HOLIDAY HOMES IN AUSTRALIA

It's up to you whether you choose to hotel, motel, arrange for airport pick-up as part of a migration business package deal or advance book a holiday home for a period of a couple of weeks. As a single or couple you have more freedom on arrival. Motels are easy, cheap and plentiful. Families require something more accommodating; something that reduces stress levels rather than raises them after a very long journey.

As part of our expanded service we operate a useful accommodation website called Aussie Holiday Homes. Here you will not only find general holiday homes, but also homes that specifically cater for new arrivals from overseas. That's great because with the rental package can come a whole host of goodies (some free and some not) like how to obtain a tax file number (easy and important), where to look for work, pre-arranged local trips, local school information, etc.

We'll leave the hotel and motel searching to you, if that's your preference. Finding a house to rent should be a priority, but it's not easy and will take time. The paperwork is a little 'heavy', you'll need a bank account and certified proof of who you are. Unless you're prepared to look outside the cities, estate agents (known as real estate agents in Australia and New Zealand) will tend to be less flexible. Contact them well in advance if you intend to move immediately into a 6 month rental.

By far the easiest option is to arrange a short-term holiday stay. These generally come furnished, and that is important. Shipping goods from the UK to Australia or New Zealand isn't a fast process. Add the time taken for a quarantine inspection and local delivery and you're looking at either side of three months delivery time. Furniture rental companies will help you out and we've joined forces with a couple so rest assured, even if you do end up renting an unfurnished house at least you can still rent some furniture and white goods before yours arrive. See the section opposite entitled Furniture Rental for more information.