Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, Australia, is a modern, sophisticated, friendly and multicultural city in southern Australia. The standard of living in Melbourne is amongst the highest in the world. It is an affordable city in which to live with living costs being considerably less expensive than some other Australian cities and of the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK) with 3.6 million people from over 140 different countries.
There are no major health issues, but students must take out health insurance for protection should you fall ill or have an accident. It is also a mandatory component of your student visa and you must maintain this health insurance for the duration of your time as an international student in Australia.
Melbourne is especially well known for its major international events, festivals, cafes, diversity of restaurants, shopping, architecture, nightclubs, pubs, theatres and galleries.
Major International Events
Many international events are held in Melbourne and Victoria including the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix, the Australian Tennis (Grand Slam) Open, Australia Motor GP, Australian Masters and Open (Golf), World Series Cricket, International Comedy Festivals and International Fashion Festival. www.visitvictoria.com/index.cfm
Food
Try cuisine from around the world or find the food that you like, easily available and at very reasonable prices.
Melbourne's restaurants and cafes offer a wide variety of foods from around the world, including Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Ethiopian, Brazilian, Malaysian, Greek, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Lebanese, French and Indonesian. Markets and supermarkets sell a variety of fresh meat, fruit and vegetables as well as rice, breads, spices and other ingredients. Halal and kosher foods are available.
Leisure and Tourism activities
Learn what Melbourne's population does to relax - go to a football match, play tennis, join a gym., go clubbing or meet friends for a coffee.
There are hundreds of leisure activities and tourist destinations to get to within 2 hours of the city. Activities include:
Garden, beach & forest walks
Nighclub & nightspots
Tours to the Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island, Wilson’s Prom, Yarra Valley
Attend major sporting events
Visit the beach & learn to surf
Skiing and Snowboarding
See Australian native animals
Swim with the Dolphins
Winery tours
Shopping, theatres and galleries.
Melbourne’s Climate
Enjoy a pleasant climate with warm to hot dry summers and cool, crisp winters.
Melbourne has four distinct seasons. Summer is dry with warm to hot daytime temperatures averaging 28 degrees C (82 degrees F). Winter is cold, crisp and sometimes wet with daytime temperatures averaging 14 degrees C (57 degrees F). www.bom.gov.au
Melbourne’s Transportation
Melbourne offers a safe, reliable and efficient public transport system. You can board trains, trams or buses to take you most places around the city, and suburban areas. Train, tram and bus services are integrated into one system called The Met. The system allows you to change transport on one ticket. www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au
Shopping
Most shop, shopping centres and malls are open between 10:00am to 6:00pm every day of the week and late night shopping on Friday 10:00am to 9:00pm. Major food shopping centres are open from 7:00am to 10:00pm
There are also many open-air markets, with the Queen Victoria Market only 4 street blocks from the IDEA campus. At these markets you can buy fresh produce, souvenirs and clothes at cheaper prices than the stores. Factory outlet stores are also located with only a short tram ride.
Work Opportunities
For more information on Job opportunities in and around Melbourne, please contact us
