Immigration to Australia, or to any new country or culture, is filled with ups and downs. Victories and failures, joys and frustrations. The experience can be quite daunting and scary. But hearing the stories of other people, who have successfully been through the process, goes a long way to reducing the fear of the unknown.

Allow me for a few moments to share some of our experience of immigrating to Australia - some of the victories and challenges.

As a family we arrived in Melbourne Australia in May 2008. Wow, what an experience! It was like being plucked from your home and placed in an entirely different planet. Our first impressions of Australia were ... Wow! This place is pretty well organized. The Airport is pretty impressive. It is defiantly world class.

Then we hit our first frustration!

Challenge number 1: Quarantine control!

Man-oh-man, those dudes are strict. Firstly, they have sniffer dogs checking you and your baggage. Those Beagles can smell a bangle from a mile away! Talking of food... if you are thinking of bringing food into Australia... DON'T. It's not worth it. Don't even bring food off the plane. That is the surest way of getting yourself into trouble.

Tips for clearing customs & quarantine: Make sure you know what you are allowed to bring in. Don't bring in anything you are not allowed to bring in. Be completely honest and declare everything. Particularly things you are not sure about. Clearing customs & quarantine controls can take a long time, and you will probably be tired. Be patient and friendly and it should go well.

Challenge number 2: Transport!

We do not have any family or close friends in Australia. We had a place to stay, but our ride from the airport to the accommodation venue encountered a problem at the last minute, i.e. we were left to our own devices. It worked out really well for us, though. We chose to hire a car. This is a good idea and should probably have been the best way to plan it from the beginning.

We hired a large, more expensive car (station wagon) for one day, so that we could transport all our luggage and made arrangements to swap it the following day for a smaller, cheaper vehicle, which we then kept for a week. Again, this is a good way to do it. (Don't underestimate the amount of luggage you will have when immigrating! Try to book a car with large boot space in advance, if you can)

Challenge number 3: How to navigate to our temporary accommodation!

As a result of our long journey and the lengthy procedures at the airport we very tired. We now faced the challenge of being in a brand new place with unfamiliar roads and road rules. Melbourne is Australia's second largest city in Australia. It is also the second most spread-out city in the world! The good news is that to help with navigation, each hire car comes with a street directory. Australians also drive on the left side of the road. This fact came as a relief to us as, in our home country we also drove on the left side of the road, Even so, we found driving while tired and in unfamiliar territory to be a challenge. Yes, we did get a little lost - even with the map!

Fortunately, we had a help-line to call. We phoned our Australian contact and he verbally directed us where we needed to go, turn-by-turn as we drove. We did eventually arrive at our destination safe and sound.

Navigation tips:

If possible, hire or buy a satellite navigation system, before you venture out on the roads of Australia. This can save so much stress! If this is not possible, then plan you route very carefully before you leave home. I have found using Google Maps to be really helpful. You are able to plan you route and print out a map and turn-by-turn instructions.

Over all, I can say that our first day in Australia, although tiring was extremely successful. We were even able to see wild kangaroo's on our first day. How cool is that!

Immigration Tip:

You will most probably be exhausted on your arrival in Australia! The better preparation and planning you do before you leave for Australia, the less stressful the experience will be!
Points to consider when planning your trip:

1. In flight entertainment for your children.

2. Drink plenty of water on the plane. It helps to combat jetlag.

3. Suitable accommodation.

4. Initial communications. Arrange for a mobile phone & internet connection.

5. Transport to your accommodation.

6. Directions to your accommodation.

7. Your first meal - if using self-catering accommodation.

8. A natural sleeping aid, such as Melatonin, to help cope with the jetlag.

About the Author: John Hamman an engineering technician with outstanding analytical and planning skills. His website http://www.australianimmigrationtips.com outlines the research and useful strategies John & his family used to successfully immigrate and integrate into Australia.