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!