One of the initial things that you should do upon arrival to Australia is set up a bank account. Choosing an Australian bank may feel like a big decision. However, the main banks in Australia are largely similar. So it is unlikely that you will go terribly wrong. If you have taken steps ahead of time, then you should only need to pop into your bank branch to finish the process. It is important to get a bank account set up as soon as possible because after the first six weeks you will be required to show more identification (Like a utility bill), which you may not have as a traveller. A few things to consider when choosing a bank:

• Bank fees
• ATM availability

Australia has four main banks: Commonwealth, ANZ, Westpac, National Australian Bank (NAB). There are a few others but these are generally the most commonly used. Commonwealth Bank and ANZ have plenty of nationwide ATMs, making getting cash out simple.

The Australian Banks Explained:

Commonwealth Bank:

• Has no monthly fees for the first year if you set your account up online.
• One of the biggest banks in Australia, meaning plenty of ATMs.
• No Australian address is required.

ANZ Bank:

• No monthly fees in the first year.
• A larger bank so there are ATMS around.

Westpac Bank:

• No monthly fees for the first year.
• No Australian address is required.

National Australian Bank (NAB):

• No monthly fees.
• Can be set up ahead of time.

As you can see, the banks are fairly comparable. There is not a right answer to which bank is best for you. It comes down to what your plans are for your trip. If you plan on spending a lot time travelling throughout the entire country then Commonwealth may be best for you. If you plan on sticking to the major city hubs than one of the other big four may work well for you. Research the four banks. Find which bank fees you are comfortable with. Or, decide where you plan to spend most of your time. Read over the above links and see if anything in particular stands out for you.

Once you have decided which bank works best for you, apply online. you will eventually have to go into a bank branch to finalize everything.

For this you will need:

• Passport
• SIN
• Australian address- such as hostel

Which Australian bank did we choose?

We went with the Commonwealth bank as it is reputed to have a vast number of ATMs spread out through the country. We planned to do a lot of travelling around Australia so this was an important factor for us. The bank fees were minimal, which is an added bonus. Finally, we chose Commonwealth as I was able to set up our bank account online ahead of time. This allowed us to receive transfer information if we wanted to transfer money from our Canadian banks beforehand. It also ensured that our personal cards were delivered to our home branch before our arrival. This made setting up our accounts a breeze.

Bonus Tip: Westpac and Scotiabank are linked so that you can pull out cash from a Westpac ATM without receiving ATM fees (Scotiabank may still charge you though).

What about you? Which bank did you choose? Leave your answers in the comments.

Before we talk about your phone plan you should know that this page may contain affiliates. However, I will never recommend resources which I do not find helpful or useful to myself. For more information on what this means please see my Disclaimers and Policies page. 

One of the first things to do in Australia, is to get a phone plan set up. Australia is home to three main phone companies: Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone. One of the things that shocked me about phone plans in Australia is the amount of data that is offered for the low prices. Getting a phone plan set up ASAP is a very useful tool in getting oriented to a new city. You will be less dependent on finding a WIFI connection to get your bearings and access maps.

If you are coming from Canada, you will find that there are differences in coverage between companies, which does not happen as often at home. The cellphone towers In Australia are not mutually used by all the companies (As they are in Canada). This lends to differences in coverage. The coverage also varies between regions. For example, Vodafone’s coverage is limited predominately to the East coast of Australia. But, this would be less of a problem if you planned to spend a year in Sydney.

The Three Main Phone Companies Explained:

1. Telstra: Telstra is often declared expensive amongst locals; however, they are also reputed to have the best phone coverage in rural areas. If your time Australia includes plans to frequent smaller communities or long driving distances, then Telstra may be your best bet.
2. Optus: Optus is regarded as being the second-best phone company in Australia. The plans that they offer are indeed cheaper than Telstra. The only catch is that you may not have the best coverage. If your plan is to stick to the cities then coverage may not be as vital to you.
3. Vodafone: Vodafone offers cheap plans with limited coverage.

If you know which areas you will mostly be travelling in than consulting a coverage map may provide some guidance on which phone company is right for you. In general, these three phone companies will tend to have service in major cities. The differences lay in rural coverage.

Once you have selected a phone company based on your needs and budgets, you can pop into most malls and you will find kiosks or stores dedicated to the various phone companies. We were required to provide our Working Holiday Visa information as part of the sign-up process. Since, you will likely not have Australian credit, you may be asked to provide a deposit. This goes towards your future bills. We were asked about our at home employment, my significant other was approved; however, my imaginary credit was not. This meant that we had to go on a joint phone plan. All of these companies offered one-year contracts. Plus, the option to bring your own phone (Since you should have had it unlocked before you left…).

Which phone company did we choose?

My significant other and I planned on purchasing a van and spending the majority of our time on the road. Our combined phone bill is roughly $120, and provides a joint total of 90 GB of data. In other words, more data than I could ever hope to use for roughly the same price as my monthly phone bill in Canada (And that is my phone bill alone, not even including my significant other!). Given how much we pay in Canada, we found the Telstra price less shocking and found piece of mind in the idea of having more data and better coverage. Our travel companions did select Optus and we have noticed a few places where the coverage does not compare. In the end though, it is up to you and your needs.

Let’s turn this debate to you! Which phone plan do you use in Australia and how do you find the coverage? Any unanswered questions? Let’s hear them.

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Before we talk about what you should do if you’ve just moved to Australia, you should know that this page may contain affiliates. However, I will never recommend resources which I do not find helpful or useful to myself. For more information on what this means please see my Disclaimers and Policies page. 

When you first arrive in Australia, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed. That’s understandable, you have just moved across the world. But it is normal to just feel plain excited and want to get out and explore. As you should. Arriving in a new country is thrilling!  But at some point, in the early stages of arrival, set aside a day to do a few practical things.  This will help get your year off on the right foot. These are quick and simple but nonetheless important.

The First Steps After You Have Moved

1. Get an Aussie Sim Card: Australia has three main phone companies (Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone) with some noteworthy differences between each of them. These differences relate to cellphone service and price. Choosing the best phone company for you involves a bit of research and a rough plan for your year.
2. Pick Up Your Bank Card: If you set up your bank account before you left, then upon arrival you should just have to head into the bank to finalize the process and pick up your card. Since we did ours ahead of time with Commonwealth Bank, our cards were ready for pick up right away. All we had to do was bring our passports, Canadian Social Insurance Numbers and our hotel address. Once your bank account is established, you can begin transferring money over.
3. Set Up Your Australian Tax File Number: If you plan on working during your Working Holiday Visa, you will need a Tax File Number. This is the equivalent to a Canadian SIN number and required for payment. A travel companion did not do this and found herself unable to receive a pay check until after more than a few weeks of work had passed.
4. Line up some long term accommodations: Hopefully, you have planned out where you still stay for the first few weeks. But, if you plan on remaining in the city you landed in for awhile, make sure you have a place to stay that you can stand. Airbnb has provided us with nice long-term options (Sometimes they offer a discount for longer stays too). Other options for finding accommodations include: hostels, Facebook groups travellers in Australia, and Gumtree.

A possible fifth step is to consider if you want to do a second year visa. If I could do things differently, I would have done my farm work immediately to get it out of the way. It can be harder to do later, or you may feel more rushed for time (Like I do right now).

In any case, most importantly, enjoy yourself! You are here for an incredible opportunity. Congratulations, you have moved onto the next chapter of your life.

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