Having a bank account and enough money in that bank account is another important part of your trip. It proves to the authorities who issue the visas that you have enough funds to support your-self for a while once you enter the country. This is until you manage to get yourself that all-important first job. For the WHV you may need to supply proof of an account in your name and how much money is in it.

Wheither or not you need to have a bank account it's always best to have one anyway preferably with enough money to last you at least 2 months once you enter Oz. Even if you get lucky and get a job fast you may find you have to support yourself for a while without any income.

With the way bank accounts are nowadays it is possible to set up your account so that you can manage it over the net. This makes it very handy to set up and transfer funds between accounts any where in the world. Therefore you could maybe think of leaving some of your money in your bank account in Ireland and taking some travellers cheques with you and some cash. Then, when you get to Australia, you can open a bank account and transfer your money from your Irish Account.

Cirrus Another thing you might think about checking out. Is if your bank link card have CIRRUS on it. With cirrus on you're card you can use your bank link card in a most banks and cash points round the world. Very handy rather than carrying a lot of travellers cheques or cash with you. However a little tip for you, every time you use the card to withdraw money you not only get charged the exchange rate at the time but also a fee for using the service. This usage charge is the same no matter how much money you withdraw, so it's best to withdraw the max amount possible. Therefore you only get hit with one usage charge rather than a lot of small amounts.

When you do get to Australia its best to open a bank account as quickly as you can. You're going to need it for every thing you do. Wheither its getting your wages paid into the account or just having the comfort of having easy access to your cash with aussie bank card. I've included alongside links to all the major banks in Australia, well all the ones I can think of. A lot of them need your Australian address before you can open the account.

Ok so you're new to the country, staying in a Hostel. Not to worry, in most places you can get a post box from the local post office that you can use until you get settled. Another alternative is a service like www.gobalgossip.com offer. This is where you pay a fee and they will not only supply you with a place for all you mail to be sent to but also forward it to you anywhere in Australia. A very handy service when you're constantly on the move. Western Union

So lets say the worst comes to worst. You're in an out back town. You're on your last couple bucks and the bank account has all but had it. You need cash. Not to worry look for a black and yellow sign with Western Union on it. Their agents are in a lot of towns all over the world. So it means that money can be transferred to you almost anywhere, thus getting your ass out of a tight spot