General > General Technical Chat

Moving to Sydney soon! & asking for advice

<< < (5/21) > >>

vk6zgo:

--- Quote from: jpanhalt on August 02, 2017, 09:40:17 pm ---Why go to Sydney?  Everything there is either vicious or poisonous.  We need good people in America -- excluding our West coast and regions on the East coast above the Mason-Dixon line (basically the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania).  I like the upper mid-West -- somewhere between Interstate 80 and Interstate 90.  No vicious creatures, no venomous snakes.  Much north of I-90, it is too cold. South of I-80, it is too hot and humid.   If that doesn't bother you, and you don't mind rattlesnakes, cottonmouths, and copperheads, try Texas.

Best wishes for your move.

--- End quote ---

This from  a country which has land animals which can actually EAT you!!

Mountain Lions & Wolves, & Bears----Oh my!!

The best we can stack up against that is Feral pigs  (crocodiles aren't really land animals).

EEVblog:

--- Quote from: vk6zgo on August 03, 2017, 01:32:21 am ---The best we can stack up against that is Feral pigs  (crocodiles aren't really land animals).

--- End quote ---

Rubbish, we have Sharknado!

https://www.livescience.com/58494-cyclone-debbie-dumps-shark-on-street-australia.html

Halcyon:
Where in Sydney are you going to be living? Transport to and from places is probably something you want to think about. If you're living in the city itself or one of the inner suburbs (Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Ultimo, Barangaroo) you can most likely get around on foot (or use the trains that go around the City Circle).

If you intend on using public transport (Train, Bus or Tram), you'll need an Opal card which is just an NFC card with pre-paid funds loaded on it. You can no longer just pay cash for single/return tickets. Most newsagents, some supermarkets (especially in Sydney) and post offices have them, so you don't necessarily need to order one online.


If you plan on driving, you can use your international driving licence for up to 3 months. After 3 months you must obtain a New South Wales driving licence. If you don't, you are considered to be "unlicenced" and will cop a heavy fine or be sent to court which could possibly prevent you from obtaining a licence in the future. Driving isn't a bad option in Sydney as car sharing services like GoGet and FlexiCar are everywhere.

Depending on how long you've held a driving licence overseas will depend on what "class" of licence you can apply for here. Have a look at the Roads & Maritime Services website for information and what you need to do.

Speaking of driving, if you plan on getting your own car and intend of driving outside of inner Sydney, you'll need an electronic tag for the toll roads. There are plenty of tag providers in Sydney and they all charge the same price, so it really doesn't matter. Transurban Linkt, E-way and the RMS themselves (the Government body in the state of New South Wales that handle all things registration and licence related) all provide tags. Toll tags also work on every other toll road in Australia, so if you go travelling, you can use the tag you obtained in NSW.


A bank account is probably something you want to sort out sooner rather than later. There are literally hundreds of banks and credit unions to choose from. You just need to shop around and compare interest rates, fees and services and pick the one that suits you better. I personally bank with a smaller member-owned bank (profits go back into the products and services, rather than into the pockets of shareholders). Their service is excellent and rates are very competitive. The downside is they only have a few physical branches in Sydney, which is very rare I need to physically go into one anyway. Everything is done over the phone or online. Finder.com.au is a good site to give you some basic comparisons and let you filter banks and products that you're interested in. It'll give you a good starting point.


Above all else, enjoy Sydney, it's expensive, but it's one of the best cities in the world. There is a lot of opportunity here and the weather is nice. Those who on insist on calling it "poisonous" or "vicious" have obviously never lived here and are talking out of their ass. But don't just limit yourself to Sydney, explore the outer suburbs and indeed the rest of Australia when time and finances permit. It's a HUGE country with a lifetime worth of things to see, do and places to visit (add Tasmania to your bucket list, it's absolutely beautiful).

Sydney itself is expanding rapidly and the majority of people who work in the city (or other major commercial centres like North Sydney, Parramatta or Penrith) commute 1 hour or more each way just getting to and from work. Getting to work in under 30 minutes in Sydney is a luxury, so don't limit yourself to one small geographical area. Then, when you get jack of spending an insane amount on rent in the city, move to the outer Western, North West or Northern suburbs. ;-)

If you just type "Sydney" into Google maps, you'll see just how large an area the Sydney basin is. It extends over 70 kilometers west past Springwood in the Blue Mountains, 58km north-west to Richmond, as far north as Palm Beach and south-west to Camden/Campbelltown.

alank2:
caret underscore caret, good for you for taking a big risk in trying a new life!  I hope you find all you are looking for!

EEVblog:

--- Quote from: Halcyon on August 03, 2017, 03:00:17 am ---If you just type "Sydney" into Google maps, you'll see just how large an area the Sydney basin is. It extends over 70 kilometers west past Springwood in the Blue Mountains, 58km north-west to Richmond, as far north as Palm Beach and south-west to Camden/Campbelltown.

--- End quote ---

I've lost count of the number of people who say they are stopping over in Sydney for a day and want to drop by the lab and meet me. Err, not really practical!

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page

There was an error while thanking
Thanking...
Go to full version
Powered by SMFPacks Advanced Attachments Uploader Mod