Once you arrive in Australia and find study accommodations in Melbourne, you’ll have a wide variety of things to do and sights to see.
If you visit Australia for a summer abroad you can visit St. Kilda, a small town with beautiful beaches, excellent restaurants and a Coney Island-style amusement park known as Luna Park.
A semester abroad can include catching a few games of cricket or Australian football at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the largest stadium in Australia, which also has great after-hours entertainment venues to visit.
When you study in Melbourne, Australia you enjoy a fun university experience with the sporty Melburnians culture, and you always have something to do!
Melbourne Study Abroad Programs
The Australians are known for having some of the oldest educational institutions, and these institutions provide hands-on activities with traditional teaching techniques.
Boasting over 1700 international students in programs such as art, education, law, environmental education and more, La Trobe University is a well-rounded institution with a positive vision. The university has formed partnerships with over 250 schools in over 40 countries in a quest to discover new teaching and research methods. The Melbourne campus, which is the largest of the seven La Trobe campuses, offers easy access to transportation and has the best libraries, restaurants, sports facilities and museums around.
The University of Melbourne offers international students an exciting way to learn about Australian culture and history with in-class lectures and on-going fieldtrips around the city. Offers courses in liberal arts, social sciences, technology and music, the University is the perfect place for international students to experience the Australian way of living. The school is also surrounded by restaurants, libraries, shops and beaches, so when school hours are over you can take time to enjoy your evenings and weekends.
There are still many other study abroad programs you can join throughout Australia, such as through Swinburne University of Technology or Monash University. For more study abroad Melbourne information, see the Universities section, and for ideas to help pay for your experience see Financing Your Experience.
Your Melbourne Travel Options
Melbourne is home to over 3.8 million residents, and it’s the second largest city in all of Australia, so transportation plays an important role in the everyday lives of commuters.
The best way to see both the beautiful countryside and the amazing modern cities of Australia is to travel by train. The Indian Pacific Railway system offers one of the longest train rides in the world from Sydney to Perth, which takes three days, and it’s offered twice a week. There are always seats available, and you can choose between business and first class. Regardless of where you sit, you’ll be treated with first-class hospitality and will always have any questions answered by the staff.
Car rental is another transportation option in Australia. It is a bit more expensive to rent cars in Australia because the Australian dollar is strong, so you want to take your time to find the best car rental provider. You can use sites such as Drive Now or Discovery Car Hire to book a cheap rental.
You can also enjoy the rugged terrain through a guided motorbike tour of Melbourne. For as little as $18 a day you can rent a motorbike and join others in a tour around Australia, or explore the country on your own. You can use a site like Bike Round Oz to rent a motorbike.
As always, no matter what country you travel in, always follow health and safety guidelines to ensure that you are safe.
Exchange Rates for Australian Currency
Australia was the first country to use plastic bank notes, which greatly reduced counterfeiting activities. These notes hold images of the Australian environment and are easily recycled.
Here’s what you need to know about the currency:
- Coins = 5, 10, 20, 50, $1 and $2
- Bills = 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100
You can use an Australian currency converter like the one here to compare other amounts of U.S. dollars.
Top Melbourne Destinations
Melbourne is a city full of historical buildings as well as updated entertainment venues. If you’re interested in seeing the oldest church in Melbourne and one of the city’s most visited tourist attractions, you can visit St. James Old Cathedral. Or you can drive along the Great Ocean Road, an amazingly scenic 200 mile coastline drive that was built in memory of World War I.
A study in Melbourne experience also would not be complete without a stop in Federation Square, which offers a cultural extravaganza of things to do. You can visit the National Gallery of Victoria, the largest art gallery in Australia, or rent a bike to ride along the riverside.
For the cinema-savvy, you can visit the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). It is considered one of Australia’s best places to visit, and that’s because it’s a state-of-the-art facility that holds every film, television and media clip in Australian history. Not only can you watch movies, but you can also shop and grab a bite to eat the ACMI lounge.
Important Study Abroad Melbourne Information
When you study abroad in Melbourne you should always keep a list of important numbers with you in case of an emergency. Also, be sure to check with your school or program for any additional information you might need: