNflueNced<br />

‘wet’ ANd ‘dry’ seAsoNs. wheN it comes to<br />

agreeable climaTic conDiTions, The norThern<br />

TerriTory is up There wiTh The besT.<br />

The Territory is hot, humid dry or chilly,<br />

depending on <strong>the</strong> season and whe<strong>the</strong>r<br />

you live in <strong>the</strong> north or <strong>the</strong> centre. Top<br />

Enders savour <strong>the</strong> advantages of a<br />

predictable climate – like balmy breezes<br />

and an average 10 hours of sunshine<br />

a day in <strong>the</strong> dry, and spectacular<br />

tropical thunderstorms and replenishing<br />

monsoonal downpours in <strong>the</strong> wet.<br />

Cyclones are a fact of life in <strong>the</strong> north<br />

during <strong>the</strong> Wet but stringent building<br />

codes, intensive awareness campaigns<br />

and excellent wea<strong>the</strong>r warning systems<br />

keep potential dangers to an absolute<br />

minimum.<br />

The Central <strong>Australian</strong> desert climate<br />

can be extreme. In <strong>the</strong> summer months,<br />

temperatures rarely drop below<br />

20 o C/68F overnight, and top a searing<br />

40 o C/104F by day. In contrast, winter<br />

will see temperatures plummet to below<br />

freezing at night while days remain very<br />

comfortable and cool.<br />

www.<strong>the</strong>territory.com.au<br />

Housing<br />

<strong>the</strong> territory’s tropicAl ANd Aridzone<br />

housing concepTs are recogniseD<br />

inTernaTionally.<br />

Nor<strong>the</strong>rn Territory residents tend to live<br />

in houses built to take advantage of <strong>the</strong><br />

climate and <strong>the</strong> environment. Traditional<br />

Top End houses are elevated to capture<br />

gentle breezes and have large louvred<br />

windows, ceiling fans, verandahs, decks<br />

and paved poolside areas that reinforce<br />

Cost of living<br />

Some Territory household costs are higher than in o<strong>the</strong>r parts<br />

of Australia. The comparatively small population and vast<br />

distances mean higher prices for some grocery lines – but<br />

<strong>the</strong> upside is that your house will probably have cost-saving<br />

solar hot water, you can spend less on travelling around your<br />

community or on parking and entry fees – and if moving to <strong>the</strong><br />

Top End, you won’t need many winter clo<strong>the</strong>s.<br />

Renting or buyting places to live can be expensive compared<br />

with some sou<strong>the</strong>rn cities and towns, but <strong>the</strong> Nor<strong>the</strong>rn<br />

Territory Government is working on initiatives to increase <strong>the</strong><br />

availability of affordable housing.<br />

www.darwin.nt.gov.au<br />

<strong>the</strong> tropical <strong>the</strong>me. In Central Australia,<br />

many houses are single storey<br />

Mediterranean style - just right for <strong>the</strong><br />

warm dry days and cool crisp nights.<br />

www.reint.com.au<br />

15

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