Getting Around Oz
Most students don't have much money to spare after
they have
budgeted for fees, accommodation, books and other expenses. But you
can make the most of the opportunity to see some of Australia's
natural wonders through inexpensive travel. Australia has a tourist
industry geared to back packers and low budget travellers and there
are lots of options for you.
Adventure by bus
Travelling by bus is the cheapest option for
getting around
Australia. It's also an excellent way of getting a sense of the size
and diversity of Australia's landscapes. The major coach services
offer student discounts and you can also buy bus passes. Some bus
companies design tours specifically for budget travellers who want to
see remote areas or travel with other young people.
Travelling by train
Australian trains are clean, comfortable and safe,
and the service
and facilities are of a good standard. It is ideal for long-distance
travel between state capitals and the towns in between.
Cheap cars and campervans
Travelling by car or campervan is a good option
because Australian
communities are so spread out. You can keep the costs down if at
least three or four people are travelling together. Budget-rate cars,
motorbikes and scooters are also available. There are numerous car
hire places, or you can buy a cheap car.
On the bike trail
Cycling is also an inexpensive way to discover
Australia. There
are bike tracks in most cities and some country areas. Often, youth
hostels have bikes for hire. You'll also find many tourist sights
hire out bikes, particularly on islands.
Up in the air
Flying is the most expensive way to travel, but it
does save time
and offers a birds-eye view of inaccessible places. The main carriers
are Qantas, Virgin, Ansett and some country companies. You can book
discount fares on the internet.
Travel experiences are often influenced by your
mode of travel.
What you see from the window and who you meet on the way will give
you a unique picture of Australian landscapes.
Exploring Australia
"I caught the bus from Adelaide to Melbourne via
the Great
Ocean Road. I had such a great time! Everything was perfect. We saw
beautiful landscapes and nice beaches. The waves were high and it was
cloudy which made it so idyllic."
Silvia Hofmann, Switzerland
"I had a wonderful time in the Barossa Valley in
South
Australia. Good weather, tasty wine and beautiful scenery. I'm living
in a busy city but in the Barossa Valley I saw a different side of
Australia."
Kaori Nakajima, Japan
"I visited Australia years ago and was captivated
by the
beauty of the Great Barrier Reef. I vowed I would return and learn
more about it. So now I have come to stay here"
Juno Rouwenhorst, Holland
"There are many beautiful natural sights that I've
never seen
before. I am enjoying travelling around Australia."
Lei Xu, China
Some famous places to visit in Australia:
The Nullarbor Plain is a notoriously long and flat
stretch of
desert along the curve of the Great Australian Bight from South
Australia to Perth. It shimmers in the desert heat and seems to go on
forever. The Indian Pacific train, one of the world's longest train
journeys, goes right across the desert.
The Great Ocean Road takes you along cities and
beaches past the
Twelve Apostles. It covers 300 kilometres of rocky coastline from
Victoria to South Australia.
The Great Barrier Reef stretches along the east
coast of
Queensland. It is the world's largest coral reef, stretching over
2,000 kilometres. Known for its incredible beauty and unique marine
life, it is a favourite spot to go scuba diving.
Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Northern Territory is a
world heritage area
owned by the traditional landholders of the region. This remarkable
rock is an important part of Aboriginal mythology.
The Blue Mountains in New South Wales is
Australia's most
accessible wilderness experience. Enjoy the sounds and scents of the
bush, the valleys ringing with bird-calls, unbroken miles of eucalypt
forest and the many spectacular waterfalls.
Kangaroo Island can be reached by airplane or
ferry. You can see
sea lions and penguins on the beach, as well as native animals
including kangaroos, wallabies, koalas and echidnas.
Work Experience
Gain work experience in Australia
Impress your future employer with your
international work
experience, gain insight into Australian culture, make new friends
and improve your English. Australia offers you the opportunity to
work while studying and gain these benefits.
In the highly competitive career market, you need
the edge on
other candidates. By studying in Australia, you can not only gain an
international qualification but also work experience in another
country. Employers value work experience so tertiary students are
encouraged to work in Australia if they can.
International students can work for up to 20 hours
a week while
studying and full-time in holidays. You can apply for a work permit
after you have arrived in Australia and started your course.
Even if your job is not directly relevant to your
studies, it will
allow you to develop your communication and personal skills. If you
want to focus on work related to your future career, you may do
unpaid work experience or paid clerical work in the industry in which
you are interested. This experience will give you a better
understanding of your future career, and it will show potential
employers that you are serious.
You cannot rely on part-time work as your main or
only source of
income. It is a good idea to wait until after your first semester of
study to see exactly how much time you can spend at work without
compromising your studies.
Finding work
Many tertiary institutions have a career service.
They advertise
job vacancies, help their students to find work and give information
on writing applications and approved payment rates. Employment
centres at institutions advertise a range of jobs. You can also find
work through newspaper advertisements, an employment agency or the
government's national employment service, Job Network.
All types of work
The majority of casual work undertaken in
Australia is in the
retail and hospitality industries (cafes, restaurants and bars).
Typical part-time jobs for students include: shop assistant,
department store staff, bartender, kitchen hand, waiter/waitress,
cleaner, clerical assistant, and supermarket or cinema staff. Some
international students work as translators.
Holiday jobs
While during semester you are limited by course
times, in the
holidays you can work full-time. Exciting holiday jobs exist for
international students who are not going home for the mid-year
holidays and need to earn some money.
Many jobs become available in tourism for example,
in beach or ski
resorts. You can get a job as a nanny or assistant at a school
holiday program, tutor school students or at places like fun parks,
zoos, museums and theme parks.
You could pick your way through rural Australia -
it's a great way
to travel even if it is hard work! Pick apples in New South Wales and
Tasmania, bananas in northern New South Wales and Western Australia,
mangoes in the Northern Territory and Queensland, grapes and tomatoes
in South Australia and Victoria, and cherries and berries in
Tasmania.
How a part-time job helped me:
Yu Yaxiad of China works as a shop assistant in a
duty-free shop
every Sunday. She said, "From this job, I have got not only
money but also the social experience of making a living. It is also
relevant to my business studies".
Masako Meguro from Japan is employed as a casual
staff member in
the International Centre on her TAFE campus. She said, "I have
been working in the office for one and a half years and I have learnt
many things that I could not have learnt from classes".
John Prassana from India has had many part-time
jobs during his
time in Australia including cleaning at a grocery store, working in a
butcher shop, stocktaking in an automobile store and packing parts
for an engineering company. "Supporting myself in a new
environment has made me more responsible," John said.
Benefits of part-time work
-
Earn pocket money
-
Make new friends
-
Improve your
English
-
Become more
confident, take on responsibility
-
Add to your resume
- employers are looking for work experience
-
Interact with Australians from different walks
of life
Typical part-time jobs for students in Australia
Time Out
Your reason for coming to
Australia is to
study, but it's important to develop a balanced lifestyle. Australia
offers a multitude of activities that will give you the chance to
relax and relieve the stress of study. There are so many to choose
from that you will certainly find an activity to suit your study
lifestyle and personality.
Sports and activities
There are thousands of
activities and sports
you can do in Australia. Many institutions have sports facilities for
students with activities at discounted prices. There are also sports
clubs at most universities - you can join a team for social or
serious sport. For example, there may be university clubs in all
kinds of sports from cricket and soccer to caving and sky-diving.
Of course, you can also take up
sport away from
your institution. Australia has excellent sporting facilities, both
private and government, across all sports from swimming to tennis to
golf. You can do activities in Australia's natural environment, such
as bushwalking, rock climbing, skiing and scuba diving.
European student, Magnus Dehli
is studying a
Bachelor of Business at the University of South Australia. He is the
president of the Boardriders Club and believes that the surfing club
has a highly sociable side to it. "Each semester, we surf
at different locations around the South Australian coast - it's great
fun and the members often meet to socialise. Also, because the club
has such an international membership base, you get to meet people
with different backgrounds and nationalities."
German exchange student
Alexander Otterbach is
studying at Flinders University and enjoying one of Australia's most
popular and unique sports. He explained, "I have made a lot of
Australian and international friends, as well as starting to play
Australian Rules football".
Leisure and creative skills
Many universities and some
vocational
institutions give students the chance to expand their
extra-curricular interests through leisure and creative skills
programs. These are offered at discount prices to students and
include a huge range of courses like photography, film, art, dance,
meditation, writing and painting.
Joseph Gan, a Malaysian student
at the
University of Sydney feels that taking part in leisure activities
organised by his university hostel, actually helps him deal with his
homesickness. "I don't feel homesick because the hostel provides
a home-away-from-home environment," he said. "It hosts
annual events such as Flag Dinner and Talent Night. These functions
give you a chance to bring out the best in yourself and to do things
that you never thought you could do. For me, it was dancing."
RMIT student, Ajay Kannan from
India,
appreciates university life because it encourages a healthy balance
between study and leisure activities. Ajay said, "I like it best
when I'm busy with my assignments, and at the same time I am cooking
on my own, surfing, rock climbing and travelling".
You can lose yourself in the
whirl of
entertainment that Australia has to offer. Electronic games are
popular and Australia computer shops are stacked with the latest
games. Alternatively, you can take part in an art contest, listen to
well-known writers read from their work in writer's group, attend
film, dance and photography festivals or visit the observatory to
gaze at the stars. And don't forget the age-old entertainment -
shopping. Australia has shops that are well-stocked with everything
and anything you could want.
Australian art and culture
Across Australia there are many
galleries and
museums exhibiting all kinds of art, history and culture. Taiwanese
student, Meng-wan Yeh who is studying at James Cook University was
impressed by the Aboriginal art, which is painted on canvas, on bark
from trees and on rock walls in caves. "I have never seen
anything like Dreamworld' (Aboriginal) type of art in my country,"
she exclaimed. "I think it is the best part of Australian art."
Colombian student Jairo Velasco
is undertaking
an English language course at Griffith University. He said, "I
chose to study in Australia because there are very interesting places
such as zoos, museums and galleries."
Australia has a multicultural
range of music,
dance, popular culture, food and film. International students can
enjoy aspects of their own cultures, as well as experiencing other
cultures from around the world.
While you're studying, make
sure that you enjoy
the sport, leisure and cultural activities that Australia has to
offer. It will help you to balance your study, stay healthy and
broaden your experiences.
Some Australian cultural events.Australia's Year
of the Outback
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Festival
There are many special events to attend
including
the Mardi Gras Parade.
www.mardigras.com.au/
Celebrating our diversity
The
Canberra Multicultural Festival celebrates Australia's multicultural
society through a variety of events: opera, ethnic performances,
parades, food and dance.
World's most famous race
Join
Australians on Melbourne Cup Day to watch the world's most famous
horse race. Buy a ticket in a sweep, enjoy inventive fashions and
celebrate with champagne.
www.melbournecup.com/
Staring at the Stars
The Sydney Observatory
has a holiday program which includes a range of including Astronomy
and Space Day, Rocket Launching, Moon Lander Eggstravaganza, and a
Solar Barbecue.
www.phm.gov.au/observe/
The World of Art
The National Gallery of
Australia holds several exhibitions during the year, showcasing
Australian and international artists. To find out what's going on and
when check out their website.
www.nga.gov.au
|
