A minimum of 9% of your salary is paid into a special retirement fund (think mutual fund) in addition to your salary. The program also allows you to built your super with your own contributions, which take advantage of super’s favourable tax treatment. Like a 401k, you choose the fund that the super money is paid into.

If like me, you are a temporary employee in Australia, you can claim the superfunds when you leave the country (minus some taxes). This benefit is HUGE. Sadly, I’ve read that many migrant works don’t know it can be claimed, so the funds are returned to the Australia Tax Office (ATO).

This allows anyone working in Australia to save 0% of their net wages and still have at least 9% of their total lifetime income waiting for them at retirement. Incredible.

Today was my last full week of work for a little over 3 weeks. Next week I have friends and family visiting, which I’m extremely excited for. Their visit is the catalyst for an incredible whirlwind of travel that looks like this:

Cairns > Port Douglas > Byron Bay > Tweed Heads > Noosa Heads > Rainbow Beach > Fraser Island

Oh, and there is this little event called Mardi Gras starting next week. Then I’m heading to Melbourne Easter weekend.

I get both excited and tired thinking about it. Somehow, I think I’ll live.

More importantly, the author raises an incredibly interesting question whether more attractive, but less intelligent people tend to gravitate to beach cities like Barcelona, Miami and Sydney.

Hmmm…certainty worth pondering.

Well, I’m happy to report that I’m now renting a room from a friend of a co-worker until I find something long-term. It’s in the Surry Hills neighborhood, which is just 2 min away from my gym and a 20 minute walk to work.

I have a local bank account, a gym membership and a new iPhone from Optus. Sydney is starting to feel a bit more like home.

I remember finding it difficult to comprehend the historical significance of Rome both times I visited. Athens has been continuously inhabited for at least 3,000 years so I’m expecting to have the same problem.

After two days in Athens, I’ll take a boat from the ancient port of Athens, Piraeus to Santorini for 4 days of beach living. Kamari will be my first time seeing a black pebble beach and Akrotiri will be my first red pebble beach.

I have some exciting news regarding Sydney, but more on that later…

BCN> London> Athens> Mykonos> Santorini> Istanbul> Thailand> Sydney

TRAVEL SCHEDULE
London       8/13- 8/17
Greece        8/17- 8/22
Turkey        8/22- 8/29
Thailand     8/29- 9/10
Sydney       9/10 – ???

Contact me if you are in any of the cities and want to meet up.