# Arrived in Oz



## ddavid (May 9, 2009)

Hi All

Well we have arrived in our new homeland in Sydney.
What a great feeling going thru immigration and been told "welcome to Australia"
My Wife is pregnant and we were very nervous as we had not informed IMMI but there was no problem,and we were wished the best with our new arrival.
One piece of advice,planning makes it so easier,we have hit the ground running.
We started looking at somewhere to live straight away and been able to view property during the day gave us a big advantage.
Everything comes unfurnished so bring everything you need from home.
Furniture though is cheap which helps.
We bought a cheap car and a cheap sat nav/gps(a must******)
Medicare applied for,now the priority is to get a job and we have started to contact recruit agencies.
Weather is great so that helps and everyday we get up we have a checklist of things to do.
Attitude is so much more laidback than Europe which helps,
Any questions or looking for advice please fire away.

David


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## royen (Mar 21, 2009)

Congratulations! Great to know that you got adjusted so quickly.
I am also planning to be there by October.

I would love to hear your experience regarding the kind of temporary accomodation you chose. Was it booked when you were in UK itself or did you search for temporary accomodation after you landed in Sydney?

All the best for your job search. I wish you good luck.

Regards,
Royen


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## srn_29 (May 14, 2009)

Hi David,

Congratulations to you for stepping in Aus. I just cant wait for my turn & I can imagine the feeling "wow" :clap2: 



> Everything comes unfurnished so bring everything you need from home


I thought that there were many furnished houses, this comes as a surprise to me. I hate to carry all the stuff from here. How did you go about the rentals?



> Medicare applied for,now the priority is to get a job and we have started to contact recruit agencies.


Please keep us posted about the medicare and recruitment agencies. My best wishes to you...


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

Congratulations on the move David. 

srn_29 - check out the real estate websites before you move to check what percentage of places are furnished or unfurnished. 

Regards,
Karen


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## ellisa (Jul 3, 2008)

Hiya David

I wish you all the luck in world and hope you are happy!! We move the 6th Dec and i can't wait. Keep us all posted on your ups and downs...ellisa


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

congratulations david, its nice to hear happy words


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## Halo (May 8, 2008)

ddavid said:


> Hi All
> 
> Well we have arrived in our new homeland in Sydney.
> What a great feeling going thru immigration and been told "welcome to Australia"
> ...


Get a decent internet PLAN as you will have to download decent TV viewing as OZ TV is awful. (In Melbourne TPG have decent plans $49.99 for 80Gig) - Yes, we are capped here. :boxing:


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## mrmsml (May 28, 2009)

Congratulations and welcome to OZ. :clap2:


ddavid said:


> Hi All
> 
> Well we have arrived in our new homeland in Sydney.
> What a great feeling going thru immigration and been told "welcome to Australia"
> ...


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## ddavid (May 9, 2009)

When you arrive,take a few days to adjust to your surroundings and get over the jet lag,then hit the ground running,
While people will suggest lots of places to live,unless u are buying choose "Eastern Suburbs"it is convienent to everything.
Renting:Real Estate, Property, Land and Homes for Sale, lease and rent - realestate.com.au and www.domain.com.au
Decide what you can think u can afford and set up target list.
Forget about the set up viewings i.e 12pm Sat,as you cannot compete with someone who lives in Sydney with refs etc.
Ring Agent and ask to see property straight away,he will normally a have a set of keys,You now have a big adv,as you can see it during the day,if you like place put an application in straight away with refs,2nd looks on property it will be gone.
If you are hiring car,(bayswater very cheap)make sure u get a sat nav(gps)u will not get around with out one.
I would suggest buying one because u will find u cannot do without it(tomtom one aus$200) 
When meeting Agent at property be there on time,they wont wait around,even for 1 minute.
I do also suggest buying a cheap car,www.drive.com.au(ford falcon or holden commodore,both made in Aus so able for high temps)
Woolworths or Coles will get u your shopping(baby nappies good in Woolworths)
Each day make a list of things you need to do and gps will get u there on time
We have done all above and it has made our live so easy,we are only here 2 weeks but it feels longer.
Please feel free to ask any Q as I have received invaluable info from other members.

David

ps dont bring any foods in luggage as Customs are ruthless and you will be searched for hours at the airport


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## Sally Anne (Sep 18, 2009)

Congrats on your move David, are there stories behind your comments on being held up by customs and estate agents not waiting for you? sounds like you know from experience?!


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## ddavid (May 9, 2009)

Sally Anne said:


> Congrats on your move David, are there stories behind your comments on being held up by customs and estate agents not waiting for you? sounds like you know from experience?!


Just watching at the airport in Sydney and the customs to certain passengers saying if only you had declared it we would have let u go 3 hours ago,
With relation to the estate agents,yes we turned up 2/3 mins late and they had gone or had a serious attitude.


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## twinkle-toes (Mar 29, 2008)

great tips, david. and welcome to australia!

i fly in 40hrs (eek!) and i'm kinda apprehensive..


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## GazN (Nov 2, 2008)

Hi, welcome to Australia. 

I've been here about 8 months now and am thoroughly enjoying it. 

Here are a few comments on some of the posts above from my experience when I first arrived.

Medicare was extremely easy for me to sort out - I just popped into the local Medicare centre filled in a form and was given a temporary card. The real one arrived in a week or so. Ironically enough my wife, who is Australian, didn't find it so easy as she was a returning Australian and had to show proof that she intended to stay. Luckily, among the paperwork we had brought with us was the shipping receipts and insurance cancellation letters, so she used those to prove that she had left the UK permanently.

Also, everyone we dealt with was happy to take a letter from the hotel we were staying at while trying to find somewhere to rent as proof as address, and everywhere was happy to send any mail to my work address. That includes the RTA for my NSW driving licence - sorted out in a lunchtime (DVLA could learn a few lessons there...) I brought my UK mobile phone with me and kept my account for a month or so, and everyone we dealt with was happy to dial a UK number to get in touch with me.

The biggest issue we had was with trying to get enough identity points for rental. Without any Australian rental and credit history, it was virtually impossible to do. Once again, we just used UK bank and mortgage statements and anything that we could find that showed that we were regular payers. Before we left, we had saved enough money to be able to offer around 6 months rent in advance if we needed to, so we told the rental agents that too. In the end we didn't need to - our paperwork was enough and our application was accepted. I think the lesson is to bring as much financial and ID paperwork with you as you can. Almost everything was conducted by email, so we quickly found the local internet cafes and used a local copy-shop to scan documents onto a memory stick.

I hope some of the above might help anybody recently arrived or on their way soon.

Gaz.


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## ae6 (Jan 30, 2009)

GazN said:


> Hi, welcome to Australia.
> 
> I've been here about 8 months now and am thoroughly enjoying it.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the very helpful advice. I am heading out in January and its the rental that was bothering me first off (and then of course jobs) I'll certainly bring mortgage and bank statements too and hopefully they'll be accepted.

Thanks again.
ae


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## ddavid (May 9, 2009)

A very beneficial letter to bring is one that shows you own a house in Uk/Ireland,
This gives big piece of mind to Landlords.
As mentioned look at properties during the day,and get an App in on anything you like,you will not get all boxes ticked.


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## srn_29 (May 14, 2009)

Hi david,

Thanks for keeping us updated, all the very best to you.. may god bless you...


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## twinkle-toes (Mar 29, 2008)

Been here for a week and I love this place! Great weather, friendly people AND i'm moving in to my unit tmrw! 

lovin' it! =)


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## cooldude (Aug 9, 2008)

royen said:


> Congratulations! Great to know that you got adjusted so quickly.
> I am also planning to be there by October.
> 
> I would love to hear your experience regarding the kind of temporary accomodation you chose. Was it booked when you were in UK itself or did you search for temporary accomodation after you landed in Sydney?
> ...


Hi Royen,

Have you tried getting concessional one way airfare and excess baggage which you get as migrant???

CD


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## ddavid (May 9, 2009)

cooldude said:


> Hi Royen,
> 
> Have you tried getting concessional one way airfare and excess baggage which you get as migrant???
> 
> CD


I can only speak for myself,but waste of time,no value.
Airlines will allow you 30kgs per person and charge you whatever the fare is when you book it,so no advantages for been an imigrant.


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## hari999999 (Mar 17, 2009)

ddavid..........
Good Informations and Tips by you. Its very useful .
Can we bring medicines from our own country.
Does we have to disclose that at airport
Thankyou


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## ae6 (Jan 30, 2009)

twinkle-toes said:


> Been here for a week and I love this place! Great weather, friendly people AND i'm moving in to my unit tmrw!
> 
> lovin' it! =)



Thats fantastic. Congratulations! 

Do you mind if I ask where you stayed for the first week? Friends or a hotel? 

Cant wait to set off. We are booking flights this weekend!!


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

hari, u can carry medicines but few need prescription, so u hv to carry a prescription as well and in my knowledge u can carry medicines for more thn 3 months. example, if your doc prescribes a tablet a day, u cant carry more thn 90 tabs. if its the regular asprin, disprin, pain killers, crocin, vitamins etc u can carry it but again not in bulk.


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## hari999999 (Mar 17, 2009)

anj1976 said:


> hari, u can carry medicines but few need prescription, so u hv to carry a prescription as well and in my knowledge u can carry medicines for more thn 3 months. example, if your doc prescribes a tablet a day, u cant carry more thn 90 tabs. if its the regular asprin, disprin, pain killers, crocin, vitamins etc u can carry it but again not in bulk.


Thankyou ANJ......


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## richie colton (Jun 14, 2009)

*advice?*

HI david , what kind of refs do they need and from whom?? we are new to this and need advice??


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## anthonyg (Jul 14, 2008)

Welcome to Oz david and family, we have been here for 20 months and love it.


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## ddavid (May 9, 2009)

richie colton said:


> HI david , what kind of refs do they need and from whom?? we are new to this and need advice??


Firstly,we stayed in a hotel/apt,plenty of them about.(for 2 weeks)
I think it is a good idea as you need some comfort while u run around getting things done plus they will have internet access.
As regards refs,brings refs from Ireland i.e bank ref(good cmr, has a/c opened 5 yrs)if u rent in Ireland,a letter from your landlord,if u own(great)something that shows u are house owner(thats how we got a place so quick)a personal ref i.e priest,an employer,a solicitor.
You are just trying to give as much peace of mind to landlord that you are fine.
When are u arriving?


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## sattystevens (Jan 19, 2009)

Congrats David..... it must be a great feeling, can't wait to experience this too.

Hope all goes well with your interview and fingers x'd you get the job.

xx Satty


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## richie colton (Jun 14, 2009)

*cheers*

Thanks david for the info, we are landing there on the 16 next week, may just give them employers ref as we both lived with parents up to this point, we only got married this year , livig with wifes parents. my wife will be doing a doctorate at university of melbourne maybe this could help us as well. How are you finding Austalia so far?


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## manisha (Oct 6, 2009)

hi david congrats on your successful move to sydney....we are also planning to move there in the next 6-8 months, can u pls guide us on which eastern suburb to choose and on temperory accomodation as well. we are an indian couple with a 9 yr old son staying in zambia.


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## ddavid (May 9, 2009)

manisha said:


> hi david congrats on your successful move to sydney....we are also planning to move there in the next 6-8 months, can u pls guide us on which eastern suburb to choose and on temperory accomodation as well. we are an indian couple with a 9 yr old son staying in zambia.


If you can narrow it down to the Estaern suburbs,that is a good start.
Then it really depends do you want to be close to the City or the beach,your budget and the most important thing,you like the area.
When you get here,drive around and get a feel,thats what we all do.
On temp accom,start looking now,again it is down to your budget,but find something close to the city,5/7kms max.
I have not suggested this before but will now,there are great books out there you can buy"living and working in Australia"by David Hampshire(6th edition only) and "Sydney complete residents guide"by explorer,they will be your bible.they were mine for about 6 months prior to coming out.
They ensure that you are planning all the way,very easy to read.


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## manisha (Oct 6, 2009)

thanks for the information david...can u tell us howz the north shore suburbs and between eastern and north shore, which one would u recommend?


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## helloshivahere (Sep 9, 2009)

manisha said:


> hi david congrats on your successful move to sydney....we are also planning to move there in the next 6-8 months, can u pls guide us on which eastern suburb to choose and on temperory accomodation as well. we are an indian couple with a 9 yr old son staying in zambia.


Hi Mate,

This is sivakumar - India from Lusaka I am also going to PERTH in early 2010. Could you please share ur thoughts on oz 

SNIP


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## manisha (Oct 6, 2009)

hi sivakumar

nice to know u r also planning to make a move downsouth.....where r u working in lusaka and why did u choose perth??


helloshivahere said:


> Hi Mate,
> 
> This is sivakumar - India from Lusaka I am also going to PERTH in early 2010. Could you please share ur thoughts on oz
> 
> SNIP


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## helloshivahere (Sep 9, 2009)

manisha said:


> hi sivakumar
> 
> nice to know u r also planning to make a move downsouth.....where r u working in lusaka and why did u choose perth??



I am working in Kings Chemicals at Great north road. How about you & ur family. I intend to relocate Perth with my wife in early 2010 becoz i have WA SS. 

By the I am an Accountant. how about you.


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## kelveto (Oct 13, 2009)

ddavid said:


> Hi All
> 
> Well we have arrived in our new homeland in Sydney.
> What a great feeling going thru immigration and been told "welcome to Australia"
> ...


You're the best, mate! :clap2:


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## Wild Beast Of Borneo (Oct 13, 2009)

ddavid said:


> Hi All
> 
> Well we have arrived in our new homeland in Sydney.
> What a great feeling going thru immigration and been told "welcome to Australia"
> ...


Hi David,

I'm new to this forum, and I've just submitted my Visa 175 application on the 8th October 2009.

Reading your threat really makes me wanna row a boat to Australia with my family now! I can't wait for mine to be approved.

You are right about the weather and the lifestyle. I was a student in Sydney from 1994 to 1997 and I remember how great it was.

This is something I want my wife (housewife and never been abroad) and my 3 little kids to experience some day.

All the best in your jobsearch.


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## nihariku (May 24, 2009)

Wow! wonderful to hear your story!


Congratulations to you both and the awaiting bundle of joy!

Was it expensive to stay in a hotel.I need to know as we are a family of four going to SA in January 2010.

I am a land owner and not a owner of a house.Has lived with parents.We intend to sell the land before making the move.could that be used as a reference
Payment of bills perhaps

DO keep us updated

NK


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## manisha (Oct 6, 2009)

hi david i wanted to know between eastern suburbs and north shore suburbs ,which one would u prefer and why? and how is blacktown?


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## manisha (Oct 6, 2009)

helloshivahere said:


> I am working in Kings Chemicals at Great north road. How about you & ur family. I intend to relocate Perth with my wife in early 2010 becoz i have WA SS.
> 
> By the I am an Accountant. how about you.


what do u mean by SS??


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## Zhanna (Oct 13, 2009)

Hi David
While you have completed the major steps to move to the green continent I am still thinking of doing it. I just wonder how it feels there after Europe as now it seems to be so far away (I currently live in Moscow, Russia).
What are the main pluses you see now apart from good wheather and great nature. how about people and health insurance? I recently saw the survey where Australia is the country #3 after Iceland and Norway in terms of quality of life. Is it just numbers or can you really feel it?
Will appreciate if you share your experience. Thanks!


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

Zhanna said:


> Hi David
> What are the main pluses you see now apart from good wheather and great nature. how about people and health insurance? I recently saw the survey where Australia is the country #3 after Iceland and Norway in terms of quality of life. Is it just numbers or can you really feel it?
> Will appreciate if you share your experience. Thanks!


Hi Zhanna, 

If you haven't already done so take a good look around the forum since this has been asked and answered several times by members 

Regards,
Karen


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

manisha ss stands for state sponsored/ship


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## richie colton (Jun 14, 2009)

*what the hell??*

who the hell are you and why are you copying my post!!?? i dont know who you are but quit it!!


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## richie colton (Jun 14, 2009)

*angry*

Hi everyone i want to warn you against Mbangwa, this person has copied an earlier post of mine. I dont know their reason for this.


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

HI richie, what post has been copied?


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## richie colton (Jun 14, 2009)

*copy*

the last post above mine.


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

richie colton said:


> the last post above mine.


Thanks for spotting that Richie. That user had done the same to other user's posts (including one of mine) so I've assumed that they are going to spam and have banned them. If I'm wrong I'm sure they'll complain and then we can sort it out 

Regards,
Karen


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