Settle

What would you say if I told you there was a way to completely furnish your new home in Australia for free? You’d probably think I was mad, but there is actually a way – it’s called bulk waste collection!

Also known as verge collection, bulk rubbish, or kerbside collection, this is an annual event in many suburbs across Australia, where households are allowed to put out items they no longer want. The local council then sends a truck around and picks up your waste and disposes of it. For free. Nada. Niks!

How amazing is that? Considering the cost of tipping your unwanted junk this is an awesome initiative.

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Choosing where to live in Australia after your visa has been granted is a very exciting part of the migration process.

The internet and Google Maps make it a lot easier to do than a decade ago, but it’s still a tricky decision.

It’s also a question I see asked time and time again online, so here’s my advice on how to choose a suburb to live when you move to Australia.

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Emigration is hard. Flipping hard. It’s not something that anyone can really say they enjoy 100%.

With all the excitement of a new country can also come the heartbreaking pain of leaving another behind.

All the new, shiny things are amazing, until you realise what you’ve also lost.

New friends are lovely, but nothing compares to the decades of friendship that you’ve built up since childhood.

The next time you’re feeling low, here are 10 things to remember when going through tough times.

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When you move to Australia, you’ll probably need to convert your overseas driver license for an Australian one.

Each state has its own rules when it comes to the process for converting your overseas driver license for an Australian one, so here’s a breakdown of each state’s regulations and links to more information on each.

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When it comes to setting up your new home in Australia, you’re going to have to buy some stuff.

If you’ve shipped everything under the sun, you’ll still have to wait for it to arrive and will be without some of your essentials for a period of weeks or even months.

If you haven’t shipped much (or anything!) you’re going to be starting over from scratch to set up your new home in Australia.

When most people migrate to Australia, they’re on a tight budget until they’ve settled in and started earning dollars (rands don’t go too far here unfortunately!).

So I’ve put together a list of where to look when it comes to furnishing and setting up your new home in Australia.

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When you move to Australia, the last thing you might be thinking about is updating your will. It took us a few years before we even thought about it – because of course, we’re more preoccupied with finding jobs, making sure our kids settle in and finding where we want to live.

But don’t put it off forever. Having a valid will and testament in Australia is extremely important, not just for you but your loved ones as well.

Please note this post is NOT intended as legal advice, it is just helping to explain some details around wills in Australia that you should know after migrating.

Also, each state in Australia has different laws and regulations, so please make sure you check what your state prescribes and recognises when it comes to your wills and power of attorney documents.

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One of the hardest things to get used to when you arrive is how different the shops are. I always see people asking what’s the Australian equivalent of South African shops like Game, Dischem, and Edgars.

So I thought it would make a great blog topic! Here is a list of the Australian equivalent of South African shops.

Now bear in mind sometimes equivalent shops are subjective – there has been much debate about whether certain shops have an equivalent at all (I’d say Woolworths in South Africa has no real equivalent in Australia – the UK has Marks and Spencer but we have nothing).

So take this list as a good guide to get you started, rather than the gospel truth. Basically, don’t blame me if you get here and don’t agree!

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