Aussie Expat now living in Dallas, Texas

hello,
There is a social network, called Internations, that could ease the cultural adaptation to the US, in socializing with other expats.  There is a cost associated with becoming a member I think nowadays.. Each city's group varies in percentage of expats to local residents but it's a good start in some ways. 
There is also another network, called meetups, which sometimes target a special group/activity/theme and most are free.  It's easy to set up if you want to start your own.  The history behind the creation of Meetup is also an interesting topic.
Check with your Australian consulate (Houston has one) and find out also what groups are already in existence, that should speed things up in terms of connecting.
FYI: Houston holds an international Festival every spring (April) for which a country is voted on as the centerpoint for cultural activities and food.  It happens to be that in 2014 it's Australia. :-)
chantal

the social network mentioned first is internations.org,

Ive been to this festival many times. Always a good time. Its worth the four hour drive from Dallas.

G'day  , thanks for info on the Houston Festival in April. I'll definitely looking that up on the Net. I'm already a member on the meetups network and have had some contact through out the year . Contacting the Australian Consulate for information is also a good idea, thanks. I am aware of the other .org you mentioned but it seems to be more business focused and by invitation / acceptance only but something worth considering. I'm hoping to bring as much information together for myself and others. Thanks again