Its impossible to know everything about a new place you are moving to, and for many people emigration can be a huge shock in all aspects of your life.
Here are 100 things you must know about moving to Australia, to help you prepare for your move.
100 Things You Must Know Before Moving To Australia
1. Australia is bloody big. I mean, BIG.
2. The weather varies wildly – it’s definitely not hot everywhere all the time.
3. Australia is flipping expensive.
4. It can be hard to find a job in Australia.
5. Bring as much savings as you can.
6. Work out what your cost of living might be with this cost of living in Australia calculator.
7. Some airlines offer extra luggage allowances when emigrating so ask before you book.
8. It’s easy to convert your overseas driving license to an Australian one.
9. You can only get a tax file number after you arrive.
10. Don’t pay someone to get you a tax file number – it takes 2 minutes online and is totally free.
11. You can only register with Medicare after you arrive.
12. You can open a bank account in Australia before you arrive.
13. Don’t ship really chunky furniture – you may struggle to fit it into the houses here.
14. There are tons of local Facebook groups which you can join for advice no matter where you move.
15. Kmart, Target and Big W will become your best friend.
16. Be aware of fire ratings and total fire bans.
17. You have to always carry your driving license when you drive – it’s compulsory to show if you get stopped.
18. Pension funds are called superannuation.
19. Superannuation must be paid for almost all staff – don’t get duped by an employer into thinking you don’t qualify.
20. You have to do a tax return each year or notify the ATO that you don’t need to complete one.
21. Having a great tax accountant can help you get a tax refund.
22. Seek is not always a good indicator of actual job availability.
23. You’ll need 100 points of ID when you try to do anything after you arrive.
24. Cigarettes are hellish expensive in Australia. Seriously, just give them up.
25. So are dentists – braces can be $10k+ per child!
26. Medicare does not usually cover any dental work – so get private health insurance.
27. Don’t convert to your old currency – you might just die of shock every time!
28. Rent before you buy – this lets you get to know an area before you commit to buying property.
29. Rent is paid weekly, not monthly.
30. Salaries can be paid weekly, 2-weekly or monthly. Budgeting well each month is essential.
31. You can’t go to Bunnings and not get a sausage sizzle, even though they smell a bit weird.
32. Almost any word can and will be shortened by adding an –o or –ie at the end.
33. Sun cream is essential for most of the year!
34. You can usually only import cats and dogs to Australia – many other species are not allowed.
35. Plug sockets are completely different here – don’t bring too many electrical appliances.
36. The flies in Perth and up north in WA are seriously annoying.
37. Most parks have free gas bbqs you can use whenever you want and most people clean them after too!
38. Margaret River produces just 3% of grapes in Australia but more than 25% of Australia’s premium wine, so it’s pretty good.
39. Jaywalking is a crime and you can get stopped for it.
40. The emergency number in Australia is 000.
41. Australia is a nation of coffee snobs.
42. Sunday drinks out is called a Sunday session or sesh.
43. Aussie burgers include beetroot, egg and pineapple.
44. Transferring your money is made easy with Wise, or if coming from South Africa, Rand Rescue.
45. Money notes are made of plastic and are waterproof – pretty handy for an ocean swim!
46. Snakes and spiders aren’t that bad. Well, maybe in Queensland they are…
47. Magpies are the real menace in spring – watch out for their pretty vicious swooping.
48. AFL is by far the most followed sport. It’s not cricket or rugby as you may have thought!
49. To work in hospitality, you need to complete an Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) course.
50. If you’re on a temporary visa, you might pay additional school fees for kids to attend school.
51. The time difference is hectic. Good luck trying to stay in touch with other time zones.
52. If you’re moving to WA, you’ll need a car – public transport has limited routes unless you live very close to where you work.
53. Get ambulance insurance – trips in ambulances are not covered by Medicare.
54. They’re not flip flops – they’re thongs. Might sound wrong, but that’s what they are here!
55. Learn the difference between fully comprehensive and third party car insurance – it’s important.
56. The cops park up buses on the side of the road to randomly test for drink driving- these are called booze buses.
57. Time zones vary annoyingly by full and half hours between states – it’s confusing.
58. Drop bears aren’t real – don’t get fooled.
59. You can pick up free furniture and items on the side of the road when it’s bulk collection.
60. Victorians get extra public holidays for the AFL grand final and the Melbourne Cup. A tad unfair.
61. Alcohol is expensive in restaurants and bars. Be prepared for $15 pints and $12 wines.
62. Beers mostly come in the sizes schooner, middy, or pint.
63. Cops hide on the side of the road to catch you speeding so be mindful of speed limits all the time.
64. The crows here are actually ravens and always sound like they are dying.
65. ‘How are you going’ is a greeting that does not require a mode of transport as an answer.
66. Bring a plate means bring a plate of food to share, not an empty plate.
67. LinkedIn is a great place to network with people in your industry before you arrive.
68. Cars are expensive here – especially second hand ones.
69. Restaurant staff get good hourly rates compared to other countries so tipping is not common.
70. Travelling around Australia is costly.
71. Popular holiday spots mostly need to be booked over a year or even two years ahead.
72. A Barbie is not a doll here – it’s a BBQ (or braai for us Saffas).
73. Don’t harp on about how you used to do things ‘back home’ – embrace the Aussie ways.
74. Internet sucks here compared to other countries.
75. Christmas in July is a thing – because Christmas in 40 degrees is hard to get used to for many.
76. Food culture here is a melting pot – you can literally find any cuisine you desire nearby.
77. Cost of living might be high, but so are salaries too generally.
78. Australia has almost 12,000 beaches which would take you almost 33 years to explore if you visited one a day.
79. Australia was founded in 1901 but aboriginal culture dates back 50,000 years.
80. It does snow in Australia, in several different states too!
81. Papsak/box wine is called goon here. It’s just as bad.
82. Australia is a nation of immigrants – you might struggle to find an actual Australian to be friends with.
83. Saying goodbye to family and friends after they visit never gets easier.
84. TV in Australia is baaaaaad…so bad! Be prepared for a film to take 4 hours due to the volume of ads.
85. You might need to take a job more junior than you had hoped, and work your way back up the corporate ladder.
86. Aussies are a pretty friendly bunch overall – even the checkout people will strike up a conversation.
87. You’ll start using the phrase ‘no worries’ in no time at all.
88. Some words are pronounced differently here like project and dancing – learn the Aussie way or get used to getting funny looks.
89. Travelling to regional and rural areas can be long, and treacherous – take care on the roads.
90. Work-life balance is a bit of a myth – most people are expected to work long or unsocial hours.
91. Many companies don’t pay overtime – overtime is sometimes written into your contract as unpaid if required.
92. Having a rental application pack will help you find a rental property quicker.
93. Good Friday and ANZAC Day are the main holidays here where almost nothing is open.
94. If it’s hot on Christmas Day, your local beach will probably be packed!
95. What they call a bungalow in England, is just a house in Australia.
96. Sydney has double decker trains – they are pretty cool.
97. Ibis birds are referred to as bin chickens and don’t make hadeda noises.
98. Ordering coffee is an art form. I get a flat white with almond but literally have no idea how its different to a latte.
99. Footy is AFL, soccer is football, rugby is rugby league and no one really pays attention to real rugby.
100. Chances are, you’re going to love it here.
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