UK Couple moving to Sydney Jan 2011 - Any Advice? (please)

I have some advice about bank accounts, but it might not apply to your bank but just check. Basically, you need to be aware that you might not be able to transfer all of your money from your own account to the oz one you create in one go very easily. In order to do this, I need to open an Australian account, then send a letter back to my branch in Glasgow, with my signature on it, saying 'please transfer all my money'. If you don't do that, you might have to transfer the money by taking as much as you can from a cashline each day and depositing it, which is both time-consuming and not very safe!!

Hi AndrewMarilyn

I have just moved to Sydney on a 457 and have been here for a month from the UK, some advise for you. get 3/4 quotes from shipping companies for moving your furniture/possessions, most of the shipping companies offered to put me in touch with a bank to set up accounts befor you leave and the banks do offer money transfer services (shop around and do your homework on which bank you want to use) they are all pretty easy to deal with. allow yourself a month to find a house as the realestate agents are slightly different here. Give yourself time to find a house before you start work as you will have to go to house viewings during working hours. Apparently Medicare has a reciprocal agreement with the NHS I am going to register this weekend so will be able to let you know how that goes next week. Make sure you take work contract with you (have a couple of copies) when you look for a house. Chatswood is on the Northline and is easy to get to from any station on the northline (commute from Hornsby took me 25mins by train)
I apparently cannot get a mobile phone contract for 3 months because I am on a 457 but the prepaid is reasonable, they also have lebara here for calls back to the UK (5c/min roughly)

as for furniture we brought everything with us as we couldn't replace our stuff for less than what it would take to ship it (we lived in a 2 bed Apartment which was around 800 cubic ft of stuff to ship)

I hope this helps let me know if I can provide any other info

Regards,
Lance