MELBOURNE
Snapshot
Overview
Overview
› Área:
9,992 km²
Climate
Climate
With fairly unstable weather, Melbourne is known for providing all four seasons on the same day. The climate is predominantly temperate, with dry summers and warm to hot temperatures averaging 25° C. The winter is cold and humid, with an average temperature of 14° C and rain with the highest precipitation levels between May and October.
Lifestyle
Lifestyle
Cosmopolitan and multicultural, one of the great centers of entrepreneurship and pioneering of the planet, breathing culture and sports throughout the year.
History
History
The European colonization in Melbourne began in 1835 and had its first population boom in the 1850s, when gold was discovered in the state of Victoria. From 80,000 in 1854, the population jumped to 140,000 in 1861.
Victoria, which until then belonged to the New South Wales colony, was separated in 1851 and Melbourne became the capital of the colony. The Parliament House, built in 1856, was the seat of State Parliament until 1901, when Australia became a nation and Melbourne was chosen to be the capital of the new country, making the Parliament House become the Federal Parliament. It lasted until 1927, when Canberra, the new and definitive capital of Australia, was inaugurated.
The first trains and steam railways in Australia began operating in Melbourne in 1854, and in 1887 the city had more than 32 km of tramway system. The first city's famous electric trams went into operation in 1906, from the Flemington cable tram terminus. Melbourne continued to grow in the following decades and had a new population boom after World War II, with a large migratory flow coming from Europe, especially from countries like Italy, Greece and Macedonia, and also with the 1956 Olympic Games, which contributed to modernize the city.
Melbourne continued growing and modernizing, building spaces that are now central to city life such as the National Tennis Centre in Melbourne Park in the 1980s, Southbank, Crown Entertainment Complex and Melbourne Exhibition Centre in the 1990s, and the ultra-modern Melbourne Museum and the meeting point of the city, Federation Square, in the years 2000.
Cost of Living
Cost of Living
Monthly estimate for one person (without rent): AU$ 1,227
Public Transport
Public Transport
The public transport system in Melbourne offers trains, trams and buses and the best way to use them is through the Myki prepaid card. Simply touch the card in the reader when entering the paid area of a train station or when boarding a tram or bus. The famous Melbourne tram, one of the symbols of the city, covers 250 km between the central area and the neighborhoods, and there is a downtown area which includes attractions such as Federation Square, Flinders Street Station, Victoria Harbor, Victoria Market and the Parliament House, which is always free entrance.
For those who prefer riding their bicycles, Melbourne has more than 135 km of bicycle paths, which are increasingly being used by the population. To give you an idea, in March 2008 bicycles accounted for 9% of all vehicle movement in the city’s morning rush hour (between 7 and 10h). In March 2017 this index went up to 16%. And the tendency is to keep growing.
Study and Work
in MELBOURNE
For the seventh consecutive year, Melbourne was elected the best city in the world to live by the Forbes Magazine, ranking that evaluates 140 cities of the world. Capital of the state of Victoria and second largest city in the country, Melbourne experienced its first population boom in the second half of the nineteenth century during the gold rush. Since then, it has developed into the financial and industrial capital of Australia and, to this day, has this pioneering and entrepreneurial vocation. Not surprisingly, Melbourne is the cultural and sports capital of the country, hosting annually two of the world's biggest sporting events, the Australian Open Tennis and the Formula 1 Grand Prix, while offering its residents and visitors an intense cultural scene throughout year with festivals, shows, concerts, museums, theaters, restaurants and cafes. And for those who think the city has no beaches, St. Kild shows otherwise.
Learn more about studying in MELBOURNE
Why to study in Melbourne with WEST 1
Informações
-
1) Why study in Melbourne
In 2018, Melbourne was voted the best city in the world to live by Forbes Magazine and the third best student city in the world by the renowned QS World University Rankings, which ranked the University of Melbourne (41st) and Monash University (60th) among the world's top 60, and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology - RMIT (247th), Deakin University (293rd), La Trobe University (360th), and Swinburne University of Technology (421st-430th) among the top 500.
“Student mix" is the category where the city stands out the most in the ranking, receiving maximum grade. To get an idea, at the University of Melbourne, 12,000 students out of about 47,000 are international, born in 130 countries. Melbourne's own population reflects this mix, with about 40% having been born outside Australia.
The area known as Greater Melbourne is home to nine universities and seven TAFE units, as well as dozens of English schools scattered throughout the city, especially in the city centre, so called “the CBD”, near Federation Square, the Melbourne Museum and the Docklands where the Etihad Stadium is.
-
2) 10 reasons to study in Melbourne
- International students can work 48 hours per fortnight (and full time during vacations);
- Elected the best city in the world to live by Forbes Magazine;
- Elected the third best student city in the world by the renowned QS World University Rankings;
- Has two of the 60 best universities in the world;
- Has six of the 500 best universities in the world;
- About 40% of the population was born outside Australia;
- Multicultural and cosmopolitan city;
- Sports-loving city;
- Financial, cultural and sports center;
- Historical vocation for pioneering and entrepreneurship.
-
3) About Melbourne
Capital of Victoria and the commercial, administrative, cultural and leisure center of the state, the city of Melbourne has 37.7 km² and population of over 148,000 people, while Greater Melbourne covers 9,992 km² and has more than 4.5 millions of citizens. The heart of the city is Federation Square, the meeting point of Melbourne, an area in the business district that gathers museums, cinemas, restaurants, theaters, alleyways, skyscrapers with great rooftop bars and more.
From there the city spreads through dozens of suburbs stretching 40 km to the south, 30 km east to the Dandenong mountain ranges, 20 km to the north and through vast basalt plains to the west. In the middle, the Yarra River crosses the city offering entertainment inside the river, with boats, canoes and other options, and across the river bank with dozens of bars, restaurants, bike paths, pedestrian areas and general stores.
One of the most charming suburbs of Melbourne is St. Kilda, where the beach of the same name is located. Only 6km away from downtown, St. Kilda stretches along the coast of Port Phillip Bay, has a long sidewalk and offers dozens of sporting, cultural and gastronomic options.
-
4) Accommodations in Melbourne
When researching a place to live in Melbourne, it’s very important that it be close to your school or that you can easily get there by public transport. We divided the accommodations into two types, according to the duration of the trip:
Short term
Hostels Backpackers
The hostels are good options for those who want to save money with accommodation. The rooms in general are shared, but there are also rooms for couples and private options. Preferred by young travelers, they have quite relaxed environments, with lots of socialization and therefore are very sought after during high seasons.
Lodges
They are kinda like hostels but offer private, couples and group rooms. The environment is less busy and more private than hostels, the prices are a bit more expensive, but still cheaper than hotels.
Long term
Homestay
WEST 1 recommends that, at least for the first few weeks, students stay in a homestay, which are homes of Australian families or immigrants who have been in the country for many years. It’s there that the student begins to have contact with the Australian culture, put into practice what they learn at school, get to know the city and ask questions. To participate in this type of program, families are accredited by the Australian government, which guarantees total safety for the student.
Share accommodation
After the homestay period, the student will already be more familiar with the school and the city. Feeling more independent, the next step is to share an apartment or a room with other students, many of them of different nationalities, which is a great experience and great for improving the language. The rent is usually paid weekly, and before moving you must deposit the famous “bond”, which is nothing more than an advance that ranges from two to four weeks of rent.
-
5) Work In Melbourne
In Australia, as soon as classes begin, the student can work 48 hours per fortnight (and full time during vacations). In order to do that, it’s important to open a student account at a bank and make the Tax File Number, a record on the Australian Taxation Office that will allow you to get paid by the employer and have your income tax in order.
In Melbourne, unlike other capitals and large cities in Australia, which the tourism is the main economic activity, the areas that employ the most are medical and social assistance (11.1%), industrial production (10.8%) and retail (10.6%). The most common services to international students are in the areas of hospitality and food, and also in civil construction, and they appear, respectively, with 5.9%, and 8%.
-
6) Attractions in Melbourne
The Summer shows why Melbourne is considered the sporting capital of Australia by hosting the Australian Open Tennis and Formula 1 Grand Prix, two of the biggest sporting events in the world. Outdoor activities on the shores of Port Phillip Bay, whether on St. Kilda beach or even on the charming Brighton Beach, are a must.
To the centre, Federation Square is where everything happens. Over there it's nice to go on a ride in the friendly cable tram, a city icon, and also visit the Melbourne Cricket Ground to watch an AFL game, discover the streets and graffitied stone-paved alleyways that hide incredible establishments, go to the bars and restaurants of Southgate, on the banks of the Yarra River, and go shopping at the Queen Victoria Market.
Leaving Melbourne to the southwest direction is one of the most beautiful highways in the world, the Great Ocean Road, where you can see the incredible 12 Apostles, gigantic monoliths carved by nature in the sea. The path leads to Torquay, the Australian surfing temple where Bells Beach is located, the world's first and only beach classified as a surfing reserve and annual stage of the professional surfing world championship, Rip Curl Pro Bells.
For wine connoisseurs, both the Yarra Valley, east of Melbourne, and the Mornington Peninsula to the south are two real havens. The cold Phillip Island, on the other hand, with its immense population of seals and penguins, is a highly picturesque destination. For those who enjoy snow and winter sports, in Alpine National Park small villages and rural towns serve as gateways to the Falls Creek, Mount Buller and Mount Hotham ski resorts, which receive tourists from all over the world in the winter.
Did you know?
-
'Climate'
The maximum temperature ever registered in Melbourne was 46.4° C in 2009, and the minimum temperature was -2.8° C in 1869.
-
'Sports Capital'
Melbourne hosted the 1956 Olympic Games and, 50 years later, the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
-
'Chinatown'
Melbourne's Chinatown, established in 1854, is one of the oldest in the world. It’s also home to the world's largest Chinese dragon, measuring over 100 meters long.
-
'Skyscraper'
At almost 300 meters high, Eureka Tower is the tallest residential building in the world.
-
'Will rain?'
Melbourne is famous for its unpredictable weather, which can provide spring, summer, autumn and winter on the same day.
-
'Where?'
About 40% of Melbourne's population was born outside Australia.
-
'Light camera action!'
Melbourne produced and filmed the first feature film in the world, “The Story of the Kelly Gang”, in 1906.