mungbean

Exactly my point. Maybe @swampey didn't mean it that way, but to say "housing quality is absolutely rubbish for the money you pay" suggests expecting to pay the same for the same. First rule of house-hunting in my book is to increase your budget as soon as you realise you're never going to find something to meet your standards for what you'd originally planned to spend. Either that, or re-write your criteria... such as look in cheaper areas that are further away from work. FWIW in the last 10 years I've lived in London, Edinburgh, Delhi and Bangalore. All different, and all considered "expensive" by many who live there. London was eye-watering, and Delhi was close. (But Mumbai is off the scale...) Mainly depends on what you're earning though, eh?

Walked round there several times in the last couple of weeks. No problem at all. Each to their own. Shared paths all over the place... seems to work OK.

Or put another way -- it's bloody expensive and you will probably need to increase your budget for renting.

Yeah, I was surprised by the sudden and random 45-degree hills when I arrived as well... something that looking at Google maps never really prepares you for. But there are loads of cycle routes, shared pedestrian/cyclist paths, and suggested backroads on the cycle network. There's a route I can take to work around the edge of Rozelle Bay that's (obviously?) almost completely flat. That'll do for me! Having seen Sydney's traffic I really don't fancy cycling in it. Anzac bridge is also another route, and I see cyclists on it every day, but its uphill and then downhill, and I daresay pretty windy at times.

Unfortunately I have to say that I find the Sydney buses pretty unreliable (mainly the 433, which has left me high and dry too many times in only 2 months). And if you've been in Edinburgh then Lothian buses have won bus-of-the-year or something for the last million years. Trains seem good in Sydney though. I'm hoping to buy a bike in the next week or so... So far been way too busy with all the other gubbins: medicare card, driving licence, bank accounts... as well as - oh yes - actual work!

Hey Manda, You possibly hit the nail on the head there... London is very integrated compared to many other global cities. Looking at Diversity alone doesn't address this of course. Great to hear you're in Sydney. Hope you're getting used to the idea of Autumn in April... it's doing my head in a bit! ;-)

Good on ya Manda! I used to enthuse about how everyone said thank you to bus drivers in Scotland, only to arrive in Sydney to find they also say good morning or g'day to the driver when they get on as well. Good vibes never hurt anyone. I'm not sure where you are in Aus, but I have been very pleasantly surprised how very multi-cultural Sydney is. Much more than anywhere I've ever lived or visited, maybe even London. Doesn't mean there isn't any racism... I've mainly heard anti-Chinese comments relating to to wealthy incomers pushing up house prices since I got here, but it's pretty mild stuff so far. Cheers

Looking at my online banking, I spent more than $60 on ATM fees in the first 2 months of being here, mostly in the first month. Given that the charge is usually $2, and sometimes $2.50 or even more in convenience stores and airports, it soon mounts up. It's easy to say "don't use other ATMs", but when you're new in town and you need cash, optimising your ways of paying aren't the first thing in your mind. Now I'm settled in I'm actually finding I hardly pay with cash for anything except for the odd coffee... So many places let you "tap" your card wirelessly to pay without messing around with a PIN, together with using an OPAL card with auto-topup for travel, mean that being cashless is very easy. And as many folk have said, when paying with your card in the supermarket you can get cash out with no charge, like getting "cashback" in the UK.

So I went to "Service NSW" service centre in Sydney today, because I had to provide ID verification (passport and address proof) for the 'Working With Children Check' I had already applied for online. While I was there, I asked the lady behind the counter about sorting out a driving licence, since I was in the right place. She said the hole-punching thing is not true, although she mumbled something about they used to do it in the UK with Aus licenses I think. She suggested systems have changed "recently". Certainly Service NSW, and the MyGov centre I went to for my Medicare application, do look like they've appeared in the last couple of years and services might have been streamlined and made more digital. Anyway I filled in a paper form on the spot, she took my photo and gave me an eye-test on a computer monitor -- all pretty hi-tech. I paid $53 for one year's licence. (3 years was about $120 and 4 years $150-something.) She gave me a temporary licence to take with me, which looks like a fancy receipt, and said I'd receive my proper licence in the post within a couple of weeks. The caveat is that once you've actually applied for a NSW licence, you can't drive in Aus on your UK one... but since you're given a temporary Aus immediately one it doesn't matter. Whether all or any of this applies in other states I couldn't say. UPDATE: I also had to show my passport, UK driving licence, and proof of address. In my case, since I've only been in my house for a couple of weeks the only acceptable address proof I have is my first credit card bill, but she seemed happy with that.

Did you go ever abroad before? It's like that, only not as foreign. ;-) Seriously, this place is more like Britain than any place I've ever been.

Well surely it's not actually that hard... but yes I also went with the same bank after being messed about by another operator, and I am similarly impressed. Good news @Dawnlouise

And I didn't. Therefore it's not a requirement for 457 visa application. But don't let my pedantry confuse you further. Good luck with your bank account.

Birth certificate is not a requirement for 457 visa application.

So how many crates of VB have you carried home lately?

Got Medicare card in the post today (no sign of receiving a number separately). So that was 7-ish working days. Just stocked up in the bottle shop ahead of Good Dry-day. (All of them closed?!) Long weekend ahoy - cheers!

Not sure if this is going to happen soon, but a govt review of how the IELTS is used for the 457 visa has recommended that they change the requirements to an average of the 4 grades, rather than the current system.

My neighbour has an Avocado tree in his back yard, around 40ft high. It's got some massive fruit on there, some of them hanging over my side of the fence... :biggrin: I think they take years and years to bear fruit though... I've often grown them from a stone in a shop-bought Avocado, but never got it to more than 4-5ft before I had to move house and leave it behind.

Thanks a lot @Bobj... having recently visited Brisbane and Gold Coast, and watched a few episodes of Gardening Australia, I'm already getting rather envious of Queensland and gardening "in the tropics"! Some of these are familiar from my time in India... Allamanda, bougainvillea and Frangipani especially being favourites. I'm sure they would all do fine in Sydney too. In fact, where I live it seems compulsory to have a Frangipani in your front yard. In India they're called Champa or Temple Tree. The red or multi-coloured ones are amazing. Also seen plenty of Gardenias being grown as a hedge at the front of houses too... wonderful scent. Look forward to reading up on some of your other suggestions!

Thanks @Marisawright! Fortunately we have google and wikipedia... Unfortunately (kind of) Jackie seems to be exremely prolific! Any of these ring a bell? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackie_French Organic Gardening in Australia (1986) Natural Rose Growing: An Organic Approach to Gardening (1988) The Organic Garden Doctor (1988) Natural Control of Household Pests (1990) The Wilderness Garden: A Radical New View of Australian Growing Methods (1993) The Salad Garden (1993) Organic Control of Household Pests (1993) Organic Control of Common Weeds (1993) The Earth Gardeners Companion: A Month-by-Month Guide (1993) The Chook Book (1993) A to Z of Useful Plants (1993) Book of Lavender (1994) Book of Mint (1994) Book of Rosemary (1994) Book of Thyme (1994) Book of Chilli (1994) Book of Garlic (1994) Book of Parsley (1994) Book of Basil (1994) Jackie French's Guide to Companion Planting in Australia and New Zealand (1994) Switch! A Book of Home-Made Power, Water, and Garbage Systems (1994) Household Self Sufficiency (1994) New Plants from Old (1994) Back Yard Self Sufficiency (1995) The Organic Garden Problem Solver (1995) Plants That Never Say Die (1995) Soil Food: 3,764 Ways to Feed Your Garden (1995) Jackie French's Top Ten Vegetables (1995) Jackie French's Cook Book (1995) The Pumpkin Book (1996) Yates Guide to Edible Gardening (1996) Growing Flowers Naturally (1996) Making Money from Your Garden (1997) Yates Guide to Herbs (1998) Jackie French's Household Herb Book (1998) Natural Solutions (1999) The Best of Jackie French: A Practical Guide to Everything from Aphids to Zuchinni Chocolate Cake (2000) The House That Jackie Built (2001) Earthly Delights (2001) New Plants from Old: Simple, Natural, No-Cost Plant Propagation (2007) The Wilderness Garden: Beyond Organic Gardening (2007) The Earth Gardener's Companion (2009) ...Phew!

Great post! +1 for Commonwealth. They certainly run rings around the other bank I opened an account with before moving out. Here in Sydney they also have loads of ATMs and branches, and the banking app on iPhone is very good too. Not strictly true. ATO says it's optional. But if you want to pay the right amount of tax (assuming you earn enough), it's recommended ;-) In NSW it's 2 weeks in advance. Unlike in the UK, the bond (deposit) is paid to an independent body, the Rental Bond Board, so you don't have to worry so much about the landlord withholding a chunk of it without good reason. I was told that you have to have money orders or bank cheques to pay both of these (cash not allowed), so this means you need to get your bank account sorted well before moving into your rental. True, but then again being a single person with no kids and no pets trumps the locals who do. It seems to help if you can come up with any kind of references to prove you are who you say are, and if you can show that you can keep up with the rent.

If you're currently earning in the UK and have a good credit history what's to stop you getting a loan there and transferring the sum to Oz? You could transfer money back each month for the repayments.

Google maps can also help... if you search for the address of the place you're interested in, click on directions and then put in your work address it will show you routes and travel times by car, public transport, walking and cycling. I've found it to be pretty accurate. There's also the journey planner on Transport NSW as Marisa already mentioned.

Oh and there's an interactive guide to what vegetables you should plant, and when, here: http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/vegieguide/

Any other keen gardeners out there? I'm just about to move into my first house in Sydney, and although it only has a small yard I can't wait to get stuck into some growing. Even though it's, erm, Autumn now that we're almost into April. (Still trying to re-wire my brain on that one!) Anyway I've been enjoying watching ABC's "Gardening Australia" to give me an idea of what people grow here in Aus. It's a bit like Gardeners' World in the UK, with reporters from the various different climates around Aus. You can download and watch the archive of episodes going back 1 year here: http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/video/download.htm I think this is probably accessible from anywhere, unlike BBC iPlayer's restrictions.

Whether you work or not, you don't have to have one. https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Tax-file-number/Applying-for-a-TFN/ It’s not compulsory to have a TFN, but if you don’t have one you may have more tax withheld than you need to, or you may not be able to receive certain government benefits.