With COVID-19 restrictions finished and Australia opening its borders for international students to come to Australia on a subclass 500 student visa, we thought it was very important to highlight some very important information & websites for International Students in Melbourne.
VICROADS
Let’s first start with Vicroads. Vicroads is responsible for maintaining, planning of roads etc. It is also responsible for vehicle such as cars, trucks, and motorcycles registrations. If you are looking to convert your international driver’s licence into a Victorian driver’s licence as an international student in Victoria or want to apply for a new one, Vicroads is the relevant authority.
International students on a subclass 500 student visa in Melbourne looking to get more information on Vicroads can click on the following link.
https://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/
PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MELBOURNE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
If you are new international student who have just arrived on a subclass 500 student visa or a prospective international student looking to study in Melbourne, the following information on public transport could be very handy.
There are 2 major train service providers in Victoria. The first one is Metro, which mostly operates in inner suburbs of Melbourne. While Vline is another provider connecting all major towns of Victoria to central Melbourne. A lot of international students in Victorian live in regional towns such as Geelong, Ballarat, and Bendigo. Either they study there to take advantage of regional points or find it as better lifestyle and travel to Melbourne city by VLine.
To get more information on train schedules and timetables in Melbourne, the following links which also contain maps of various train stations across Melbourne and Victoria are available.
Melbourne is a place of trams. For newly arrived international students in Melbourne, it is a great experience travelling on trams. Trams in Victoria are operated by Yarra Trams. These trams operate in most inner suburbs of Melbourne.
To get more information on Melbourne tram network, international students can click the following link.
https://yarratrams.com.au/service-changes/service-changes-and-extra-trams-for-special-events
Then there are various bus providers in Melbourne.
Metropolitan bus operator list:
Broadmeadows Bus Service
CDC Melbourne
Cranbourne Transit
https://www.cranbournetransit.com.au/
Dysons
Kinetic
https://www.wearekinetic.com/melbourne
Martyrs Bus Service
Panorama Coaches
Ryan Bros Bus Service
Sita Bus Lines
Sunbury Bus Service
Tullamarine Bus Lines
Ventura Bus Lines
Ventura (Dandenong)
For international students travelling using public transport in Melbourne, it is very handy to know that they can plan their journey by using a PTV planner which connects all public transport services to make a journey plan.
International Students in Melbourne can use the following link to plan their journey by clicking on the following link.
https://www.ptv.vic.gov.au/journey
Melbourne’s public transport is the cheapest mode of transport for international students in Melbourne. International students and all travellers using public transport use a single card for travelling known as Myki. Myki card works on trams, buses and trains throughout Melbourne. More information on Myki can be sought by international students by clicking on the following link.
https://service.vic.gov.au/find-services/transport-and-driving/myki-card/top-up-myki
ACCOMMODATION FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN MELBOURNE
There are multiple sites which can be used by international students in Melbourne to look for suitable accommodation while studying.
Most international students look for cheapest accommodation which has access to public transport. If you are an international student looking for accommodation in Melbourne, you can use the following websites.
https://www.realestate.com.au/
https://www.property.com.au/rent/in-vic/list-1
Then there are websites such as gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, and various groups for shared accommodation in Melbourne. These websites and groups are particularly helpful for newly arrived international students who have no prior references and are looking for cheap accommodation to keep down their expenses during studies.
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-property-for-rent/melbourne/c18364l3001317
JOBS
Every international student who arrives in Melbourne is looking for a job to not only pay for their studies but also pay for their food, accommodation, and other living costs.
While you can go to shops and shopping centres to hand your resume in or use references of your family and friends, there are many websites which you can use to find jobs.
https://www.seek.com.au/jobs/in-All-Melbourne-VIC
https://au.indeed.com/m/jobs?l=Melbourne+VIC
https://au.jora.com/jobs-in-Melbourne-VIC
https://www.careerone.com.au/jobs/in-melbourne-vic
https://au.linkedin.com/jobs/jobs-in-melbourne-vic
https://www.simplyhired.com.au/search?l=melbourne+vic
https://www.randstad.com.au/jobs/victoria/melbourne/
https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-jobs/melbourne/c9302l3001317
There are many more websites including those of major retailers like Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, IGA, Dan Murphy, Officeworks, Kmart, BigW, Target etc which international students can use to find suitable jobs.
GROCERY SHOPPING IN MELBOURNE
While there are many fruit and vegetable shops including small grocery shops, some of the major grocery supermarkets in Melbourne are giants spread throughout Australia.
International Students in Melbourne can click the following websites of these major supermarkets to find the specials.
International students should be very wise spending their money. International students will be surprised to know that the price of grocery items in Melbourne and throughout Australia can change by as much as 50%. Example: A pack of potato chips which is $4 a week could be $2 very next week.
Alternatively, a pack of chips at one supermarket may be $4 in one week while the rival supermarket may be selling the same pack of chips for $2 that week.
So, it is very important for money savvy international students to check the websites of all major supermarkets before they go out for shopping. Most supermarket like Coles and Woolworths have their catalogue changed by every Wednesday.
Some of the major supermarkets in Melbourne which international students can compare for the grocery prices are as follows.
International students in Melbourne looking for budget clothes and general items should explore the following chains.
https://www.harrisscarfe.com.au/
BANKING
While there are many banks which are spread throughout Melbourne, the 4 major banks are as follows:
https://www.anz.com.au/personal/
So this is the list of most useful and important websites for International Students in Melbourne.
If you are an international student already living in Melbourne and are looking to get migration advice or change your education course, contact us at Oracle Immigration Consultants.
If you are looking to move to Melbourne or anywhere in Australia on a student subclass 500 visa, contact us to get the best advice leading to Australian Permits Residence or commonly known as Australian PR.
Disclaimer: The above information is not tailored to personal circumstances.
For information relevant to personal circumstances, please book an
appointment with Oracle Immigration Consultant’s expert migration agents in
Australia.
For any inquiries, please contact us at +61 430812158. We are premier Immigration agency and consultancy in Melbourne (Bundoora and Geelong).
