<p>My D is considering University of Queensland for study abroad. Anyone have any general comments about the school, the city, housing (on or off campus), the cost of living for a college student or any other tidbits a parent would find interesting and useful? </p>
<p>I was in Brisbane for a couple of months. It’s a nice city to live in, though the options for tourists are distinctly limited - there are only two tourist attractions (Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary + XXXX Brewery) and it’s nowhere near as close to the beach as it looks - she won’t have access to a car and it’s a couple of hours by public transport. I never went to the beach whilst I was in Brisbane. Personally I’d suggest Sydney as a top choice, followed by Melbourne, if she wants to see things (like beaches!) in her spare time. </p>
<p>The best of Australia is largely outside the big cities - she’d do well to allow some time and money to travel up the east coast to see places like Fraser Island, the Whitsundays, rainforests, Byron Bay (+ Nimbin!) and the Great Barrier Reef. </p>
<p>Cost of living in Australia as a whole is fairly extortionate (paying $10 AUD per kilo of mushrooms was fairly memorable, though it’s not all that bad). I was probably paying $150-200 per week, after housing, just for basic living expenses and a minor luxury such as going to the cinema each week. </p>
<p>However, she might like to consider working whilst she’s there - wages are very high, e.g. you can earn $20ph as a waitress if you’ve got experience (tips, bearing mind that tipping isn’t expected in the same way it is in the US and so are much lower, would be on top of that). </p>
<p>Thanks boomting - I guess she will be a tourist on some weekends!! Sounds kind of expensive. You are correct, she will not have a car for the semester so public transportation for her. I think she and her b/f are planning to coordinate their semesters abroad to the same school that would fit both their majors (his maybe more than hers) and somehow UQ hit the radar but Sydney and Melbourne did not because they are not applying there.</p>
<p>Would you say it is much more expensive to live off campus than on campus? I guarantee she will be hitting me up for off campus. Also, she does work an on-campus job at her current school so maybe she will get a job there - she’s more into IT than waitress so she has no experience there.</p>
<p>Not a clue about the relative expense of on vs off campus I’m afraid - I was a backpacker who stopped off there to earn some money. Never paid a cent for accommodation there - I cleaned a backpackers hostel in return for free board (not a suitable environment for someone looking to study before you ask - overcrowded and with no desk!) </p>
<p>I mention working as a barmaid / waitress (Aussie drinking age is 18 so entirely legal to serve alcohol) as that’s some of the most easily available work that doesn’t necessarily worry too much if she’s going to be leaving in 6 months time. It can be useful to have several avenues open, especially if it’s important financially. </p>
<p>With regards to her being a tourist on some weekends, don’t underestimate the size of Australia. Few people appreciate its sheer size until they get there (I know I didn’t, but I’m from a relatively small island nation!). Sydney and Melbourne look relatively close together but are actually a 12 hour Greyhound bus ride from each other. So, it’s going to be difficult for her to get anywhere of interest for just a weekend - I’d suggest that anywhere further than Stradbroke Island, Moreton Island, Surfers’ Paradise or Byron Bay would be unrealistic. If she does want to see Australia properly (and it would be a massive shame not to), then several consecutive weeks do need to be identified when she can travel. </p>
<p>Sounds like she would have to work and save some pennies for a flight or two to visit the country proplerly…</p>
<p>She will really only be there for the semester which is not a full 6 months - more like 4 months.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info!!!</p>
<p>Can she go early / stay on afterwards? You don’t say which semester she’s planning on going in, but if she could stay on for part or all of the summer, that would solve the problem very effectively. </p>