You’ve seen previous posts from Chris about his initial impressions of the Northern Territory.  He’s posted previously about how he struggled with humidity, found out why it’s sometimes on fire and more recently he talked about how much fun he had with the Georabble crew. So we can say that Chris is settling in pretty well in Darwin (the local ice rink certainly helps!).

So, after six months or so of finding our feet, we are proud to announce we have put down some roots in Darwin, by taking up residence in the Darwin Innovation Hub. The Hub is situated in the heart of the Darwin city centre at the corner of Knuckey and Smith Street, and you can just make out from the photo below that our office has a view out to the mature trees of Raintree Park.

Chris (left) and Tom (right) on the first day in the new office.

Raintree Park in the centre of Darwin makes for a nice entrance.

As soon as Chris hit the ground he started looking for like-minded people to work with and help build our team – and we’re already working closely with another “local” in Tom Lynch (pictured above as well). I’m pretty aware of just what it takes to be called a “local” – I grew up in a country town where even after about 10 years of living there, we weren’t called locals yet.  Darwin nonetheless has an incredibly diverse population and cultural presence, and that really shows in all the markets, festivals, street art and welcoming attitude from the people living there. It’s actually one of the best things you come to appreciate about working in a new place – if there is a strong sense of community it is amazingly positive and wonderful to be a part of, even from the slight outside.

So, while we can’t call ourselves “locals” yet, I do have to say that Darwin and the Territory present some real challenges and opportunities for Gaia Resources.  It’s a unique part of the world, with the challenges of remoteness and isolation, a relatively small population but a lot of things to actually get done.  I firmly believe that we can help with that last part, and I look forward to seeing how we can help.

I hope that we can treat Darwin as well as it’s already treated us since arriving there, and if you happen to be a local (however you determine that) please feel free to get in touch with Chris directly by calling him on 0491 205 462, or chris.roach@gaiaresources.com.au, or drop past the Darwin Innovation Hub.

I’m looking forward to thawing out again next time I visit our new office!

Piers