In Reply to: thanks posted by Cath hearts Bali on Tuesday, 22. March 2011 at 09:54 Bali Time:
and I would not bother exchanging money in Australia you will definately get a lower rate and if your changing a couple of grand then I would definately say forget it and save it until you get to Bali.
The rate can change daily and in Bali you have the option to change large amounts on a day that the rate is good, you also dont have to change the whole amount at once (unless of course it's all needed at once for a large purchase). Exchanging a large sum of money at one time as you mentioned would be a whole lot of rupiah that your carrying around, and it definately wont fit in your purse lol, you'll need a money sack to exchange that much rupiah. And it would be difficult to keep a track record on your rupiah expenditures if having big wads of rupiah.
If you take holladaze advice and exchange in a reputable place that deals with money change only, then you wont have any problem. You can also go to a bank (for example) Commonwealth in Bali and exchange your money there without any problems. As mentioned by holidays just avoid the little stalls and go to a large professional money exchange.