Easter Holidays!

For our Easter break I decided to travel up the east coast. The plan was to spend one week visiting the Whitsunday Islands then the second week in Cairns. This meant taking one week off from lectures and assignment work (which I now have to make up for). There is an airline in Australia called 'Tiger Airways' which offers cheap deals on flights so I was able to fly to a town called Mackay (next to the Whitsunday Islands) for just $70! I also decided to take a tent and lots of camping stuff thinking it would save a bit of cash. The Whitsunday Islands are located in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, on the tropical coast of Queensland. The first night was spent in a town called Airlie beach which is a brilliant backpacker stop and is where all the boats and tours operate from. Next day we decided to rent a car to explore some nearby waterfalls called cedar creek falls. This river stretched for miles and there are plenty of places to jump in and swim (just watch for snakes and big lizards!)

The only way to see the Whitsunday Islands is by boat and the majority of tours consist of big package deals which take you out for a day and let you off for an hour or two various island spots. However, having the tent, we decided to book a water taxi which would drop us at two Island locations Whitsunday Island, home to Whitehaven beach and Hook Island. These islands are uninhabited!! so we had to bring all our food and water and live like Robinson Crusoe. We had 4 days and 3 nights of beach bbqs, swimming in turquoise sea and exploring the islands! The beaches were amazing (as you can see from the pictures) and there was also some brilliant snorkelling on Hook Island. 

Next we planned to go up to cairns but still had no way of getting there. Luckily we met two girls who would give us a lift in return for me driving while they slept off the hangover....8 hours of straight driving later we arrived in Cairns!!! The evening was spent organizing all the activities we wanted to do in Cairns; the plan to do the holiday on budget was defiantly out the window by now. 

Tuesday - Sky diving! something I have always wanted to do...  it was amazing!! We had a bit dodgy weather on the day which meant flying above the clouds until reaching 14000 feet above cairns. This is a definite adrenaline rush activity to try if you get the chance.

Wednesday - Scuba diving and snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef!  This was an all day trip which included the boat ride out to the reef, all equipment and scuba tuition and plenty of food. The views of the reef were incredible there was so much to see, we even were lucky enough to see a shark!! (Luckily only a small one)

Thursday and Friday - we rented a car again and traveled on further up the east coast where we saw huge rain forests and plenty more waterfalls, we also stopped at a park where we could see crocodiles being fed.

Friday night was spent in Cairns city (managed to catch the royal wedding from a Chinese takeaway TV) then back to the airport for a 2.00am flight to Melbourne.

An amazing trip, which is well worth doing if you get the chance.... but now lots of work to be catching up on!

The Student Village

Where I am living is the Australian equivalent of halls called The Student Village, It is comprised of 6 colleges each college having 4, 2 storey, blocks of flats surrounding a courtyard.  Each of the colleges has a colour and a name which is great for sporting events and other activities which are put on throughout the year. Within each block of flats the rooms are grouped into sets of 3 which all share a bathroom. Each college also has two kitchens and a common room which everyone shares. The courtyard is a great place to be and there is always somebody out there especially in the evenings. You also end up visiting the other colleges especially in O-week where there is a music/bar crawl around the whole village.

The only down side is that all the buildings and facilities are quite basic and dated which may give a bad impression on first arrival. However don't be put off! for the majority of the time everybody is outside, the rooms are only a place to sleep and everywhere is very safe and secure. There is a reception which is open every week day to help with any inquiries that you may have and there also a number of second or third year students who are on call 24/7. There is lots of space to do sport and there is a volley ball, basket ball and tennis court (unfortunately no swimming pool) There are also some computer and library resources available and a small gym.

 

                                                                                               

The village is located in any area just outside Footscray called Maribyrnong. It is about 10 minutes bus to the Uni, 10 minute walk to a huge shopping centre and about 15 minutes bus to the train station to take you into the city.

I would defiantly advise coming here, there are other options such as share housing and hostels which I did consider but I think this is the best place by far to meet other students. There is another small halls which is right next to the Uni, this is brand new and therefore quite a bit more expensive, there are also only 40 rooms, which is what put me off, but everyone I know who goes there has a great time.

You will find the cost of living in Australia is a lot higher than back in the UK, this is simply due to the poor exchange rate. Therefore if you decide to find a job then money should not be a problem as the minimum wage is relatively high. I think I spend roughly $60 a week on food (approx. £40) where it gets expensive is if you buy lunch and snacks during the day so I try to avoid this. Alcohol is also a lot more expensive!

Everything you get in the UK you can get here, the only difference is the brands, Dairy Milk does not taste the same though!

Settling in!

I have now been in Melbourne for 5 weeks and am 3 weeks into lectures. The course structure is very similar to Bournemouth, they even have myVU and Blackboard system so it is easy to understand. I am taking four units and they each consist of part coursework (including presentations) and a final exam in June. The choice of units is also very flexible as long as they are approved by Bournemouth Uni. 

There is always something going on in the student village and many events are put on in the evenings and weekends. Every Wednesday night there is a bus which shuttles all the students from the village to a bar in town, it is always a theme night and everyone gets involved. We also have trips organised for days at the beach and there are still welcome functions with free food and drinks for internationals going on even 3 weeks into term!! There is a really good crowd of Australians and other exchange students here from all over the world including USA, Canada, Germany, Norway, Spain and many more. The rooms are very basic and quite old buildings but while the weather stays hot we are very rarely inside!

This weekend just gone there was a festival in the city called The Moomba where there were lots of shows, processions and waterskiing demonstrations! A few of us also managed to get some free tickets to see Top Gear live show (little taste of England!) Last night was a beer festival in the city centre so we all took advantage of the free tasting!!! I am well into the studying now however it is difficult to focus, I think I am still in holiday mode. We have already had some presentations to do and have some mid term tests coming up! I have also been having phone and skype interviews for an internship in Barcelona, Spain which is due to start when I finish here, had the last one 3 days ago so fingers crossed!!! Time is going so fast here, I am already planning a trip to the Great Barrier Reef in our mid-term break, bring on the holidays!!!

Arriving in Melbourne

I've arrived in Melbourne!!! 

For my first week in Melbourne I was very fortunate to have a family friend who let me stay while I searched for permanent accommodation. Melbourne is a huge city but it did not take long to find my way around. I went to the study abroad office to ask for advice about accommodation, the staff there are very helpful, and decided to live in the student village. There are many options such as share housing and hostels but I think this is the liveliest and a good place to meet people. It is also very close (10 minute bus) to the Footscray Park campus where all of my classes are. 

The first week of term is O-week (Orientation week) and there is a day dedicated to exchange students to give a tour of the campus and give you all the information you need. There was also a show form some aboriginals to welcome us!  Everyone is very helpful and there are many exchange students from all over the world in the same situation. You also get a free lunch! There is also a day for each specific faculty to give you more information on the course. The rest of the week consists of getting to know fellow students and plenty of nights out!

 The following weekend I decided to rent a car again and travel The Great Ocean Road. It is defiantly worthwhile seeing. You need at least 2 days to see it properly; there are many sights to see along the way including the 12 apostles, London Bridge and plenty of waterfalls and surf beaches. We also managed to find a tent in the supermarket for $15! So were able to wild camp for 3 nights; however we discovered on the last night that it failed to keep the rain out!! There is an organised trip if you wish to do it through the University. 

Arrival in Australia

Seeing a 4 week gap between finishing exams in Bournemouth and starting term in Australia was just too good an opportunity to miss. As soon as I received my exam timetable I booked flights to Perth for 2 days after the last exam! Perth was a fantastic place to visit, I will defiantly be returning! I booked into a hostel for the first few days and spent most of the time exploring the city and surrounding beaches. You meet people so easily in hostels so on the second night met a girl from Germany who was keen to travel the coast. 

                                                                                                                                        


First trip was to a very small town called Lancelin, which was a top spot for kitesurfing being 30 degrees, with big waves and strong winds. On returning to Perth we decided to rent a car and travel down the coast to a town called Margaret River. There is so much to see here, with countless idyllic beaches, rivers and many activities. However beware of mosquitoes if you are living in a tent!!!!                                              

Lastly we travelled to Rottnest Island, 45 minute boat from Perth, where we rented bikes and did lots of snorkelling. I then flew to Melbourne a day later which was a 3.5 hour flight.