AltyMatt

Couriers Please (alias Swift and Shift)

I reckon IKEA is like McDonalds - the same worldwide. Bunnings is pretty similar to B&Q, although I remember as a child B&Q had a panel of doorbells you could play with which Bunnings should copy.

If you are looking for something in same range as Habitat, maybe try Freedom Furniture or Nick Scali, maybe not as good quality, although Habitat is not the same as years past either. Could also check King Living - they make great sofas. In Sydney there are a few furniture malls where you can get everything under one roof, such as: Alexandria Homemaker Centre Artarmon Home HQ Homemaker Centre Belrose Super Centre Alexandria also has quite a few factory/outlet furniture stores if you don't mind driving around to find a good deal. Online, https://www.templeandwebster.com.au is popular A lot of people buy mattresses online from Koala, Emma, Sleeping Duck etc

You should receive the refund within a week of submitting your tax return.

Unless you are worried about storage space I would suggest you bring all the sentimental paperwork. Scans of memorabilia really aren't the same

Many councils offer beach parking permits. Residents usually receive a couple of free permits a year, but quite a few councils sell permits to non-residents.

So true. Most unskilled, low paying jobs appear to be filled by migrants, and you have to wonder what happened to their Aussie dream.

Could try https://www.ozcar.com.au they have a several sites, but you can search for cars online first before visiting. I once bought a car from Winsford Fords of Windsor and it was a grim experience - just like visiting Ikea on a really busy Saturday

Working From Home has expanded the job opportunities for many people. I work for one of the larger employers in Australia and we have hired staff in country NSW, Victoria and Queensland for roles that previously would be only available to those within commuting distance of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. This isn't a temporary COVID workaround either - so if you have a decent internet connection and progressive employer you could find it doable to reside in Umina or Jervis Bay and still 'work' in Sydney

on the flip side, there are also a lot who own a house that is now worth a lot more than they could afford. Prices have outpaced wages to the point that many could not afford to buy their own home

We were lucky that after a year of renting the strata fees in the building jumped up so much that the owners decided to cut out the agents and deal with us direct. We stayed in the property a long time (too long in hindsight) as the owners were such great landlords. We just bought a place and we engaged a buyer's agent to get it done - we were so sick of the BS and games being played by the selling agents. Whether that be massively under quoting, lying about time on market, etc

A few Sydney special events have been almost as disastrous as the Fyre festival - overpriced, over subscribed, crap food, no amenities, etc. Probably better to keep it simple than chance it with any new events. This couple keep it simple and romantic, celebrating their anniversary with a picnic by Mrs Macquarie's Chair: https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/sydney-couple-celebrates-every-anniversary-and-birthday-under-one-special-tree-20220111-p59nht.html

The working holiday visa age limit is due to be lifted to 35, but can't find a date for when that will happen: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/what-we-do/whm-program/latest-news

Why not treat it like a sabbatical - give yourselves 12 months to see whether you like it or not. Worst case you go home after spending a year getting to know Australia. COVID will make it more difficult to establish a network as many people work from home and social activities are restricted at the moment, although they are likely to return soon once infection rates ease. The success of your move is probably as much dependent on satisfaction with your new job as it is with Australia. If you are unhappy in your role and it is a sponsored visa, then you may feel trapped as you can't just move to a new job unless they are willing to pick up the sponsorship. It's a bit of a gamble but you don't know unless you try!

Should be fine as Auspost do them all the time. I have renewed passport twice from Aus - first time was a cropped photo from the post office, second time was a mobile phone pic