
International Students Prepare to arrive Useful links for new residents
Useful links for new residents
- Courses
- Future Students
- Current Students
- Research and Teaching
- Partners and Community
- About JCU
- Celebrating 50 Years
- Anton Breinl Research Centre
- Agriculture Technology and Adoption Centre
- Living on Campus
- Advanced Prawn Breeding Research Hub
- Advanced Analytical Centre
- Applying to JCU
- Alumni
- AMHHEC
- Australian/NZ Students
- Australian Lions Stinger Research
- Boating and Diving
- Australian Tropical Herbarium
- ATSIP
- Careers at JCU
- Association of Australian University Secretaries
- Careers and Employability
- Australian Quantum & Classical Transport Physics Group
- CITBA
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology
- Chancellery
- CMT
- CASE
- College of Business, Law and Governance
- College of Healthcare Sciences
- College of Medicine and Dentistry
- College of Science and Engineering
- CPHMVS
- COVID-19 Advice
- CSTFA
- Centre for Disaster Solutions
- Cyclone Testing Station
- Daintree Rainforest Observatory
- Diploma of Higher Education
- Discover Nature at JCU
- Division of Research and Innovation
- Division of Tropical Environments and Societies
- Division of Tropical Health and Medicine
- Staff Intranet
- Economic Geology Research Centre
- Elite Athletes
- Estate
- Fletcherview
- Foundation for Australian Literary Studies
- Gender Equity Action and Research
- GetReady4Uni
- Give to JCU
- Information for JCU Cairns Graduates
- Graduate Research School
- Graduation
- JCU Ideas Lab
- Indigenous Education and Research Centre
- Indigenous Legal Needs Project
- IT Services
- Information for Agents
- International Students
- JCU College
- JCU Contact Information
- JCU Eduquarium
- JCU Global Experience
- JCU Motorsports
- JCU Prizes
- JCU Sport
- Language and Culture Research Centre
- LTSE
- LearnJCU
- Library
- MARF
- Marine Geophysics Laboratory
- New Students
- Off-Campus Students
- Office of the Provost
- Office of the Vice Chancellor and President
- Open Day
- Orpheus
- Outstanding Alumni Awards
- Parents and Partners
- Pathways to University
- Planning and Performance
- Planning for your future
- Placements
- Policy
- PAHL
- Publications
- Professional Experience Placement
- Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease
- Rapid Assessment Unit
- Researcher Development Portal
- JCU Connect
- Safety and Wellbeing
- Scholarships @ JCU
- SICEM
- Staff
- Student Equity and Wellbeing
- SWIRLnet
- TESS
- TREAD
- TropEco
- TQ Maths Hub
- TUDLab
- Unicare Centre and Unicampus Kids
- UAV
- VAVS Home
- Work Health and Safety
- WHOCC for Vector-borne & NTDs
- Media
- Copyright and Terms of Use
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine
Electricity
If you need to apply for electricity to be connected to your rental property or if you have any concerns about the electrical connection at your property contact Ergon Energy.
Gas
Gas is not used in every household as many have electrical appliances only. Check whether your house/unit has a gas supply. There are several companies that provide gas services, the main ones being Origin Energy and Elgas.
Water Supply
Payment of water rates in Cairns and Townsville is the responsibility of the house owner. There can be water restrictions that are in place in Cairns and Townsville so that if you use more water than is allocated, you may have to pay an excess water bill.
Garbage Disposal
Every household has at least one large green plastic bin for garbage disposal. In most areas, there may be two bins: one for rubbish (green/red lid) and the other for recycling (yellow lid). You are required to leave your rubbish on the kerb side of the footpath for collection. Rubbish bins are collected every week, recycling bins every two weeks. Contact your real estate agent, landlord, or neighbour to find out what days to leave your bin out for collection or check the website or Cairns Regional Council website for further details.
Telephone
To organise a telephone connection in your house or apartment, you will need to choose from one of several telephone companies in Australia. International Direct Dial provides links to the top residential telephone providers in Australia. For information on where you can buy calling cards, refer to the information under ‘How can I phone home’ at Your First 48 Hours.
Internet Service Provider
There are many internet service providers in Australia. Youcompare.com.au lets you compare internet plans from major providers to find the right one for your needs.
Council
The Townsville City Council has put together New Residents Guide which provides information about Townsville, the Council’s services and living in North Queensland. Cairns Regional Council also provides this information on its website.
Tenancy Advice Services
The Residential Tenancies Authority (RTA) offers a number of services including holding and refunding of rental bonds, providing free information on all tenancy matters, and offering a negotiation service for disputes.
The can provide you with details on your rights and obligations as a tenant in Queensland and we recommended that you become familiar with this information prior to signing any leases for off-campus accommodation and during the tenancy.
The RTA also provides a number of fact sheets in both English and other languages which provide information for tenants who are about to enter into a lease – these can be found at RTA Fact Sheets.
The Tenants' Union of Queensland is a state wide community organisation that provides an advisory service for residential tenants in Queensland.