Transportation
Public Transport
As it is with most major Australian cities, Perth has an efficient and modern public transportation system. Major suburbs are accessible by trains or buses. Because different universities are located at different places, students will have different commuting choices given the university they study in. The main modes of transportation should be the bus and the rail network, both operated by Transperth.

Transperth - Transperth

The greater Perth area is also separated into different zones similar to most Australian cities, extending out from the middle which is the city center. Travelling between different zones will cost you different fares, the further the more expensive.

A smart tag-type card called Smartrider similar to our Touch-n-Go in Malaysia is required if you are to travel by public transport. You will have to tag on when you board the bus, and tag off when you alight. Credit can be added to the card at some convenience stores, and at all major stations. Students studying in UWA will get concession fees if they register their Smartriders on the university's StudentConnect website. I am unsure whether other universities offer such capabilities online, but generally students with a proof of enrolment (i.e. student cards) can get concession fees. I am also not sure of the railway's workings, so it's best if someone who has experienced it write up on it instead of me.

Driving
A large number of international students will eventually end up buying cars late in their first year or during the beginning of the second. Cars can cost from as little as a few hundred dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars, but as long as it is in working order, you can be sure that someone will buy it. Many students will opt for those that cost under 5000 dollars, cars of which are usually around 12-15 years old. One of the most popular choices is the Toyota Camry, as it doesn't cost much but is pretty reliable. Well to do students will go for Japanese coupes usually, opting for cars like skylines. Those will cost between 12000-80000 dollars depending on the model.

We pay what we call the rego here, which is equivalent to our road tax back in Malaysia. For most of the cars it will be under 500 dollars per year, but it is optional as the other choice would be half-yearly payments. Included in the rego is personal injury insurance for both the driver and any third parties, not including material losses. Insurance can be purchased separately from insurance companies such as RAC or just cars, costing anywhere between 200-2000 dollars, depending on whether it is comprehensive or just third party. Age, housing location, type of parking, prior accident histories will also affect the premium paid.

Parking in the city is relatively cheap compared to other cities, with the best option coming from Central Perth Parking (CPP) costing around 2.2 dollars per hour. Wilson's Parking should be avoided. Petrol prices ranges from 1.20-1.60 per litre, and price changes everyday but can be watched through FuelWatch at Fuel Watch

Renting in Perth
Depending on which university you attend, students have different renting options. University of Western Australia is Nedlands, sitting by the Swan river just 5 minutes drive from the city center. Curtin University of Technology is located in Bentley, around 15 minutes drive from the city. Murdoch University is located in Murdoch, about 20 minutes drive from the city. Edith Cowan University is in Joondalup, around 45 minutes drive to the city.

UWA students will usually rent around the university which is Nedlands since most would prefer places that are within walking distance. Those who drive or don't mind traveling further can opt for Claremont, Mosman Park, Cottesloe, Subiaco, the Mounts Bay area up to and including those in the city. These places are the upmarket locations in Perth so the crime rate is very, very low. Prices range from around 110-150 per room, or about 350-500 for a 2-3 bedroom unit.

Students of Curtin and Murdoch will usually rent around their universities as well, which is Bentley and Murdoch respectively. However, those who don't mind traveling further usually go for Como, Victoria Park, Willetton and such. The upper Como area nearer to South Perth has a relatively low crime rate like those around UWA, but moving down south will start to be a bit dodgy. Victoria Park is a very convenient location as there are lots of eateries and shopping places around. Bentley should be avoided though as it is a high crime rate area, even on university grounds with a few high profile cases being covered up by a certain university. Rental prices range from around 80-130 per room for the immediate area around the universities, to about 100-150 for areas further from it.

Houses can be searched for on Real Estate and as with most other cities in Australia, the peak season for rentals would be around the intake periods of universities, which is around late Jan-late March and late June-late August. Periods apart from these should be easier to rent in since there will be less competition.

Banking in Perth
To open a bank account in Australia requires you to undergo a 100-points test, which is done to prove your identity. Passports and COEs are usually needed, and other documents that have your name and address on it like bills would be a good back-up if you have any.

Perth's bank choices are Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, ANZ, NAB and BankWest. Both Comm Bank and BankWest have the highest ATM count in Australia(IIRC), but BankWest's card offers mastercard debit and credit facilities so it might be a better choice for those of you who would want to shop online.

Telecommunication
Students in Perth will usually choose between Three Mobile or Optus as they have the biggest dealer networks in Perth. It will be wise to choose Three if most of your friends are using Three because you will be allocated free 3 to 3 calls. Optus has an attractive prepaid solution with its turbocharge facility though which offers more than double the top-up credits for use.

Internet Connection
There are many different choices of ADSL here in Perth, with the majority using Optus or IINet. I have tried both, and in terms of service, Optus is slightly more stable but IINet's customer service is second to none. Both operators offer ADSL2 now so downstream speeds of up to 24mbits can be attained. The speed is fast but the quota system is in place in Australia, meaning you will be given a certain amount of downstream quota of which once used up, the speed will be throttled down to 64k dial-up speeds until the quota renews in the next month. Prices can be checked from Optus or IINet.