WA & Perth

General Information

Western Australia is the largest Australian state with an area of more than 2,500,000 square km, a 12,500 km coastline and spanning 2,400 km from north to south.

Perth is the capital and the biggest city of Western Australia. The city is the 4th most populated city in Australia with a population of 2.02 million. Perth is divided into various local government areas and consists of a number of suburbs. The city was actually founded by Captain James Stirling in the year 1829. Perth gained as a city status during the year 1856.

The weather in Perth is quite similar to Bangladesh. You can check the regular weather forecast at https://www.migration.wa.gov.au/living-in-western-australia/climate.

Religion

Christianity 1,300,375 (58.1%) Buddhism 47,395 (2.1%) Islam 39,118 (1.7%) Hinduism 21,025 (0.9%) Other 247,885 (11.7%) No Religion 571,949 (25.5%) (Census 2011. ABS)

Government

Australia is a democratic, federal-state system, and a member of the British Commonwealth. Three bodies established by the Australian Constitution – Parliament (legislative), Commonwealth Executive (executive) and Federal Judicature (judicial powers) – make Australia a constitutional monarchy, a federation and a parliamentary democracy.

Time Zone

Local time is 8 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time

Health risks

The sun is very intense. Hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen are recommended even on cloudy days.

Perth Suburb Profiles

https://www.newintown.com.au/suburb-profiles/

Early Days

Migration Services

Migration Services is located on Level 7 of the GPO Building, 3 Forrest Place, Perth WA 6000

Important Things to do in First Few Days

Important things a new migrant should do as soon as possible after arriving in Australia are:

1. Register with Centrelink.

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/dhs/centrelink

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/subjects/support-new-arrivals-australia

2.  Apply for Medicare card.

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/subjects/medicare-services#a2

3. Apply for TFN (Tax File Number).

https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Tax-file-number/Apply-for-a-TFN/

4. Open a bank account.

https://www.lookatwa.com.au/AboutPerth/banks.html

5. Transfer of overseas driving licence.

https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/licensing/transferring-your-overseas-licence.asp

https://www.transport.wa.gov.au/mediaFiles/licensing/LBU_DL_B_AuthDriveWAOverseas.pdf

https://www.bhcanberra.com/consular-services/other-consular-matters#other-verification-of-driving-license

Public Transport

Driving & Transportation

https://www.migration.wa.gov.au/living-in-western-australia/getting-around

  • Public transport

https://www.transperth.wa.gov.au/

  • Taxi and Ride sharing service

All the taxis are meter operated by time and distance, and operate twenty four hours a day. Taxis are indicated as being vacant by an illuminated sign on the roof and can be pre-booked by phone or on the internet. Taxis can also be hailed on the street or found at taxi ranks throughout the city, at popular night spots, popular shopping centres, and of course at the airport. Uber and Shofer are the latest game changers in the ride sharing service.

https://www.swantaxis.com.au/

https://www.uber.com/cities/perth/

https://shofer.com.au/

  • Trains

All suburban trains leave or pass through the Perth central train station. Perth has four main train lines travelling as far South as Mandurah and as far North as Butler. The trains also service Fremantle, Midland and Armadale passengers.

The price of a ticket is determined by the distance someone is travelling, and the fare type. The city is divided into zones and each zone has a fare for travelling within that zone. Tickets can be purchased on the platforms or throughout the stations. The ticket machines only accept coins and do dispense change. An alternative to purchasing a ticket on each journey is to purchase a SmartRider which is a prepaid amount placed on a swipe card at a discounted rate. The SmartRiders can be purchased from newsagents, and must be validated prior to travel on any of the trains. The SmartRiders can also be used on the Buses and Ferries.

https://www.lookatwa.com.au/Transport/trains.html