Housing on the Gold Coast, Australia

 Hi Everyone,

    My name is Kaylyn Dosch and I just finished up my sophomore year at Griffith University in the Gold Coast of Australia. As I said in my last blog this experience is truly life-changing and an amazing experience. For this blog, I want to talk about housing and everyday life in the Gold Coast. 

    I specifically lived in the Broadbeach area and it was the perfect mix of beach life, early morning workouts, sunrises, outdoor activities, and an inclusive community. Broadbeach is known for its friendly and welcoming community. It is a very laid-back lifestyle with a focus on work-life balance and enjoying the natural surroundings. Fitness is also very centered in most people's lifestyle who live in the area. There is a variety of food options close by. It is also walking distance to 2 different malls. You are also close to popular spots such as Surfers Paradise which is known for its nightlife. 

     I found housing through SIA, which is a company that does housing specifically for American students going to Australia and takes care of most of the things. My apartment specifically provided towels, bedding, and weekly cleanings which was super convenient to not have to worry about getting. 

The link to the housing website is: https://semesterinaustralia.com/

    My Broadbeach apartment was located less than a 2-minute walk from the beach. Where you can spend time relaxing on the sand, swimming, or surfing. It is also right next to many parks where you can relax and do homework or workout. 

    Broadbeach is also known for its various events and festivals that happen throughout the year. My favorite is the farmers market that happens every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the Month. It has a wide range of fruits, veggies, clothes, food, etc. Other events include music festivals, food events, and cultural celebrations. 

    The tram to Griffith Campus is a bit on the longer side, which was about 30 minutes. I only had classes on campus 2 times a week so it was not too bad for me personally and I loved Broadbeach so it was well worth it.

    The Gold Coast is also known as the Sunshine State because of the warmer climate all year round. Even in peak winter, the afternoons are quite warm. The Gold Coast also has a wide range of activities such as sports, hiking, and walks along the beach.

 

    I would HIGHLY recommend going through SIA and the Broadbeach area! If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask me any questions!

Traveling while Studying in Australia

 Hello everyone,

My name is Kaylyn Dosch and I just finished up my sophomore year at Griffith University in the Gold Coast of Australia. It was truly life-changing and an amazing experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested. I specifically lived in the Broadbeach area and it was the perfect mix of beach life, early morning workouts, sunrises, outdoor activities, and an inclusive community. You are also close to popular spots such as Surfers Paradise which is known for its nightlife. I found housing through SIA, which I will talk about in my next blog, but for this blog specifically, I wanted to talk about traveling in Australia!

Australia is super diverse; from the beautiful beaches, the reefs, the rainforest, and the outback. I think it is so worth putting a little extra money aside to explore all it has to offer! You can find cheap tickets for weekend trips through Jetstar and Qunatus. They are super strict with bags and other things, but they are the cheapest flights. Not only does Australia have a lot to offer, but you are super close to so many other beautiful countries such as New Zealand (I really recommend going), Indonesia, Fiji, etc. 

My favorite places that I visited in Australia were Cairns, Whitsundays, and Noosa. My friends really loved Tasmania, but it was June, so it was winter there and it was a bit too cold for me lol. The Gold Coast I would say didn't really get cold in the peak of winter (June), except for early in the morning.  

The Great Barrier Reef is found in both Cairns and Whitsundays which is such an amazing experience! For traveling to Cairns I used a company that my housing suggested which was so worth it. It books your whole trip from the hostel, the tours, and other activities.

The name is G’day Australia Travel which I highly recommend!

The next place that I would recommend is Sydney. For Sydney I went with my housing program SIA and met everyone that I would be living with at the apartment complexes which was amazing and ended up being who I traveled around with. Sydney is a super diverse city and has a lot to offer! My personal favorite thing was the zoo. You get to see and experience all the different animals of Australia!

Noosa is a quiet surfing town with amazing views and scenery. It is an amazing place to relax and just soak up the sun. I took the tram to get there and where me and some friends booked an Airbnb. 

I also visited Bali, Indonesia before leaving for Australia and it was an amazing experience. It is a bit of a flight from Australia (6 hours), but if you were to fly from Hawaii it would be about 18 hours. If you plan ahead you can also find super cheap flights here and once you get to Bali everything is super cheap. Most nice and full meals are at a MAX $10.

Lastly, one of my favorite places was New Zealand! Me and a few friends went for our Reading Week (Like our winter break) and explored both islands. It is truly jaw-dropping views and something that feels surreal. We booked through Jetstar and then rented a car to travel through New Zealand to see the most that we could. We booked hostels to sleep in at night.

Overall, I think it is important to make the most of your time in Australia and explore while you are there. Time flies by and you will be wishing you had more time in the end! Make sure to soak it up and most importantly don’t forget you are still there for school so make sure to keep your grades up and be involved in activities. 

A trip during my lecture recess

During lecture recess in April, I had a great opportunities to do a little bit of traveling. I decided to visit Brisbane, Gold coast, and Melbourne. It was definitely a change from northern Australia in many aspects. It was a good change though. I made my first stop in Brisbane. Visiting Brisbane means spending a lot of time outdoors and enjoying the sunshine the city has to offer. There were a lot of art communities and a very diverse range of cuisines from around the world. For example, 

Gold Coast was my next stop. From theme parks to shopping malls, and even SURFING to ancient rainforest, this city has it it all! I think Gold Coast reminds me a lot of Waikiki or the east coast. Surfers paradise is a stretch of sandy beach - you see a lot of people chilling on the side, some are walking around the farmers the market, people are swimming and surfing etc. Possibly being Australia's most iconic holiday destination, the city is certainly fast-paced and busy, compared to the other cities. With that in mind, I think Gold Coast has to be one of the most multicultural city out of these three that I visited. 

My last stop was at Melbourne, where I did a bit of solo traveling. It was so much fun. I think Melbourne was my favorite city out of all of these. The city felt more open and free. There are so many brunch places and boutique cafe EVERYWHERE. They also have the best coffee. Melbourne is a surprise. You never know what you are gonna find as you walk up the rooftop or get lost in the art-alley. I think that's the perks about traveling. You can't really prepare for anything. The experience you're gonna get is all depending on you and your surrounding.