Some of Melbourne’s inner suburbs are funky and hip, with great coffee culture, cool shops and restaurants with high density apartment living or quirky terrace houses. Other suburbs offer leafy peace and quiet, with wide streets, shady trees, gardens, parks and houses on larger blocks.
Read more about how to choose the best type of home for you on our accommodation page.
What to consider
When choosing which part of Melbourne to live in, research the things that are important to you.
Location
Many students like to live near to where they study. Check a map of Melbourne to see which suburbs are near to the university, college or school you want to enrol in.
Setting up and moving in – Help to make your move smooth and easyPrice
If you are looking for accommodation in a lower price range, try searching further away from the centre of Melbourne.
Remember to check if there is regular transport to your university, college or school. If you don’t have your own car, also consider whether there are shops and other services nearby that you could walk to or ride your bike.
Transport
There is a network of trams, trains and buses in Melbourne that extends beyond the central business district (CBD) and into the suburbs.
Find out about public transport in your preferred suburb on the Melbourne local areas page on the Public Transport Victoria (PTV) website.
If you plan to study in regional Victoria visit the Regional Victoria town network maps page on the Public Transport Victoria (PTV) website.
Safety
Melbourne regularly appears in lists of the safest cities in the world. Laws in Victoria protect your rights. It is against the law for anyone to bully or harass you. There are many places to go for help, including the Study Melbourne Student Centre and student services at your university, college or school.
Read our Tips for staying safe.
Things to do
All of Melbourne’s suburbs and Victoria’s regional centres have a unique flavour. If you live in the centre of Melbourne, or in the inner suburbs surrounding the city centre, a quick trip by public transport brings you into the heart of Melbourne so it will be easy to enjoy festivals, free events and a wide range of live music and theatre.
Suburbs further out have their own events and fun things to do – with Melbourne CBD still easy to access by train, tram or bus.
How to find accommodation
When you come to Melbourne there are accommodations options to suit everybody – from rental to homestay and more
Ask US – Gen Institute
When you apply to study at Gen, find out if we can recommend you where to live (Based on your preferences).
Talk to friends and family
We have asked many students where they found out about the best places to live. Students often tell us that they asked friends or family who already lived here. If you have friends or family living in Melbourne, or if you know someone who does, they may be able to give you some tips about choosing the best suburb to live in while you study.
Regional centres
Many of Victoria’s top universities and colleges have campuses in regional Victoria. These regional centres each offer different types of attractions. When you study at a campus outside Melbourne, it is often easier to be part of a community. Read more about where you can study and live in regional Victoria.
‘The best suburbs in Melbourne’
This fun video from two people who live in Melbourne has some great tips about the features of some of Melbourne’s suburbs.
Shopping
Australia’s major town centres and capital cities have world-class shopping facilities. Hours are generally 9.00 am to 5.00 pm seven days a week, with late-night shopping until 9.00 pm on Thursday or Friday.
Some supermarkets are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most large chain supermarkets, like Coles and Woolworths, are open until about 10pm every day.
Banks
There are many banking institutions represented in Australia. Normal trading hours are 9.30 am to 4.00 pm Monday to Thursday and 9.30 am to 5.00 pm on Friday. Some banks are open on Saturday mornings, but all are closed on Sundays and public holidays.
Automatic teller machines (ATMs) are readily available for withdrawals 24 hours a day. Most stores and supermarkets also have Electronic Funds Transfer At Point of Sale (EFTPOS) terminals where you can pay for goods directly from your bank account and make cash withdrawals. For this reason, it is not necessary for you to carry large amounts of cash with you.
Australia’s four major banks with branches across the country are the Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, Westpac and National Australia Bank (NAB).
Postal services
Postal services are provided by Australia Post and mail is delivered once a day from Monday to Friday. For larger parcels, a card will be left in your letter box for you to take to your nearest post office for collection. The postal service is reliable and efficient with next day delivery within the same city. Most post offices are open from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday. They sell stationery, post bags, phone cards and stamps, and you can also pay your electricity and telephone bills and some other accounts.
Telephones
Australia has a modern communications system. Local calls generally cost about 30c and are not timed. Interstate and international call costs will vary depending on your service provider. If you have broadband access at home, it can often be cheaper to set up a VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) plan for your calls. Public telephones are widely available, and accept coins and pre-paid phone cards. Mobile phones are also very popular and are available from a variety of service providers. You can purchase a pre-paid phone or a post-paid phone. A pre-paid phone is a great option for students with limited funds. You pay for the phone handset upfront (you can buy a basic phone for under $100), and then purchase credit that can be used for several months. A post-paid phone handset is generally free, but you will be locked into a contract with your mobile service provider for up to two years. However, post-paid cap plans are great if you use your phone a lot but don’t want an expensive bill. You can find some plans that cost as little as $20 a month that provide you with $100 worth of calls and text messages. Shop around for the best plan for you.
Major telephone service providers in Australia are Telstra, Optus, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone.
Internet
Australia has hundreds of Internet Service Providers. Plans vary greatly in cost and download limits though, so shop around for the plan that’s best for you. You can search for an appropriate plan at broadbandguide.com.au Depending on where you live, you might have a few options for how your Internet connection is delivered. Dial-up Internet is available everywhere, but you can also get cable, ADSL / ADSL2 and Fiber to home. Cable and ADSL are generally available in all capital cities.
Libraries
beside from your institution’s libraries, you will also find public libraries in each city and town. Most libraries are open six days a week (closed on Sunday). They stock books, CDs, DVDs, newspapers, magazines, journals and ebooks. If your library does not have what you are looking for, you can usually ask them to order it for you from another library.
Borrowing items is free, but you will need to join the library and obtain a membership card. Late return of items will usually incur a small fee. Melbourne City Library
Television
Australia has more than 15 free-to-air digital channels and dozens of pay-TV channels. You do not need to purchase a licence to view free-to-air or digital channels, but there is a monthly subscription fee for the channels available on Foxtel, Austar, Select TV and several others.
Newspapers
The Australian (www.theaustralian.news.com.au) is Australia’s national newspaper. Each state has its own major newspaper, as well as several regional newspapers and tabloids. You can do a search for your local paper on www.newspapers.com.au
Most of the Suburbs has a local Grocery Store or you can purchase it online
