How to arrive and

Obtaining an Australian driver’s licence

Getting a driver’s licence in Australia is much like getting one in the United States of America in that Australian states and territory governments issue licences. You may be required to take and pass all or some of a knowledge test, a road test and an optical test. If you have a driver's licence from another country, in English or with an official translation, you are allowed to drive for your first three months as a resident in Australia. After these three months, if you want to drive, you will need to have the appropriate local driver's licence. To get one you will usually need to pass a knowledge test, a practical driving test, and an eyesight test. In Australia, drivers' licences are issued by state and territory governments.

Below is some information for all the states on what is required when getting your new driving licence and where to get it.
New South Wales

After arriving in Australia you are allowed to drive in NSW for a maximum of 3 months with a driving licence from overseas.

To get a licence in NSW you have to be aged 17 or over. To get your new licence you will have to:

- Show your licence to a RTA Motor Registry

- Give proof of your address in NSW

- Give proof of your identity

- Pass an eyesight test

If you are only applying for a car licence and hold a current driving licence you will not have to sit a practical driving test or knowledge test if you have an UK licence.

Queensland

You can drive with your current driving licence for three months after becoming resident in Queensland or getting a permanent visa.

You have to go to a Queensland Transport Service Centre in order to get a Queensland driver’s licence.

To get your new licence you will have to:

- Show your overseas driving licence

- Bring proof of identity

- Pass a written test on Queensland road rules

You might also have to:

- Pass an eyesight test

- Get a doctor to complete a form which states that you are medically fit to drive.

- Pass a practical driving test


Tasmania

You can drive in Tasmania for three month on your current overseas passport. When this time is up you can apply for an extension or get a new licence. You must be 17 years old or over to drive in Tasmania. To get your new licence you will have to:

- Give full evidence of identity, e.g. Birth Certificate, Medicare card

- Have your overseas driving licence

- Fill out an application form

- Pass a practical driving test

- Pass a knowledge test of Tasmanian road rules

- Get your photo taken and give your signature.

Western Australia (WA)

You can drive in WA for 12 months on your current licence after which you then have to get a new one.

You can apply for your driving licence transfer at any licensing centre. To get your new licence you must:

- Provide your current overseas licence

- Provide proof that you live in Western Australia

- Provide proof of identity e.g. Passport

- Sit a written test. This is about WA road rules. It is out of 30 marks and you need 24 to pass.
Victoria

You must be aged 18 or over to drive in Victoria.

You can drive in Victoria for three months after you arrive with your overseas licence. After that time you have to get a new one at a Victoria roads customer service centre. To get your new licence you must:

- Take your overseas driving licence

- Show proof of identity

- Pay the licence fee

Southern Australia

You must be aged 17 or over to drive in Southern Australia

To get a driving licence in Southern Australia you have to go to a Customer service centre and provide the following:

- Your overseas driving licence

- Proof of identity, address, age and your signature

- Pass a written test and pay for it

- Medical certificate

If you have already passed your practical driving test in the UK you don’t have to sit it again in SA.

Northern Territory

To drive in the Northern Territory you must be 17 years old or over.

When getting your new driving licence you will have to show proof of your:

- Identity

- Proof that you live in the Northern Territory

- Your current licence

- Proof that your licence is still valid and that you haven’t been banned from driving.

Australian motoring organisations

AANT (Automobile Association of the Northern Territory), 79-81 Smith Street, Darwin, NT 0800 (Tel: [phone]).


RACQ (Royal Automobile Club of Queensland), GPO Bldg, 261 Queen Street, Brisbane, Qld 4000 (Tel: [phone]; www.racq.com.au).


RACT (Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania), Corner Patrick and Murray Streets, Hobart Tas 7001 (Tel: [phone]; www.ract.com.au).


RACV (Royal Automobile Club of Victoria), 422 Lt. Collins Street, Melbourne, Vie 3000 (Tel: [phone]; www.racv.com.au).


RACWA (Royal Automobile Club of Western Australia Inc.), 228 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, WA 6839 (Tel: [phone]); www.rac.com.au).


NRMA (National Roads and Motorists Association), 151 Clarence Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 (Tel: [phone]; www.nrma.com.au). Signing up for the NRMA in New South Wales will give you Australia-wide cover via a reciprocal agreement with the other state organisations. The NRMA also provide free road maps for every state at A$ 6 for non-members).

- Chapter 5 -

Finding A Permanent Home in Australia

How to Decide Where to Live
Where to live is a function of your personal circumstances. It comes down to what you will accept, what you can afford, where you work, when you work, what transport you require and how long you want to stay. Schooling for children might also be needed. If you're single, a couple or a family with children also plays a large part in this decision. Deciding where to live is not an easy matter to deal with and nor is it speedily resolved in most cases.
The longer you want to stay creates more options for you. Short-term accommodation is relatively easy to come by, but will be in two extremes - very nice or very horrible. The latter is cheap and is anything from dingy hostels, crowding in with friends or family (an emotional "horrible"), sharing with strangers or to sleeping on the streets. "Nice" would be expensive and encompasses hotels, B&Bs or serviced flats.
Longer-term accommodation takes longer to secure for a variety of reasons. Once people find a nice place to stay, they hold on to it for as long as possible. In Australia people change jobs far more frequently than they do changing homes. The process of signing up to a new lease can be lengthy too. The quality of accommodation in an area can vary greatly, so many viewings of properties are called for. Expect to see at least a dozen places before finding a place you will sign up to.
If you have a permanent position workwise you will most likely work at the same location on a daily basis. You can then look for the most suitable way of commuting to work. The cost and time involved in commuting must then be considered. This in itself is a function of what you earn. If you earn at least an average salary, you can afford more in the way of transport. Lower-wage workers can't afford to lay out a few hundred Dollars a month on commuting in from outside a city. The best way to get to work usually involves having your own personal car because it is the quickest way. Travelling the same distance with public transport will take several times longer. Don’t forget to factor in the cost of parking your car for the day at work.
INSIDER INFO: Toll roads are becoming increasingly common in the larger Australian cities. If you can’t avoid these then their cost must be taken in to account too. Scout out your routes to work by car and not just on a map – there may be some surprises.
If you believe your place of work will change on a regular basis, then having access to several transport options or having your own car is highly recommended. This will allow you to take up most job offers simply because you're able to get to the employer. Some employers struggle to retain staff because their premises are inaccessible transport-wise for their staff. In the major Australian cities having a few train stations and bus routes nearby is desirable. You can always catch a bus or drive to to your nearest train station, from where you can then be whisked around a city. Paying a few Dollars extra a week in rent just to have good transport links is always a good move. This is especially so if you are paid by the hour because you can work longer hours, thus earning more, and can still spend less time commuting. This same logic applies anywhere in Australia. Having your own car greatly improves your employment prospects.
What you can afford to pay for your accommodation is obviously a function of what you earn or what you can reasonably expect to earn. Rather take something you can easily afford because you can always move when you've got more money in the bank. By then you will know more about what suits you best for your new lifestyle. Any place you live in can fall victim to your changing tastes in décor and fashion. Living in a city like Sydney or Melbourne can do that to you.
What you will find an acceptable dwelling will most likely be clouded by what you remember of your previous home. It will be easy to subconsciously compare what is before you to intangible memories. The state of the exterior of some buildings on the rental market may put you off. Don't be superficially judgmental. Go inside to see what is in there. You will have gone all that way and could miss out on a hidden gem. The Australians choose to spend more of their money on the inside of their homes than on the outside. It makes sense because that is where you spend the most of your time. Don't forget that the Australia climate may experience more extreme Summer temperatures than what you're used to, which means a more weathered exterior to most buildings. Only new buildings tend to look good on the outside, but what will they look like in 30 years time?
Naturally your personal circumstances play a large role too. If you are a single person, it is always an option to share a house or flat, or even a room with a few other people. It is not bad for the social life and kind on the wallet. A couple will find sharing on a long-term basis much harder and so will be slightly more limited in their accommodation options. A family is probably the hardest to accommodate since their needs are more specific. They have to consider their children's needs first and this can be an expensive proposition. The better schools are found outside the cities or on their peripheries, so this entails higher transport costs immediately. Living outside the cities and away from large transport networks almost always translates in to a need for a car. This drives costs up too.

The Rental Market
It is easier and quicker to rent accommodation than it is to buy it. That does not mean it is easy though. It is just easier than buying. In the long term it is usually cheaper to buy than to rent. However, with very high property prices in certain parts of Australia, it takes some time of earning your money locally before being able to buy your own property.
Rental property tends to be more expensive in Sydney or Melbourne, their immediate surrounding areas and the other major cities. The reason for this is that these areas are where the most jobs are to be found, especially the higher paying ones.
INSIDER INFO: The area in which the property is located largely determines rent.
Rental accommodation is traditionally found through letting agents or estate agents. These agents earn a commission on the rent paid and are responsible for dealing with any maintenance issues. Lately property owners are advertising their properties themselves through the Internet or in local newspapers. By doing this, they have to deal with all the issues an agent would, but keep more of the rent money.
Rental contracts (or leases) are usually for a minimum of six months to a year. Every landlord will insist on a minimum period of tenure since they want a secure income on their property. A year is the norm. Shorter leases will usually mean a higher rental rate. Rental properties are usually unfurnished.
The best scenario in renting property for all parties involved is one of mutual respect. A good tenant would be wise to not annoy their landlord. A good landlord always wants good tenants. With time a good relationship comes to be, to mutual benefit of all. Many landlords forego rent increases when a lease is up for renewal, just because they have hassle-free tenants. A troublesome tenant always attracts rent increases because they're more bother, more maintenance-intensive and may be damaging the property in some way.
INSIDER INFO: Vary rarely are utilities such as gas, water and electricity included in the rent.
The majority of accommodation is let unfurnished. Immigrants can therefore either import their own furniture, buy what they require in Australia, or alternatively even rent furniture. A wide variety of furniture suitable for the climate can be bought throughout Australia and second-hand furniture is also available.

Renting a furniture package consisting of two sofas, two armchairs, a double bed, a double wardrobe, and a table with four chairs will cost in the region of A$200 per week or around A$10 000 per annum if a long contract is taken out. To purchase a similar package would cost in the region of A$5 000, but the furniture will be a better quality and more to your taste.

Allow three to four weeks at least to find a suitable property to rent. It takes time to find something to your liking at a price you can afford, especially when you're keeping a constant eye on your budget. It takes even longer when you're working and trying to find a place to live in your free time. Nevertheless, don't agree to taking a property just because it is available and you cannot be bothered to look any more – you will only regret it. Make the effort to find a place you will be happy to hand your hard-earned money over for, otherwise you will always feel cheated and it will not feel like a home to you.
If you're shipping goods over, make sure to take measurements of any property that you're considering renting. Your furniture has to fit, otherwise the excess will have to be sold. You may want to use a serviced flat or house, instead of a hotel, for the period before your shipment arrives. This works out cheaper and nicer than a hotel room. Fully furnished accommodation is available to rent for as short a period as a week, but comes at a price, usually starting at about A$500 a week. It also buys you time to find suitable accommodation without having to worry about where you will be sleeping the next night. This is an expensive way of doing things though. Mostly people being relocated by their employers are able to take up this option.
To secure a property, you will need a ‘security bond’ (refundable deposit) plus a payment of several week's rent which has to be paid in advance. In most cases you will also be asked to provide two ‘references'.
Average rents range from $150 per week in Perth to $300 per week in Sydney. What that money buys you in each of those cities is very different and for good reason. Rents in inner city areas and desirable suburbs will be considerably more in all cities.
INSIDER INFO: If the references you provide do not satisfy an agent or landlord, you might want to contact your local Migrant Resource Centre for advice and assistance.

How to Find a Place to Live
There is no one way of finding a place to live that works everywhere all the time. The first thing you need to get is a street map of where you think you may live. This will save you time and hassle when looking for work and accommodation. Missing appointments is missing opportunities. This little map book will pay for itself several times over. Similar books are available for all the major towns and cities in Australia.
INSIDER INFO: Learn to keep your mapbook with you in the early days after arrival.
A very good idea is to visit some neighbourhoods and see whether you like what you see. Around most bus and train stations are high/main streets with a few estate agencies in attendance. Peer into their windows and perhaps have a chat with an agent. They should be able to present you with a list detailing all the properties that they have available and a brief description of each. Check in your mapbook where any property you're interested in is. Make sure it is close to a bus or train station.
INSIDER INFO: Do not forget to ask what fees the agency charges tenants.
Most letting agents will offer to take you to view a property you're interested in. If you have come by public transport, they will kindly offer to take you there in their car. It is quite acceptable and safe to do this, so accept gratefully. Once at the property, the agent may take you around the accommodation. The landlord may make an appearance too. Be sure to take your time and don't be led by the agent's or landlord's pace. Inspect the property twice, the second time in reverse order from what you first saw it in. Don't be shy about asking questions regarding the accommodation because this is business. They will not be shy about asking questions about you once you've said you're interested in the property.
INSIDER INFO: Most people know whether they like the property within a minute of entering it.
Only say you're interested in taking the property if you know the area and have seen your fill of other properties to know that you like what you've seen and want it. If you're not interested in the property, just say so and they will appreciate your honesty. Otherwise just say you need to think about it. If they try and force you to commit there and then, be highly suspicious. Being non-committal gives you the time to think it over, recall some of their answers to your questions when viewing and you will not come across as desperate.
The agent will offer to take you back to his office, which is logical, seeing as he is going there. If you're not interested in the property, then feel free to do so. You could of course walk around the neighbourhood if you like the area, perhaps spotting "To Let" signs and noting the agencies involved. If you are interested in the property, tell him you will meet him back at his office and you will make your own way there because you want to discuss or think things over. Use the opportunity to do your promised thinking or discussion with your partner. More importantly, this is your chance to scout the neighbourhood with one final look to see whether it is to your liking. Even more importantly this is your one and only chance to walk the distance to the nearest bus or train station. You will have to travel this route a few times a day if you take the property, so you better know what the local transport is like. Make your way from the property to the agent's office as a test of the local transport.
INSIDER INFO: Most agencies' windows have old lettings on display to encourage business. You have to go inside to talk to an agent to find out what they really have available.
Another way is visit the areas your friends and family stay in. Have them take you around their area and they should be able to give you some inside information on their neighbourhood. Just keep in mind how much you will be earning relative to them. Good friends will give you honest advice, more so than any agent would. It is also a nice idea to have friends close by. The reality may be different though. The same applies to asking colleagues at work about where they live. Don't assume that they earn what you do though.
There is of course the tried and tested practice of buying the local evening newspaper, especially the days when there is a property supplement. You have to be quick to find a great deal. In fact so quick, you can't wait for the newspaper to come out. By the time most adverts have appeared in the newspaper, the property is taken already by someone who visited the estate agency before the ad was run. If it is a weekly supplement with commensurate lead-time, there is a whole week other people could have got to the property before you. Don't count on the property section in the newspapers being a big help to you. Like with recruitment agents, treat it more as a way to come in to contact with agents dealing in what you're interested in. Occasionally you might get lucky, but the property may just sound great on the phone. There is no getting away from having to meet the agent at the property.
INSIDER INFO: Carry your chequebook or some cash (at least A$300) with you when viewing properties so that you can put down a deposit when you find a property you like. The equivalent of a weeks' rent is a good idea.
An increasingly popular way of finding suitable accommodation is through the Internet. It is only really helpful if you have identified the area (or town) that you're interested in. See if you can spot the property's postcode and then enter that in to an online map service to see where that property is. Some sites will only have the estate agents' address on it. Some good sites in this endeavour are: