I just want to share my experience in regards to acquiring my own car in regional NSW.
First. I followed the advice here to ask around for cheaper rates for financing. So I researched local credit union and asked callbacks sa mga local banks. Unfortunately, since I am a new migrant I do not qualify for most financing schemes which requires the following:
3 months payslip
Australian Driver’s license
So ending, di ako nakapag financing sa mga local credit unions and banks. What I did next is get back to one of the inquiries that I did when I was in the Philippines, and that was witha Toyota dealership, and they confirmed that if you are a new migrant, who arrived <3 months, you can apply with them without an Australian DL.
So I ended up getting my car from a Toyota Dealership, I just provided the payslips that I have, and my employment agreement with them, along with other identity documents (medicare etc.).
I got my car last July (approx 1 month after I arrive in Australia).
In regards to living in regional australia, here are the few caveats:
Filo community is small and so far, a bit stifling, in a way that everyone almost knows everyone. So if may gusto ka iwasan most likely you will bump to them pa din. Hahaha.
Ang small ng community, like not a lot of people in your same age or orientation to meet. So if you wanna date, move the fck out of regional area. If you are a family, I think you would fare fine.
Getting a side hustle could be a lot easier, since kaunti ang kalaban mo sa position. But still there are only a few options available. I’m currently in the process of getting a part time job.
You need to be fine driving loong distances just to buy some things na di available sa town niyo. In my case we do not have a kmart or aldi, so you either drive to the nearest one (100kms away), or get it shipped to your place (which takes 3-5 days if lucky).
I would probably stay max 1.5 to 2 years in regional AU just because it can get boring real quick if single ka. Haha.