Just Landed in Australia? Your First 7 Days

Mobile coverage is excellent across the cities and along the populated coast but drops off quickly in the outback and on inland highways, where only Telstra reliably works. Prepaid SIMs are cheap, sold in supermarkets, post offices and airports, and activated online with your passport. Home internet runs on the NBN (National Broadband Network); plans from Telstra, Aussie Broadband, TPG and Superloop typically cost AUD 70 to 100 a month.

Typical cost: AUD 25 to 45 per month for a prepaid plan with 30 to 100GB of data

Australia is almost entirely cashless: contactless cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay are accepted nearly everywhere, including buses, trains and market stalls. Carrying more than AUD 50 in cash is rarely necessary, and many small venues no longer accept cash at all. Be aware that card surcharges of roughly 1 to 2 percent are increasingly common, and the government has flagged tightening the rules around them.

Opening an account: The Big Four are Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, ANZ and NAB, all of which let you open an account with a passport and visa, often before you arrive, then verify ID in-branch. App-based banks like Up, ING and Macquarie are popular with newcomers for their low fees, strong apps and no-fee overseas card transactions, which matter while you still have money abroad. Wise and Revolut are widely used for cheap international transfers.

Cash: Cash is optional and declining fast. Some small cafes, tradespeople, food trucks and weekend markets still prefer or require it, and a few venues add a card surcharge, so keep AUD 20 to 50 on hand. ATMs are easy to find, but avoid standalone non-bank machines that charge access fees of AUD 2.50 or more.

Tipping: Tipping is not expected and is not built into wages, which are relatively high thanks to a strong minimum wage. Rounding up or leaving around 10 percent for exceptional restaurant service is appreciated but never obligatory, and no one will chase you for it. Cafes, taxis and bars carry no tipping expectation at all.

Australia has no residents' registration or address-registration system, so you never report your address to a town hall or police as you might in Europe. Your equivalent first tasks are administrative: apply for a Tax File Number (TFN) online through the ATO so your income and bank interest are not taxed at the top marginal rate, set up a myGov account to access government services, and enrol in Medicare if your visa or a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement grants access. Keep your address current with your bank, the ATO and the Department of Home Affairs.

Where: Tax File Number via the Australian Taxation Office (ato.gov.au); Medicare via Services Australia (servicesaustralia.gov.au) or a Services Australia service centre; government services via myGov (my.gov.au)

Cities run on tap-and-go contactless smartcards: Opal in Sydney, Myki in Melbourne, Go card in Brisbane, Metrocard in Adelaide and SmartRider in Perth. On most networks you can now tap on directly with a contactless bank card or phone rather than buying the card, and daily and weekly fare caps keep regular commuting affordable. Public transport is reliable and frequent in the inner cities but sparse in outer suburbs and country towns, where a car quickly becomes essential; petrol runs roughly AUD 1.80 to 2.20 a litre.

From the airport: Sydney: Airport Link train to the CBD in about 15 minutes, tapping on with a contactless card (a station access fee applies). Melbourne: SkyBus coach to Southern Cross Station roughly every 10 minutes, or the newer airport rail once open. Brisbane: Airtrain to the CBD in about 20 minutes. Perth: Airport Line train to the city. Uber, DiDi and Ola operate at all major airports from signed rideshare pickup zones.

Renting is competitive and moves fast, especially in Sydney and Melbourne, where vacancy rates are low and dozens of applicants can chase one property. Listings live on Domain and realestate.com.au, and you apply through agents, usually via the 2Apply or Snug online platforms, so prepare a complete application pack with ID, payslips or proof of funds and references before you start inspecting. Share houses advertised on Flatmates.com.au and city-specific Facebook groups are the fastest way to land a room without a rental history.

Typical rent: AUD 500 to 800 per week for a one-bedroom flat in a major city (higher in inner Sydney); a room in a share house runs AUD 250 to 450 per week

Deposit norm: A bond of four weeks' rent, lodged with the state bond authority (for example NSW Fair Trading's Rental Bonds Online, or the RTBA in Victoria) rather than held by the agent, plus two to four weeks' rent in advance

Australia's public system, Medicare, covers citizens, permanent residents and nationals of countries with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement, including the UK, New Zealand, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands and several other EU states. Care is high quality, and public emergency departments treat everyone regardless of visa or insurance status. General practice is your first point of contact for most issues, and a Medicare card unlocks subsidised visits and cheaper prescriptions through the PBS.

How to access it: Enrol for a Medicare card at a Services Australia service centre or through myGov, then register with a bulk-billing GP clinic to avoid out-of-pocket fees, though fully bulk-billed clinics are becoming harder to find and many now charge a gap. Book GP appointments via HotDoc or the clinic directly; for urgent but non-emergency care use an urgent care clinic or call the free 24-hour Healthdirect line on 1800 022 222. For emergencies, go to a public hospital or call 000.

Insurance: Temporary and skilled visa holders usually need private health insurance, either Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) or, for students, Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), and many 482 work and student visas legally require it for the visa's duration. Bupa, Medibank, nib and Allianz are the main providers. Even Medicare-eligible residents often take out private hospital cover to avoid the Medicare Levy Surcharge if they earn above the income threshold.

• Australians are informal: use first names quickly, and in a taxi or rideshare it is normal and friendly to sit in the front passenger seat when travelling alone.
• Punctuality matters for work and appointments, but social events and barbecues are relaxed about timing, and arriving a little after the stated start is fine.
• Shout your round at the pub; taking turns buying drinks for the whole group is an important social ritual, and skipping your turn is noticed.
• Say hello and thank the bus driver as you get off, and greet shop staff; a laid-back, egalitarian friendliness is the default register.
• Bring something to a barbecue or gathering, typically your own drinks or a plate of food to share ('bring a plate' means bring food, not an empty plate).
• Value modesty over self-promotion; talking yourself up too much can trigger 'tall poppy' pushback, whereas self-deprecation goes down well.
• Respect Indigenous culture: many events open with an Acknowledgement of Country or Welcome to Country, which is a genuine mark of respect, not a formality.

• The sun and surf are genuinely hazardous. Always swim between the red-and-yellow flags at patrolled beaches, respect rip currents, and never swim alone at unpatrolled beaches.
• Never drink and drive: random breath testing is common and the legal limit is a strict 0.05 blood alcohol, with heavy penalties and instant licence loss.
• Sarcasm and gentle mockery ('taking the piss') are signs of affection, not insults, and failing to banter back can read as cold or standoffish.
• Alcohol is sold only in licensed bottle shops and pubs, not in most supermarkets, and closing times are often earlier than newcomers expect.
• Bushfire and extreme-heat seasons are real risks in summer; know your area's fire danger rating and never assume the wildlife is more dangerous than the heat and water.