Plan your arrival
Arriving in Sydney
Before commencing your course at Swinburne, you will need to make arrangements for your travel to Sydney along with your travel insurance and transport to your accommodation.
Before you fly
After your application has been processed, your deposit has been paid and your student visa has been issued, you can book your flight to Sydney.
You should arrive in Sydney at least two to four weeks before your course starts. This will allow you to organise accommodation and settle in before your begin classes.
Travel insurance
We advise you to purchase travel insurance when you book your flights to Australia. Your travel insurance should cover you for two or three days after you arrive in Australia, in case you experience delays. Your travel agent should be able to help you organise this.
It is a good idea to arrive in Sydney with some Australian money. Around A$250 in cash is a good amount to start with.
Sydney Airport
Sydney Airport is a 25-minute drive from the Sydney city centre and 50 minutes from Parramatta. All international and domestic flights to Sydney arrive here. International flights arrive in terminal 1 and domestic flights arrive in terminals 2 and 3.
International arrivals
If you arrive in Sydney on an international flight, you will arrive at Sydney Airport Terminal 1.
On the plane, you will be given an incoming passenger card. You will need to fill in your flight details and customs information. When you arrive at the airport, you will need your passport and incoming passenger card for the entry control point. When you have passed through the entry control point, you will be able to collect your baggage and exit the terminal via customs and quarantine.
Quarantine, customs and goods to declare
Australian customs and quarantine regulations restrict you from bringing certain items into Australia and you must declare some items on your incoming passenger card.
If you are carrying any restricted or quarantine items, including food, medication, wooden material, plant material or animal products, you must declare them. Alternatively, you can place them in the quarantine bins when you arrive at the airport.
To declare an item, tick 'yes' on your incoming passenger card. If you are unsure about an item you are carrying, declare it by ticking 'yes'.
All luggage is screened using a combination of specially trained dogs, x-ray machines and bag inspections on arrival in Australia. If you do not declare any restricted or quarantine items, or if you make a false declaration, you risk severe penalties.
For more information about what to declare, visit the Department of Home Affairs website and the Australian Department of Agriculture website.
Domestic arrivals
If you are flying to Sydney from another city in Australia, you will arrive at Sydney Airport Terminal 2 or 3.
Domestic travellers are not usually required to go through an entry control point or meet any customs requirements.
Quarantine restrictions are in place for some domestic travel. This means that certain food and plant items cannot be brought into the state of New South Wales. For information about what you can and cannot bring to New South Wales from other states, visit the Australian Interstate Quarantine website.
Pre-departure checklist
There are many things to organise before you travel to Melbourne. Use our checklist to make sure you complete all these important tasks.
Before you depart for Australia, make sure you:
- Obtain your passport and visa
- Check your Letter of Offer to confirm details about your course and the commencement date
- Confirm your accommodation booking
- Confirm your travel arrangements with your travel agency and/or airline
- Book your airport pick-up
- Know where to find the airport meeting point and who to contact if you get lost or miss your flight
Living costs, banking and money
The Department of Home Affairs has financial requirements you must meet in order to receive a student visa for Australia.
As of October 2019, the 12-month living costs are;
For students or guardians - A$21,041
For partners coming with you - A$7,362
For a child coming with you - A$3,152
It is a good idea to arrive in Sydney with some Australian currency. Around A$250 in cash is a good amount to start with.
For safety purposes, we recommend that you do not travel with large amounts of cash. Note that if you bring A$10,000 or more in cash to Australia (or equivalent in foreign currency), you must declare it to Australian customs when you arrive. You can find more information about declaring currency on the Department of Home Affairs website.
It is also helpful to have a credit card for emergencies. The most common credit cards used in Australia are Visa and MasterCard. American Express and Diners Club credit cards are also accepted by some businesses.
Click here to learn everything you need to know to properly budget and manage your money and living expenses while studying in Australia.
Pre-departure checklist
There are many things to organise before you travel to Melbourne. Use our checklist to make sure you complete all these important tasks.
Before you depart for Australia, make sure you:
- Obtain your passport and visa
- Check your Letter of Offer to confirm details about your course the commencement date
- Confirm your accommodation booking
- Confirm your travel arrangements with your travel agency and/or airline
- Book your airport pick-up
- Know where to find the airport meeting point and who to contact if you get lost or miss your flight
Living costs, banking and money
Click here to learn everything you need to know to properly budget and manage your money and living expenses while studying in Australia.