info Living in Australia

Australia is a wonderful place for sightseeing and also for education. The country is on the list of the best education systems, making it perfect for studying. The Australians put their priority in education, and thus it is one of the places in the world where students from all over the world seek to further their education.
Living in Australia will probably be a once in a lifetime experience for international students. Most will be returning to their home country after graduation, and thus the choice of where to live is important. The living cost is one of the factors influencing this decision, along with which universities, relatives and the environment as well. Students who prefer quiet cities such as Canberra will find those cities more comfortable, compared to the busy Sydney.
There are a lot of cities and states that a student can live in. New South Wales is the most varied state in Australia with everything from subtropical climate to snow-capped mountains. The city Sydney is the oldest city in Australia, and is the hub of business and finance activities. Victoria is located south of New South Wales and Melbourne is the capital city. It is a cosmopolitan city with its reputation of sophisticated boutiques, restaurants, bars, cafes and shopping complexes. Melbourne has a temperate climate with snow-mountains.
The Australian Capital Territory is the home to national monuments. The Australian National University is located in Canberra, along with other national buildings such as the National Library, Parliament House and High Court of Australia. There are extreme temperature differences between winter and summer, and there is a spring festival held annually. Queensland is located on the north of Australia with Brisbane as its capital city. It is the place of golden sand beaches and diving. The temperatures in Queensland are higher than the cities located down south.
Western Australia is the largest state of the world which covers one-third of Australia. It has a high variety of climate due to its size. The capital city is Perth and although it is a modern city, it is one of the most isolated cities in the world. Adelaide is the capital of South Australia. It is the home to some of Australia’s finest restaurant and best wines. Additionally, it is the host for several national and international festivals.
Northern Territory has a tropical capital city; Darwin. The climate in this city is similar to those in Brisbane. Tasmania is located at the most south of Australia with Hobart as its capital. It is the smallest city and is known with its busy harbour and also of its heritage natural environment.
A student will have to consider a lot of factors when he or she wants to study in Australia. The place and cost is the most influential factor, as well as the reputation of the universities, the environment, climate and transportation. Students can choose to live on or off campus. There is a reliable and wide-coverage transportation system in most places in Australia, thus it is not a barrier for students who want to live a bit further from the university. Students are usually staying with family, relatives or friends. Renting an apartment or house and sharing the rent with a group of friends will save a lot of costs, and there are options of home-stay for students.

I’ve found quite a few expat blogs of Americans living in Australia that I have been checking out lately and there seem to be a lot of homesick Sheilas down under.
I don’t know if it was different for me because I chose to move to Australia and actually had to work quite hard and strategically to get a visa to do it, but I loved pretty much every minute of my time there and didn’t really want to leave.
In fact, I was thinking about it the other day and I think that the reason I often feel I want to move back there is because I wasn’t ready to leave when we did. I remember being so sad about leaving and it took a really long time for me to stop comparing everything to Australia and thinking that America just does everything ass backwards.
(Note that we left because my husband won the Green Card Lottery, which I will talk about another time).
But, I have learned to appreciate both places for what they are. I would miss a lot about living here in the US, mostly the community of friends and neighbors that we have where we are. It’s really a special thing we’ve got going.
I would also really miss my family and how they are with my children. It’s a lot different when it’s just you, but throw kids in the mix and it’s a whole different ball game.
However, there are many things that I miss about Australia, so I thought I would make a list. Maybe those homesick ladies who read this will recognize some of these things and learn to appreciate them too. They actually might miss them too when their time down under is over.
Tim Tams – enough said. I few weeks ago I would also have said “tasty cheese”, but I found some at Trader Joe’s. Yay!! I do miss the ice cream there though…it’s SO much better and creamier!
Good coffee bars - oh how I miss a good coffee bar that gives you a coffee/cappuccino in a proper cup/saucer with a spoon as opposed to a paper cup with a stir stick, even when you are sitting in the cafe. WTF?!
Beautiful beaches. And, yes, you are right, we have beautiful beaches too. But, they still have nothing on Australian beaches and the gorgeous clear water where you can look down and see your toes.
Clean beaches with no cigarette butts…or smoking for that matter! Yahoo! Don’t even get me started on the nastiness that I saw at the last few beaches I’ve been to here with people throwing food and everything else in the sand. WTF??
The fauna – specifically the birds and the bird sounds. I love the call of the kookaburra.
The flora – we used to love going to the Brisbane Botanical Gardens ant Mt Coot-tha. Loved looking at all the different plants then getting yummy ice cream at the top of Mt Coot-tha, overlooking the city.
Cab queues – you think I could get a cab in my city? Ha!! Call one and wait for about 1/2 hour maybe, if you’re lucky. And I live in a pretty big, popular city!
The humor – I love Aussie/Brit humor. So much wittier than American humor to me.
The outdoor culture/weather – with the warmer climate, everything is so much more geared towards the outdoors, which is right up my alley.
Markets – there is always an outdoor market to go to on the weekend to get a myriad of cool handmade/artisan stuff. Great fruit/veg markets too.
My friends and family there.
Did I mention the beaches? Well, it deserves a second mention at least.
I miss outdoor shopping. I miss Queen Street Mall and the Brisbane CBD.
I also miss the fact that I lived somewhere on the other side of the world. It made me feel strong and capable that I had accomplished that. I was amazed everyday at the beauty that surrounded me and I miss that feeling of awe and gratitude too.
The accent. I mean, yes, I hear it everyday from my husband, but I don’t really hear it anymore, if you know what I mean.
Shopping malls that have Target, a grocery store and a library, in addition to all the regular mall stores. Yes, you read that right. True one stop shopping folks. Plus, you can window shop and still not leave empty handed if you hit the library as well. Awesome! I LOVE this about Australian malls. Or is this just in Brisbane?
Late night shopping. Though this may seem like an inconvenience to some, I loved it. It made it like an event! Every day all the shops close at around 5 or 6pm. Except on late night shopping night, they stay open until 9pm. In the suburbs, in Brisbane, this is on Thursday night, then Friday night in the city. Often on Friday nights, my husband and I would meet in Queen Street Mall after work for a bit of walking around the shops and some dinner and drinks before catching the train home. It was so fun. Plus, I like the idea that the retail employees had similar normal work hours like everyone else (most shops open at 9am). Seems more fair as they have families too.
The people. I have to say that I felt (and still feel) that Australians are an extremely polite and kind and generally accepting people. They like to pull for the underdog and always feel you deserve ‘a fair go’. I was made to feel at home and part of my husband’s family the moment I arrived (and at that time I was just the American girlfriend). I never felt like an outsider, even amongst his friends. At various work places, I was a part of the team and enjoyed nearly every job I held. And although I have heard some complain about the service in Australia, I never had a bad service experience there. Quite the opposite. Everything has always been very good and the people are always lovely.

Modern and luxury house design in Sydney Australia designed by Fox Johnston Architects. The best private living space designs for people who need dream home to live. The Muston Street Minimalist House Design as a complete is designed to make private living spaces left from the road through a central spotlight on the outdoor living spaces. The slim width and direction of the building maximizes cross ventilation and sunlight filtration right through every room. An extended outdoor pool design boundaries this form and transects the construction with the entrance hall space, forming a small-minded swimming pool in the entrance square.

Set amid the magnificent Great Barrier Reef, Hayman is Australia’s premier private island destination. Rising from turquoise tropical waters, with a sweeping view out to the Coral Sea, the forested hills of this epic island rest atop a bed of ancient coral – part of one of the natural wonders of the world. Surrounded by sparkling beaches fringed in coral and covered in lush tropical grounds, the iconic 5-star resort has been offering the world uniquely luxurious experiences for almost 60 years – it’s no wonder that many guests have longed to have a piece of Hayman’s paradise for their own.

Living in Australia