Hey there, I lived in Darwin seven years before moving to Brisbane 2 years ago. Yes, it's humid, but trust me ... it's "survive-able". I'm originally from Tasmania (the coldest state in Australia) - and I survived . The "Build-Up" is the worst of it, as it doesn't generally rain, it's just hot and humid. Once the wet season starts (1 Dec till approx end March/April) there tends to be a fair bit of rain, which I always found relieved the humidity for a while. And the storms ... fantastic! The lightning "shows" are truly spectacular. The wet season was a great time to be in the Top End.

Also, take comfort in the fact that your home will likely have air conditioning, your workplace, your car, all the shops, restaurants etc etc. Generally, most residential complexes have swimming pools too (you can't swim in the ocean or rivers between Sept-May due to jellyfish).

Darwin is small, but a very modern city. It has a great sense of community and I really enjoyed my years there. Palmerston is about a 20 min drive out of the Darwin CBD. To me, Palmerston has got a different "feel" to Darwin (I lived close to the Darwin city), but my opinion only. The population of Palmerston is pretty large, so I feel sure there would be several child care centres to choose from.

Good luck with your move.

Andie