Have you decided to move to Australia? A lot of our customers are based there, so we know that it’s a great place to live. It’s got a fantastic expat population, warm climate and great infrastructure. However, if you’re moving to a new country for the first time, it can be a daunting prospect.

So to help you on your way, we’ve compiled a list of apps and websites that will make your move to Australia that bit smoother.

PackPoint

PackPoint creates a custom packing list for you based on your destination, length of stay and activities that you plan to do. While it is really more geared towards a holiday rather than a move, it will ensure you pack the essentials. It also gives you the ability to tick things off once you’ve packed them - which means you won’t have to go rooting through your bag over and over again to see if you remembered to pack your visa information or your phone charger.

Domain

Obviously moving to Australia means you’ll need somewhere to live. Whether you’re looking to buy or rent your new home, Domain is a great app to help you find it. Once you know what you are looking for you can save your favourite searches and the app will even notify you when new properties are put up that match what you’re looking for. If there are particular places that you are interested in, you can add them to shortlists. This function is especially useful when house hunting with another person as you can both collaboratively curate the perfect list of potential abodes.

Gumtree

Once you’ve found your perfect home, you’re probably going to need some furniture. Gumtree is Australia’s free marketplace where you can buy and sell pretty much anything. You will still need to go to the furniture store for some things, but for short-term items that you don’t mind being second-hand then this is a great place to find cheap bargains or even some things for free.

Seek

If you haven’t already secured a job, Seek lists thousands of jobs all over the country. Search for jobs you’re interested in, get notifications about new job postings and even receive recommendations from Seek about jobs that they think would suit you. You can apply through the app and see your previous applications. One great feature of this app is that, for some roles, Seek can even tell you if your application has been viewed and whether you’re likely to proceed – saving you the agonising wait to hear back from an employer.

CityMapper

If you’re moving to Sydney or Melbourne, then CityMapper is your one-stop shop for transit questions. It shows you the best route and combination of public transport to use to get from A to B. It gives you real time information about the nearby services and you can even receive alerts when your favourite lines are disrupted. When you’re new to a city having step-by-step directions can be a lifesaver when you’re trying to get somewhere.

MeetUp

One of the hardest parts of moving to a new place is meeting new people. MeetUp makes finding nearby events and socialising easy. You can search for groups and events that appeal to you and suit your personality. Once you’ve found a group that interests you, you can join and be notified of their next event. These “meetups” range from inspirational talks, and free classes, to just meeting a group of people for a couple of drinks.

Deliveroo and Happiest Hour

If you like takeaways or food and drink specials, then these are the apps for you. Deliveroo allows you to order and pay for food from nearby restaurants and fast food spots, they then send a rider to pick it up and deliver it right to your door. If you’re into future planning, you can even place an order for later in the day or the next day. 

If however you fancy going out for food or drinks instead, Happiest Hour, lets you find the best specials nearby. You can search by location, time or even type of special. This allows you to make the most of your hard-earned money and maybe tell your new Aussie friends which bars are offering the cheapest drinks.

Beachsafe

Australia has many beautiful beaches so while you’re living there you should definitely make a point to visit some of them. Beachsafe is a handy app that gives you information about the location, weather, surf conditions and hazards of nearby beaches. It also tells you about the local facilities for all of the beaches and offers advice and information about rip currents, flags and signs, waves, surf skills and even marine creatures. However probably the most important aspect of this application is that it contains information about the current lifesaving service for each beach. This means that you are able to find the nearest patrolled beach and stay safe.

Canstar

Canstar and Canstar Blue are two really useful websites for your time in Australia. Canstar Blue compares everything from electricity providers to different brands of sliced cheese (no seriously, they really do).

Canstar is Australia’s biggest financial comparison website. If you’re looking for any type of insurance, loans or even which bank to use; this website has you covered. Between Canstar and Canstar Blue they compare over 1600 brands. They have their own rating system that uses a unique methodology to shortlist providers and showcase those that have been found to offer Outstanding Value.

In fact, CurrencyFair was awarded their 5-Star Rating for International Money Transfers in 2019.

CurrencyFair

Last but certainly not least, you’re not going to get very far in your new location without any money. If you’re looking to exchange some or even all of your savings into Australian Dollars, CurrencyFair offers a rate that is up to 8x cheaper than the banks.

CurrencyFair is fully regulated and authorised so you have bank-level security without any hidden fees. The easy-to-use app means that currency exchange is available at your fingertips and it keeps you informed of every step of your transfer.

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