Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Moving Essentials for Americans Moving to Australia 🇺🇸✨🇦🇺
29
items Making the move Down Under? 🇦🇺 As an American who relocated to Sydney, I’ve learned firsthand which essentials make life so much easier when you first land. This list covers the must-haves — from adapters and banking hacks to everyday items that ar...
Sections
7
Beauty & Toiletries
Tech & Connectivity
Apartment/Household Setup
Clothing & Lifestyle
Financial & Services
Shopping & Everyday Life
Beauty & Toiletries
Bring your favorites. US beauty brands like IT Cosmetics, Benefit, and Sol de Janeiro are more expensive in Australia. If you have favorites, bring extras — especially hair tools like the Dyson Airwrap that may cost nearly double here.
Stock up on your Sephora products before your move!! Products are cheaper in the US, so I try to grab one or two of each item every time I travel back.
Sephora
Ok sad news - your US Dyson Airwrap will not work in Australia. US versions run on 110–120V whereas Australia runs on 220–240V. To avoid frying your US airwrap, you can buy the AUS version made especially for the required voltage.
Dyson Airwrap™ Hair Dryer and Curler
Oz Hair and Beauty has been my go to for hair care since my first visit! They carry many of the top brands including Kerastase, Olaplex, Color Wow, De Lorenzo, Fanola, Redken, and Davines.
Oz Hair and Beauty
Tech & Connectivity
Stay connected. Bring an unlocked US phone, universal adapters, and Apple essentials (chargers, AirPods). Add a VPN to keep watching your US streaming services, and pick up an Aussie SIM card once you land.
Pack extra cables! They’re a bit more pricey in Australia, so would recommend having plenty that will work with your adapters ahead of your move.
USB C to USB C Cable | 5 Pack
Transitioning your phone is one of the most important to-dos of the move. I would recommend speaking to your provider well ahead of time to ensure you are not locked into any plans, as well as, to make a plan as to how you make the swap upon your arr...
Optus SIM Only Plans & Mobile Phone Plans
If you want to keep your US streaming services, a VPN subscription is a must. I will say- it’s just as easy to use the streaming platforms in Australia, but it’s worth making sure your favorites shows are included as the content options are different...
NordVPN
It’s so small but makes all the difference if you have to swap SIM cards. Nothing else seems to work quite as well!
Amazon.com.au: Sim Card Removal Tool
Apartment/Household Setup
Settle in fast. Aussie apartments often come unfurnished, and dryers aren’t always standard. Stock up on basics like a cordless vacuum, lightweight bedding, and a foldable drying rack to make your new place feel like home right away.
Compact and perfect for Aussie apartments! If you order in the states to gather essentials pre-move, just remember you’ll need a converter for the charger.
Cordless Vacuum Cleaner | Dyson®
Think Bed, Bath, & Beyond, but Australian! This is where we ordered so much of our initial essentials for our move - from bedding to dining to bathroom must-haves, Bed Bath n Table has several options with mid-range pricing.
Bed Bath N' Table | Bedding & More
Target AU is great to stock up on the kitchen basics you’ll want right at move in. If you go in store, you might notice that it is quite different than our Target in the States, but they have plenty of great items to start your kitchen off right!
Kitchen Basics | Target AU
Buy your adapters in the states before moving!!! It is cheaper to buy these ahead of time and I recommend buying a couple of spares for any items with US plugs that you may overlook.
TESSAN Australia Plug Adapter with 4 USB Ports
In case you aren’t aware (like myself when I first moved), many Australian homes do not have a dryer. I moved without that fact and found myself at Kmart within a day to buy our wire clothes rack. I love that it’s adjustable to be able to fold up whe...
Clothes Drying Rack | Kmart
AC is not the norm in Sydney and if you’re lucky enough to have it, it’s still costly to run. Having a small fan / heater has been a lifesaver for the peak of each season!
Dyson Fans and Heaters
Clothing & Lifestyle
Dress for Aussie life. Think athleisure + sun protection. Lululemon, Nike, and Skims keep you comfy, while Uggs and a rain jacket are must-haves. Stock up on broad-spectrum sunscreen — the Aussie sun is no joke.
An Aussie-loved brand with looks that you can prep ahead of your move! Activewear is the standard uniform in Sydney, and Lululemon has so many pieces that are perfect for assimilating into the lucky country.
Lululemon
Another active brand that is a staple in Aussie fashion - whether it’s activewear, hats, sneakers, or running shoes, Nike is absolutely everywhere!
Nike
Sydney specifically has very unpredictable weather, so I would highly recommend packing a quality rain jacket to have on hand!
Women's Raincoats & Rain Jackets
Quality, lightweight SPF that you can find at Sephora both in the US and in AUS!
Ultra Violette SPF
Financial & Services
Sort your money. Open an OFX account for smooth US→AU transfers and keep a no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card handy. It’ll save you fees and headaches while you get your Aussie banking set up.
Great option for transferring funds between US & AUS bank accounts!
OFX
It’s handy to have a credit card with no foreign transaction fees like the Chase Sapphire Preferred to use as you’re getting your banking set up and then with any other foreign travel as well.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card
In case your situation is anything like mine was, Zola is wonderful for planning a wedding while abroad! A lot of features were easily customizable for multiple country links and the whole build was super straightforward.
Zola
Shopping & Everyday Life
Everyday hacks. Get an Amazon Prime AU account for faster deliveries, sign up for Coles & Woolies rewards, and don’t forget quick wins like Target AU and Specsavers for affordable basics and glasses.
If you already have Prime in the US, this should carry over. However if you haven’t signed up yet, I would highly recommend a Prime membership for faster deliveries - especially during the initial moving process.
Amazon AU Prime
Specsavers is a great choice for your optical needs. They have many locations across Australia (several across Sydney that I know of), and it’s a one stop shop for optometry tests, contacts, and glasses.
Specsavers Optometrists & Audiology
Flybuys is the grocery store Cole’s version of a rewards program. Since this is one of the two main chains, I would recommend signing up and using your rewards from the start!
Flybuys | Coles Rewards Program
Everyday Rewards is the grocery store Woolworth’s version of a rewards program. Since this is one of the two main chains, I would recommend signing up and using your rewards from the start!
Everyday Rewards | WoolWorth’s Reward Program
Kmart is perfect for most affordable finds! I would absolutely recommend Kmart for an in-store option that would have any basics that were missed or needed upon moving.
Kmart
If you’re shipping a box over in the move, I would recommend thinking about drawer organizers, closet bins, and storage baskets - of course, they have these in Australia, but at more premium prices than what you can can in the US.
Dollar Tree | Storage Bins & Containers
Travel & Settle-In
Sign up for Virgin Australia’s frequent flyer program, download Uber (same app works here) and know your grocery delivery alternatives. Short-term housing? VRBO and Airbnb work just fine.
Free to join and pays off fast! Even domestic travel often requires flying, so every point helps.
Frequent Flyer - Velocity | The loyalty program of Virgin Australia
The same Uber app works here in Australia, and I find it’s easiest to use the UberEats delivery option as I would Instacart in the US.
Uber / UberEats
Perfect for short-term housing while you apartment hunt! It’s also good to know that VRBO has an Australian brand name Stayz.
VRBO AU