Melbourne is the capital city of the State of Victoria. It is the second largest city in Australia Melbourne and is known as the world's most livable city. Melbourne is renowned for its safe, clean environment, its affordable cost of living, extensive public transport system, pleasant climate and the quality of its housing and education.

Melbourne’s three million residents come from 151 countries and their cultural, religious and racial backgrounds are celebrated in both festivals and day-to-day life.

Visit the Victorian Government's Live in Victoria - Immigration Australia website for further information.

Climate
Melbourne has four distinct seasons. Summer is dry with warm to hot daytime temperatures averaging 28 degrees C (82 degrees F). Winter is cold, crisp and wet with daytime temperatures averaging 14 degrees C (57 degrees F). The Bureau of Meteorology website provides information on local and national weather conditions:

Communications
At post offices you can post letters, make international phone calls and send faxes. A private telephone can be connected quickly and local calls are not metered. Mobile (cell) phones are easily available and networks are extensive. Internet access is convenient and easily available. Overseas and local language newspapers are also readily available.

Entertainment, events and recreation
Many international events are held in Melbourne and Victoria including comedy festivals, Antipodes (Greek) Festival, the Australian Tennis Open, World Series Cricket, Melbourne Fashion Festival, Formula 1 Grand Prix and the Commonwealth Games in 2006. For more information about what Melbourne has to offer, look at the City Search website, which provides information regarding events and activities in Melbourne as well as a business directory, and the City of Melbourne Local Government website.

Finance
Banking is easy and convenient with international banks such as The Hong Kong Shanghai Bank based in the city centre. Australian banks such as ANZ, Bank of Melbourne, Commonwealth, National Australia Bank and Westpac Bank have services located in both the city and suburban centres.
The Australian dollar ($ or AUD) is the unit of currency and 100 cents = $1. Use the online currency converter to work out the exchange rate with your currency.

Food
Markets and supermarkets sell a variety of fresh meat, fruit and vegetables as well as rice, breads, spices and other ingredients. Halal and kosher foods are available.
Melbourne’s restaurants and cafes offer a wide variety of foods from around the world, including Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Ethiopian, Brazilian, Malaysian, Greek, Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Lebanese, French and Indonesian.

Shopping
Central Melbourne and its suburbs have many large shopping centres, department stores, discount stores, markets and supermarkets which can be reached easily by public transport.

Transport
Melbourne has an extensive public transport of buses, trains and trams. AIPS has easy access to major bus, rail and tram routes.
As Melbourne is a well-planned city it is easy to travel in by car. Cars travel on the left side of the road. Drivers can use their home country licences for three months from the date of entry to Australia. An international licence can be used providing the licence from the country of origin is also valid.
The following links will help you to get around in Melbourne:

Street directories:
http://www.whereis.com.au
http://www.street-directory.com.au

Public Transport
The Metlink website provides information on the public transport system in Melbourne, including costs and timetables: http://www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au

To find out more about living and studying in Australia, the Study in Australia website includes useful information on applications, visa requirements, accommodation options, cost of study, background information about Australia, and lots more.

COST OF LIVING

The standard of living is amongst the highest in the world. It is an affordable city in which to live with living costs being considerably less expensive than some other Australian cities and that of the United State of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK).

When calculating your budget, you must include your:
- annual tuition fees
- overseas student health cover ( OSHC )
- accommodation costs
- living expenses including food, gas, electricity, telephone and transport
- textbooks, study excursions and study equipment
- entertainment
- airfares
- emergency expenses

Typical living costs for a single student
The living costs below are based on 2 people sharing an unfurnished two bedroom apartment, flat or house. The amounts are in Australian dollars (A$).

You can use the online currency converter to calculate the amount in your own currency. Remember to add your program fees and airfares to get a realistic total.

Approximate total personal expenses for first year $17,000

Note: Amounts listed above do not include Australian goods and services tax (GST).

Do not depend on income from part time work to pay your expenses. You must apply for a work permit before you may work and jobs may be difficult to find in Australia.
Some expenses are not included in this table because actual costs depend on your lifestyle and preferences.
Costs will vary if you choose another form of accommodation such as Homestay or long-term hostel.
Gas and electricity costs are higher in winter because heating is necessary.
Most rental agreements are for a minimum of 12 months and are based on a lease agreement signed by the tenant (you) and the owner of the property.