There are as many methods to move money as there are amounts and reasons to move it. Initially you’ll just need money to get by and set up your life, and that should very easily fit into the R1m per year Single Discretionary Allowance that SARS gives you. Be careful, as there are many experts who will “help you get a good rate” but then charge you fees or a percentage as part of that.

If you have a South African drivers, it’s pretty simple to get a local license. This is almost a pleasure, given how relatively slick and painless the process is compared to The Things We’ve Seen That First Worlders Wouldn’t Believe. No dusty caravans with battery-powered photocopiers here, or pressing your eyes to a well-used eye testing device from the last century manned by a very bored lady who would understandably rather be somewhere else.

Chill about the spiders. Probably. Yes, there are spiders. And some fraction of them are dangerous. However, most are basically irrelevant and definitely not a reason to avoid moving here. Our house When we arrived in our Northern Beaches rental (that is fairly close to bush areas), we moved into a house with a garden that had 18 months of neglect. There were spiders everywhere (outside), and branches reaching out towards my bedroom to deliver spiders.

If you’re used to e.g. Discovery’s Vitality or eBucks, you’ll want to know about the best rewards programs in Australia. Woolworths and Everyday Rewards Woolworths Australia has a programme called Everyday Rewards. It doesn’t cost anything to join so you may as well, and it feeds nicely into Qantas points, explained below. This is way better than using the Everyday Rewards as cash. There is a fuel spend benefit but it’s nothing like some of the savings you’ll get in SA.

Should you get a SIM at the airport or later? You’re likely to be tired when you arrive, but if you can spare a few minutes just get a SIM at the airport. It’ll reduce the amount of wandering around later, and will unlock things like activating your bank account. In any of the international airports you’ll find SIM shops in the arrivals halls, after baggage collection. You’ll already have your passport with you as ID.

Housing is the key challenge in Australia. For various reasons, property is ridiculously expensive and as the saying goes “the market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent”. Most people choose to rent initially, for a number of reasons: If you have a temporary visa, you’re considered foreign buyer. At the time of writing, in NSW that incurred a 8% extra surcharge on the price of a house, unless it’s a new build.

Australia is heaven for kids. Children have more freedom and a wide array of safe and fun outdoor activities. Especially if you’re from Joburg, the difference is like night and day. Your kids will be able to ride around, visit friends, go to the beach or park and just be outside. Schooling Australia has both public and private schools. Public schools Public schools are good. Australia competes with other top countries for international education rankings, never going too far away from the top 10.

Cats Importing pet cats into Australia involves several important aspects. Some are listed below, but honestly the best advice is to go with a very solid vet that knows the drill. We used Bryanston Vet in Johannesburg, and they took care of everything for us, including finding mistakes that other vets had made (very important when dealing with Australia, who are fanatical about ensuring no weird bugs enter the country). You’ll also need a pet shipping company.

Importing and shipping household items from South Africa to Australia involves several steps: Consider what to take People have various opinions on this and they’re all valid. We chose to bring important items (memories, paintings, some tools) and mostly leave furniture. New country, fresh start! Bed sizes are a bit different, and the last thing you want to go is continuously be buying sheets that fit from SA. Just get a new bed.