People & Places
ACT and Northern Territory
The ACT and Northern Territory stand in stark contrast to one another. Ben Lewis takes a look the two territories and examines the vast range of options they offer the prospective British migrant
Australia's two territories are not at the top of most people's list of holiday destinations let alone their list of spots for potential relocation. However, this is slightly unfair on both the ACT and the Northern Territory as both are home to some spectacular cities, plenty of history and some wonderous sights. The lack of popularity has never been more obvious than in the final six-months of 2005 when just 88 Brits moved to the Northern Territory and a pitiful 28 moved to the ACT. In comparison, Western Australia attracted 3,416 Brits to its towns and cities, proving to be Australia's biggest draw fore those from the UK. However, with everything that the territories have to offer this is unlikely to remain the case forever and it is highly likely that these figures will grow and grow as both areas hustle to make themselves attractive to the new wave of immigrants reaching Australia.
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia. It is home to a number of very small settlements scattered all the way across the Territory. The larger population centres can be found on what the locals call the "The Track" – the road that links Darwin with southern Australia named the Stuart Highway.
The Northern Territory is home to two beautiful natural rock formations – Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). Outside of the Sydney Opera House, one of the most enduring images of Australia is the fantastic Uluru, or Ayers Rock as it was formally known. Sat slap bang in the middle of the country the big red rock is the Northern Territory's number one tourist draw. Both are sacred to the area's indigenous population that makes up a quarter of the population of the territory and owns around 49 per cent of the area,s land. There are Aboriginal communities all over the territory. The largest ones are situated at Pitjantjatjara near Uluru, at Arrernte near Alice Springs and at the Warlpiri which is situated further north.
In the northern part of the territory Kakadu National Park is another picture perfect tourist attraction. Home to some breathtaking wetlands and some stunning native wildlife including some pretty large and often ferocious saltwater crocodiles. The territory's capital is the beautiful city of Darwin situated on the far north coast of the country. It is the Northern territory's most populated city, home to some 110,000 people. It has a tropical climate and thunderstorms and cyclones occur fairly frequently.
The city has the largest proportion of Aboriginal Australians of any other capital city as well as a significant number of immigrants from southern and eastern asia who have taken advantage of its close proximity to the asian continent. In addition to its Asian population it also has a strong contingent of Greeks and Italians who add to its reputation as the most multicultural of all the big Australian cities. The Darwin economy is driven by a reliance on mining and tourism. The mining and energy industry in particular contributes in excess of AUS$2.8 billion dollar a year to the Australian economy. Most of the energy is sourced offshore with the Timor sea being a major source of the country's gas and oil. The city is already an important port, used for the exportation of livestock, minerals and as an army base. As the sea's natural resources continue to be exploited it is likely that Darwin's importance as a port will grow and help stimulate industry in this area.
As the popularity and population of Darwin grows and the federal government investment continues, tourism is also likely to play an increasingly important part in the local economy. In 2005 significant investment was made in this area with a series of construction projects helping to improve the attractiveness of the city. The redevelopment of the Wharf area to include a large exhibition and convention centre along with retail outlets and apartment blocks has done much to increase the city's desirability as a trendy place to live. Real estate in darwin is relatively good value depending on where you look in the city. A three-bedroom apartment in the city centre with a view over the harbour can go for as little as AUS$350,000 but if you move out into one of the suburbs surrounding Darwin you will find larger houses at much lower prices.
Around 350 kilometres north of Darwin straight down the Stuart Highway, Katherine has a population of around 7,500 making it the third largest of the Northern Territory's population centres. The town is set in land that will undoubtedly be used for farming and grazing in the future but in the meantime the main contributor to the economy is tourism after a nearby gold mine closed down. A large three-bedroom property in the area with plenty of land in a Katherine suburb will cost around AUS$120,000 with prices rising as you near the town centre.
Further north still is the town of Alice Springs and with a population of 29,000 it is the second largest population centre in the Northern Territory. 'The Alice', as it is known by locals, is Australia's wealthiest town thanks to its close proximity to Uluru and the significant government funding it receives because of its large Aboriginal population.
Having an airport and being situated so close to Uluru means that Alice Springs attracts up to half a million tourists a year and its economy is based almost entirely around this fact. Property in Alice Springs is slightly more expensive than you might expect due to the numerous business opportunities and large American population that live in the town. A three-bedroom, family property in the town, close to the centre will set you back around AUS$340,000.
The ACT
The Australian Capital Territory(ACT) is, as its name suggests, the capital Territory of Australia. It is home to the city of Canberra and the Australian federal government buildings in which Australia's politicians argue over the fate of the nation. The ACT is Australia's smallest state or territory but is also its most populated and is situated in a bushland enclave within New South Wales.
The only real population centre is the city itself with over 325,000 people. The rest of the territory is made up of farmland, national park and mountainous regions. There are also a number of small townships situated around the state. Canberra was selected as the capital city as a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne and is well known for its high standard of living. It was purpose built for its job as the nation's capital and as such is easily navigatable.
Canberra has proved to be a real magnet to emigrants with 21 per cent of its population made up of people who were born overseas, the majority of who came from the UK. In stark contrast to the Northern Territory, Aboriginals make up just 1.2 per cent of its residents. However, one thing it does have in common with the NT is that it has recently started to attract a large number of eastern and southern Asian immigrants. Standards of education are very high with 30 per cent of people between the ages of 15 and 64 educated to bachelor degree levels – 11 per cent higher than the national average When it comes to healthcare, Canberra benefits from having an upwardly mobile and young population. With two large public hospitals and numerous private facilities its health record is outstanding.
Unemployment in the city is around 3.3 per cent which is almost 2 per cent below the national average figure and like much of the rest of Oz there are certain sectors that suffer from a labour shortages. Average weekly wages are also significantly higher than anywhere else in the country. It is fairly unsurprising that, in a city purpose built for governance, the federal government is the largest employer in the city and contributes the highest proportion of its Gross State Product. However, the city does have a few more strings to its bow. It is a popular destination for tourists and businesses are continuing to spring up to make the most of this fact.
Property and business services are in high demand so employment opportunities exist in this area as well as in the health service and in education. Property is not particularly cheap but is currently lower than than both Sydney and Melbourne with a median property price of around AUS$352,000. However, if you are looking to rent, then you will find that rates are significantly higher than in the rest of the country. A three-bedroom property in the city is likely to cost around AUS$350,000.
Australia's two territories stand in stark contrast to one another and offer the prospective emigrant two very different options. On the one hand you have wide open spaces and laid-back living and isolated communities and on the other, you have a modern, business driven city with plenty of working opportunities. Which will you choose?
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