University of Western Australia
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Why you should visit Esperance, WA
By Emma Pitcher, University of Western Australia Perth, Australia Some of the best beaches in Australia are in WA, and Esperance is home to a few of them. In the south-west of WA, Esperance is a fairly isolated coastal town, about 8 hours drive from Perth. In Semester 2 of my year abroad, I spent my break in Esperance. With a couple of friends, we drove straight there and stayed at a friend’s who lived there. If you drive straight there, you can make a quick stop at Wave Rock in Hyden: The drive there is pretty chill, it is quite a rural part of WA so you get to…
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How I spent my Summer Holidays in Australia
By Emma Pitcher, University of Western Australia Perth, Australia The best part of doing your year abroad in Australia is that you get an extra long break between semesters! Aussie summer holidays are over Christmas time so this gives you plenty of time to travel. Popular destinations included the east coast of Aus, New Zealand, and SE Asia as you’re so close. From Perth especially, it’s a shorter flight to Bali or Singapore than it is to Sydney. At the end of my first semester, I went to Kuala Lumpur and Bali, with a stopover in Jakarta, and then to Singapore where I spent Christmas. KL is a great city…
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East Coast Australia with My Adventure Project (MAP)
By Emma Pitcher, University of Western Australia Perth, Australia In my summer holidays in Australia, I decided to use MAP to travel the east coast. You’ll find that there are so many different options for travel agencies but I recommend that you consider budget, the itinerary, and reviews. Some tours offer guided tours (you’re in a group with a tour guide the whole time), which is more expensive. This might be ideal if you are solo and particularly nervous about travelling alone. Personally, I don’t consider a tour guide necessary which is one of the reasons I chose MAP. It has group tours that usually run cheaper than most “guided”…
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Academic Life at UWA
By Emma Pitcher, University of Western Australia Perth, Australia Compared to the University of Manchester, UWA is pretty similar in terms of academic life. You pick 4 units per semester. As an international student, you have to submit your unit choices to have them approved (choose units related to your degree and that have prerequisites you have). Make sure to discuss with your academic advisor as to what level units you should be picking. Each semester I chose two level 3 units, one level 2 unit, and one level 1 unit. My level 1 unit I treated as my “elective”, aka I did an intro level unit on anything that…
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Perth to Exmouth Road trip
By Emma Pitcher, University of Western Australia Perth, Australia In the September break, a group of us decided to road trip from Perth to Exmouth. This was one of the best experiences in my life so if you’re heading to WA, I highly recommend it! Go outside of Aussie summer as it gets very hot up north! This blog covers our itinerary, plus any recommendations 🙂 We hired a Britz van for 9 days which fit four people, but we were also travelling as a part of a larger group of about 20 people. Day 1 – Perth & Jurien Bay The first day involved getting to the van hire…
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Residential Life at the University of Western Australia
By Emma Pitcher, University of Western Australia Perth, Australia Similarly to universities at home in the UK, UWA offers several accommodation options that are near the campus grounds. Obviously, which one you pick depends on your preferences, budget, etc… however, after my first semester I can provide my own recommendations! Something I found to be severely lacking when I initially began my UWA research. First off, there are 5 different colleges to choose from: University Hall, Trinity Residential College, St Thomas More College, St George’s College and St Catherine’s College. All the details on costs and what services they provide can be found on their respective websites but in this…
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Packing for your year abroad
By Emma Pitcher, University of Western Australia Perth, Australia Now that I am approaching the end of my year abroad and am faced with the daunting task of packing… Here’s what you should and shouldn’t bring. I brought too much. In all fairness, when I was packing, I did have to consider if I would have enough for the whole year. But don’t overcomplicate it. Only bring what you need and actually wear. None of that “I’ll definitely wear this *insert item you’ve kept in the back of your wardrobe and never worn*.” And in terms what you need, make sure to include a coat, i.e., a raincoat (it doesn’t…
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A Perth’ect Semester
By Emma Pitcher, University of Western Australia Perth, Australia A summary of all the activities I got to do either with friends, my residential college (Trinity), or UWA in Perth (semester 1). To kick off freshers week, Trinity provided a city tour so we could familiarise ourselves with the new city. This was a fun little introduction to how to navigate the city and what the key features were. Walking around city together meant we could chat and get to know new people especially during our stop for yummy churros! This was a must-visit! Trinity organised the entire trip including transport and provided packed lunches. We spent the whole day…
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Snorkelling with Sharks
By Amani Bates, The University of Western Australia, Australia The idea of swimming with sharks might sound a bit daunting, but Whale Sharks are the tamest type of shark you could hope to interact with. That’s why I took a punishing 18-hour bus ride from Perth to Exmouth to go diving in the Ningaloo Reef…
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A Solo Traveller’s Guide to Sydney
By Amani Bates, University of Western Australia, Australia So. You want to go to Sydney. But other than the Opera house, you have no idea what to do, where to go, or who you’ll meet. Well, I was in your exact position, so let’s see if I can help you out.
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What I wish I’d known about Australia
By Amani Bates, University of Western Australia, Australia G’day from down under! I’ve sadly done more than half my time here in Perth and I must say I’ve absolutely loved it. The weather’s great, the people are friendly, and I’ve made some really cool friends and some amazing memories. I’d highly recommend it as a destination for your study abroad. That said, there are a few things I wished I’d known before I got here, so here’s my list of tips!
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Study Abroad Reflections on Return
I have been back in Manchester for a semester since living in Australia for one year. I have learned so much from moving away and living on the other side of the world. Studying abroad is such an amazing and unique way to grow academically and personally in a short period of time. Before I moved to Australia I really believed that I would be heartbroken when I left but I wasn’t. I was so grateful for the experiences, opportunities, and friends that I had made but I was excited to come back home. Studying abroad has made me realise how small the world really is. A flight across the…
