AIRPORTS
Melbourne‟s international and domestic airport http://www.melbourneairport.com.au
is located 20km North-West of the city. There is another airport at Avalon http://www.avalonairport.com.au about 60km from the city. Shuttle buses, hire cars and taxis operate regularly from the airports, to the city.
Discover English can provide an airport pickup service on request. The driver from TOGOTO AUSTRALIA will greet you at the airport at the Meeting Point and take you to your homestay or other accommodation. There is a fee for this service, please refer to the Enrolment Form for details.

For those students who do not request airport pickup, we advise you to take a taxi. Transfer time from Melbourne airport to the city is around 30 minutes.
Currency exchange facilities are available at the Airport.

ACCOMMODATION
Discover English will be more than happy to assist you with Homestay Accommodation on your request. There is a fee for this service, please refer to the Enrolment Form for details.
Other forms of accommodation are available in Melbourne, such as apartments, share accommodation, hotels and backpacker accommodation.

Homestay
Australian culture and lifestyle will be different from the culture and lifestyle of your country. Your homestay family will help you to adjust. However, you should try to fit in with your family‟s routine, even though it may seem strange to you at times.
To help make your Homestay a success, please…
- Help with the household chores – there are no maids in Australian households so you are expected to keep your own room tidy and do your laundry. You will notice that all family members help around the house and it would be appreciated if you offer to help too. (eg; washing the dishes, tidying your room)
- Talk to your host family frequently
- Australia has a water shortage and is under constant water restrictions, please keep showers short. Families do not ask this due to financial reasons, but to help save our water resources.
- Phone calls cost money, if you are allowed to use your host family‟s phone, please keep phone calls short.
- Homestay meals include breakfast and dinner Monday to Friday, and breakfast, lunch and dinner at weekends.
- If there are some foods that you do not eat or times when you will be fasting, tell your family at the beginning of your stay. Let the family know 2 hours in advance if you will not be home for any meals.
- Sometimes a homestay arrangement doesn‟t work out. If there is a problem or you are not happy in your homestay, please let us know immediately so that the problem can be resolved. Sometimes this might mean moving to another homestay. You should give two weeks‟ notice to your old homestay before you move out. The initial four week‟s Homestay payment is not refundable should you find alternative accommodation in the first week to two weeks.
- Homestay payments are paid in advance to the Homestay Provider, if you wish to stay beyond your original agreement and your host family is happy for you to stay, then you can organise to pay them directly.
Share accommodation
You can find more information about share accommodation from:
- Discover English‟s student notice board
- Real Estate websites http://www.domain.com.au/ http://www.realestate.com.au/
- University notice boards
- Online student accommodation website http://www.find-studentaccommodation.com/
Accommodation Legal Advice
- Estate Agents Resolution Service (EARS) www.consumer.vic.gov.au (Helpline: 1300 73 70 30)
BANKING
The Australian dollar is the basic unit of currency and 100 cents is equal to one dollar. Notes come in denominations of $100, $50, $20, $10 and $5, while coins are produced in $2, $1, 50c, 20c, 10c and 5c. Shops will round their bills up or down to the nearest 5c on cash sales, but credit/debit card sales are charged at the exact amount of the sale. The most commonly accepted credit cards in Australia are Visa and MasterCard. American Express and Diners Club are also widely accepted.
Banking Hours are usually
Monday to Thursday
9.30am – 4.00pm
Friday
9.30am – 5.00pm
If you are staying in Australia for more than 12 weeks you should open a bank account. This should be done within 6 weeks of your arrival.

POST OFFICE
Australia Post operates in the suburbs between 9:00am – 5:00pm from Monday to Friday.
Some Post Office shops are also open on weekends. Letterboxes are located around the city and suburbs, and mail is collected several times daily. The nearest Post office is located on Elizabeth street, approximately a three-minute walk from the College.
General enquiries: 131318
http://www.auspost.com.au/
MOBILE PHONES
You can buy your mobile phone in Australia. Australian telecommunications providers offer a wide range of services which provide a mobile phone within the cost of using that service. There are many differences to the services provided. You should understand what deal you are accepting before signing a contract with a provider. For a comparison of mobile phone plans in Australia see:
http://www.mobiles.com.au/mobile-phone-plans/
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Melbourne has a very convenient public transport system. Your ticket will allow you to use any of Melbourne‟s buses, trains or trams within your ticket zone. Weekly and monthly ticket holders can travel all over the metropolitan area on weekends without additional cost.
Please note that international students are not entitled to student concession fares. When using public transport, you should always have a valid ticket and ensure to follow the rules displayed.
Public transport information line: 131638
http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au/
http://www.street-directory.com.au/
Taxi: 131008
TRAVEL FREE IN THE CITY
You can travel free of charge on the historic City Circle Trams, which leave from stops around the city every 20 minutes. This has a tour guide commentary as you pass the sights of Melbourne.
SHOPPING
The shopping hours in Melbourne are as listed below:
Monday – Friday 9.00am – 5.30pm
Thursday 9.00am – 9.00pm
Saturday 9.00 am – 5.00pm
Sunday In some areas shops will open from around 10.30 – 5.00
Some great streets for shopping are Chapel Street, Brunswick Street, Sydney Road and Bridge Road.
Local Markets to visit are the Queen Victoria, South Melbourne, Prahran and Camberwell Markets for fresh produce, and Sunday Arts and Crafts Markets in Camberwell, St Kilda and Southbank to name a few.
SMOKING
In Australia it is illegal to smoke in public buildings, this includes the college, restaurants, bars and hotels. If you are smoking outside the building, please stay away from the steps and use the bins provided, any cigarette butts on the ground, will wash down the drain and end up in our beautiful bays and beaches. If you are caught throwing your cigarettes on the ground, heavy fines may be incurred.
BICYCLES
Melbourne is fairly flat; there are bicycle paths all over the city and maps available. This makes riding a cheap, efficient alternative for travel. If you are thinking about getting around by bicycle, ask us at Discover English for advice.
In Australia the law states that you should always wear a helmet when riding a bike. This is for
your own safety and you should always make sure that you do this when riding a bike. If caught
without one, there is a $100 fine.
DRIVING
Insurance
If you are thinking of buying a car, new or second hand, you must make insurance arrangements. Without insurance, if you hit another car, you must pay to have the other car fixed as well as your own. You must get at least 'Third Party Property Insurance' - this insurance cover will pay most of the repair costs of the other car if you have an accident, but not the repair costs of your own car.
Checking a car before purchase
It is always good to check the car professionally before you buy it. The RACV (Royal Automobile Company of Victoria) can check a car for you before you buy it for a fee.
http://www.racv.com.au/
Driving licences
If you have a driving licence from your country, you can use it to drive in Victoria for 3 months only. If you are planning to stay longer, we suggest you get a Victorian Driving Licence as soon as possible after your arrival. http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/
An international driving licence - If you have one of these, you can use it in Victoria for 12 months only. After this, you must get a Victorian Driving Licence. While driving with either a licence from your country or an international drivers' licence, you must also carry your passport.
You must become familiar with the road laws before driving. A copy of The Victorian Traffic Handbook is available from most newsagents.
DINING OUT
Melbourne boasts a wide variety of eating establishments to cater for all tastes, Chinese, Japanese, Australian, Indian, Italian, Greek, Vietnamese and Thai just to name a few. Whatever your preference, you will find it in Melbourne. Many of Melbourne‟s finest restaurants are along the banks of the Yarra River at Southbank or close by the college at Federation Square, but wherever you go in Melbourne, you can find great food and excellent value for money. http://www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/
The legal drinking age is 18 years. It is illegal for people under 18 to drink alcohol.
OVERSEAS STUDENT HEALTH COVER
Medical insurance is recommended as Australia‟s Medicare system does not cover international visitors, except where reciprocal agreements exist. If you study at Discover English on a Working Holiday Visa or a Tourist Visa, YOU MUST MAKE YOUR OWN HEALTH INSURANCE ARRANGEMENTS (e.g. travel insurance) before you commence your studies.
If studying on a STUDENT VISA you are required to have “Overseas Student Health Cover” (OSHC) as a condition of your visa, the cost of this will be invoiced at the time of enrolment. The insurance must be covered for the length of your student visa.

Discover English chooses to use Medibank Private as its default provider of Overseas Student Health Cover. Call Medibank on 132 331. http://www.medibank.com.au/
Medibank will pay claims for:
- A percentage of the scheduled doctors‟ fees and you pay the difference.
- the total cost of hospital treatment provided that treatment is in a public hospital
and is provided by a hospital doctor.
- eye tests and blood tests
- X-ray
- Some medications
- Ambulance (only if it is medically necessary for you to be admitted to the hospital)
Medibank will not pay for the cost of dental treatment, physiotherapy or glasses. Waiting periods apply for the cover of medical conditions which existed prior to your arrival in Australia.
Ambulance Insurance – For approximately $75 a year for singles, you can be covered for ambulance costs throughout Australia. For more information, call 1800 648 484 8am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm Sat. or find a form at www.ambulance-vic.com.au
Legal Services – For free legal advice contact Legal Aid
350 Queen Street, Melbourne (03) 9269 0120 http://www.legalaid.vic.gov.au/