Student exchange - Canada to Australia! (apartment, rent, house)

[Ross321]

Hey everyone, stumbled across this site while doing some googling and have found some great information through this forum, thought I would make myself a topic here to try and get some more input for myself

I've lived in Canada my whole life (eastern Ontario), have never really gotten to do much traveling besides a couple visits to the middle of no where in northern New York where we have some family friends. I'm currently in my second year of uni and just discovered my school's student exchange program. We have quite a few different partner universities in Australia, and a trip across the ocean sounds like a pretty awesome experience to me!

I'd be going for just one semester (sadly - would love to go for the year but it'd really screw up my school back home) and I'm just starting my researching on where to go.

To be honest I'm not too worried about which university I go to, would much rather choose the "better" city over the better school. Which is why I'm here - researching a bunch of different cities is a bit overwhelming. I'm choosing between Perth, Sydney, and Adelaide.

One thing I've been looking at is climate differences, I'd be going over for the February - June semester (end of your summer to the beginning of your winter, correct?) and Perth/Sydney seem to have the edge here (just a few degrees, but hey, I'm from Canada... can you blame me for wanting a warmer city?) Besides that I haven't gotten too far into researching. I've read Perth is a fair bit quieter from Sydney, and really haven't read anything much on Adelaide yet.

So what I'd really love from you guys is really just any info on these cities. Going to a completely different continent is pretty huge for me - so I'd really like to see & do as much as I possibly can during my time there. I love going out with friends so a better night life would be a pretty big plus for me as well. Would love any details about say, public transportation, cost of living, any big attractions to the city. Also if anyone could throw any feedback my way about these universities, I'd really appreciate it as well!

Edith Cowan University (Perth)
Macquarie University (Sydney)
University of South Australia (Adelaide)
Flinders University (Adelaide)

I have until mid December to make my decision, so not too much of a rush yet. Big thank you to anyone who can help me out

[sydneybeach]

I'm completely biased as i went to Club Mac. (aka Macquarie University) & live in Sydney. It's a great university, with plenty of social activities as well as serious education. They've just completed a train line to the uni so it's much more accessible.
Climate in Sydney in February & March will be hot & humid. April, May & June are great months, warm days & cooler nights. Hey you can learn to surf! But you WILL become addicted & will want to stay forever.

What else do you want to do in Australia?
What are your other interests?

[semicolonshiftd]

I'm from Perth but I can tell you a few pros and cons for Sydney too. Unfortunately, I don't know much about Adelaide haha.
Sydney is the more advanced city. It has fantastic night-life and whatnot. If you like busy cities, you wouldn't fancy Perth very much. I think that renting an apartment in Sydney is a bit more expensive than Perth. I'm not sure about the public transportation. The only attractions I can think of are the Sydney Opera House and Taronga Zoo.
Yes, it is quiet here in Perth. The night-life is not very good, to be quite honest. I usually go down to East Perth at night though. Rent is fairly cheap. It's only a few hundred per week but it really just depends on which area you live in. North of Perth, where ECU is located, is close to the beach. Beaches could be under night-life. Travel by bus and train is a few dollars. If you have a bus card, the cost is reduced a little. There's a bus every thirty minutes or so. As for weather, the extreme summer heat will be just dying off. My favourite weather is a sunny day with cool breezes which you can expect after the summer. Then there's autumn. Rainy days here and there. In June, it won't be that cold as yet. Attractions? Bell Tower, Margaret River, Caversham Wildlife Park (boring, IMO), Museum or Library of W.A., King's Park. There's also Swan River. Just a stroll by the river is relaxing in it's own. The south side has great views too. I can't say that the people here are that friendly with strangers, but they won't turn up their noses when you pass either. I've always gotten kind and helpful responses whenever I asked for directions or something. Perth is 25m above sea water level and kinda flat. Perth is a small city at the moment, with a quickly growing population.

You will definitely have fun wherever you decide to go in Australia. No matter where you stay, there will be plenty of bottle-green bush & fauna and native animals. Oh, I almost forgot the good old Aussie accent. Good luck!

[Spindle]

Bring shorts and a towel!