Tegen Thon is a student at Southwest Minnesota State University and an ISA Featured Blogger. She is studying abroad with ISA in Melbourne, Australia.
Melbourne, Australia, has been voted the most livable city in the world five years running according to Economist Intelligence Unit, which just goes to show you how amazing city life is in Melbourne! With so much to see and do and an entire semester ahead of you, there are a few things that you need to do during your first week.
The first thing you need to do when you get here is to go to the Eureka Skydeck 88. This is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, measuring 975 feet with 360-degree views of the city. It’s a great place to look out on the city and get an idea of where everything is in relation to everything else. It’s also a perfect spot to get your adrenaline pumping by experiencing “The Edge,” a glass cube that slides out from the building while you’re standing inside!
The second thing you should do is to take a guided walking tour of the city. This is a great way you get to know the city. The guides tell you some of the cool places to visit and the best times to visit them. This really helps you understand your host city and know where the locals hang out!
After you go on the walking tour, you should take the free City Circle Tram, number 35. This route takes you in a circle around the central business district (or CBD) of Melbourne.
Once you feel a little more comfortable with the city, the next thing you have to do is to go to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). According to the Sports Networker, Melbourne is the sports capitol of the world, and most of those sports happen at the MCG. You can take tours of the MCG, which I highly recommend. That way, when you go to a game, you’ll know what is going on behind the scenes, and it makes for some fun pictures.
Melbourne is a fantastic city, and taking these steps to get to know it during your first week will make it feel like home even sooner!
Want to learn more about Australia? Check out “Three Wallet-Friendly Weekend Trips You Need to Take in Australia”