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Before You Arrive in Australia
Once you have applied to the University of Wollongong for your course of study, received your offer letter and applied for your Student Visa, you should have received information telling you how to arrange your airport pick-up and accommodation. You can download a pdf file of our Pre-arrival Information Booklet which gives you useful information about things you can do before you leave home to help make your arrival in Australia go smoothly.
Arrival at Sydney Airport
Click here for the 'Arrival at Sydney Airport' web page.
Public Transport
Click here for a full summary of transport services to Wollongong campus.
A number of bus services operate to and from the campus. You can obtain a bus transport concession for student fare discounts for bus travel in Wollongong only.
The nearest railway station is North Wollongong although rail services are more frequent to and from Wollongong Station. Unfortunately most international students are NOT eligible for student rail concessions. There is a $200 fine for people found travelling on trains without a valid ticket. If you purchase a ticket from the ticket machine at the station, do not select “student concession” as this is only available to domestic students and some scholarship and exchange students.
Accommodation
Staff at the Accommodation Service on ground floor Building 17 can assist you to find a place to live. If you decide to live in private accommodation (off campus) then it is important that you are aware of some basic rights and responsibilities before you make any agreement to rent a place. You can obtain a copy of the Office of Fair Trading publication, “The renting guide” here.
The Guide says that under the law, your landlord or agent must give you a copy of your written tenancy agreement after you have signed it. The agreement states the amount of your rent and the period of your rental. It also contains a condition report which describes the condition of the premises. If you think the condition report is not accurate, you should make a note of this before you sign the agreement. You may have to pay at the end of your tenancy for any damage not identified in the condition report. You will usually be required to pay rent in advance from the first day of your tenancy (either 2 or 4 week’s rent depending on the weekly rental). You will also be asked to pay a rental bond which may be four week’s rent. Make sure you get a written receipt for your bond. It is the law that your landlord must lodge the bond money with the Office of Fair Trading within 7 days. It is very important to get a receipt for any rental payments.
If you want to end your tenancy agreement before the term fixed in your agreement you should give as much notice to your landlord as possible. The landlord can still charge you rent until a replacement tenant is found.
At the end of the tenancy you can claim a refund of your bond money. If the premises have been damaged during your tenancy or if you owe any rent, the landlord can claim some or all of the bond for themselves. (from “The renting guide”, Office of Fair Trading, June 2004)
If you have any problems regarding the renting of private accommodation or if there is anything you do not understand you can speak to a SEDLO or phone the NSW Office of Fair Trading on 133220.
Family Members
If you are bringing school-aged children (between 5 - 18 years) with you, you will need to lodge an application with the Department of Education and Training before your child comes to Australia. All temporary visa holders are subject to tuition fees which must be paid twelve months in advance at the time of enrolment (currently $4,500 per year for Primary School to Year 10). Click here for further information.
There are limited places available for pre-school and after school care with UniCentre Children's Services. The cost is approximately $46 per day. There is a long waiting list, so interested students should contact Kid’s Uni. Email: kids_uni@uow.edu.au. There are many other child-care centres in Wollongong and the SEDLOs can help you to find a suitable place for your child.
If your husband, wife or partner accompanies you to Australia ask a SEDLO about low-cost English classes which they can attend and which are available at various locations near the University. ICIS organises a free English conversation group held at the beginning of each session for international students and their partners. ICIS also provides other social activities and bus trips which your family members can join.
Student Visa
Click here for the 'Student Visa' web page.
Religion
The main religion in Australia is Christianity although many other religions are represented. Legally, there is complete religious freedom in Australia. Click here for details of the University Chaplaincy which is located on Level 1, UniCentre Building (11). There is a Muslim prayer space at the Islamic Education Centre in Building 50. Click here for a list of Churches, Mosques and Temples located in the Wollongong area. Mosque locations in Sydney include:
- 175 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2000
- 172B Burwood Road, Belmore NSW 2192
- Cnr Prince and Forth Street, Blacktown NSW 2148
The Sri Venkateswara Hindu Temple is located in Walker Street, Helensburgh.
Language
Even if you have spent many years learning English, you may find that when you arrive in Australia you don’t understand much that people say or you may have difficulty expressing yourself in English. This is quite normal. Australians speak fast, the spoken language is very informal and contains a lot of slang. You can expect that it may take several weeks before your ear “tunes in” to the Aussie accent. Australia is a multicultural country. Your lecturers and classmates may come from different countries and so you may have to deal with other kinds of accents as well as Australian.
Try to be patient during this time - most students say these initial difficulties disappear after about 3 or 4 weeks. There are services to help you feel more confident with your English. Learning Development in Building 19 Room G102 provides free workshops on academic English as well as pronunciation and conversation. ICIS holds free conversation groups where students can practise their English. Wollongong University College also provides language support and language workshops for all students. Look for the ELRC in Building 30 Room 101.
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