Going to Australia, want to make sure I have covered EVERYTHING?
smurphsyard asked:
Hi, I intend to go to Australia soon and I want to make sure that when I leave the UK I have covered everything to I don’t have any problems when I get there.
Hi, I intend to go to Australia soon and I want to make sure that when I leave the UK I have covered everything to I don’t have any problems when I get there.
I am going on my own, here is what I have done so far:
Have an approved 12 month Visa
Have Financial stability
Have moved all finances to a bank account which is a ‘VISA’ card which works in Australia (Maestro does not)
Have sufficient time on my passport
Have bought hiking boots and rucksack and country guide
Understand I need a Tax File number, which can only be set up within Australia
Need to arrange travel Insurance - Any advice here?
Anything else I have missed before I book flights?
Stella
Tags: Financial Stability, Maestro, Rucksack
March 18th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Roberta
mostly - check what sort of visa you have - if you intend on working here - it must be a working visa. Check our quarantine laws - and make sure you dont bring anything into this country that you should not.
Bring in a good attitude - we will take the p!ss out of you - get used to it.
March 21st, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Joel
You seem to be pretty well organised and have thought of everything that comes immediately to mind.
Make sure you have copies of all of your travel documents, but also scan everything and email it to yourself so that you can easily get it electronically if you need it.
Travel insurance is very important. Worldnomads is a good one and is recommended by lonely planet, but shop around. You’ll have heaps of opportunity to do adventurous things while you’re here, so make sure the policy covers adventurous things like whitewater rafting.
Your TFN will be very easy to arrange once you get here.
You should also open an Australian bank account as soon as you arrive so that you have somewhere for employers to pay into if necessary. If you open it during your first 6 weeks here you don’t need anything more than your passport. After that, it becomes a lot more difficult. All of our banks are safe, so it won’t matter which one you use. The ‘Big Four’ are Westpac, Commonwealth, ANZ and National (NAB) and they all have branches all over the place.
This site has useful info:
Their advice on discount cards and hostel cards is particularly useful.
Wear high SPF sunscreen everywhere adn wear a hat, even if you’ll only be in the sun for 15 minutes or so. You have no idea how easy it is to get badly burned and you don’t want to find out the hard way.
Always swim between the flags.
Have a wonderful time and don’t be offended when we call you a pom.