Moving to a new country is a big adventure, but the first month can feel overwhelming if the basics aren’t in place. For our family of six, we planned ahead to ensure our arrival in Australia would be smooth and stress free (at the least). We have been preparing for this big move since our visas were released last March this year. One of the first things we did was contact GAC I have made my separate review for GAC in Dubai if you wish to know the preparations, and the contact people to connect with who handled our shipments, ensuring our belongings were safe and carefully managed. Something I will highly recommend.

The process took nearly four months, from organising and clearing our things in Dubai to deciding what to keep, sell, or send back to our home country, the Philippines. For items we didn’t need immediately, we shipped some boxes home, sold others through marketplace or gave them to close family relatives and friends, and donated the majority. My biggest lesson from this experience is the importance of decluttering regularly preferably every six months, if possible. Even more than four months of preparation wasn’t quite enough, and doing smaller, consistent decluttering would have made the process much easier.

Since the flight from Dubai to Sydney is approximately 14 hours nonstop, we decided to book a flight with a stopover in Singapore. We planned it this way to give ourselves some breathing room, as traveling straight through with children can be quite overwhelming. The stopover allowed us time to refresh, stretch our legs, eat properly, and even explore the beautiful Changi Airport, which is incredibly family-friendly.

We booked our flight as soon as we received our visas, planning well in advance. We also took advantage of family discounts with Singapore Airlines and chose premium economy to have a bit more space. Traveling with children, having extra room makes a huge difference, and we came prepared with kid-friendly entertainment like iPads, headsets, drawing pads, coloring books, and more—trust me, you’ll definitely need these if you’re flying with kids.

We also packed important medications, which you just need to declare at customs upon arrival. For valuables like jewelry, I packed everything safely in our hand luggage, using small boxes to keep each child’s jewelry organized. Remember to declare anything valuable, as Australia has strict rules about what you can bring in, especially food. We avoided bringing food entirely—except for some Dubai chocolate, for which we kept the receipt just in case.

Finding Place to Stay

Since we moved through my husband’s work from Dubai, we were provided with a temporary place to stay, so we didn’t face any challenges in that regard. However, from our past travels, we’ve always preferred Airbnbs and Trip.com for short stays of a week or two, as we enjoy cooking our own meals. Australia is very open to rental options, and there are always plenty of choices available.

One key takeaway from our experience is that preparedness and thorough research are essential, especially since renting in Australia can be expensive and varies greatly depending on location. When choosing a place, we considered not just the apartment itself but also factors like transportation, proximity to grocery stores, play areas for the kids, and overall ease of navigation. Planning ahead made settling in much smoother and helped us feel at home quickly. Also, knowing exactly in advance where we’d be staying helped us plan our daily routines and gave the kids a sense of stability in a completely new environment.

Transportation in Australia is highly commendable. We used Opal cards to ensure seamless access to trains, buses, ferries, and more you can even pay using your smartphone at the stations. Opal cards were incredibly easy to use; we purchased them for adults, and for young children, there are student advantages as well. Navigating Sydney by train was smooth, and we didn’t face any challenges using public transports as our main way of getting around.

Getting Connected

One of the first things we did was arrange for SIM cards. Having mobile connectivity from day one made it much easier to coordinate with the moving company, manage banking tasks, and stay in touch with family back home. It also gave us peace of mind, knowing we could access maps, local services, and emergency contacts immediately. From my experience traveling to other countries, I’ve realized how important it is to be connected right away. While Wi-Fi and eSIM options are available, having a local Australian SIM made navigating day-to-day tasks—especially transactions that require OTPs much smoother.

We chose Vodafone and Telstra, two of the biggest telecom providers in Australia, both offering convenient and affordable data plans. Vodafone had more limited data options, but Telstra was especially family-friendly and very reliable, which we found ideal for our needs.

Setting Up Banking
Opening bank accounts before or immediately upon arrival simplified our financial life. It allowed us to receive funds, pay for rent, and handle daily expenses without delay. Doing this early gave us one less thing to worry about while we adjusted to our new surroundings.

It is highly recommended to open a local bank account once you arrive in Australia. This is one of the easiest ways to provide additional identification beyond your passports when doing various transactions. For our family, this was a top priority, as we needed to secure our relocation within just one month. Most landlords in Australia prefer bank transactions over cash, making it essential to have a local account.

Opening a local account also helps avoid international charges if you were to use your UAE bank, while still allowing you to manage transactions locally. For families moving to Australia, some of the top banks I recommend are:

NAB (National Australia Bank) – Great for everyday banking and online services.
Commonwealth Bank (CBA) – Excellent nationwide coverage and family-friendly.
Westpac – Reliable, with strong mobile banking and accessible branches.
ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Banking Group) – Ideal for expats and international banking needs.

Having a local bank account made managing our finances, paying rent, and handling everyday expenses much easier and stress-free during our first month.

International Driving License Conversation

Since we both still have our valid UAE licenses, we are allowed to drive in Australia under our visa for a maximum of six months. However, I highly recommend preparing before driving here, as there are significant differences from switching from left-hand drive to right-hand drive to learning new road rules. It definitely takes some adjustment.

It’s also important to note that the UAE is not on the list of countries eligible for a direct license conversion in Australia. This means you’ll need to go through the proper process to obtain a local license.

Here are the key steps we learned:

Book a driving lesson – This helps you get familiar with Australian road rules and right-hand driving.
Pass the Driver Knowledge Test (DKT) – A written test covering road rules and safe driving practices.
Book and take your driving test before your six-month driving allowance on your overseas license expires.

Make sure to research the exact steps for the state you’re moving to, as requirements vary across Australia. For us, living in New South Wales (NSW), all the details are available on the official Service NSW website: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/driver-and-rider-licences.

Next: I’ll be sharing how we found our new home in Australia, the step-by-step process we followed, and our journey in choosing the right school for the kids. 🏡📚

Pro Tip: Planning ahead for these essentials where you’ll stay, how you’ll stay connected, and how you’ll manage money as well as driving in Australia will takes away a lot of first-week stress. It gives our family the freedom to focus on exploring, adjusting, and enjoying the first moments in our new home.

Bonus Part

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Stay tuned! I’ll be sharing more simple, practical passive income ideas in the coming weeks to help you start earning smarter, not harder. 💰✨

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