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6) Medicare - after ng Centrelink, wait kami siguro mga 2 minutes tas tinawag na kami sa medicare. We presented the same, passport and visa grant letter. Then ginawan kami ng account, after that pinrint na nya yong temporary card number namin, nandun na yong names naming tatlo including yung name ni baby sa single card. We have two copies and the card will be delivered sa local address in 2 to 4 weeks. Binigyan kami ng linking password for mygov.
7) Myki - ito yung card to access our local transporation sa Victoria including train, bus and trams. Sa ibang states iba din ang tawag like sa Sydney ay Opal card ang tawag. Since wala pa kami sasakyan, puro walk and train lang kami. Sa myki, you can recharge for 7 day pass or 28 or even 1 year. Unlimited na rides na yon per pass duration na binayaran mo. We recharge for 7 day pass only which is 38bucks per person. Medyo may kamahalan pero kung everyday ka magtatravel in and out of the city eh better to buy the myki pass na. Yung 1 month pass is around 140bucks ata. Ang catch pala nito ay kahit hindi mo gamitin to on some certain days, bilang pa din yung araw na yun. Meron info nito sa website ng Public Transport Victoria.
8) Vicroads - kung taga west suburb ka, at pinili mo ang Sunshine branch ng Centrelink and Medicard, katabi lang nun 2 ang Vicroads. Merong Singapore DL si hubby kaya naman conversion nalang inapply nya. Binigyan lang sya ng appointment for seminar and not sure pa kung DL card collection ba yon. We paid 17 to 18 bucks for the appointment fee. Then binigyan lang ng form to be submitted sa appointment day. Kahapon po ang appointment, nagdala lang sya ng identity documents: passport, overseas credit card or local bank card, letter from Medicare, and proof of residence yung dumating na TFN letter namin kasi dapat sayo nakaaddress sa kukuha ng DL. Wala na syang practical exam kasi recognized ang SG DL sa kanila po. For more details po read thru po natin ang Vicroads website.
9) Sim card - we have our optus card from our vacation here last January. Good thing active pa sya kahit di naloadan for how many months. Ok ito lalo kung ayaw mo pa matali sa plan. Pwede mo irecharge for $2 a day na may 500mb data na. Medyo mahina lang signal at some locations. Ito ang gamit namin while roaming around the city, necessity ang data para maghanap ng locations and search ng tamang sasakyan. Then we recently applied sa vodafone, better signal daw ito according to my cousin. We chose the Sim plan only at $40 per month, meron silang promo na 3gb per month data plus 5gb kung aapply ka online. Lock in period of 12 months. Need mo lang ng active na local bank account under your name and deliver address. Funny nga kasi when we received the tracking details e galing pa yung simcard sa Sydney haha that is why it will take 7 days before you receive the sim from date of application.
10) Dining out - wag mabibigla kung ang presyo ng maccas or mcdo nila ay at least 3x ng presyo sa pinas or 2x ng presyo sa singapore. I spent atound 12bucks for cheeseburger meal na hot choco yunh drinks. Yes, mas mahal ang mcdo nila hahaha. Kung wala ka pang alam na affordable na kainan and mcdo is everywhere, pagtyagaan mo na ang presyo kesa malipasan ng gutom hehe. Cheaper option is hungry jacks, burger king sa sya sa atin. May mura silang meal with ice cream for 5bucks lang hahaha. Obviously tipid mode pa kami.
11) Woolies - the local grocery store sa atin. May isa pa yung Coles pero sa lugar namin mas malapit ang Woolies. Lahat mabibili mo dito both wet and dry goods. Dont forget na mag apply for Everyday Rewards nila para makaaccumulate ng points. You can use the points to convert for Qantas Frequent Flyer program. Or pwede din iconvert sa woolies cash na ipambili mo sa kanila in future.
12) Public Transport Victoria or PTV app - ang ever reliable train, tram and bus tracker lalo na sa mga walang sasakyan pa. Download nyo po ito napakauseful haha. Nandito yong arrival times, sa zone 2 trains pansin ko nasa 20mins anv interval ng next train. Meron din dito routes or journey planner, lagay mo lang kung san ka manggagaling at san ka pupunta, it will show you the different route options.
13) Other useful apps - so far nagdownload na kami ng centrelink app. Domain app for looking for future home be it rental or own or established home or new house or apartment etc, useful sya kasi meron map na mas madali mo mavisualize san location nung bahay. Commbank app para sa CBA account. Yes optus app for optus recharging. Gumtree AU for everything you want to buy 2nd hand, tulad ito ng sulitdotcom sa pinas or carousell sa singapore. Seek and Indeed app for easy access sa pag aapply.
14) CarsalesdotAU - sa mga batchnates na planning to buy a car, necessity talaga ito sa AU, mas reliable daw po ang carsales,dot,au compared sa gumtree lalo kung balak mo munang bumili ng 2nd hand cars. Madaming cheaper options sa gumtree, they can go below 1K bucks per un iba daw manloloka lang. Be careful din po sa pagbili dapat may kasama ka maalam sa sasakyan para di ka maend up sa more gastusin sa pagpapaayos or palit pyesa. Check din po yung rego kung meron pa and road worthiness.
15) bargain shops - sa mga nagtitpid pa po sa pagbili ng mga damit and home and kitchen essentials, meron pong Kmart, Best&Less, BigW and Target po sa mga nearby malls. Marami po silang murang pangginaw, pangwinter clothes, kumot unan, cabinet, lutuan and everything and best of all affordable naman po.
So ayun po ang first two weeks namin.. pasensya na po at napasarap ng kwento. Hehehe. more adventures to come. Kita kits po tayo pagland nating lahat dito 🙂