The Noah’s Ark of the world, Australia is renowned among all, for being an ecosystem and microclimate all in itself. The government do all they can to ensure nothing harms their delicate wildlife and ensure strict border controls to that effect. However, what may seem like discriminatory is in stark contrast to the “Aussies” (informal way to refer to people born in Australia) welcoming and kind spirit.
1. The Australians have a population density of 2.8 people per square kilometre which places it 233rd out of 243 in the world’s countries by density table. Because of this, the government want to encourage people from around the world to settle and create new generations of Australians.
2. Students, of course, are very much at the forefront of this strategy and their academic offerings are somewhat designed to not only attract students but also encourage them to remain once they become young professionals.
3. Australia has several large cities spread across six states. Most people live in the big cities and the vast proportion of the land mass is uninhabited “Outback”. The top university in Australia is the University of Melbourne (no. 1 on 2012 ERA rankings) located in the state of Victoria in the south of the country. So what’s so good about it? Let’s start with the city itself. Melbourne has a population of four million, has the Yarra River running through its heart and a tram system to take its people around the grid—style city. On the bank of the river is Scienceworks – an interactive museum that will engage science students of all disciplines. For art students, The National Gallery of Victoria on Southbank has Aboriginal artefacts that will send the enthusiasm for Australia off the scale. Law students, on the other hand, will no doubt be engaged by the Old Melbourne Gaol Crime & Justice Experience whose jail hosted the country’s most notorious criminal Ned Kelly.
4. The social life in Melbourne is, according to some, unmatched even by Sydney. Check out Fed Square for events that go around the whole year, Crown for range of leisure activities and Curtin House for an array of bars; all of which are easily accessible from the three central university campuses of Parkville, Southbank and Burnley. So what of the university? It has 40,000 students living mainly in Melbourne’s suburbs and is most famous for its courses in art, humanities and bio-medicine.
5. The University of Sydney; Australia’s oldest uni. It’s also the biggest with 50,000 students on courses in Arts & Humanities, Natural Sciences, Engineering & IT, Social Sciences and Life Sciences. Most of its campuses are in central Sydney meaning students have a rich balance of city life and social life hitting the cutting edge bars such as Cargo, The Basement and Marble Bar. The weather’s pretty amazing too! From December to March, it’s 25°C or higher and people flock to beaches such as Bondi, Coogee, Tamarama and Manly.
6. Finally, if you ask most Europeans, they’ll tell you that Australia is their lifelong dream destination and possibly, the place they want to retire in due to family friendly environment, great weather and stunning landscapes. Those who have made the journey always sing the praises of “Oz” and some do indeed stay for the rest of their lives. Why is that? There’s only one way to find out for sure. Visit Australia now!
