Got into grad school in Australia... what should I know?

We have good coffee in general all over the place, Melbournians can get a little pompous about it but they also have the best. No one takes it seriously though, it's just not shit like the US. Our McDonalds coffee might just be better than America's cafe-quality stuff. We do have some weird names for the different types of coffee though.
http://www.prepareforaustralia.com.au/living-australia/food-eating/coffee-cafe.aspx

Some other general advice:
Don't worry about the scare stories about animals, it's usually an exaggeration, and you won't see much in urban areas anyway. Spiders will be pretty much anywhere that has trees, but the vast majority you'll see will be harmless. Magpies can attack in nesting season.You'll only see kangaroos on drives through rural areas. You'll rarely see koalas, emus, crocodiles or any other stereotypical Aus animal out in the wild. Sharks aren't a problem unless you surf, crocs not a problem unless you go to some dank creek alone.

Swim at public beaches, between the flags, where everyone else does and you'll be fine. If you can't swim well, don't underestimate rips and the current. Life Savers are a volunteer public service, wave your hands if you get in trouble (that's why you swim between the flags). Don't underestimate the size of Australia, you won't be driving to Sydney or Melbourne or Uluru unless you're prepared for a several days trip. Don't drive through the outback without plenty of water, preparation, a 4WD, other people, and someone else having your itinerary - lots of rural areas don't have mobile phone reception. In short, don't be stupid and you'll be fine.

Queensland, especially the less-populated areas, are perceived by the other states as a bit like the bible belt of USA. ie. a little slow, conservative, a little racist (to non-white people), not as religious though. It's not necessarily true that's just the perception, and it may not apply to Gold Coast anyway. Gold Coast is a tourist town so it's going to be a bit different to the rest of AU. Australia in general is quite secular (non-religious), though we have our right-wing nutjobs in parliament like most Western nations. We're also quite multicultural, so generally if you don't follow our "culture" and "customs" most people don't care. Queensland is more laid back in that regard. I use those terms loosely because AU doesn't have a lot of defining culture, the country is quite young compared to most others.

Watch out for the Australia Tax. Especially on games and electronics but anything can be affected. Our produce in general is high quality, cost of living is high, as well as rent, but we also have a high standard of living, good social services (though more for citizens), strict regulations - people complain about the Nanny State but in most cases it's beneficial and works. 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST) applies to most products except essential goods (things like fresh food etc), but you don't need to worry as all prices shown in stores are what you'll pay, tax is already factored in. Our dollars are pretty much equal, our stuff will probably cost more but the wages, even for menial or low-skill jobs, should almost make up for it. Our money is coins for $2 and under, "plastic" notes for $5 plus. We're mostly a cashless society, even a pop-up flea market stall can take electronic funds. If you want a credit card, Visa and Mastercard are common, AMEX usually has extra fees. EFTPOS (debit/savings account) is a good way to go and afaik is always free. Our big, nationwide banks are Commonwealth, NAB, ANZ. ATMs for all three are scattered, you'll usually find them near shops., several in shopping centres. Withdrawals from your own bank's ATM are free, from other providers you can be charged a fee (typically around $2). The banks should have an app to locate nearby ATMs, otherwise you can usually look them up online.

If you need a new laptop, buy it in Canada it's probably cheaper. Many electronics, cables etc are cheaper to buy online from China than to buy locally. Computer stuff is best bought at specialist computer stores than big chains. Your electricity is 120V, ours is 240V. If you bring any electronics, don't plug them in here using an adapter unless you know your power supply supports our voltage. Otherwise you'll need a step-down transformer. That could be expensive though, so smaller/cheaper appliances you're probably better off buying here, depending how long your stay is.

The popular supermarkets are Coles, Woolworths (Woolies) and ALDI. Popular budget department stores are Target and K-Mart (same company as Coles) and Big W (same company as Woolworths). Higher-end department stores are Myer, David Jones, Harvey Norman. For gaming, EB Games (our version of GameStop) and JB Hi-Fi for retail stuff, OzGameShop for online, or the usual digital download channels with region restrictions where appropriate. JB is also a good source for DVD/BD, CDs and competes with the department stores for consumer electronics.

We both use metric so you're good there. Most of us don't say G'day. Some of the differences in words between you and USA are the same in Aus so should be familiar. In recent decades our culture is more and more influenced by American culture, mostly from TV and movies, with the exception of gun culture thankfully. Not so much Canadian culture, but between our Commonwealth heritage and US influence, we'll understand your words and accent. Maybe not so much the other way, we have our slang and our accent can be quick and lazy, melding words together or dropping syllables. If you don't understand us don't be afraid to ask for clarification.

Well that turned out longer than expected...

EDIT - step-down transformer, not step-up. You want to reduce the voltage coming out of the power point.

The snakes can be very dangerous too ;)

=] thanks for the whitelist :) all the best with your new career over here next year.

Lol. Falling koalas, what rotten luck. Appreciate the advice regarding the Sun. While I'm not staying long term (probably) I'll be mindful.

Not true, a dear friend of mine was killed by them.

cool thx :)