What's one thing you wish someone had told you in your first month?

Anonymous Resourceful Currawong · 15 May 2026

Throwing the question out. Pick anything — practical, emotional, weird cultural thing. Will compile a list and send the best ones to a friend who arrives in July. I'll start: take photos of every single document you've ever filed with immigration. The 100-point ID requirement comes up in places you don't expect (bank, phone, NRMA membership).

3 replies

Anonymous Friendly Wallaby · 15 May 2026
That myGov is the centre of the universe. Set it up, link Medicare, ATO, Centrelink, MyHealth — once linked, everything else gets easier. Untangling it later is painful.
Anonymous Pragmatic Echidna · 15 May 2026
That building a credit history takes 12+ months of normal life (phone bill, electricity bill in your name) and starts at zero. Don't apply for credit cards in month 1-12, you'll get rejected and that hurts your score further.
Anonymous Earnest Possum · 16 May 2026
That "no worries" can mean anything from "of course" to "I'm furious but I'm Australian so I'm smiling". Tone and pace matter.

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