Australia Daily Life — Comprehensive Guide
Everything you need for daily life in Australia — shopping, transport, healthcare, housing, education, and culture in one page. Practical info for after you've settled in.
1. Shopping & Supermarkets
Four major supermarket chains dominate Australian groceries, with community grocers and weekend markets filling the gaps. Trading hours are shorter than you may be used to, so check before you go.
Australia's Big 4 Supermarkets
Largest chain, wide range of own-brand products
2nd largest chain, similar to Woolworths
German discount chain, lower prices
Membership warehouse store, bulk sizes
Trading Hours
Weekdays typically 7:00-22:00; Sundays have shorter hours (often 10:00-18:00). Many stores close on Easter and Christmas. 24-hour stores are rare, so check ahead. Some NSW stores have even shorter hours on Sundays and public holidays.
Grocers stocking food from home
Grocers selling food from particular countries cluster in Sydney (Strathfield, Eastwood, Chatswood, Campsie), Melbourne (Box Hill, Glen Waverley), Brisbane (Sunnybank) and Perth (Northbridge). Several also deliver online, so you can get food from home in the outer suburbs. Search the AUWith business directory by suburb.
Weekend Markets / Farmers Markets
2. Transport
Each Australian state has its own transport card and operator. Public transport works well for short trips within cities, while regional and outer-suburb trips usually require a car or rideshare.
State Transport Cards
Each state has its own transport card, available at convenience stores, station counters, or online. NSW Opal and VIC Myki also support contactless credit card payments.
Uber / DiDi / Taxi
Uber and DiDi are the most used, and the account you had at home usually works here as is. Regular taxis can be booked through 13CABS or hailed on the street but cost more than Uber. Airports have separate pick-up zones for rideshare and taxis.
3. Healthcare
Australian healthcare is centred on GPs (general practitioners). When you're unwell, you see a GP first, who may refer you to a specialist if needed. Prescriptions are written by your GP and filled at a pharmacy.
GP → Specialist → Pharmacy → ED 4-Tier System
- GP (General Practitioner): The first point of contact for all medical care. Use appointments or walk-in clinics. Bulk Billing is free for Medicare holders.
- Specialist: Requires a GP referral. Includes ophthalmology, orthopaedics, cardiology, etc.
- Pharmacy: Fill GP-issued prescriptions. Chemist Warehouse is the cheapest major chain.
4. Housing & Utilities
Australian housing types include House, Apartment, Sharehouse, and Granny Flat. After moving in, you'll need to set up utilities (electricity, gas, water, internet) and a mobile plan yourself.
Housing Types
Detached house, includes a yard
Apartment block, with security and strata fees
Sharehouse, the most affordable option
Self-contained flat behind the main house, ideal for singles
Utilities
Electricity, gas, water, and internet must be set up by the tenant after moving in, and are billed Quarterly. We strongly recommend setting up BPAY or Direct Debit for automatic payments.
- Electricity: AGL, Origin, EnergyAustralia, Red Energy, etc. — compare on Energy Made Easy
5. Education & Schools
Australian schools come in three kinds — Public, Catholic and Private — with childcare for ages 0–5. Weekend community language schools are the usual way to keep up your children's home language.
School Types
Government-run, free for permanent residents. Allocated by catchment area
Catholic-affiliated, mid-range fees (around $5K-$10K/year)
Independent schools, high fees (around $20K-$45K/year)
Childcare / Kindergarten
Childcare (Long Day Care) and Kindergarten (Kindy, ages 4-5) cater to children aged 0-5. The Child Care Subsidy is means-tested by family income. Popular centres have long waitlists, so register soon after birth.
Weekend language schools
Community language schools run on weekends (usually Saturday) in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Many are run by community associations, congregations or parishes, and fees are modest — often $50–$200 a term — for lessons in your home language and culture.
Related Guides
6. Culture, Seasons & Public Holidays
Australia is in the southern hemisphere, so the seasons run opposite to the north. December to February is summer, which means Christmas and New Year fall in the middle of it. Supermarkets and government offices close on public holidays, so stock up beforehand.
Four Seasons
Seasons here are the reverse of the northern hemisphere. Sydney and Melbourne have four distinct seasons; Brisbane and Darwin run mainly on wet and dry seasons; Canberra and Tasmania get very cold winters, with snow.
12-2월
3-5월
6-8월
9-11월
Major Public Holidays & Events
- Australia Day (26 Jan): Australia's national day. Fireworks and concerts in major cities.
7. Useful External Links
Key links to Australian government and public services. MyGov is the gateway to most government services — sign up first.
- MyGov (opens in a new window)
Gateway to all government services. Connects Medicare, ATO, Centrelink, MyHealth Record, and more under one account.
- Services Australia (Centrelink) (opens in a new window)
Government agency for welfare, pensions, unemployment benefits, and family payments. Eligibility varies by visa type.
- Service NSW (opens in a new window)
NSW state government's one-stop service portal. Driver's licence, vehicle registration, birth/death certificates, and more (other states have Service VIC, Service WA, etc.).
- Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) (opens in a new window)
Everyday Life, Advanced — Pets, Rubbish Disposal, Neighbour Disputes, Household Admin, Disaster Readiness, Safe Secondhand Trading
This is a collection of the practical situations you only run into once you've settled into life in Australia. From registering a pet to sorting your rubbish, neighbour disputes, household admin, preparing for natural disasters, and avoiding secondhand scams — most rules and fees vary by state, council, and visa status, so before you actually apply, always confirm the latest details with the official body for the area where you live.
Owning a Pet, In Practice (Pet Ownership)
Microchipping & Council Registration
In NSW, microchipping a dog or cat is a legal requirement before it can be sold or given away, and it must be registered for life on the NSW Pet Registry by 12 weeks of age or by the time ownership is transferred, whichever comes first. The NSW registration fee is a one-off lifetime charge that stays valid even when the owner changes, but other states like VIC require you to renew registration with the council every year — the schemes differ completely, so check your own state's rules first. Getting caught without a microchip or registration means a fine, and whenever you move or ownership changes, you need to update the contact details and address on the Registry so you can be reached if your pet ever goes missing.
The Registration Sting If You Don't Desex (Desexing Surcharge)
NSW doesn't force desexing at the point of registration, but if a dog older than 6 months or a cat older than 4 months hasn't been desexed, a much higher un-desexed surcharge applies. A desexed pet costs far less to register, and pensioners and guide-dog owners can get further concessions or exemptions, so getting your pet desexed early after adoption works out cheaper overall. The exact amounts are adjusted each year, so check the latest registration fees on the Service NSW or your local council fee schedule.