Dont be overwhelmed when moving to Australia. Setting yourself up is relatively easy and once you have your tax file number, bank account and sim card you are ready to roll. Here is everything you need to know before moving to Australia.
Apply For Your Tax File Number
If you are looking to work while in Australia, you will legally require a TFN (Tax File Number). Your TFN will help with your tax return at the end of the financial year. Applying for a tax file number is really easy. All you need to do is head to the ATO website, fill out a form, and it will get posted to your address.
You do not need to pay for a Tax File Number, so if you end up on a site charging you for a TFN, get off and go directly to the ATO Site
Note: it may take up to 28 days to receive it, though you can work for up to 28 days without a Tax file number. So as long as you’ve applied for it before starting employment, you will be fine.
Book your accommodation
Make sure to book your accommodation in advance, since reopening after covid, most states have lost thousands of hostel beds. This means being organised is important at the moment. Book yourself into a hostel or other accommodation for at least a week upon arrival as places can sometimes book out very quickly. Most hostels will have weekly rates for this purpose that will save you some money on the nightly rate. If you know you are coming over a peak period (such and Grand Prix in Melbourne or Mardi Gras/New Years in Sydney) there may also be minimum night stays on bookings. Knowing you have a roof over your head will take a huge amount of pressure off your jet-lagged self. You can then decide whether you want to look for a more long-term option.
We offer Bed Hopper Passes with multible nightly discounted accommodation packages of 10, 21, 45 and 60 nights that can make it a cheaper way to stay at hostels.
Once you have set yourself up and work out where you want to settle for a couple of months, you can start looking for shared houses or flats to rent. These can be a little harder to get but are still out there. Many of the real estate agents in high tourisms locations such as Melbourne City or St Kilda, Sydney, Brisbane or Perth will work with Backpackers to find them apartments. Fairy Floss Melbourne has share rooms on facebook. Sydney Flatmates/House share/Roomshare/Accommodation is on facebook as well. Never give money to anyone without visiting the apartment with them first. Unfortunately, we have met afew backpackers who have been ripped off by handing money over before arriving or seeing a property only to learn its fake. A real estate is not permitted to rent out a property without the client seeing it first.
You are better off booking a hostel for the first week or 2 and make sure you actually like an area and can find a job before you commit to a lease or hand any money over.
Make sure you bring enough valid ID as you will need this for some real estate agents.
Set up your phone
You will need to set up an Australian phone number it’s the first couple days of arriving. Optus is one of the biggest providers across the whole country with great coverage. Sim cards can be purchased from any of your local supermarkets or Office-works. All sim cards have activation codes which are super easy and are very quick. Telstra or Vodafone are other great options although Telstra will be slightly more expensive than Optus and Vodafone will have slightly less coverage.
Another great provider is Boost sim cards and they have some great deals for travellers coming to Australia.
Bank Account
Some banks in Australia give you the option to set up your account before arriving in the country, such as Commonwealth, NAB, ANZ and Westpac. If you have done this, all you need to do when you arrive is pick up your bank card. If you haven’t made an account before you came, you can head down to any of the above banks and set up an account. Be sure to bring several forms of id and proof of address when creating your account.
Be sure to bring some cash for while you are waiting to receive your bank card.
If you’ve moved from overseas,or hold tax residency in any country other than Australia, you’ll need to bring:
- Your passport
- Your Tax Identification Number (TIN) for each country of tax residency
- Your student ID or letter of enrolment (if you’re a student and want to receive Student Options)
Each document should be translated into English by a translator accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters Ltd (NAATI), or equivalent.
East Coast Trip
Most travelers that come to Australia have one thing in mind….The East coast. Whether you’re a German graduate or a bunch English buddies looking to hit the road, A gang of Irish The East coast is a staple. Now for those who are not aware of what an East Coast is, Allow me to give a short description of what it is, where it goes and how to organise it
What is a East Coast trip?
The East Coast is a Linear route up or down the Coast, Usually starting from sydney to cairns or vice versa and commonly runs over the course of 3-6 weeks. Within your trip you’ll visit locations such as Fraser Island, Whitsundays, Great Barrier Reef and more! In this Example we will start from Sydney
- Sydney – See the world renowned Sydney Opra house, go for a swim at Bondi Beach or explore the beautiful Blue Mountains
- Byron Bay – Soak up the sun rays and good vibes in this amazing beachside location – go Dolphin Kayaking or visit Nimbim (home of the original hippies)
- Brisbane – Australia’s chilled out city, best place to visit Steve Irwins Australia Zoo from, slide down the huge sand dunes of Moreton Island.
- Noosa – Immerse yourself amongst the senic nature whilst exploring the everglades
- Fraser Island – Arrive in Rainbow Beach and prepare for the trip of a lifetime. Fraser Island offer 1 day, 2 day and 3 day 4 Wheel Drive Trips. Visit Champange Pools, Lake Makenzie have a bonfire Beach Party, sleep under the stars and make freinds for life. These a few of the things you’ll do on this iconic multiday experience.
- Airle beach/Whitsundays -Party in the town that never sleeps before jumping on board your Whitsunday Sailing Adventure. On this must do adventure you’ll live memorable moments snorkiling, exploring islands and, partying aboard your Whitsundays boat. You’ll sea loads of amazing fish as well as turltes that swim up to the boat to say gday. Snorkeling is the best way to really immerse yourself in the underwater wildlife. Get a pic on the iconic Whitehaven Beach.
- Magnetic island – Take the ferry from townsville to Magnetic island and catch up with travellers you’ve met along your trip while enjoying a nice cold one by the pool.
- Cairns – Dive in the Great Barier Reef and really see why its one of the 7 wonders of the world. Experience awe as you navigate through the Daintree Rainforest and Atherton Tablelands.
Important notes on the East coast
Now first of all; it is always inportant to book your trip in advance. That includes: Transport, Tours and, Acommodation. For assistance with booking you can always contact us and we will provide a quick ready itinerary for your East Coast. For a more in depth explination please visit our East Coast Blog
Buy a Transport Card
Buying a transport card will take the stress away from travelling the different cities. In Australia all the different cities have different systems so here is how to get around in the following places.
Sydney
In Sydney they use OPAL cards which can be purchased at a Woolworths supermarket or at a local news agent. To add money, you can either do it at a machine located at train stops, online or in store. You can also travel on Sydney’s network by simply tapping your visa or Master card on the OPAL card readers. Just make sure you tap off with the same card.
Melbourne
Melbourne uses Myki card’s, and these can be purchased from any 7 Eleven, at most train stations or android users can get them on their phone. Topping up your myki card is super easy you can do it right off your phone or at any station.
Perth
In Perth you will use a SmartRider card, this can be purchased from any news agent or Transperth Info centre.
Queensland
You will need a Translink Go card for Queensland, which you can get from convenience stores and train stations. They can be topped up online or at any Go Card retailers.
Adelaide
You are able to use your credit card to tap on and off when in Adelaide which is a quick easy solution. Otherwise you can purchase a Metro card, from the Adelaide Metro Info centre.
Interstate travel via Greyhound And Premier Bus
If you are travelling throughout Australia and dont have a car or want to hire a campervan, best thing to do is to buy a bus pass. There are 2 different bus companies that offer Jump On/Jump Off passes. Greyhound run buses from Melbourne to Cairns up the East Coast of Australia as well as from Cairns to Darwin to Broome. They also run from Darwin to Adelaide via Alice Springs. Premier Buses run only on the East Coast of Australia from Sydney to Cairns.
Greyhound Australia
The Greyhound Australia bus passes come as National Passes as well as East Coast Whimit Passes . The Nataional passes will be valid for travel Melbourne to Cairns up the East Coast of Australia as well as from Cairns to Darwin to Broome and Darwin to Adelaide via Alice Springs. Alternatively, East Coast Whimit passes are only valid for travel from Melbourne to Cairns. The passes range from 7 day passes up to 120 days. Any of these passes can be used in any direction and as many times as you like within the allowed route of the pass you purchase. You can now build your own passes with Greyhound and choose how many days you want to travel on National passes and East Coast passes.
Premier Motor Service
If you are looking at travelling between Sydney and Cairns or vice versa Premier motor service sure is a great budget travel pass option. With travel passes from 30 days to travel between these 2 destinations in 1 direction for only $255. Now thats a bargain.Premier also offer 3 month and 6 month passes between Sydney and Cairns. Just remember the Premier passes are in 1 direction only.
Australian weather
With Australian seasons they are possibly opposite to what you are used to as it is located in the southern hemisphere. Most of the country has 4 seasons although up in tropical north of Australia there is only really a wet and dry season but the weather stays quite warm all year round. I recommend using the weather app to plan ahead.
Seasons
- December to February is Summer.
- March to May Is Autumn.
- June to August is Winter.
- September to November is Spring.
- Wet Season November to April
- Dry Season May to October
Applying for a job
Australia is a great place to work, so make sure your resume is up to date.
A good tip for your resume is keeping it simple and relevant:
Name:
Phone Number (Australian Only):
Age:
Length of time is helpful: (I will be staying in Melbourne until June 2024 etc)
Hours you are willing to work: ( I am happy to work weekends and evenings – if applicable)
Relevant expereince to the job you are applying. (some backpackers have seperate resumes for Hospitality/Admin/Labouring work)
Dropping in to different work places esp. for hospitality and giving a copy of your resume is a good way to possibly get work. There are also many facebook groups. For Officework there are many temp agencies to apply to and seek.com.au is a big online agency. There is plenty of different ways to go looking for work and you should be able to start earning some good money in no time. Always chatting to hostel staff and other travelers is a great help.
Check out our Facebook group where jobs are posted daily
Aussie slang
- ARVO- Afternoon
- AVO- Avocado
- BARBIE- barbecue
- BREAKY- Breakfast
- BOTTLE-O- Bottle Shop
- COLD ONE- Beer
- DEVO- Devastated
- FOOTY- AFL (Australian football)
- G’DAY- Hello
- GOON- Cheap Boxed Wine
- MACCAS- Mc Donald’s
- NO WORRIES- No Problem/ Its OK
- SANGA- Sandwich
- SERVO- Service Station
- SLAB- A Carton of Beer
- SNAG- sausage (Aussies love a Bunnings snag)
- STRAYA- Australia
- SUNNIES- Sunglasses
- THONGS- Flip Flop
- TUCKER- Food
