Studying in Melbourne
Melbourne – smart, captivating, multicultural, unique, fun, trend-setting, individual and welcoming.
Overview
Melbourne is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city of over three million people that enjoys clean fresh air and beautiful parks and gardens.
A city of magnificent architecture, Melbourne prides itself on its spectacular combination of the old and the new. Glorious parks and gardens, elegant streetscapes, and warm ethnic communities combine to make Melbourne one of Australia's most popular destinations for migrants and tourists.
Melbourne is clean, green and friendly. It came as no great surprise to residents when it was recently voted the most liveable city in the world.
The city is only a short distance from many beautiful beaches, perfect for swimming and water sports. Victorian mountain regions, where skiing is popular during winter, and the rainforest of the Dandenong Ranges make ideal day trips.
What will I do in my free time?
Explore the city's cultural, culinary
and sporting offerings- Experience live music and entertainment, museum and parks
- Discover the city's famous laneways, where some of the best bars, restaurants and cafes are located
- Melbourne is home to over 140 ethnic groups – embrace the opportunity to engage with people from Argentina to Zambia
- Roam on the accessible public transportation system that allows you to easily move throughout the city
- Melbourne is a wonderful jumping-off point to explore the rest of Australia – bus, rail, and plane connections are right at your doorstep
The City of Melbourne produces a handy annual guide for international students
City of Melbourne – International Student Guide
Produced annually by the City of Melbourne, this guide will help you get the most out of this diverse city.
Food
Often referred to as the culinary capital of Australia, Melbourne has a vast array of restaurants offering a myriad of international cuisines.
Bustling Chinatown, in the heart of the city, serves up the finest of Asian cuisine and culture. Several other Melbourne streets are dedicated to Vietnamese, Japanese, Italian and Greek food.
The city is also a great place for buying fresh food. Queen Victoria Market is the largest open air market in the southern hemisphere. For the gourmet traveller, David Jones Food Hall is a must while chocoholics will be torn between Haighs, Koko Black and The Chocolate Box.
Not sure where to start? Check out the well-known Melbourne foodies bibles The Age Good Food Guide and The Age Cheap Eats for some ideas.
Shopping
Melbourne has long been recognised as Australia's shopping and fashion capital.
The city centre is a good place to start with many cool laneways and tree-lined streets that are a haven for small boutiques specialising in Australian designers, jewellery, accessories and international fashion.
All fashion tastes are catered for by flagship department stores, David Jones and Myer, both in Bourke Street Mall. For a wide range of designers and retailers under the one roof you can't go past retail centres such as GPO Melbourne, Melbourne Central, QV, Collinstwo3four, Australia on Collins and Collins Place.
Other popular shopping destinations include Chapel Street (a brief walk from our Prahran campus), Acland Street in St Kilda and large shopping centres such as Chadstone and Southland.
Most stores are open seven days, and many stay open late on Friday.
Weave your way through the heart of Melbourne all year round!
Melbourne hosts many large cultural events each year. These include:
- The Chinese New Year Parade (February)
- St Kilda Festival (February)
- L'Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival (February – March)
- Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (March)
- Moomba Waterfest (March)
- Australian International Airshow (March)
- Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show March (April)
- The International Comedy Festival (April)
- The Melbourne Design Festival (July)
- The International Film Festival (July – August)
- The Melbourne Writers' Festival (August – September)
- Royal Melbourne Show (September – October)
- The Melbourne Fringe Festival (September – October)
- The International Festival of the Arts (October)
Many of Australia's most significant sporting events are held in Melbourne:
- One-Day, Twenty20 and test match cricket (Summer months)
- Bells Beach Surf Classic (around Easter)
- The Australian Open Tennis (January - February)
- Grand Prix Motor Racing (March)
- AFL (Australian Rules Football) (March - September)
- Spring Racing Carnival (October - November)
Melbourne's Weather
Melbourne enjoys a temperate climate, with its seasons distinctly defined. |
This is Melbourne's forecast |
Average annual rainfall is 650 millimetres (half of Sydney’s) but falls mainly during the winter and spring period. Summer storms are common. Frost and even snow is possible during winter periods.
Melbourne weather can be variable, especially during spring and autumn. Expect warm and cool, rainy and dry, windy and calm all in one day during these times.
To gauge how much it costs to live in Melbourne, visit our Living in Melbourne page.
Melbourne is 10 hours ahead of Universal Standard Time (UTC). This is known as Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).
Daylight Saving
Daylight saving moves clocks forward one hour from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April each year.
