We finished our final course on the 17th of January and we were expected to start at the labs on the 21st of January or at the latest on the 28th so a maximum of a week and a half after the end of the previous course. Since Monash has different semesters, technically I was supposed to start the course I was enrolled in at Monash in March. This, obviously didn't work so I emailed the coordinator at Monash and she was very helpful and I was able to start on the 28th of January at the lab. I arrived on the 21st so that gave me time to get used to Melbourne and do some necessary things like open a bank account (strongly recommend doing this as it is very easy) and get a SIM card. Monash was also kind enough to have a car pick me up at the airport which made my life a lot easier as I had just traveled for around 35 hours and was very tired.
The lab group I joined was also very helpful and my supervisor made me feel very welcomed. In the beginning there were some safety papers and online courses I had to do but it took very little time. Overall my arrival was very easy and I transitioned into working at the lab with relative ease. Everyone was very helpful. I must also say that I had a friend who live in Melbourne so when I got there, for a week and a half I lived with her so that made things a lot easier.