moving-to-sydney-tips

10 Stress Free Moving To Australia Tips

Are you looking for some moving to Australia tips? Whilst it can be a bit overwhelming trying to sort everything out before you make the big move, we’re sharing some of the admin tasks you absolutely have to get done before you move to Australia.


1. Applying For The Right Australian Visa

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Understanding which Australia visa to apply for is a not only a difficult process but it’s hard to get your head around. Luckily we’ve written all about how to work out what Australia visa to apply for when moving to Australia. Even if you’re on a Working Holiday Visa and you want to stay longer, or you’re on a tourist visa, it’s all in this post.


2. Finding The Best Migration Agent In Australia

Getting an Australian visa is pretty hard these days to obtain. Whilst emigrating to Australia isn’t an easy process, it can be done with the help of using a migration agent. With there being so many migration agents to choose from, we don’t want you to have a horror story like we’ve heard others have had from paying migration agents too much money, or worst of all, having to pay them just to ask a question.

We’ve had so much help from AUREC Migration & Mobility who are based in Sydney over the last few years and they’ve helped so many of our readers too. We love to promote them because you CAN email them your visa questions and they won’t charge you like other migration agents do. Plus they have a 99% success rate which means you won’t have to waste thousands of dollars hoping for your visa to be approved.

Contact AUREC Migration & Mobility here to help you with your visa concerns or questions.


3. How To Ship Your Things To Australia

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Did you know I had all of my belongings sat in storage for over 5 years in UK? I put it off for so long because I just didn’t know where to start and I couldn’t find other blogs on the topic to find a good shipping company. It took me that long to get my butt into gear to organise shipping, that I knew I had to write a post about it.

It’s overwhelming and can be a nightmare in knowing where to start with finding a decent shipping company, so don’t worry I got your back with this one.

Simply fill out this form below to receive up to 5 quote from local shipping companies in your area. They cater to many countries around the world including UK.


4. How To Transfer Your Money Into Your New Australian Account For FREE

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We all have to transfer our money from our home account into our new Australian account but which company do you choose to help you do this and give you the best rates? I have to admit I put this off for a long time purely because I just didn’t really know what I was doing.

Then I found OFX.

OFX is a brilliant money transfer company to use when you’re moving to Australia. They have fantastic communication with you and they are offering Londoner In Sydney readers free money transfers for life when you transfer more than $200 at a time. This means every single time you transfer money between your accounts, you won’t pay any fees ever!

Get started and register with OFX now.


5. Opening A Bank Account In Australia

When you’re moving to Austalia, you’ll need to open an Australian bank account. Whilst I’ve personally stayed with HSBC since I moved to Australia, some of the most common banks to go with include ANZ, Westpac & Commonwealth.

Be careful with drawing money out from the ATMs as some do charge. For example, Commonwealth charge me $2 to withdraw money from their ATMs whilst Westpac doesn’t.


6. Where To Stay In Australia When You Arrive

If you’re wondering where to stay when you first arrive in Australia, we recommend getting an airbnb for your first couple of weeks so you can go and check out some places and suburbs before you commit. Just make sure you use our free credit below before you book!

You definitely need to check out each property because they can look completely different to the images you’ll see on the property websites.

If you’re wondering how to rent in Australia, the best site to look on is Domain. Here you’ll find rentals and properties to buy. Regardless of whether you’re moving to Sydney, check out our guide on Where to live in Sydney as we’ve listed loads of tips on what you need to do to secure your rental. It can be difficult to get the property you want with the competition. It’s totally different to England by the way.

If you’re unsure where to live, check out our guide on where to live in Australia which has been written by loads of British expats all over Australia.


7. How To Buy A Second Hand Car In Australia

Buying a car in Australia isn’t as cheap as you can get in England. You definitely need a car to get around the cities in Australia and to go exploring outside of them too. Public transport isn’t that great and because the country is so big, you really do need a car to get around.

We recently bought a second hand car from a used car dealership and we’ve got so many tips to share with you on things you need to know before you buy a second hand car in Australia. Honestly read our guide before you consider buying a car in Australia.


8. Importing Your Dog To Australia

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If you’re importing your dog to Australia or even just importing your pets to Australia then you’ll need to know how to actually do it. Most of all, you’ll need to know how much it costs to import your pets to Australia. Luckily we have it all covered for you so you can get planning with it as soon as possible.


9. Sorting Out Your Medicare

You’ll need to apply for a Medicare card when you arrive in Australia. Basically, it’s like the equivalent version to the NHS as you’ll have to pay for doctors appointments otherwise.

You’ll need to download these forms and find a Medicare Centre to take them in. Try to sort this out as soon as they open as you’ll be sat waiting for a couple of hours. Trust me, I’ve been there!

When booking a doctors appointment, just make sure you look for bulk-billing (basically means FREE!) doctors and you’ll get all if not most of the money back from the appointment.


10. Getting An Australian Drivers Licence

Another thing you’ll need to do is sort out your drivers licence. If you hold British driver’s licence, you can just apply for a NSW drivers licence without having to take a test. I had no idea that you have a 3 month window to get your NSW licence when you’re on a PR, and I nearly got a big fine for not doing so.

You just need to fill out some forms here. Then you’ll need to find your local Service Centre to take your completed forms in to get it processed. My tip is to get to the Service Centre as soon as they open as you could be waiting for a long time.


So that’s my top 10 moving to Australia tips. Hope this has helped any of you moving to Australia. Don’t forget to pack winter clothes because believe it or not,  it can get really cold here. That’s probably the main thing I hear from other expats is their shock on how cold winter can be. At least the sun is shining for most of it!

If you have anymore questions, please post them in the comments below.