So You're Moving To... - Recently Updated Pages

Setting Up a Bank Account in the UK

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:16:00 CDT

Setting up a bank account in the UK as a foreigner is quite a "special" experience. As you've probably already realised, the minute you leave your home country, all the ID you have in your wallet is suddenly null and void... and what's the first thing they ask for when you want to open a bank account? You guessed it - ID.

Anyway, as a minimum you'll typically need one photographic form of ID and something that will prove your address. So, a utility bill (like a phone bill, gas bill, etc.) or a letter from your employer saying you're employed with them and residing wherever your address is. It's worth noting that generally they're not too keen on mobile / cell phone bills. This is mostly because they think they're riskier (with a utility bill it's a service for your house, whereas a mobile is just that - mobile).

British Visas and Passports

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:07:45 CDT

This page has been entered here in order to help block out the navigational elements for the SYMT wiki. Whoever added it doesn't know enough about the topic indicated by the heading, or didn't have the time when creating it to add the detail that belongs here.

If you know a bit about this area, please share!

You can contribute to this wiki by becoming a wetpaint member and clicking the easy edit button shown above (only visible when you're logged in).

Thanks in advance for your help!

Shipping to the UK

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:07:15 CDT

Sales Tax in the UK

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:06:32 CDT

UK-wide info

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:06:06 CDT

Your Bristol Home

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:05:41 CDT

Setting Up a Bank Account in Australia

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:05:28 CDT

Finding a Job in Melbourne

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:03:18 CDT

In addition to traditional recruitment agencies and newspapers such as The Age a great place to look for work is online. Popular sites include:

www.mycareer.com.au
www.seek.com.au
www.monster.com.au

Also, for a full-service online recruitment agency, try www.jobs.com.au.

There are also an increasing number of specialist jobseeker sites such as: Accounting Jobs and Marketing Jobs which are run by the Job Portals Network.

Finding a Car in Melbourne

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:59:49 CDT

In addition to all the caryards in Melbourne, a very popular way to look for cars (any auto, actually!) is to look online. This can be a really efficient way of doing things, as you can look all over the city without leaving your desk (but we hardly need to sell the virtues of the Internet here now, do we?) The most popular websites (in order of popularity!) include:

www.carsales.com.au
www.carpoint.com.au
www.drive.com.au
www.carsguide.com.au

If you're selling your car or just want to make sure you're getting a good deal / want to know what's reasonable, Red Book can be a good place to look. Red Book provides you with an approximate value of a car based on its age, kms and so forth.

When you sell a car in Victoria, you must sell it with a Road Worthy Certificate (RWC). This costs about $77 plus the cost of anything that needs fixing to make the car "roadworthy", which might be anything from a blown lightglobe on your dashboard or a new set of brake pads to a new windscreen or wheels. The RWC only lasts 30 days from the time it was purchased however, so the car isn't sold within 30 days it will need to be renewed accordingly. It's definitely worthwhile shopping around for a RWC as different mechanics will pick up different things that need doing and the cost as such, can vary greatly.

Particularly when buying privately it can be a good idea to get a RACV vehicle inspection done. Yes, it costs money but it's worth it for the peace of mind.

Once you've bought your wheels, you'll need to get the registration transferred into your name. For this, you'll need the RWC plus evidence of ownership and appropriate identity. Vic Roads (the government body in victoria that looks after this stuff) has outlined the process for transferring registration of a light vehicle.

Finding a Home in Melbourne

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:58:39 CDT

In addition to the typical estate agencies, looking for a home online (whether you're buying or selling) can be a great way to get a lot of information about house prices in particular areas, as well as finding homes to look at. Popular sites include:

www.realestate.com.au
www.justlisted.com.au
www.domain.com.au

RP Data can provide you with a free, brief suburb report about the area you're thinking of moving to. Here is an example of part of a report for Clifton Hill:

The size of Clifton Hill is approximately 2 km². It has 4 parks covering nearly 26% of the total area. There are 2 schools located in Clifton Hill. The population of Clifton Hill in 2001 was 5,129 people. The predominant age group in Clifton Hill is 30 - 39 years.

Households in Clifton Hill are primarily couples with children and are likely to be repaying over $2000.00 per month on mortgage repayments. In 2001, 56% of the homes in Clifton Hill were owner-occupied. Currently the median sale price of houses in the area is $515,000.

You'll also get more information in graphical form.

If you're buying your house or don't mind paying a bit, RP Data will also provide a range of more detailed reports for a fee.

eChoice Home Loans offer some great tips for choosing a suburb.

Finally, the Australia Bureau of Statistics has all sorts of interesting data by suburb too, which is worth a look if you're flying blind! An example of an ABS report on a region.

Household Services in Melbourne

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:57:58 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Day to Day in Melbourne

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:47:49 CDT

Day to Day in Bristol

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:45:07 CDT

Getting Set Up in Bristol

MadameStuff — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:44:17 CDT

Melbourne Mechanics

MsBroke — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 00:06:08 CDT

Mechanics are funny things, you tend to choose them based on convenience rather that quality or price... the easiest way to find a good one is to ask someone at work or in your neighbourhood where they get theirs done.

Failing that, use the comments below to recommend a great mechanic or out a terrible one. Over time, we can try and collate the results of the comments field into this section for easy reference. If you can provide as many details as possible, this will help with putting it all together later.

Driving in Melbourne

MadameStuff — Wed, 30 May 2007 20:27:59 CDT

If you're new to a city, driving around can be made a lot easier by buying a GPS unit. You can find these in personal electrical stores such as Dick Smith Electronics. If this isn't in your budget, you'll need a copy of the UBD or Melways which are physical street directories.

Melbourne has a highly refined toll system operating called Citylink. On many roads, there are no physical tollbooths at all, so it is important to purchase an etag to get around if travelling by car / motorbike / etc. Once you've set up your etag account and linked it to your credit card or bank account, the toll amounts will be automatically deducted at an interval that you set (eg. monthly).

If you are a driver or motorcyclist who has moved to Victoria from another Australian State or Territory, or from another country you will need to make arrangements with VicRoads to get a Victorian licence.

You can use your existing interstate licence for up to 3 months after which time you will have to change it over to a Victorian licence to continue to drive or ride in the state. If you have an overseas licence, it depends on the type of visa you hold (permanent or temporary) as to how long you can drive or ride in Victoria.

This section explains the rules about driving in Victoria and the requirements to change your licence over to a Victorian Licence.

Melbourne Medical

MadameStuff — Wed, 30 May 2007 01:58:24 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Australia-wide Info

MadameStuff — Wed, 30 May 2007 01:46:06 CDT

This section of the SYMT wiki is designed to house information about Australia that is country, and not state, specific. This includes things like personal tax, GST and federal elections.

As always, please add anything you feel is missing!

Dating and Meeting in Melbourne

MadameStuff — Wed, 30 May 2007 01:44:58 CDT

Melbourne

MadameStuff — Wed, 30 May 2007 01:42:48 CDT

Melbourne City is located on the South East coast of Australia (for the geographers amongst us, that's Latitude 37° 52' South and Longitude 145° 08' East). Known for its cultural events such as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and widely regarded as the most fashionable city in the country, Melbourne can give you a lot of reasons to want to live here!

Melbourne is UTC/GMT +10 hours and observes daylight savings.

The picture to the left is taken of the Docklands and Crown precinct on the south side of the city.