Hi Ozies, i am moving from NZ and needed some guidance on kick starting my life.
Appreciated for all the help team. I am currently on NZ Cheapies.
I have done few, but still yet to make solid decisions on few things. Wife got an offer as RN.
- City- Sydney
- Yes wife
- Location - Most likely Blacktown, or close enough.
- Budget - House - upto $500, Car - $5k (just to kick start)
- I am still in hunt for a job myself in Telecommunication, current working as Project Manager.
Australia is a big place. Where are you moving to? Sydney? Perth? Oodnadatta?
It's been a while since I was in NZ but cars in Australia are not cheap, at not least by NZ standards.
When we moved cars were much cheaper in NZ than Aus.
For us, it was cheaper to ship our NZ car over and pay the many associated costs, than to buy the equivalent car in Aus.
Sydney
Not asking for much - are there any other life related things you'd like us all to research and plan for you in our spare time?
Anything that i could be missing, happy for you to add it along please.
Coolgardie has good, cheap rental options
any link where i can search it up or etc?
Having helped out a friend with a move not so long ago, here are a couple of tips:
It will make your life so much easier if you can open your bank account ahead of moving to Australia. Most banks will open an account to accept deposits (no withdrawals until you arrive in country and verify your ID). The bank should be able to give you an eftpos/debit card from the branch when you arrive, and you can usually add a debit card to your apple/google pay before the physical card arrives.
Do some research on google but the big 4 are usually a good starting point, sometimes they may offer new to country migrants $ in the account if opening a bank account within 30 days of moving to Australia (I saw a Westpac ad for something like that not so long ago). Opening and closing bank accounts are easy once you are here so changing banks is no big deal if you don't like your current one.
Mobile plans: Don't bother with the mainstream companies (Optus/Telstra) and go with one of the smaller ones, they use Optus/Telstra networks anyway. Pick up a sim card from a supermarket when you arrive, you will be amazed at how affordable data is compared to NZ. There will be lots to choose from and it might be hard to decide. Amaysim $30 plan gets you basically unlimited calling and lots of data that gets banked data month to month.
Essential items: Aussie has Aldi and you will find that groceries are usually a few dollars cheaper than Coles/Woolies but be prepared to go to Coles/Woolies to pick up things that Aldi don't have in stock. If you live nearby a Costco, it may be worth your while to get a membership.
Man appreciated you writing this much for me. Happy to go for those as well. Thanks for the tips as well.
You may need to look at your budget to see if you can allocate more to rent, $500 is not very much and you will be unlikely to find anything with an outdoor space for your dog. Most around Blacktown at that price point will be granny flats that have been built on someone's property.
For utilities there are different retailers that offer different bonuses/plans in different areas. You can switch as often as you like so look for the cheapest with a sign up bonus and then switch later. Google electricity/gas suppliers and see what is on offer.
For furniture it depends on your price point you can just google that. If you don't mind second hand then facebook marketplace is worth a look.
I am not sure what you mean by medical options however as you are relocating from New Zealand you should be eligible for a Medicare which entitles you to free medical at state hospitals and bulk billing medical practitioners. You will need to provide evidence of your relocation though or you will have to wait six months
Thank you
For electricity this is a good place to start - https://www.energy.gov.au/households/Find-the-best-energy-de… - once you know where you will be living.
Best advice to you also is to take a short lease to begin with, no more than six months. If you're moving here without knowing the areas, you could inadvertently end up somewhere undesirable. A six month lease will give you time to find your feet and check out the area.
Facebook marketplace will get you set up with furniture to start with, you can always replace with new stuff as you go along. You can hire a ute or a trailer from Bunnings quite cheaply when you need to collect stuff.
For those items that you'd prefer new (mattresses etc) I'd start with Ikea on the furniture side, and JB HiFi for electricals.
For tolls, look into Linkt at linkt.com.au .
To start out with car insurance, have a look at Compare The Market. Not suggesting you go through their recommendations but it will give you a few names of companies that you can get quotes from. At the very least, get third party property damage. Your car registration includes Compulsory Third Party (CTP, or green slip) but this only covers for injuries to other people, not damage to other cars.
Public transport should be quite good in the area you're thinking of. You need to get an Opal card for buses /trains. They're widely available at newsagents, some convenience stores etc.
Also look on FB for groups for expats, there's a large Kiwi population in Australia and you can get advice from other Kiwis who have made the move.
Good luck!
Thank you
For tolls: you can pay through the NSW government service E-toll: https://www.myetoll.transport.nsw.gov.au/
You can also make accounts with Eastlink or Linkt. Eastlink is VIC-based but all the accounts work everywhere. Linkt is the scummiest company, so best to avoid any interaction with them.
If you take a toll road before you have got a tag or made an account, you can pay for a pass before they send an invoice. They add bullshit charges to the invoice, so best buy a pass within 3 days.
Thank you
I am a long term sydneysider and know lots of tips. This place includes a 3 year warranty on used cars, they currently have 4 under $5000 https://www.tonylahoodmotors.com.au/used-car-croydon/2004-to…
For accommodation, house rental, I am not sure if you have to be here but look at facebook marketplace property rentals, they have new listings all the time, I have seen some bargains in there. The major websites are realestate.com.au, and domain.com.au. You can search for areas, price range, etc. I recently did an experiment and found some in my price range that fitted my criteria. If you start off in a share house, they are already furnished. Call the hospital social worker to see if they can help. Join a local facebook group. like Blacktown community or similar
Thank you
For bank account HSBC is the go, 2% cashback on tap and go under $100
It sounds like you've done 0 research… why are you moving to Australia? Is it for your partner? Is there a specific state/location they need to be? What is your budget? If you're looking for job opportunities what field?
Answers to the rest of your questions will depend on where you want to be.