Your first week in Brisbane: the settling-in list
Phone, money, getting around, food, and the small things that make a new room feel like yours. One week, one step at a time.
- Student Life
- 1 min read
- 24 September 2026
Field notes · Student Life
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Day one: land, rest, eat
You don’t need to fix everything on the first day. Get to your accommodation, charge your phone, eat something real, and sleep. The admin will still be there tomorrow.
Having breakfast and a few easy meals ready for your first night takes one decision off a very long day.
Get connected
- Sort a local SIM or eSIM so you have an Australian number for everything else.
- Open a local bank account. Many banks let international students start this online.
- Save your university’s student support and emergency contacts in your phone.
Work out how you’ll get around
Brisbane’s buses, trains and ferries are run under Translink. Check Translink’s website or app for current ways to pay and journey planning. The CityCat ferry is also one of the nicest ways to see the city.
Make the room yours
- Buy the basics first: bedding, a towel, a lamp, a few kitchen things.
- Put one familiar thing from home somewhere you’ll see it every day.
- Walk your neighbourhood: find the nearest supermarket, pharmacy and a café you like.
Say yes to one thing
Orientation events, clubs, a housemate dinner. The first week is when everyone is new, which makes it the easiest week to meet people. Pick one thing and go.
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