This post is just going to be a list of things that other people moving to Melbourne from South Africa (and other places) might find useful. Use at your own risk, some info might be out of date by time you are reading this. If I remember I may update it in the future. Background We applied for a permanent resident visa so I didn't have to get a job before arriving, it just happened to work out that way. We came here for a few weeks in March to get an idea of what we were getting into, so we tried to do a few everyday things like catching a train to the city or going to the local shops, rather than being complete tourists. Luckily we had Nicky's cousins to show us around a bit too. I think that was a useful exercise. I arrived last month and am staying with Nicky's cousins until I can get organized, Nicky and Cayley will follow in September. Obviously not everyone has the luxury of having somewhere to live immediately but here goes for what it's worth. Arriving separately has had it's advantages because there is only one person to put up on this end and Nicky can tie up the loose ends in South Africa. Mobile I got a prepaid mobile number in March from Optus, and the airtime I bought was valid for 6 months. It was useful to have the mobile working when I landed the second time in Sydney because the flight was a bit delayed. Tax File Number (TFN) I applied for my TFN online and it arrived in the post after about a week, you'll need that for your employer so do it before you get paid. Taxes are higher if you don't have one. Starting Work I arrived on a Thursday night and started working the following Monday, so I was barely over the jet-lag. It was probably a good thing because there's not much you can get done in the first week. Maybe you could do the tourist thing but by myself in the middle of winter it would have been a waste of a week. Bank Account We opened a bank account while we were in Melbourne in March and it has turned out to be a very good thing to have done. Not only from being able to put your money in it, but when you need to apply for various services, usually they will want a proof of address. The bank statement that was posted to me somewhere between March and June has seen some good mileage for that task. We went with Bendigo community bank because some of the profits go back to the community, it seemed like a good idea. We have fairly basic savings account with internet banking. Medicare You should apply for this as soon as possible, however you can do it in the first 10 days. They have to wait for your passport / visa information to be sent. You can at least get the forms though from one of their offices. Walk in the door, push the appropriate button on the monitor at the entrance for a ticket in the queue. You'll need your passport, visa and proof of address for this. Once applied they'll give you a temporary card immediately and the card will be posted within about a week. Drivers License Most of the info you need is on Vicroads and you can drive with your South African drivers license for 3 months. There is no automatic conversion for the South African license so you'll have to do a multiple-choice learner test, a hazard perception test and a driving test, and they have to be done in that order. The learners and hazard test can be done on the same day if you can get an appointment. See more on these two tests here. Book soon because there are no guarantees you'll get the appointment within 3 months. The first 2 tests cost AU$79.60 and drivers test AU$60.40. If you pass, a 10 year license will cost a further AU$154.00. (Note these numbers will probably have changed). You need to take your passport, something with your signature on it (e.g. an ATM card) and proof of address (remember the bank statement?). Tolls There are quite a few tollways around Melbourne so if you're going to be driving around either avoid them or get an e-tag from Citylink (you can apply for it online). It's a small plastic box to fix to your windscreen and it beeps every time you go under the toll. There are no actual pay points where you stop to pay like the primitive system in South Africa. If you don't have a tag and you go through a toll, they'll take a photo of your car and send you quite a hefty penalty toll. GPS The Garmin 260W GPS I bought has done quite well, and is ready to use out of the box. You can program it to avoid the tollways above if you need to. Trains, Trams and Buses Your one ticket will allow you to use any of the public transport around the city (except taxis obviously) an you can download the PDFs of the schedules from http://www.connexmelbourne.com.au/. It's probably a good idea to print out the pages that apply to you because it's entirely possible that the times may be a couple of minutes off or you'll need to change platforms and you'll miss a connecting tram or train, you'll need to do a bit of re-planning on the fly. "Flinders Street" and "Southern Cross" are 2 of the major train stations in the city and you can get a train almost anywhere from there. Usually the train will have a LED sign with the name of the last stop on the line. It's worthwhile buying a Melways (map book) because all the public transport is plotted in there with numbered stops for tram lines, so like the trains, the tram will have the number of the last stop on it's line (e.g. the 59 tram goes to stop #59 in Airport West). I haven't used a bus yet so I can't help there. Renting 2 good starting points for looking for a place to rent are http://www.realestate.com.au/ and http://www.domain.com.au/. From those sites you can find the individual agents and look for further rentals on their websites. Both have good search facilities and will send you email alerts for your search criteria. The rental market is quite regulated so most of the information you'll need can be found here. The good rentals will go very quickly (<3 days after inspection) so the email alerts will give you an idea of what's good, and what hangs around for months. Typically you'll have about 15 minutes to decide at the inspection and should put your application in immediately, so have a clear idea of what you want. Useful Shops Some shops that I've found useful so far are (not that they are necessarily cheaper than the others, but a reasonable starting point if you don't have a lot of time for shopping around): Harvey Norman - furniture, appliances, and computer stuff (Bought my GPS here) The Good Guys - appliances, electical goods and computer stuff (Bought a fridge here) Direct Factory Outlets - branded stuff for cheap, lots of shops. (Bought bedding here) Bunnings - big hardware type of place, tools, paint, electrical etc End of financial year is mid-July so it's a good time for stock clearance sales. Labels: Melbourne, Migrating |
