A week after Afghan refugee Khalid Amiri landed in Melbourne, he was at the supermarket with his mother when an act of generosity left him in disbelief.
"We had a gift card which had a very minimal amount," Mr Amiri said.
"There was an Australian couple and they asked me where we are from and I said, 'We're from Afghanistan'.
"They said, 'Don't worry, please get whatever you want to get, fill your trolley. We are here to pay for your bill'."
A survey of Afghan evacuees who fled the country following the fall of Kabul in 2021 has found the majority have had good experiences with Australians and are enjoying life here, but many remain concerned about the cost of living.
With the Australian Bureau of Statistics reporting a 7.4 per cent rise in the Consumer Price Index in the 12 months to January, prices for basic essentials was the biggest concern for 78 per cent of respondents.
Mr Amiri, who was one of the survey respondents, said the cost of living was particularly challenging for his family and other refugees because they had to "start from scratch" in Australia with no savings to fall back on.
The survey, conducted by refugee settlement agency AMES Australia, spoke to more than 100 Afghan evacuees last month to better understand their aspirations and experiences.
"The results show us what is going well in their lives and what their issues are," AMES spokesperson Laurie Nowell said.
"This can help us tailor the support and referrals we provide."
In August 2021, the United States withdrew the last of its troops from Afghanistan, ending two decades of military presence in the country.
The Taliban was quick to seize control of the country, capturing the capital on August 15.
"It was the worst feeling of my life," Mr Amiri said.
He was critical of the Taliban when he worked as a news presenter for Radio Television Afghanistan.
"I had to leave Afghanistan with nothing but the clothes that I was wearing."
In spite of the abrupt evacuation from their home country, AMES found that 84 per cent of Afghan evacuees were happy in Australia.
Among them is Bushra Afrasiabi, who left Afghanistan in November 2021 seeking a better life for her 18-month-old child.
"I don't feel like I'm less than an Australian citizen. I feel I have the same rights. It just makes me very happy. Makes me feel good," Ms Afrasiabi said.
The survey also found that 76 per cent of evacuees rated ordinary Australians to be welcoming, 67 per cent found official institutions to be welcoming, and only 3 per cent had experienced discrimination.
"I am developing a sense of belonging within the Australian community. It's because of the people, the pluralism, and the acceptance here," Mr Amiri said.
'The hardest thing was finding a house'
Of the government support given, accommodation was voted as the most important by 32 per cent of the respondents, with Centrelink benefits coming in second.
Ms Afrasiabi and Mr Amiri both said they found it difficult to find housing on their modest Centrelink allowances and with no rental history to support their applications.
"Even with renting, it was such a big problem that I had to inspect 20 houses here until I got one for myself, because we had no rental history, and some people were hesitant to give a home to refugees," Mr Amiri said.
"The hardest thing for us was finding a house. We don't have a history of living in Australia, we didn't have a job."
Ms Afrasiabi, who receives an allowance of $600 per fortnight for her three-person family, found a home after four months of lodging "many, many applications".
Since the fall of Kabul, more than 6,000 Afghans have been evacuated to Australia from Afghanistan.
More than 170,000 have applied to come to Australia under the humanitarian visa program since August 2021.
A Department of Home Affairs spokesperson said in recognition of the crisis, the government has allocated 6,125 places to Afghan nationals in its 2022-23 humanitarian program.
With the status quo unchanged in their homeland, three-quarters of the evacuees said they intended to stay in Australia.
Their biggest short-term and long-term goals were finding jobs and building careers.
Mr Amiri was granted a full scholarship at the University of Melbourne where he is pursuing a Masters in International Relations.
Ms Afrasiabi is working for Amnesty International and wants to complete a Masters in Humanitarian Assistance.
She hopes she can use her experiences of being a refugee to help others in similar positions.
Despite the traumatic separation from their home country and families, many of the evacuees have expressed gratitude to be in Australia, where they feel supported and safe.
"I remember when I was in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, I didn't sleep well for two or three months," Ms Afrasiabi said.
"We landed in Melbourne airport, on the first night I slept well. I woke up and thought, 'I had the best sleep of my whole life'."
