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Victoria’s broad canvas
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As the smallest, most densley populated state in Australia, Victoria has a flavour all of its own. With a multicultural metropolis offering eclectic inner city suburbs and great natural attractions, it ticks all the boxes. Jane Vernon Smith reports.
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Nestled in the south-eastern corner of Australia, the state of Victoria not only has a beautiful city as its capital, “that is renowned for its fine food, host of international sporting events and fashion”, says Natalie Reddy of Geos Melbourne College of English, but it “also has many attractions”, she attests.
“Victoria produces some of Australia’s finest wines from its famous wine region, the Yarra Valley, [which is] only one hour’s drive from Melbourne’s central business district,” she explains. “This region also boasts some beautiful riding tracks and national parklands.”
That is not all. According to Georgia Wittmer of the Kilmore International School in Kilmore, Victoria has “the most prestigious education facilities in all of Australia, including both universities and high schools”. Melbourne itself, Australia’s second-largest city, is she adds, relatively safe, and with a very multicultural population, which helps overseas students to feel comfortable there. Its cultural diversity is evident in the vast array of food, cultural locations and places of worship, as Aaron Caasi at Ability Education, notes.
Indeed, it is the atmosphere and culture that surrounds Melbourne that are often the initial attraction, according to Rick Jones at Melbourne-based Professional Pathways Australia. “With its café, bar and arts culture, together with its laid-back style, many people see it as a more relaxing and unique destination compared with Sydney,” he claims. Moreover, despite being a well populated city, it has a feeling of spaciousness, he says, with many scattered suburbs each offering their own unique culture – for example, the Italian restaurants of Carlton, the modern shopping of Chapel Street or the Vietnamese delicatessens of Richmond.
Melbourne also has many sights to take in, all of which can be negotiated with fun and ease via the city tram network. For Daniela Martinez at Ames International Education in the city, one of the top attractions is Australia’s oldest rail station, Flinders Street, a grand building, dating back to 1910. Another is the modern Federation Square, a huge cultural and entertainment centre, which occupies a whole block in the city, and houses art galleries, a museum and cinema, plus restaurants, bars and shops. The Square plays host to more than 2,000 cultural festivals, exhibitions and concerts each year, as well as providing a public screen for the broadcasting of major sporting events.
On the Yarra River waterfront, the Docklands area of the city, is another focal point that is becoming a popular attraction, according to Lucia Lee at Ability Education, who comments, “Students will love the harbour, shops and restaurants around.”
Another recent addition to the landscape is the Eureka Tower, which, notes Reddy, is the tallest residential building in the southern hemisphere. Visitors can climb up to its 88th floor skydeck, where, she enthuses, “the view of the city and Port Phillip Bay is amazing”.
The coast is also at hand, and, in hot weather, students can enjoy the attractions of “the lively and cosmopolitan area of St Kilda”. Situated on the coast east of the city, this is considered to be one of Melbourne’s most fashionable suburbs, according to Reddy, and offers clean, safe and sandy beaches. Here too is the Luna Park amusement park, which, she advises, is a must on every student’s itinerary. Built in 1912, this is “a charming, historic, seaside amusement park, complete with a wooden roller-coaster and other rides.”
Melbourne is also renowned for its love of sport, as Jones highlights, and is home to world-class stadiums, such as the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and the Rod Laver Arena, which hosts the Australian Open tennis championships. No visit to Australia would be complete, of course, without sampling a barbecue – “a typical Aussie pastime, while having a game of cricket or football”, according to Caasi. As Melbourne is also close to major fishing areas, such as Port Phillip Bay and Western Port, students there can also head off on a fishing trip. Offered by Ability Education as an optional excursion, trips are on chartered boats, with all equipment and lunch provided.
Offering counterpoint to the city life of Melbourne is the quiet rural town of Kilmore. With a population of around 6,000 people, Kilmore is located just 58 kilometres from Melbourne’s central business district. “It is away from the hustle and bustle and distractions of larger cities”, comments Wittmer, but, at the same time, is well serviced by bus and train and is also only 40 minutes from the international airport.
From here, visitors are, therefore, well placed to explore the wider horizons of the state. Just to the south-east of Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula is a popular camping location. As Reddy points out, this area offers “great surfing spots, beautiful beaches, dolphin watching cruises and also has some great wineries”. Offshore from here is Phillip Island, another popular tourist destination, which, according to Jones, “offers the feeling of remoteness, with fantastic wildlife”. Boasting top-class surfing, beautiful beaches and coastal walks, the island is also home to the Australian motorcycle grand prix. However, the biggest attraction is probably its penguin colony.
Also not to be missed is the picturesque Yarra Valley. Well known for its wines, this is also a really pretty place to explore, according to Reddy. She notes that the area is ideal for cycling, and offers some good bush-walking trails.” She adds, “There are also many waterfalls in the area, and Victoria’s highest, Stevenson’s Falls, in the Great Otway National Park, are spectacular at night, when they are floodlit.”
With a number of mountainous areas, Victoria also has good provision for skiers. “During winter, Ames organises excursion trips to Mount Buller,” explains Martinez. Situated in the Alpine National Park, around a three-hour journey from Melbourne, “[It]has three terrain parks designed for all ski levels, a half pipe and an ultra cross course, with a dedicated snow-grooming team to maintain their condition.”
Another of the state’s major attractions, according to Jones, is the Great Ocean Road – 240-kilometres of winding coastal road that links the ports of Geelong and Portland. The coastline features “idyllic towns and sights”, he says, and, among the highlights are the Twelve Apostles – craggy limestone stacks that rise out of the ocean, and the famous Bells Beach surfing area.
Agent viewpoint
“We have students from Italy, Spain, France, Brazil, Colombia and Peru who choose Victoria mostly because Melbourne offers a great combination of culture and sports activities and excellent quality courses. Our students love the diversity of things to do in Melbourne and the quality of life that it gives them. Increasingly, we are finding that many of our students want to stay in Melbourne after to work or for further study.”
Gavin Dowling, Go Study Australia, Australia
“When it comes to Victoria, most of our clients choose Melbourne. Melbourne does not have as many sunny, hot days and famous beaches as some other Australian locations, but offers the greatest selection of study programmes across the whole of Australia. [Its] rich cultural and sporting events calendar is another reason for many. [None of] our clients miss the Formula One Grand Prix or the Australian Tennis Open. Last but not least, part-time work opportunities for student visa holders are as good as in Sydney.”
Jan Khynych, AustraliaExpert Europe,
Czech Republic
“Being an international student in Victoria is having the opportunity to embrace an exciting multicultural environment in which you will be able to not only achieve your academic goals, but also to enjoy a life-changing experience, as you will be able to make friends from all over the world, visit beautiful places, try great food from different countries, work part-time, go shopping, attend cultural events, and so much more! Go to Victoria, you will love it!”
Martha Nelly Rozo, Go Study & Travel, Colombia
“Victoria is a state that offers plenty of attractions due to being close to the Great Ocean Road, Dandenong Ranges Vineyard and Yarra Valley. During winter students enjoy the snow in Mount Buller and exotic places such as Tasmania. Furthermore, Victoria is a state with a strong economy, despite of this time of crisis.”
Carlos Arevelo, EducAustralia, Colombia
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