If you find yourself lucky enough to have your study abroad programs & scholarships winding up with your studying abroad in Australia, then you may have one of the greatest experiences of your life Down Under, but only if you make sure to get out of your dorms now and then and check out some of the great stuff Oz has to offer. Here are five of the coolest things for students in Australia to do.
Ferries at the Sydney Harbor
If you want a cheap way to take in the Australian coast, taking a ferry at the Sydney Harbor is a great way to do it. Take one to the Darling Harbor and back and enjoy seeing the Australian coast from the water.
Manly Bike Tours
If you want to explore Sydney and you would rather not spend a lot of cash (or get too lost), the Manly Bike Tours are the way to do it.
Melbourne Street Art Hotspots
Check out Finlay Lane, Centre Way, Calendonian Lane and Croft Alley for some of the cool street art hot spots in Melbourne. Graffiti is a big part of city culture no matter where you go, and Sydney is no different. After taking the tour, cap it off with the Banksy piece at Cocker Alley.
Melbourne Zoo
Australian animals are like alien creatures if you’re not from around there. You have seen kangaroos and koalas on TV, but seeing them in real life is pretty wild.
Rialto Towers Observation Deck
If you want to see Melbourne all at once, check out the Rialto Towers observation deck. The view will give you that trembling feeling in your toes. Simply incredible.
These cheap attractions are one of the major upsides to studying in Australia, but you really need to consider the pros and cons of staying in a city like Melbourne or Sydney to study…
Pros
- Seeing the world from the other end can make your academic career not just educational, but enlightening
- Lots of fun, cheap things to do in Sydney and Melbourne
- Soaking up the laid back culture of Australia
Cons
- Difficulty finding work as a foreigner
- High price of living in the city (a one room apartment alone can be around $900 AUS)
- Australia is home to some of the biggest spiders in the world
- Moving halfway around the world the first time you live on your own
The real difficulty in studying abroad is really the fact that you are going to be away from home for so long. The smart way to approach studying in Australia is to make sure that all of your expenses are covered by scholarships, grants, loans and other means of getting money, and by all of your expenses, we mean everything from your housing expenses to food to transportation to having enough money left over to visit home now and then. You may be studying in Australia anywhere from one to six years, so the last thing you need is to feel stuck because you cannot afford the plane home to visit for holidays.