highflyer

OK, I'm daunted by the size of the country and the logistics but I have a basic plan which I hope you can help me refine/improve or scrap altogether!

We're a family of 4. The kids will be 17 and 11 by next June which is when we will be travelling. We're Brits but live in the US.

The plan so far is GBR, Sydney and Melbourne and we'll have up to a month, ideally spending the last week in Melbourne area with friends that live in Elwood (Aussies).
My husband will only have 3 weeks max so will not join us in Melbourne.

We are avid snorkelers so would like some advice on where to stay/snorkel the GBR and hope to spend about a week or so in the area.

We are also looking forward to seeing Sydney and the surrounding area (we like to hike but not all day).

One other thing that we are hoping to include that will no doubt complicate our itinerary is a test my son needs to take in order to apply to Australian Universities to study Medicine (Hmm, a spanner in the works?). I think this test is in July?
Anyone have any advice about this? Where can he take it? Should he take it this year or next year when he finishes High School?

So... dates? We can start the trip on or after June 21st (I'd prefer to leave after June 24th..) and we have to be back in the US by August 20th but I thought we might have better weather in June/July than late July/August.

BTW,My husband has been once before on business so he's seen a little bit of Sydney/Brisbane and Melbourne and if you hadn't already suspected this is not just a vacation but also the precursor of a move 'down under'.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

longhorn55

1. As far as dates for your trip, I would first check the school calendar for Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Most of the states have a 2-week term holiday in late June to early July and at that time, travel and accomodations can be harder to come by and more expensive. You might want to choose your locations to avoid the holidays as much as possible.
2. I don't think you'll really notice much of a difference, weather-wise, between the late June/early July and late July/early August options. We generally go to Australia in late July/early August and find the weather in Port Douglas perfect and the weather in Sydney generally spring-like. Can't comment on Melbourne as I've never been there in winter.
3. You only list 3 places to visit in 4 weeks and that seems like too few for that amount of time. I'd either add another location or plan a driving trip from Sydney to Melbourne. Plan to stay a couple of days in Canberra Your son can check out ANU and there are some great museums there. My children especially enjoy Questacon, the hands-on science musuem, and they still enjoyed it on their last visit when they were 17 and 14. If you ski, you could sample the skiing in the Snowy Mountains--Threadbo, Selwyn Snowfields, or Perisher Blue, for example. There are some neat little towns in Victoria (e.g. Beechworth) and more skiing opportunities as well.

highflyer

Thanks for the advice especially the school holiday dates. I've checked and maybe we can work around them by travelling North to South.
We could leave on June 21st and head to Queensland (school gets out June 28th) then spend a week in Sydney and environs (schools get out July 5th).
Melbourne school break is later (I saw dates for 2007.. from July 18th).
We might take a look at Brisbane as my husband might end up working there.

At this stage would you recommend I book flights and start setting up the accommodation for the early part of the trip (GBR & Sydney) and could I 'wing it' or at least not book accommodation until 2008 ..for about 10 days before flying home from Melbourne? We do have a place to stay in the Melbourne area.

My son would like to look at one or more universities... any further recos for this (He wants to study Medicine).

skittle

The test that he needs to sit will be held in all the capitals around Australia and some regional cities on the same day everywhere. I think you should be able to find out the date on the Uni websites or through Acer. They are the company who run the tests. Melbourne Uni Sydney Uni and Uni of Queensland all have good reputations for the course so maybe you should consider which city he will be happiest in. It is not necessary to do his undergraduate degree in the same uni that he does medicine in but he will probably want to as he will have made friends by then. I think at the moment all unis require an undergraduate degree before med. I had heard that they were considering a change but you can look on the uni websites.Try to find some tests from past years to gauge if he is ready.

highflyer

Thanks for the information skittle. My son would be entering university in Feb 2010 as he finishes High School in June 2009. Does this mean that he should wait to take the test in the summer of 2009 or can he take it early in summer 2008?
I'm not sure which would be best or even if he has the option to choose which year he takes the test. I mean does it have to be taken the summer before proposed entry to university?

I'd also heard that many Australians live at home as students. Is this the norm? If so, that would affect his choice.
I guess that Uni of Queensland is in Brisbane...?
Based on his limited knowledge he'd be interested in all three of the universities you mentioned probably Mel, Syd, Queensland in order of choice but a visit to each of these would be essential before he makes a decision.

If he does have to take the test in 2009 we might revise our summer 2008 plan. Maybe just the two of us could fly out and spend a couple of weeks checking out universities.

Any further thoughts of this 'plan' or any advice is appreciated! I'll check Acer and do some more reasearch....

skittle

OK Highflyer I will tell you what I know but I implore you to invest some time in researching the rules because they are strictly enforced and may be different for international students.
Firstly yes most Aust student live at home to study but that is mainly due to finances. Eligible students do not need to pay for their degree until they begin to earn a reasonable wage so parents do not need a huge sum of money up front. However your son will be competing against Aussie students who didnot win a scholarship and have the money to pay, and all the other international students. Aust takes thousands of international students but the numbers that get admitted to Med are limited. This is what I would look at doing....
Find out if he can sit the test in the US. I would be surprised if he can't.
Come to Australia in 08 and find out when and where the preparation courses for the admission are being held and pay(around A$800) for him to attend. They give the students an insight into how to answer the questions and most sucessful Aussies have done the course I think.The results of the test are current for only 2 years and I do not know of any Aussie who would do it before their final high school year.
If he is not sucessful when he applies after his final school year he can apply to do a Science degree(3 years) and apply again in his 2 and 3 year of this. He will have to do an undergraduate degree even if he is sucessful straight from school. He is simply guaranteeing his position at the end of his degree. There are fewer positions straight from school.
Both Melb and Bris have student accommodation. I have never had a family member at Syd but I assume they would have it too.It is expensive and varies a lot so inspect it while you are here if you think he may want to use it.
I live in melb and lived in Bris 20+ years.
The cost of living is slightly less in Brisbane and more in Syd.
There may be some advantage to Melb if you have friends in that city.
Good Luck whatever you decide
Robyn

highflyer

Thanks again Robyn
I'm working on it and my son is also doing his own research with some help from his school careers guidance department.
Unfortunately he'd be classed as an international student wherever he decided to study so we know the approximate costs and yes they're daunting!

One more question. Do you know how long the preparation course is?

He's seen some sample test questions online and found them interesting... there was definitely some quirky terminology (Australian lingo like 'bushwacking' was used in questions). He's said he's going to send for some course stuff by mail.

If he needs to take the test in his senior year then maybe he should do the preparation course followed by the test in the summer of 2009.

skittle

Hi Highflyer
I think the course is a week and The UQ one is held around this time of the year. Check if he is eligible to take the test as a school leaver. That option may only be available to Aust students. They must get a certain score on the test AND be in the top 1% of Aust for their school results. It is definately not the easy way in.
There are 2 Unis in Melb that he could study at and I also think 2 in Sydney and 2 in Brisbane. The second one in Brisbane is Griffith(New course in 2008) In Sydney it's Uni of New South Wales(I think and also a new couse 2007?) In Melb it is Monash Uni. It has quite a good rep. There are also courses in Adelaide(Uni of South Australia) and West Aust but I have no idea which Uni. Oh yes, there is also James Cook in Townsville, North Qld.
Admission to them all is through the Acer test.I believe that at least in Uni Qld this is the last year that an interview will be part of the selection procedure.
New Zealand also could be a consideration. It may be a little less expensive but I really don't know.
All the best, Keep me posted on how you get on.
Robyn

skittle

Hi Highflyer
Just got of the phone from my Bris contact. The prep course is held in Jan/Feb and the best info on admissions is the Acer web site.
Cheers
Robyn

Saltuarius

The Atherton Tablelands near Cairns has many short walks so you can do a number in one day or two longer ones with a break.
Granits Gorge has habituated Mareeba Rock Wallabies and is a great place for active kids to explore the rock piles, the gorge and swim in the creek.
Lakes Barrine and Eacham have walks of 5 and 3 kilometres. Agian you can swim. In Yungaburra there is a beautiful walk of 2 km each way along the creek. This has the added attraction of Platypus and Lumholtz's Tree-kangaroo. I Atherton there is a walk to the top of the hill through the crater and a more vigorous one to the top of Mount Baldy. My Hypipamee is a huge hole in the earth and the walk can be extended to dinner falls etc etc etc...

Re school holidays and prices. If it is holidays in the country the prices are at a peak. Availability will improve if they are not on hols where you are but you are planning well in advance so should have little problem.

highflyer

Robyn, thanks again. I've checked Acer and Sam has to take the UMAT in or after his senior year (so summer 2009).

There's also an ISAT which is an international student test required by some universities that he can take in the USA and is valid for 2 years so I'll make sure he's registered for that in 2009, too.

He has no vacation time in Jan/Feb so I don't think he'll be able to take the prep course in Australia. He'll have to make do with online study or whatever stuff he can get mailed.

We'll look into which university next...

Saltuarius,
You've described some beautiful walks. I love the idea of being able to swim after a short hike and the fauna are a huge added bonus especially for my daughter. Thankyou!

Suelynne

Highflyer,
If you contact the Australian Consulate in Los Angeles or the Emabassy/Consulate in Washington they should be able to advise you on universities and requirements.

highflyer

Thanks Suelynn, I'll check those out.

bellytoo

Hi,

Re: UMAT prep course
Don't worry about your son missing out on the UMAT prep course it isn't worth it. My daughter took it this year without any prep course (too expensive, too busy, etc.) and she got 90%. Friends of hers who live in Sydney did the prep course and got much lower scores. It's all about luck on the day - a good good sleep the night before would be better preparation. The exam is skills-based not knowledge-based so those prep courses only work if you have time to practice skills like logical thinking, quick response etc... By the way, James Cook University in Townsville does not require UMAT scores - it relies its selection on an interview and academic records. If your son gets into JCU, you could come and visit him and dive on the GBR on the same trip! Its alot easier to get to the GBR from Townsville and Cairns. And by the way, JCU has the best marine biology school in the country.

highflyer

Thanks bellytoo. I'm still researching our trip but leaving the university research up to my son at the moment so I'll pass your info onto him.

skittle

Highflyer, have a look at the thread about the most beautiful sites near Brisbane. If you hire a car there are lots of things to see around Brisbane and the the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast and the Hinterland nearby. There is also the theme parks and Australia Zoo if this interests you. Frazer Island to the north of Bris is spectacular.The south of Aust is quite cold in June/july.
Re Uni entry....Don't be misled,Thousands of students do not find the entry exam easy and many applications are rejected. It needs to be taken seriously.

highflyer

Thanks again Robyn,
I hope my son will do all that he can to prepare for the entrance exam. He's always worked hard plus he's extremely bright and does very well on tests generally. We'll keep our fingers crossed too!