Tuesday 26 June 2012

7 Tips to setting up life in Australia


I am doing this post because when I arrived in Sydney with hardly any money I was relatively clueless as to, what to do, were to go and how to do the basics; this list could have been really helpful, as a general guide to all you need to know as a backpacker arriving in Sydney.


Choose The Right Hostel For You.  We are all different types of people on different budgets and are not all going to like the same things so – if you are looking to meet people, get drunk, have an awesome time and are not put off by bed bugs; head to the Kings Cross Brando’s and Jackaroo are good for this.

If you still don’t want to splash the cash and are looking for somewhere clean and relatively quiet, head to Pitt Street at Central Station end – Maze and Nomads are good value for money and still have party nights whilst generally being quiet.

If you have money to burn head to Wake Up. I could never afford it here myself as this is a place for the flash packer, it looks really cool though.

Get a Phone. Head down to a phone shop in the CBD probably, Vodaphone, buy the cheapest phone and get a pay as you go with $30 tariff. When you top up $30 you get $150 credit; this will save you a fortune.


Get A Tax File Number. This could be one of the most important things that you do and I know some people who just didn’t bother. Get onto the government website and apply within the first few days as it can take two weeks to arrive and you need this to be paid correctly.

Get A Bank Account. I chose NAB but they are all pretty much the same, just head to a branch with your passport and set one up. In Australia cashpoints charge you $2 to withdraw money, which is a pain. Try to use NAB or Readi ATM’s as they are free for all.

Get A Job. Go on Gumtree, it is a hub of all backpacker jobs; you can pick up a sales job in a day or apply for cafĂ© work. Be proactive and keep checking the site. It’s kind of first come firt serve.

Get An Apartment. So you are all set up and have an income, now get back on Gumtree and find that apartment. You can find some gems on there; I got a 2 bed apartment in the north shore, fully furnished with kayaks and an awesome view $725 per week between 5 people.

Get A Second Year. Go on Harvest Line and get a farming job. It’s tough but if you want a second year in Sydney it just has to be done. This does not apply to Americans they cannot get a second year  visa Britt’s, Europeans and Canadians are fine.

Extra Info:

Shop at Cole’s

Buy weekly rail cards

If going to the cinema choose Cricklewood  

And go cinema on a Tuesday

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