Living in Perth - Alexander Education Group

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General Information ALEXANDER EDUCATION GROUP•LIVING IN PERTH Restaurants Perth has a wide range of restaurants that cater delicious cuisine to suit every type of taste bud and budget. To find a particular type of restaurant in a suburb close to where you live look in the yellow pages telephone directory or on the internet. A great site for finding a suitable restaurant in Perth is: http://www. bestrestaurants.com.au/perth_restaurants.asp. If you would like particular information on halal food contact the Student Administration Officer. Shopping Facilities Departmental stores and most other shops are open during the following hours: Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon trading from 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. is available in Perth, Fremantle and Rockingham city centres. Thursday is latenight shopping night in the suburban centres, where many shops stay open until 9.00 p.m. and Friday is the night for shopping late in Perth City. Food stores and convenience stores, or delicatessens, are often open after 6.00 p.m. and during the weekend (including Sunday). Departmental stores are located in the central city and suburban shopping complexes. Stores like David Jones and Myer specialise in clothes and household items such as cooking utensils, crockery, etc. while K-Mart, Target and Big W Discount Stores carry a cheaper range of household items. Self-service supermarkets are located in nearly all suburbs. Items such as fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and meat can also be purchased from small stalls and shops found in every suburban shopping centre and in the City. Local small supermarkets remain open until late but they may charge higher prices in return for their longer hours of service. Many carry processed and canned foods and a few stock Asian cooking ingredients as well. In addition there are shops that specialise in Asian and other ethnic foodstuffs; they are located in Northbridge, Canning Vale, Fremantle, Midland, Wanneroo and Subiaco. Please note that all departmental stores and supermarkets employ plain-clothes detectives and use closed-circuit television cameras to guard against shoplifting (stealing) and pilfering. Penalties are high and may result in a jail sentence. Prices are fixed in Australia. Bargaining is not practised, although a discount may be given for cash purchases at white goods stores such as Good Guys. If you attend garage sales or follow up advertised items from the ‘Classified’ section of the newspapers, you are invited to make your own offer, and you can negotiate a suitable price. Used Furniture and Household Equipment There are a number of shops run by charitable organisations where you can buy used furniture, second-hand clothes and household equipment very cheaply. Organisations such as Salvation Army, Good Samaritans, St Vincent de Paul, Red Cross and Anglicare can be contacted for details. Gambling In Australia gambling is common, especially on horses, lotteries and card games. It is illegal, however, for persons under 18-years of age to gamble, and it is illegal to gamble in unauthorised places. Every year there are a number of international students who lose a lot of money at the Burswood Casino and are sometimes tempted to extort money from other students to cover their losses. This is illegal and regarded by the police and immigration authorities as a very serious offence. You are liable for deportation if you break the law. Gambling can be as addictive as drugs and should be avoided. Keeping Appointments Punctuality or ‘being on time’ is regarded as very important in Australian culture. For a business or medical appointment, it is worth arriving a few minutes early. When you are invited to a function, ask what time you should arrive and ensure that you arrive at that time. Conversation Do not be worried if you are not fluent in English. Australians are used to international students and visitors, and enjoy talking to them. Most people will understand that you will speak slowly. If they speak too fast, ask them to speak a little more slowly. The more you speak English, the more fluent you will become. Social relations Australians are used to a very informal style of social interaction. If you are invited to attend a social function by an Australian you should feel free to refuse politely if you do not wish to accept. If you are in doubt about the correct way to behave or respond to a situation please feel free to approach the Student Services Manager, or one of your teachers. They will be very happy to give you some advice. Men and women have equal status in Australia and should be treated with the same amount of respect. Laundry and Dry cleaning You will be responsible for laundering your own clothes whilst staying in Perth. Most homestays and hostels have washing machines, and you will find self-service laundries, commonly known as laundromats, laundrettes or laundrobars in most suburbs. The instructions in these places are easy to follow and you must provide your own washing powder or purchase some at the laundromat. The use of clothes dryers costs extra. Some tips to assist you in looking after your clothes: • To avoid ruining clothes, first check the label to obtain the correct laundering instructions. • Always wash woolen garments in water that is just warm, never HOT. • Never place woolen garments in a dryer as most articles will shrink! • Test bright colours to check that the dye does not run and stain other clothes. Dry-cleaning services are also available throughout metropolitan shopping centres, with costs varying according to the article to be dry-cleaned. Servants Australians do not have servants. Most people, including the wealthy, clean their own homes and cars and paint their own houses. Household chores are usually shared amongst family members and children are expected to help as well - at least by keeping their own rooms tidy and clean.
Communication Postal Information Postal services in Australia are controlled by the Australian Postal Commission, and Post Offices can be identified by the Commission’s symbol – white P on a red circle. The services provided by post offices include lettergram and fax, letter and parcel posting as well as some banking, money transfer facilities and bill paying. Public telephones are available at post offices. A post office guide providing information on services and charges is obtainable free from post offices. There are special facilities for overseas telephone calls at the Perth GPO (General Post Office), Forrest Place, Perth. Post offices are open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday to Friday. They are not usually opened on Saturday or Sunday although some shopping centres have Australia Post Shops which are opened until 12.00 p.m. on Saturday. In Australia, letters are delivered once a day, on weekdays only. Parcels from home which contain foodstuffs or medicine are liable to examination by Postal/Customs Authorities. You may have to collect parcels personally from your suburban Post Office. Medicines particularly are subject to analysis and you may require the approval of a local doctor to gain possession. Change of address If you change your address in Australia, it is advisable to fill out a ‘change of address’ form, available at any Post Office, so that mail may be re-directed to you. There is a charge for this service and you can advise the Post Office the period you wish your mail to be re-directed, e.g. one month. The best way to get your mail is to inform your relatives/friends of your new address. Remember: It is a condition of your stay in Australia that you inform your Academic Institution and DIMIA whenever you move to a new address. Changes of address forms are available from the Student Enquiries Officer on floor 13. Telephone Telstra Australia is responsible for Australia’s telephone system. The local telephone directory provides useful information regarding individuals, organisations or businesses supplying various goods and services. The names, addresses and telephone numbers of doctors, dentists, hospitals and other useful organisations are also readily available in the telephone directory. It may be necessary to refer to the separate Yellow Pages directories if you are looking for a choice of businesses to contact, e.g. car hire firms. Private telephones are expensive items in Australia. There is an initial connection fee and a transfer fee payable by new tenants moving into a house or flat where there is a telephone already installed. You can also use the online telephone directories: www.yellowpages.com.au www.whitepages.com.au Getting your phone connected Call Telstra Centre on 132200 to arrange the connection. There will be a charge for the initial connection of the phone and the person who organises for the phone to be connected and whose name appears on the phone bill will be responsible for the account. Therefore, do not forget to have your phone disconnected if you move out of your present accommodation. There will be a connection fee, monthly rental deposit, call costs and a transfer fee (payable if you move into premises where a telephone is already connected). Note: If you are under 18 years of age you cannot connect a phone line. Present Costs of calls From private telephone (unlimited time) 25 cents From public telephone 40 cents Long distance & international call costs Check Telstra’s website www.telstra.com.au Phone card Some public telephone boxes have been converted to accept phone cards, some credit cards as well as coins. Phone cards costing $5, $10, $20, $50 can be purchased from newsagencies and some other outlets near to the converted phone boxes. Many pre-paid phone cards still attract the cost of a local call when used from a private phone. Overseas Calls For information on cheapest times to phone overseas, dial 12552. For other information on overseas calls look at the Telephone Directory. Phone cards offering excellent international call rates can also be purchased at Newsagents. Mobile phone use Mobile phones are now an everyday part of modern communications globally. In Australia there are separate phone networks, each with different transmitting and receiving equipment. Note: If you are under 18 years of age you cannot sign up to a long term mobile phone contract. You will have to buy a ‘pre-paid’ mobile phone and rechargeable phone cards. Good mobile phone manners are becoming increasingly important. You must always turn off your phone when attending classes. Internet Access There are a number of places in the metropolitan area that offer the general public access to the Internet, the main ones being Internet cafes and libraries. Below is a brief guide to some of these places: Fairlanes Cafe in the City: 175 Adelaide Terrace, Perth. Phone: 9325 4498. Services: One computer, $6.50 per half hour, $10 an hour. No printing facilities. Hours: Daily 9 am until the bowling alley closes, usually around 10.30 pm and 11 p.m. on Saturday. Smileys Internet Services and Cafe: Shop 18, Times Square, 337 Stirling Highway, Claremont. Phone: 9335 5520. Alexander Library: Perth Cultural Centre, James St, Northbridge. Phone: 9427 3111. Services: Six computers, free half hour usage but booking essential. Web browsing (some sites are restricted), no e-mail, downloading or printing available. Hours: Monday- Thursday 9.00am-8.00 pm, Friday 9am-5.30pm, Saturday & Sunday 10am-5.30pm. Local public libraries: Many public libraries in the metropolitan area and suburbs offer Internet use to local residents. Some allow only Web browsing, for up to an hour a day, free of charge. Keep an eye out for stand-alone public access terminals or web terminals that look like an ATM machine. Instead of giving you money, you pay it (sometimes by cash, card or a pre-purchased card) to get online. There is one such machine in the Carillon Arcade in Perth. Newspapers It is possible to obtain overseas newspapers and less common magazines by taking out a subscription. The national paper, The Australian and major interstate papers can be obtained from the larger newsagencies. The local daily paper is The West Australian. The weekend papers are The Sunday Times and The Weekend Australian. Many suburbs have excellent local free newspapers that contain useful information about the area you are living in. These often contain various advertisements for furniture and trade services. ALEXANDER EDUCATION GROUP•LIVING IN PERTH
Page 1 and 2: Living in Perth Pre-departure infor
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Welcome to Perth!
Page 5 and 6: Safety and Crime Religion in Austra
Page 7: Transport Driving You need have a v
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Living in Perth - Alexander Education Group

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