What to bring to Melbourne

These are what you should bring to Melbourne:

• Your passport and visa
• Your acceptance letter
• Your Enrolment Online guide
• Your arrival guide
• Your international driver’s licence if you have
• You bank account details if you have set up your account online.
• Your Resume if you intend to work.
• Money- just enough to tide you over for the first few weeks. You should bring around $4000 for your first few weeks to establish yourself. But if you want to bring more than $10000 you will need to declare it.
• Clothes- Melbourne has four seasons and clothing can be expensive to buy in Melbourne.
• Some packaged pantry food reminding you of home. Don’t bring too much as customs officials won’t like that and will try and take the food off you. And don’t forget to declare it. Melbourne has plenty of this stuff here.
• Toiletries. If you bring in more than 100mls of liquids, gels etc it will have to placed in your checked baggage. If you intend to pack them, then you can bring in as much as you need/want. You can buy most things in Melbourne so you don't need a lot
• Prescription medicine with a prescription if you need. But Melbourne has most medicines should you need it.
• Sanitary pads if you are a woman. Melbourne has plenty but they may not have your brand and pads in Melbourne can cost from anywhere between $5-$8.
• Stationery. These too can be very expensive to buy in Melbourne. You will need some pens when you go to enrol.
• Laptop. Laptops cost around $2000-$4000 AUD in Melbourne.
• Headphones for listening to audio in the library. RMIT libraries don’t let you listen to audio without headphones and they don’t provide headsets for students to borrow. But you can buy them for $1.20.
• Camera- Cameras cost around $500-$1200 AUD in Melbourne.
• Mobile phone handset as these can be expensive to buy in Melbourne
• iPod to listen to in the airport
• iPad to download information and lectures
• Umbrella- this year Melbourne has had quite a lot of rainy days and it can rain all of a sudden. Umbrellas are not cheap to buy in Melbourne.
• An evening/school bag- bags can be very expensive to buy here.
• Novels to read on the tram/train/bus
• Stroller if you have a child
• Electronic dictionary if English is not your first language. Most classes will let you take it in.
• Bilingual English Dictionary if English is your second language. All RMIT exams don’t allow you to take in an electronic dictionary so a bilingual dictionary is a must.

What NOT to bring to Melbourne

• Furniture- they can be purchased in Melbourne and your house/flat/apartment may have furniture. If not you can get them secondhand or free from the RMIT Student Union furniture collective
• SIM card for your mobile phone- it may not work here. Some prepaid SIM cards can be purchased for $2
• Fresh and cooked foods- these bring pests and diseases into Australia. The customs officials will take them off you. You can buy them in Melbourne.
• Animals- they are prohibited in Melbourne because they may carry pest and diseases. They might not be allowed in your apartment/flat/house in Melbourne
• Dangerous goods such as weapons, drugs, firearms etc.
• Crockery and utensils- it is very heavy and you may have to pay fees for excess baggage. You might already have these in your accommodation. It’s better to buy them here from the Queen Victoria Market or get your parents to send them from overseas.
• Pornographic materials- it’s not allowed in Australia and there have been a few prosecutions.
• Counterfeit goods- there are very strict penalties for these
• Drugs- there is a $25000+ fine and/or jail for this. There are sniffer dogs around the airport, sniffing people for drugs and food. So if you are caught you may go to jail
• Plants- they may carry diseases and pests in Australia
• Books- you won’t get your booklist until your first class and they can add more kilos to your baggage and you may have to pay excess fees. You can buy secondhand textbooks in Melbourne.