How do I find an apartment – from Germany or locally?
Before I could throw myself into student life, however, a few organizational points had to be clarified, such as the search for an apartment. There are two major options for this. If you have a more spontaneous disposition, you can find out about possible options in advance and then go looking for them on site. You can spend the first few days in a hostel or look for a temporary home via Airbnb.com. When looking for an apartment, I recommend gumtree.com.au and flatmates.com.au, where you can create your own search profile with preferences for neighborhood, number of roommates, budget, etc. and thus be “found” by potential roommates.
If you’d rather like me a little more security and want to fix something in advance, then I recommend going to the Griffith Student Village. The Village is perfect if you like to be among your kind and want to get to know really nice and cool students from all over the world. The rent is a bit more expensive, but you can walk to the campus and the tram station in ten minutes and there are many social events such as a weekly free dinner, quiz nights and of course many promotions during the O week. The majority of the apartments are 5-person shared apartments and the cohesion among the “Villagern” is really unique. However, you can of course withdraw to your room at any time and there is a “zero noise policy” during the exam so that you can learn without being disturbed.
Life in Gold Coast – Small town life with big city charm
Gold Coast is registered as a city in its own right, but it can be seen more as a long stretch of coastline made up of many smaller, charming coastal towns. However, one should definitely not label them as boring or provincial, because there is nothing missing in student life. From countless restaurants and cafes to outlet centers and shops to a wide range of bars and clubs. The infrastructure is well developed thanks to the tram that goes from the university to Broadbeach, so that you can quickly get from the university to the party life of Surfers Paradise or to sunbathe on the beach in Mainbeach.
- Visit healthinclude to learn more about country of Australia and continent of Oceania.
In general, Australia’s infamous party coast offers more than just wild club nights. Sun worshipers get their money’s worth here, especially worth mentioning are the beaches in Surfers (direct connection to shops, cafes, etc.), Main Beach (a little quieter away from the tourists) and Burleigh Heads (with its white sand). Nature lovers should definitely try national parks like Springbrook, Lamington or the climb up Mount Warning, where you will be the first to see the sunrise on the continent. If you are in the mood for some action, you should get the ticket package for the Village Roadshow Themeparks, because Sea World, Movie World and Wet’n’Wild can all be easily reached by bus and tram and a visit is definitely worth it.Those who are more into city sightseeing can take the train and go to Brisbane. As such, it can be said at this point that domestic flights are not too expensive (TigerAir or Jetstar) and therefore do not stand in the way of a weekend trip to Melbourne, Sydney or Adelaide. I particularly liked the wide range of multicultural cafes and restaurants on the Gold Coast, so that you often just drove to Southport or Surfers in the evening and had sushi or burgers for dinner.
Insider tips and “good to know”
Be open to new things
Australians are very open and always interested in other cultures and in learning new things. We have often had different themed evenings such as Singapore-style curry, Dutch pancakes or homemade German spaetzle. At the same time you should bring a certain openness and curiosity with you, because Australians are very proud of their country and are always happy to show you something or to bring you closer.
Do you need help mate?
Helpfulness is very important in Australia. If a “mate” needs help with anything, the Australians don’t hesitate and try to help you as much as they can. Therefore it counts as “no go” and extremely impolite to refuse them and to act according to the German motto “will work somehow”.
Climate and temperature
Short trips such as Melbourne, Cairns or Ayers Rock should be well planned. It is important to find out about the temperatures in different months beforehand. In the Australian winter it is e.g. Very cold in Melbourne and in the outback there are freezing temperatures at night, but in midsummer it can be 40 ° C during the day. Anyone interested in exploring the East Coast should know that there is stinger season from November to March and that many beaches are populated by jellyfish.
The semester in Australia was a unique time for me, which enriched me with many experiences. You get to know a lot of new people and make friends that are sure to last longer than a semester. You also get an insight into a completely new culture and mentality. So if you accept the comparatively longer journey and get involved in the red continent and its residents, you will experience an unforgettable time there.
