Sunday, March 04, 2007
a guide for future noobs
I know I haven't been posting anything lately, I've just been really lazy XP So I came up with a brilliant plan and decided to write this post: a Guide for Future N0obs.
Anyway, this is mainly for the people who'll be coming down to Gippsland & staying on campus.
EntertainmentSeriously, there are no clubs here, it's located in the country. The closest you can get is a saloon/bar/pub which is about 5-10 mins walk from the on campus accommodation. Either that or whenever there's some event at the student lounge, which may include bands playing, movie screenings and dinner events. Good thing about the student lounge is that they have a bar so you can drink your way into oblivion starting from lunchtime (about 12pm I think). Alcoholic drinks usually cost around AUD$5 to AUD$10 so before you order, remember that you've been warned; it's not cheap.
Shopping
SUPER IMPORTANT: most shops close at 5PM on the dot and operate half day on weekends. For those living on-campus, the closest place to go shopping is the Hazelwood Shopping Center which is just 5-10 mins walk. Foodworks is the place for grocery shopping, there's a Commonwealth Bank branch there and a post office. Pretty much everything you need is there but groceries are more expensive compared to going to Coles, Big W, KMart or Safeway. The closest town is Morwell and Traralgon. Morwell is probably comparable to Ipoh, it really is a small little town. There's the Midvalley Mall which is usually where most students go shopping (whenever possible). Good places for shopping are Coles & Big W (for grocery shopping at cheaper prices), Reject Shop (this one sells mostly hardware) and there's a store across Coles which sells cheap and fresh fruits & vegetables. If you go down to Commercial Road in Morwell that's where they have the quaint little shops, such as a bookstore, clothing store, pawn shop, computer store, cafes and a butcher and the art gallery which is free entrance (for those who really wanna kill time). Haven't been to Traralgon yet, but it's definitely a bigger place than Morwell. And comparatively, if Morwell is like Ipoh, then Traralgon is like Penang.
TravelFirst off, have a copy of the bus & train timetable, it's really useful. Even though the buses run late but its usually around the same time.
If you're staying on campus, you can either choose to wait for the bus at the Binishell (which is a pretty long walk) or at Slow Point (probably 2 mins walk, it's actually a sign on the side of the road which says "Slow Point" and not n actual bus stop but the bus stops there anyway so yay X3)
To go to Morwell, a bus ticket costs AUD$2.10 one way. The bus stops at several places, including the Midvalley Mall and the train station. Buses are usually hourly, e.g. if you hopped on the 1.30PM bus from the uni, the bus will reach Midvalley Mall at about 2.00PM, and if you wanna go back the earliest bus is at 2.30PM.
To go to Traralgon I think the buses cost about AUD5. I'm not sure...
If you wanna go down to Melbourne, take a bus to the Morwell train station (I think it'll cost you about AUD$2.10). The vLine train ticket will cost about AUD$15.90 for an economy class one-way ticket, about AUD$30 for a return ticket and I recommend that you choose to either stop at Flinders' Street or Southern Cross in Melbourne, and stop at Morwell when you're coming back. If you plan to take an afternoon train back from Melbourne on weekends, I suggest you go to the Mugzoo Central (next to the student lounge) and arrange for a pick-up service which will only cost you AUD$1 cause the buses on weekends only operate until about early afternoon, about 2.30PM or so.
FoodI really recommend that you learn how to cook before you get here. You're gonna end up cooking alot. Period. On campus accommodation cooking facilities are okay cause they usually have the pots and pans and stuff, just buy your own ingredients.
GeneralGet a printer, cause printing here is expensive! @__@ 12cents per black & white page is overkill. And they don't provide you with initial printing quota, you have to buy your own. Cheapskates >___>
Bring your own bedsheet, quilt cover & pillowcase cause you have to return the ones they initially provided for you.
Don't need to buy CAT5 cable if you're living in the South House, they already provide it.
Get one aus-msian conversion power adapter, then bring your msian multipoint adapter. That way don't need to buy so many.
Get a cloth/canvas shopping bag, it lasts forever and you don't need to keep so many plastic bags. Unless you want to, that is.
Get a laundry basket or something (I would try to get a foldable one so that I can take it back when the year's over) otherwise all your dirty clothes end up on the floor which is not very nice.
I guess that's it for now. If I find something else to add or you have suggestions I'll update this~
**UPDATE:In response to this:
First off, there are definitely more cows than any other animal here XD
ahem, now on to business.
Erm the on-campus rent is billed monthly, so the
MRS site will practically cover the rent part of it.
Off campus is definitely cheaper,you can get a room for $50-$100 a week but I don't know what that covers. Big plus (or minus, depending on how you look at it) is that you have a good 15-20 mins walk to and fro campus if you have classes everyday. Or you could also take the bus which is $1.70 one way if it's within the same town (Churchill).
Groceries you should shop together with other housemates then split the bill, it's cheaper. So far mine's about $20 per week. Phone bill, just get Optus cause that's what most people use XD
