You've arrived, 
you're knackered after the stresses of packing up,
organising your admin, saying goodbye and the flight over here (whatever
class - a tin cabin in the air is still just that) has made you feel
wretched.
You disembark at your pre-organised accommodation and feel like you should be starting a holiday (you are abroad after all!), but know you have the daunting task of setting yourself up as a legal entity.
We arrived in Sydney at 06.30, the sun was shining, my employer had arranged a chauffer to pick us up. They let us in - I had nothing in my passport that indicated this would happen, so was pleasantly surprised (an electronic visa – I have little faith in technology at the best of times). We got dropped off at our apartment on Kent Street and we dumped our stuff and went to find breakfast. There are more coffee shops in Sydney than people, so the only hardship in finding breakfast was where to choose. Once we had located our preferred barista, I became aware of the giant brown flying creatures that were somewhere between bats and moths – the Bogong moth! They had descended on Sydney in their millions and nobody except me (who was flitting between wildly waving my arms and virtually sitting under the table) seemed to be even aware they were suffering a biblical plague! This was not the Sydney I had ever encountered on my previous trips. (Read more about the Bogong moth)
Getting yourself acquainted
- Buy a Sydney city map and collect bus, train and ferry information
from the Sydney Visitor Centre.
Top tip - buy a weekly travel pass as you more than make up
the money even if you only use a few days, this will allow travel
on buses, ferries and trains. If you decide not, you can buy daily
passes which again more than make their money back. Check Sydney transport
for all the options and the fares.
- Find an internet café and apply for your tax
number. Use the current address, you can call them later to change
this and they will probably give it to you over the phone after 10
days.
- Walk up and down George & Pitt streets and across Martin Place or other variations – stay awake till bed time (you don't need jet lag when there are tasks to be done over the next few days).
This is a day of necessities– the things you need to get done early as they can take a couple of weeks to arrive.
- Apply for your Medicare card
(see link for locations). Take your passport along as they need this
for your visa information. Again give them your current address and
change later, or your work address (if appropriate).
- Buy a SIM card for your mobile (ensure your mobile is unlocked before
you arrive (as per checklist)) Top tip – when you have
had your phone unlocked in Blighty test it out with a SIM card from
another network to ensure it works!.
- My mobile phone experiences were like the script of a black
comedy, in short…. we bought a SIM card, we then found out that
this locked my phone (even though they were the same company in
the UK!). The SIM card when tried in another phone also didn't
work, as the week we bought it, the unnamed companies central
system broke down. We bought another SIM card and were refunded
the costs and given AUS$5 compensation (oh yes ladies and gentleman
we hit the big time!). The unnamed company then sold our new
number to a chap from Scotland and whole process began again.
After 3 weeks we finally got a number that hasn't been sold on
and seems to meet all requirements – watch this space….
- My mobile phone experiences were like the script of a black
comedy, in short…. we bought a SIM card, we then found out that
this locked my phone (even though they were the same company in
the UK!). The SIM card when tried in another phone also didn't
work, as the week we bought it, the unnamed companies central
system broke down. We bought another SIM card and were refunded
the costs and given AUS$5 compensation (oh yes ladies and gentleman
we hit the big time!). The unnamed company then sold our new
number to a chap from Scotland and whole process began again.
After 3 weeks we finally got a number that hasn't been sold on
and seems to meet all requirements – watch this space….
- You researched the options for health insurance (as per checklist),
and got past the fact that health insurance over here is wildly different
to the UK (and quite expensive if you are on a limited visa e.g. 457).
You need to apply for this today (this can be done from the UK depending
on the company) as there are generally 2/6/12 month waiting periods.
- Buy a weekly travel pass to allow you on all modes of transport to check out your new location and get the best out of Sydney over the next week. See Sydney transport for fares and times.
Access the internet to begin the arduous task of renting somewhere to live.
Hopefully you have a couple of areas in mind, if not see our totally subjective preferred choices (we wanted to get a ferry to work and/or live by the beach/sea). In our opinion Domain.com.au seemed to offer the most comprehensive cover of Sydney (it is the website of 'The Sydney Morning Herald').
Write a list of agents and start calling to make appointments. Top tip - calling from a Sydney phone box is a set charge for land line (no matter how long the call). Mobile phone calls are by the minute. The rental market (at the time of writing) is very aggressive. Agents don’t take your number, and generally only show properties at their convenience (Wednesday or Saturday at a time prescribed by them). This does vary depending on the area and the agent, but rarely seems to have anything to do with price (even at the mid to high range - over $1000pw).
Either day 4 or 6 do one of the amazing Sydney walks, take a day off chores! You need a day to remind you why you came and concentrate on all Sydney has to offer, which, for most, is all about the harbour views, eating and drinking!
One of the favourites is the Bondi to Coogee walk. Top tip - stop at Icebergs at Bondi for a drink!
Personally, my favourite is the Manly to Spit walk. Though this is definitely for the more adventurous and for those who are fit and feeling full of energy. Top tip - stop or start at Plonk – great food and service!
Click here for more details on the Sydney Harbour Walks.
If you haven't bought a weekly pass, definitely buy a daily pass when travelling around the city and starting and stopping in different locations, for example a return ferry ticket to Manly is only slightly cheaper than a day pass that allows unlimited trips on all transport all day – see Sydney transport.
Viewing potential new homes…
You should definitely have appointments to view properties. Do not underestimate how long it will take! You probably have a couple of weeks off before you start work, however you may not find somewhere in this period, so will inevitably have less time when you start work. When viewing rental properties we found it was a good idea to go by public transport (starting from our place of work), so we had a true understanding of how long it would take when commuting. We also had all our paperwork photocopied and in a pack, so when we found somewhere we liked we were ready to go. See checklist for paperwork that you will require. In Sydney, the rental market seems bigger than the housing market as such many more people rent, and all real estate agents want are referees from your previous landlord. Difficult when you are a homeowner in the UK and haven't rented since your university days! Even with the paperwork, they still like to be able to phone someone to verify your existence. It may be worth asking your new place of work if they are willing to confirm you have been hired and if you have a friend or colleague they can call as well, that is better still!
Buy one of the daily papers to start to read about the goings on in your new locale! The options include:
Either day 4 or 6 do one of the amazing Sydney walks, take a day off chores! You need a day to remind you why you came and concentrate on all Sydney has to offer, which, for most, is all about the harbour views, eating and drinking!
One of the favourites is the Bondi to Coogee walk. Top tip - stop at Icebergs at Bondi for a drink!
Personally, my favourite is the Manly to Spit walk. Though this is definitely for the more adventurous and for those who are fit and feeling full of energy. Top tip - stop or start at Plonk – great food and service!
Click here for more details on the Sydney Harbour Walks.
If you haven't bought a weekly pass, definitely buy a daily pass when travelling around the city and starting and stopping in different locations, for example a return ferry ticket to Manly is only slightly cheaper than a day pass that allows unlimited trips on all transport all day – see Sydney transport.
These days are all about settling in and tying up the loose ends. …
It is quite likely you will still be finalising where you are going to live – don't panic, everyone I have spoken to has not anticipated quite how long this stage takes – it will happen, and yes, you may have to spend a few Saturdays looking.
Look in to whether you need to apply for a new driving license. I discovered several misnomer's while trying to work this out for myself. Basically on a 457 visa (business visa for 4 years) you do not need to replace your UK Driving License. You must have an up-to-date license, clearly not be disqualified and it must be written in English. You can apply for an Australian license and assuming you meet certain criteria you do not need to redo your test, (see the official pages from the New South Wales Government – International drivers). NSW divers licenses come in 1 year, 3 years and 5 years and need to be renewed accordingly.
Work out the best way for you to travel about – bus, train or ferry. Sydney has the best choices to travel around although it isn't London, not everywhere is served by all three forms of transport and while ferry may be your preferred choice it may just not work out on your daily commute! It may be cheaper to buy a weekly travel pass or in fact carnets' if you will only be travelling by one mode or want to travel by, for example, bus in the morning and ferry in the evening! Check Sydney transport for all the options and the fares.