Even though the main reason that you are in Australia is to study, you need to make sure that you take advantage of all of the great things you can do during your free time. People who have studied in Australia recommend that you get off campus and explore everything that the country has to offer. Australia is a thriving country with culturally rich cities and amazing natural wonders that you can’t find in any other part of the world. Are you considering stepping out of the box and exploring Australia? Here are some of the things you should take a look at.
Outdoor Life and Landscape
Alright, so you’re an outdoors-man. There is so much for you to do in Australia, and you will never forget a moment of it. Here are some of the activities that you will be able to do while you are studying in Australia.
- Surfing
- Hiking
- Biking/Cycling
- Fishing
- Mountain Climbing
- Rock climbing
- Spelunking
- Snorkeling
- Scuba Diving
- Sailing and boating
- Sea Kayaking
- White water rafting
- Four-wheeling
The unique landscape can also help you to experience some really exciting natural wonders. As you would expect, there are plenty of beaches and mountains, but there are also a lot of unique places that you can check out while in Australia. Here are some of the more popular places for international students and visitors to explore.
- The Gold Coast. If you are studying in Queensland, one place to check out is the Gold Coast’s beaches. The 21 beaches cover over 35 miles of Queensland’s coastline. Some of the beaches are great for relaxing; others have awesome waves to learn to surf on. No matter which beach you go to, if you like the beach, you’re going to love visiting the Gold Coast.
- The Australian Outback. When you think of Australia, you probably think of rolling grasslands and amazing animals that reside in the Australian Outback. The outback is absolutely amazing, and there are many driving and hiking tours that go through this part of the country.
- The Victorian (or Australian) Alps. The Victorian Alps are an outdoorsman’s dream. Do you like to hike or bike? What about fishing? You can do it here. In the winter, the Victorian Alps are a great place to ski as well. These are located a short drive from Melbourne, and there are plenty of places for you to stay if you decide to take a weekend in the mountains.
- The Great Barrier Reef. This is probably the one thing that every tourist will tell you that you have to see before you leave Australia. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef and an amazingly popular tourist attraction. You can do almost any aquatic activity in the Great Barrier Reef. So if you want to scuba dive, surf, snorkel, or fish, you can do it here. It’s also amazingly beautiful, so you better bring your camera too.
Culture
Since Australian universities are located throughout the country, you will get a different and distinct taste of the culture, no matter which university you choose. The southern coast is sunny; the northern coast has a taste of Asian influence. Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney have great dining, amazing shopping, world-class museums, and other cultural attractions.
If you want to check out the culture of Australia, here are six places that you should definitely take a look at before you go.
- The Sydney Opera House. This opera house, lovingly referred to as “the face of Australia” is absolutely stunning. The architecture is amazing, inside and out. The acoustics and presence both make it an awesome performing arts center that is recognized around the world. You can go and see a show, or you can even take backstage tours.
- Royal Botanical Gardens. Right down the street from the Opera House are the botanical gardens. These gardens have over one million specimens. You can walk around the gardens or you can take a train tour in order to see everything there is to see. These gardens are among some of the most inclusive in the world.
- 360 Bar and Dining (Sydney Tower). This is one of the best places in Sydney to find modern Australian cuisine at a good price. It also has an amazing few of the city of Sydney due to its location 80 stories above the city. You can go for great food or unique cocktails, but it’s definitely worth the experience of seeing the city from that far up.
- Australian Museum. The Australian Museum has one of the most inclusive collections in the world. Also found in Sydney, this museum has it all. If you want to learn about Australia, dinosaurs, geography, wildlife, or mummies, you can learn about it at this museum.
- The Australian Center for Contemporary Art. Located in Melbourne, you can see some of the coolest contemporary art available in the country. It is also home to theatre, which is a great place to check out the Melbourne Theatre Company or Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
- The Gallery of Modern Art. If you are into art, this is one of the best places in the world to visit. The Gallery of Modern Art, located in Brisbane, Queensland, has one of the largest galleries in the entire world.
Need more ideas about what you should do before you leave Australia? You can find them on the various websites that the Australia Government provides on their Tourist Information page. They have all the information that you need, no matter what state or territory you are studying in.
Sports
Sports are a huge part of the culture in Australia. Even before it Australia became a British colony, people were playing all kinds of sports, including cricket, horse racing, rugby, and football (Australian rules). Because of all of the excitement associated with sports in Australia, sports ended up growing into part of Australia’s national identity.
There are a variety of different sports leagues in Australia today. Here are a few of the professional leagues that you may encounter while you are there.
- Australian rules football (Australian Football League)
- Rugby (National Rugby League)
- Super Rugby (Australian Rugby Union)
- Soccer (A-League und W-League)
- Netzball (ANZ)
- Basketball (National Basketball League and Women’s National Basketball League)
- Baseball (Australian Baseball League)
Attending sports events is an incredibly popular pastime in Australia. Over the course of a season, some of these sports (especially Australian Rules football, soccer, and rugby) will get upwards of a million spectators. Sports are a huge deal!
Australia has also put together a lot of teams for the Olympics and the Paralympics. They also send teams to the Commonwealth games every time that they are held. The country also has a number of national teams in sports like cricket, rugby union, hockey, soccer, softball, water polo, and whatever other sports you can think of. Everyone is involved in sporting as well; women, disabled persons, and indigenous Australians all get involved.
Amateur sports leagues are also very popular. It is very likely that the university that you attend will have a variety of sports teams that you can join and play in. If you like sports, Australia is definitely a great place to check out.
More information about sports in Australia can be found at the Australia Athletics website, the Australian Sports Commission website, or Australia.com’s Australian sports site.
If you are looking for more information on student life in Australia, Australia.edu has tons of information for you. Any questions that you may have about student life, free time, sports, and anything else related to your education in Australia, can be found at their website. Check it out today!
