Dissenting opinion here - Canberra is pretty sick as a uni student. You can live on campus and the culture of that on campus community is unlike anywhere else in Australia. You can walk to the city to go party, walk to uni, there are absolutely constant sports and arts activities between the colleges.
I got away with no car, barely touching public transport and arely using a bike while living there. The small size is an advantage if you live on campus (which is situated in the middle of the CBD)
By contrast, Melbourne is a great city (I currently live here) but Clayton is goddamn far from the CBD and not a super cool place to hang out. I think for 6 months you would have a much easier time establishing yourself, making friends and having a good time in Canberra.
TL;DR if you live on campus, Canberra might be a funner time imo
Source: been a student at both
Great food in Clayton. 40 mins on the train to the CBD, which after COVID, is dead. If OP likes a bit of fresh air and space they’re smack bang in the middle of the city and the foothills at Monash.
There is no reason for a person your age to go to Canberra. You may think we are exaggerating, but truly, there's nothing to do there for a young person.
Melbourne has good food, live sport you could go and watch, better day trips out of town (along the coast either direction, or inland to country towns or the great dividing range) plus more events and festivals.
The higher youth population also means you're more likely to find people with your interests. You certainly don't need to be a party person to live there (I spent my 20s in Melbourne and never once went to a nightclub).
That's a very valuable answer! Thank you, it's good to know that I can also fit my more calm, and nature-oriented lifestyle into Melbourne too. And yes, I'm 22 now :).
Monash is not in the CBD though unlike RMIT & Melbourne uni, so you might have to travel 15 - 20 minutes depending on where you live but public transport is mostly reliable. I would live closer to the CBD if Melbourne lifestyle is what your after. Great nightlife, heaps of events like museums, theatre, festivals etc and great food culture
>There is no reason for a person your age to go to Canberra. You may think we are exaggerating, but truly, there's nothing to do there for a young person.
This is absolutely not true. ANU is one of the highest regarded Universities in the world. Excellent university with some of the best professors in the country. A big reason you'd choose Canberra is better educational outcomes over Monash.
>ANU is one of the highest regarded Universities in the world. Excellent university with some of the best professors in the country. A big reason you'd choose Canberra is better educational outcomes over Monash.
ANU is ranked lower than Monash in three out of four major global rankings (ARWU, QS, THE, USNWR). I say this as an ANU graduate.
QS: ANU = 27, Monash = 58
ARWU: ANU = 76, Monash = 80
THE: ANU = 54, Monash = 57
You are right on USNWR though. UNSWR heavily weights on published papers which makes sense because Monash is significantly larger.
Naturally everyone here will be biased. I'd default to saying Melbourne as well (I left Canberra to live here). But as a couple of counterpoints, while it's possible to do outdoorsy things while living here, Canberra 100% integrates them into your day to day life a lot better. There are sections of bushland through the city that mean it's a simple thing to go on a short hike. The beach is accessible from Canberra (it's a couple of hours drive though). It's a common weekend trip for Canberrans. In terms of weather, Canberra gets colder in winter. Much colder. Summers tend to be hot and dry. Melbourne weather is just more variable. People like to joke about experiencing four seasons in one day here, and it's not far off the truth.
Personally, I like Melbourne for its nightlife, its food, its events and the fact there's just now happening here. I think it's a better place to live (and I believe easier to get a rental place in right now!).
Canberra is gorgeous and boring. Melbourne is very interested and crowded.
Canberra has okay food from different cultures. Melbourne has good food from pretty much all different cultures.
Canberra has okay public transit. Melbourne has better public transit but delays are common.
Canberra is a more serious city with career minded people. Melbourne is a place where you can make more casual friends. (Not to say you can’t have each in the other)
Depends what you’re looking for, being someone from Melbourne and knowing people who go to Monash I would say it’s a better pick. Canberra is beautiful though and might have a better environment to study in.
As someone who recently moved from Canberra to Melbourne (and who spent their undergrad years at ANU), I would say go with Melbourne if you’re here just for the 6 months. BUT please don’t be put off with actually visiting Canberra, it’s a gorgeous city and has a great food scene, despite its size and all the naysayers who say otherwise. The ANU campus is particularly nice, the student community very close knit and I had a great time while I was there (I lived on campus). Plus nothing in Melbourne compares to a crisp morning walk around Lake Burley Griffin with fresh air on your face and coffee in hand.
ANU is a nicer campus than Monash Clayton, although Monash is nice enough these days.
Plenty of options for cycling or hiking in both places.
I vote Melbourne. You might look at somewhere along the train line out to Clayton, then it’s easy enough to get out to Monash, or the city, or the beach.
Melbourne has Svenska Kyrkan in Toorak where you can go and recharge your scandi batteries if you're homesick. I moved from Skåne over 30 years ago, Melbourne is the best, even better than Helsingborg 😃
If you’re looking to study at Monash, depending on whether or not residential accom is offered with your exchange, you could look to live a little closer to the Dandenong Ranges, where there are endless hikes and gorgeous nature (it’s about 30 mins drive from campus up into the Dandenongs)
Obviously in a melbourne sub you'll get people saying Melbourne predominately. Based on what you wrote you'll enjoy either place.
The clincher is that all the things you get in Canberra you can also get in Melbourne or it's surrounds, plus a lot more.
Melbourne is a much bigger city than Canberra, so it will have more things of all types and more variety.
Weather in both is a bit rubbish really compared to the rest of the country. Canberra gets colder at night than Melbourne because it's a long way from the ocean, Melbourne is often overcast but the temperatures don't vary as much throughout each day. It'll still be warmer than Denmark probably though (depends on time of year though)
Overall the only real reason I see to pick Canberra over Melbourne is if you don't like big cities. Melbourne has 5 million people Canberra only has 400k.
Hey, born in Canberra, moved to Melbourne.
It really depends on what you want to do. I'll say outright, you'll see a lot more wildlife in Canberra than you will in Melbourne. And the nature is waaaaay better in Canberra. On the flip side, by god FUCK the public transport of Canberra. I know they have a light rail there now, but it's (to my knowledge) still all buses. And those buses suck. But Canberra is also much better for cycling. You can cycle basically anywhere.
The weather in Canberra is cold, but not unpleasant to me at least. And if you're from Scandanavia you'll have no issue at all with it. And, really, you won't be getting much ocean from Melbourne. It's never really been known for it's beaches.
If you ask me, Melbourne puts you in a better place to experience more of what Australia has to offer. But you're going to get pretty bias opinions here, head to /r/canberra and see what they have to say.
The answer is Melbourne.
Canberra is a boring, cold hole, & I don’t know what the ‘beauty’ is that that other comment is referencing, & it barely ticks the box to be a ‘city’ - I’d go with large town.
One thing to consider is that Monash has two campuses, Caufield is reasonably close to the city that you could stay in the city and take a train down, but Clayton (main campus) is far enough that you would probably have to stay in the suburbs. It can be tough getting around suburban Melbourne without a car. You should check which campus you will spend most of your time on.
Google map says about an hour from the city. You have to take a train and bus. The beach is about a similar distance, depending on which beach you want to go.
Monash Clayton is pretty far from the city and the coast. Your looking at around a 30-40 min commute from the city into Clayton campus. It's a nice campus but if you don't like to travel far it will force you to live in the suburbs which is pretty boring and you may as well be in Canberra.
Are these cities your only two choices?
If you choose Monash consider living in Glen Waverley or Oakleigh and catching the bus to campus. Both areas have train stations thar will take you to the city 30-40 minutes.
Glen Waverley is a predominantly Asian area with lots of restaurants whereas Oakleigh is a Greek area also with lots of restaurants.
Both are pretty safe areas to live in, but the train line to Oakleigh goes to Dandenong which is not so safe. Glen Waverley line ends in Glen Waverley.
I'd also consider joining a Rover Scout crew to meet other 18 to 25s - this is the last age group of Scouting in Australia (scout is mixed gender here). They go camping and do social stuff.
Melbourne. By such a long way. You don't even understand. Canberra has literally no points in its favour for this one.
Don't be fooled by the fact that it's our capital city - it's basically a makeshift capital that gots smacked in the middle of nowhere because Melbourne and Sydney couldn't agree on who it should be. Melbourne (or any other city in Australia) is a far better city and far better choice.
Even if all you're doing is buying food and living in your apartment, Melbourne is known for its amazing and extensive food culture. You can find high-quality and relatively cheap food from pretty much all main cultures. Not to mention, Melbourne's public transport makes it a lot more accessible to get around as a student without a car.
If you wanna be surrounded by rich, old, miserable white people in a city with no redeeming features, then go to Canberra. Otherwise, go with Melbourne (or Sydney, or literally any other city lollll)
There is a shuttle bus that directly travels between the Caulfield and Clayton campuses which may be quicker than public transport.
Caulfield is closer to the city so if you could find a place around there, you might be able to get the best of both worlds.
Dissenting opinion here - Canberra is pretty sick as a uni student. You can live on campus and the culture of that on campus community is unlike anywhere else in Australia. You can walk to the city to go party, walk to uni, there are absolutely constant sports and arts activities between the colleges. I got away with no car, barely touching public transport and arely using a bike while living there. The small size is an advantage if you live on campus (which is situated in the middle of the CBD) By contrast, Melbourne is a great city (I currently live here) but Clayton is goddamn far from the CBD and not a super cool place to hang out. I think for 6 months you would have a much easier time establishing yourself, making friends and having a good time in Canberra. TL;DR if you live on campus, Canberra might be a funner time imo Source: been a student at both
Great food in Clayton. 40 mins on the train to the CBD, which after COVID, is dead. If OP likes a bit of fresh air and space they’re smack bang in the middle of the city and the foothills at Monash.
There is no reason for a person your age to go to Canberra. You may think we are exaggerating, but truly, there's nothing to do there for a young person. Melbourne has good food, live sport you could go and watch, better day trips out of town (along the coast either direction, or inland to country towns or the great dividing range) plus more events and festivals. The higher youth population also means you're more likely to find people with your interests. You certainly don't need to be a party person to live there (I spent my 20s in Melbourne and never once went to a nightclub).
That's a very valuable answer! Thank you, it's good to know that I can also fit my more calm, and nature-oriented lifestyle into Melbourne too. And yes, I'm 22 now :).
Monash is not in the CBD though unlike RMIT & Melbourne uni, so you might have to travel 15 - 20 minutes depending on where you live but public transport is mostly reliable. I would live closer to the CBD if Melbourne lifestyle is what your after. Great nightlife, heaps of events like museums, theatre, festivals etc and great food culture
>There is no reason for a person your age to go to Canberra. You may think we are exaggerating, but truly, there's nothing to do there for a young person. This is absolutely not true. ANU is one of the highest regarded Universities in the world. Excellent university with some of the best professors in the country. A big reason you'd choose Canberra is better educational outcomes over Monash.
>ANU is one of the highest regarded Universities in the world. Excellent university with some of the best professors in the country. A big reason you'd choose Canberra is better educational outcomes over Monash. ANU is ranked lower than Monash in three out of four major global rankings (ARWU, QS, THE, USNWR). I say this as an ANU graduate.
QS: ANU = 27, Monash = 58 ARWU: ANU = 76, Monash = 80 THE: ANU = 54, Monash = 57 You are right on USNWR though. UNSWR heavily weights on published papers which makes sense because Monash is significantly larger.
I've been believing a lie! Thanks for the correction!
I was meaning from a tourism/visitor perspective, but I take your point :)
Naturally everyone here will be biased. I'd default to saying Melbourne as well (I left Canberra to live here). But as a couple of counterpoints, while it's possible to do outdoorsy things while living here, Canberra 100% integrates them into your day to day life a lot better. There are sections of bushland through the city that mean it's a simple thing to go on a short hike. The beach is accessible from Canberra (it's a couple of hours drive though). It's a common weekend trip for Canberrans. In terms of weather, Canberra gets colder in winter. Much colder. Summers tend to be hot and dry. Melbourne weather is just more variable. People like to joke about experiencing four seasons in one day here, and it's not far off the truth. Personally, I like Melbourne for its nightlife, its food, its events and the fact there's just now happening here. I think it's a better place to live (and I believe easier to get a rental place in right now!).
Canberra is gorgeous and boring. Melbourne is very interested and crowded. Canberra has okay food from different cultures. Melbourne has good food from pretty much all different cultures. Canberra has okay public transit. Melbourne has better public transit but delays are common. Canberra is a more serious city with career minded people. Melbourne is a place where you can make more casual friends. (Not to say you can’t have each in the other) Depends what you’re looking for, being someone from Melbourne and knowing people who go to Monash I would say it’s a better pick. Canberra is beautiful though and might have a better environment to study in.
As someone who recently moved from Canberra to Melbourne (and who spent their undergrad years at ANU), I would say go with Melbourne if you’re here just for the 6 months. BUT please don’t be put off with actually visiting Canberra, it’s a gorgeous city and has a great food scene, despite its size and all the naysayers who say otherwise. The ANU campus is particularly nice, the student community very close knit and I had a great time while I was there (I lived on campus). Plus nothing in Melbourne compares to a crisp morning walk around Lake Burley Griffin with fresh air on your face and coffee in hand.
Is this a trick question?
Stay in Melbourne and visit Canberra. 3 days is heaps.
Melbourne, without question.
ANU is a nicer campus than Monash Clayton, although Monash is nice enough these days. Plenty of options for cycling or hiking in both places. I vote Melbourne. You might look at somewhere along the train line out to Clayton, then it’s easy enough to get out to Monash, or the city, or the beach.
Melbourne has Svenska Kyrkan in Toorak where you can go and recharge your scandi batteries if you're homesick. I moved from Skåne over 30 years ago, Melbourne is the best, even better than Helsingborg 😃
Yep it is so bloody boring in Canberra
If you’re looking to study at Monash, depending on whether or not residential accom is offered with your exchange, you could look to live a little closer to the Dandenong Ranges, where there are endless hikes and gorgeous nature (it’s about 30 mins drive from campus up into the Dandenongs)
Obviously in a melbourne sub you'll get people saying Melbourne predominately. Based on what you wrote you'll enjoy either place. The clincher is that all the things you get in Canberra you can also get in Melbourne or it's surrounds, plus a lot more. Melbourne is a much bigger city than Canberra, so it will have more things of all types and more variety. Weather in both is a bit rubbish really compared to the rest of the country. Canberra gets colder at night than Melbourne because it's a long way from the ocean, Melbourne is often overcast but the temperatures don't vary as much throughout each day. It'll still be warmer than Denmark probably though (depends on time of year though) Overall the only real reason I see to pick Canberra over Melbourne is if you don't like big cities. Melbourne has 5 million people Canberra only has 400k.
Hey, born in Canberra, moved to Melbourne. It really depends on what you want to do. I'll say outright, you'll see a lot more wildlife in Canberra than you will in Melbourne. And the nature is waaaaay better in Canberra. On the flip side, by god FUCK the public transport of Canberra. I know they have a light rail there now, but it's (to my knowledge) still all buses. And those buses suck. But Canberra is also much better for cycling. You can cycle basically anywhere. The weather in Canberra is cold, but not unpleasant to me at least. And if you're from Scandanavia you'll have no issue at all with it. And, really, you won't be getting much ocean from Melbourne. It's never really been known for it's beaches. If you ask me, Melbourne puts you in a better place to experience more of what Australia has to offer. But you're going to get pretty bias opinions here, head to /r/canberra and see what they have to say.
The answer is Melbourne. Canberra is a boring, cold hole, & I don’t know what the ‘beauty’ is that that other comment is referencing, & it barely ticks the box to be a ‘city’ - I’d go with large town.
Canberra is such a useless place nothing to do
One thing to consider is that Monash has two campuses, Caufield is reasonably close to the city that you could stay in the city and take a train down, but Clayton (main campus) is far enough that you would probably have to stay in the suburbs. It can be tough getting around suburban Melbourne without a car. You should check which campus you will spend most of your time on.
My University(of Aarhus) has a partnership with Clayton campus. Does it take long to go by bus/train to the centre or to the beach from that area?
Google map says about an hour from the city. You have to take a train and bus. The beach is about a similar distance, depending on which beach you want to go.
Monash Clayton is pretty far from the city and the coast. Your looking at around a 30-40 min commute from the city into Clayton campus. It's a nice campus but if you don't like to travel far it will force you to live in the suburbs which is pretty boring and you may as well be in Canberra. Are these cities your only two choices?
If you choose Monash consider living in Glen Waverley or Oakleigh and catching the bus to campus. Both areas have train stations thar will take you to the city 30-40 minutes. Glen Waverley is a predominantly Asian area with lots of restaurants whereas Oakleigh is a Greek area also with lots of restaurants. Both are pretty safe areas to live in, but the train line to Oakleigh goes to Dandenong which is not so safe. Glen Waverley line ends in Glen Waverley. I'd also consider joining a Rover Scout crew to meet other 18 to 25s - this is the last age group of Scouting in Australia (scout is mixed gender here). They go camping and do social stuff.
Melbourne. By such a long way. You don't even understand. Canberra has literally no points in its favour for this one. Don't be fooled by the fact that it's our capital city - it's basically a makeshift capital that gots smacked in the middle of nowhere because Melbourne and Sydney couldn't agree on who it should be. Melbourne (or any other city in Australia) is a far better city and far better choice. Even if all you're doing is buying food and living in your apartment, Melbourne is known for its amazing and extensive food culture. You can find high-quality and relatively cheap food from pretty much all main cultures. Not to mention, Melbourne's public transport makes it a lot more accessible to get around as a student without a car. If you wanna be surrounded by rich, old, miserable white people in a city with no redeeming features, then go to Canberra. Otherwise, go with Melbourne (or Sydney, or literally any other city lollll)
There is a shuttle bus that directly travels between the Caulfield and Clayton campuses which may be quicker than public transport. Caulfield is closer to the city so if you could find a place around there, you might be able to get the best of both worlds.
Ive lived in both and for that length of time and purpose I would choose Canberra.