EXCHANGE REPORT

SOUTHERN CROSS UNIVERSITY

LISMORE, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

TOURISM & LEISURE MANAGEMENT JUNE NOVEMBER 2010

DANIELA BERMADINGER
0910311005 daniela.bermadinger@fh-krems.eu

SABINE HANDL
0910311022 sabine.handl@fh-krems.eu

ANDREA STIENDL
0910311059 andrea.stiendl@fh-krems.eu

Exchange Report SCU Lismore

CONTENTS
1 2 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3 Destination & Institution ................................................................................................................. 3 2.1 2.2 3 4 Lismore .................................................................................................................................... 3 Southern Cross University ....................................................................................................... 3

International Department ............................................................................................................... 4 Courses ............................................................................................................................................ 4 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Food & Beverage Management .............................................................................................. 5 Contemporary Tourism Issues ................................................................................................. 6 Outdoor Education .................................................................................................................. 7 Tourism Planning & the Environment ................................................................................... 10

Practical Hints ................................................................................................................................ 11 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Journey to Australia............................................................................................................... 11 Visa ........................................................................................................................................ 11 Insurance ............................................................................................................................... 12 Accommodation .................................................................................................................... 12 Internet .................................................................................................................................. 13 Prices ..................................................................................................................................... 13 Cell Phones ............................................................................................................................ 13 Shopping ................................................................................................................................ 13

Reflection on Cultural Issues ......................................................................................................... 14 6.1 6.2 6.3 Daniela ................................................................................................................................... 14 Sabine .................................................................................................................................... 15 Andrea ................................................................................................................................... 15

Trips & Travelling ........................................................................................................................... 16 7.1 7.2 Trip to the Outback ............................................................................................................... 16 Road Trip ............................................................................................................................... 17

Personal Evaluation ....................................................................................................................... 18 8.1 8.2 8.3 Daniela ................................................................................................................................... 18 Sabine .................................................................................................................................... 19 Andrea ................................................................................................................................... 19

Useful Links.................................................................................................................................... 20

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Exchange Report SCU Lismore

1 INTRODUCTION
We, Daniela, Sabine and Andrea, spent our 3rd semester in Lismore, Australia, and had an amazing time at the other end of the world. In this report we talk about our personal impressions and experiences in Down Under, but also hope to help future students in deciding whether they can imagine going for an exchange semester to Australia. When we started studying at the IMC Krems it was clear for us that we wanted to use the possibility of an exchange semester to go abroad and explore a different country and culture. Everyone had their own expectations and hopes for the semester, but we can say that they have all been exceeded. The semester has not only supported our professional development, but also our personal one and we hope that this will also be the case for every other student that decides to go to Australia.

2 DESTINATION & INSTITUTION

2.1 LISMORE
Lismore is a small city (about 44,000 inhabitants) in New South Wales, the most populous state of Australia. It is about 2.5 hours south of Brisbane and about an hour west from Byron Bay, the easternmost point of the Australian main land. The Wilson River passes through Lismore and sometimes causes flooding in the summer month. Lismore lies in the area of a former rainforest and some parts of it are still conserved. Lismore lies in the Northern Rivers region that has a sub-tropical climate. In summer the temperatures lie between 16 and 30 C and in winter between 7 and 23. As Australia is located in the southern hemisphere the seasons are changed, and therefore, we started our exchange semester in the middle of the Australian winter. In the city centre there are a lot of shops and some restaurants and bars like Cocktails and Tommys, a bowling centre, a cinema and a visitor information centre. There is no public bus service, but the university organised a free shuttle bus that runs in the evenings during the week until 8 pm between the colleges, the university and the shopping square.

2.2 SOUTHERN CROSS UNIVERSITY

The Southern Cross University (SCU) not only has a campus in Lismore, but also in Coffs Harbour, Tweeds Head and even Sydney. The campus in Lismore stretches over about 75 hectares and consists of several blocks that are allocated to different studies and a lot of natural areas (woods, meadows, streams and even a small lake). During our time in Lismore it also happened that wallabies, koalas, wild turkeys, rabbits or iguanas crossed our way. The centre of the campus is the plaza where the student support centre, a book shop, food and drink outlets, photocopying services, a cash dispenser, a doctor and further student services are offered. There is also a student travel agency that offers trips to the whole country and tries to keep the prices as low as possible for the students. The universitys library is pretty big and offers lots of resources like books, journals, databases, DVDs, CDs, newspapers and more. There are a lot of computers which can be used by the students, but Bermadinger, Handl, Stiendl 3

Exchange Report SCU Lismore there are also areas where you can use your own computers and the universitys free internet. Furthermore there are printing and scanning facilities which can be used for a small fee. Next to the plaza there is a gym and swimming pool that offers a lot of classes like Zumba, kick boxing, yoga, Pilates and tai chi. The UniBar, where concerts, theme parties and other events are held throughout the semester, is located in the same building. The name of the university origins from the star constellation Southern Cross, which can always be seen on the night sky of the southern hemisphere (like the Pole star in the northern hemisphere) no matter if it is summer or winter. In former times this constellation was used to navigate and today it is also displayed on the Australian flag.

3 INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT
The caring staffs of our host institution has been summarized by the term International Department and its head, Karen Jessen, was and certainly still is an extraordinarily friendly and cool person who exactly knows how to build up a good relationship with the students. Due to her relaxed and entertaining appearance already on the first day, we knew right from the beginning that there is nothing we have to be afraid of. They did a great job in helping all the international students in making themselves comfortable in this completely new environment. In the course of the Orientation Week, introduction courses were held in which the staff explained the SCU guidelines to us, outlined the various courses and briefed us on all the special activities the university offers for all its international students, like sports activities, trips, get-together parties at the UniBar and so on. In the beginning, they were a great help in finding our way about the university premises, selecting our courses and getting integrated on college. As the semester went on, they assisted us in getting along with our tutors and courses, while staying physically fit and making more and more new friends. The Outback Trip in the study break was also organised by them and was only offered for international students to cement the social bonds between them. To put it in a nutshell, they could not have been more helpful we could go to the International Department and ask them for information or help any time and even if we did not do so, they would let us know all the important stuff.

4 COURSES
As we had to fill out the Learning Agreement before we actually arrived in Lismore, we looked up several courses on the homepage of the SCU, hoping that we could take all of them. When we arrived in Lismore it turned out that some of the courses were not offered in this semester so we had to choose different ones. It was no problem at all that we changed some of the courses and we soon got the confirmation that we could take the units we finally decided on.

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Exchange Report SCU Lismore The International Department organised an information session in the orientation week about the courses that were held during this semester and this helped us to get an overview of our course possibilities. In the end we decided to take the units Food & Beverage Management, Contemporary Tourism Issues, Outdoor Education and Tourism Planning & the Environment.

4.1 FOOD & BEVERAGE MANAGEMENT

DANIELA Within the scope of this unit, we applied practical application of key food and beverage management concepts to food and beverage operations. We learnt about operational controls and procedures used in food and beverage establishments and critically evaluated their impact on product and service quality and business profitability. Furthermore, we went through a number of key management controls relating to sales, costs and labour used in food and beverage establishments to achieve budgeted results. Therefore, I understand the correlation between certain control procedures and sales figures now. This course, furthermore, also pointed out legal obligations and health issues relevant to food and beverage operations. It was split into three modules which were represented by strategic, operational and managerial issues for food and beverage operations. The first module gave us an insight into food and beverage establishments and their environments in general and into developing the food and service concept. The second module gave more specific attention to the different stages in operating such a business, i.e. Menu Planning, Purchasing, Receiving, Issuing and Storage, Food and Beverage Production and Service and Sale. The third and last module dealt with the financial control for food and beverage management, menu pricing and engineering, labour cost control and legal issues. The assignments consisted of two papers and a final exam. The first report was a practical menu analysis of a real menu which we could individually and freely choose. The second report was a case study about 2000 words and much more complicated. With both of the papers we had to apply our previously gained knowledge, and therefore, could better see how the concepts and procedures would work in practice. I liked the first one more since it was much more fun and less complicated than the second one, but overall I can say that I was quite satisfied with both of them. The whole course was pretty straightforward, i.e. well-structured and recited; we had a good relationship with our Italian tutor and could ask him everything anytime. SABINE Gianpierro, our lecturer is really open-minded and funny. He is Italian and therefore he was pleased to have 3 Austrian girls in his course. He explained everything in detail and had nice presentations. His lessons were clearly structured and he knew what he was talking about because he owns a caf in Lismore. The lecture included some accounting as well. But this was not a problem for us because most of it was already covered by Mr. Wagner in the first and second semester at the IMC. We had to write 2 big papers and at the end of the semester we had an exam. One of the papers was a case study where we had to improve the F&B situation of a congress centre and the other paper was a menu analysis of a restaurant or pub in Lismore. It was interesting writing these papers because both of them were practically orientated. I would take this course again because I learned a lot.

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Exchange Report SCU Lismore ANDREA In this unit we learned how a food and beverage organisation is managed and which measures must be taken to operate it successfully. We covered topics like financial, marketing and catering policies, how to manage the purchasing, storing and preparing of food and beverage items in a business and different measures to control the effectiveness and efficiency of a business. The power point presentations that were used in the class and further information about the class were available to us over the internet. We also received a CD with all the readings that matched the topics, so we did not have to download them separately. Throughout the semester we had to write 2 papers, a menu analysis (20% of the grade) and a case study (40%), in which we had to apply the knowledge we gained in class and through the readings. Furthermore there was an exam (40%) at the end of the semester that covered all the topics covered in class. The unit was held by Gianpiero Battista, an Italian that moved to Australia more than 10 years ago. He was really nice and helpful whenever we had questions about our assignments or the covered topics. Although I was a bit sceptical at the beginning I really liked the class, because it was clearly structured and Gianpiero presented it in an interesting way.

4.2 CONTEMPORARY TOURISM ISSUES

DANIELA Contemporary Tourism Issues concentrated on basic theories and models relevant across tourism and hospitality industries and introduced several current topics from the media concerning ecotourism, sustainability and authenticity. Special focus was drawn onto the ethical aspect of different forms of tourism. The objectives included a developed level of knowledge about tourism and associated themes relating to tourism industries, places in itineraries and environmental interactions; improved skills in applying theories to a range of issues affecting or stemming from those mentioned above; and to demonstrate abilities to critically compare and evaluate ideas from different writers. This unit helped me in developing my critical thinking, independent/self-directed learning, reflective practice, information literacy and essay writing. Furthermore, I am now more aware of global, cultural and social responsibility and ethical practice. With regard to the assignments, we constantly had to contribute to this unit by taking part in classroom and online debates, participating in a group wiki and by writing annotations to a bunch of articles, an essay outline and a big final essay for which we had to read a lot of different academic articles. Then again, we did not have to complete an exam in the end. This unit was being redeveloped while we were taking it and therefore, it was designed to be quite open. On the one hand, this was positive for us as we could kind of take part in the decision-making, it remained exciting until the end and the topics were always up-to-date; but on the other hand, there was also the disadvantage of not really knowing what to expect and a lot of confusion about specific requirements. The female tutor was very creative and enthusiastic which I liked a lot; however, I could not completely follow her marking. Overall, it was a quite interesting course though. SABINE This unit was really interesting because Mieke, our lecturer really knew a lot and she chose interesting topics. She undertook the task of the CTI lecturer from the Australian Neil Leiper (famous

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Exchange Report SCU Lismore for the tourism model) who was her best friend. They did a lot of research together and wrote several books and articles about different topics. She told us a lot about Neil, who died last year. We did not have an exam but we had to write a paper about current topics in the tourism industry which counted for 40 %. Furthermore we had to do a group-wiki about a place anywhere in the world and look at it as a TDR, TGR and transit route. The difficulty of this wiki was not the task itself, but rather the group members because we had to collaborate with students from a partner institution of the SCU in Singapore. So we did not know our team members and had to get in contact with them via Skype or email. This was kind of annoying sometimes. The Wiki counted for 40 % of the final grade. The last 20% of the final grade were class discussions which I really liked. We could choose from several topics and find arguments either for or against it. These discussions were really useful to broaden ones horizon and look at things from different perspectives. I would definitely take this course again even though Mieke was a bit unorganized because she was about to rewrite this Unit and so not everything was planned in advance. But Mieke knows a lot and one can learn really much from her. ANDREA In this unit we talked about current topics that influence the tourism business in any way. After defining important tourism terms we covered topics like sustainable and ecotourism, natural impacts on tourism, cultural conservation, tourism in religious places and more. The material used for this class was a book by Neil Leiper that we could borrow from the library. All the other readings underlying this unit were available on the internet. In this class we had to participate in two debates (20%) about contemporary tourism issues. One was held in class and the other one online on the units online platform. We also had to write an essay (40%) about a destination that was changed by economic, environmental, socio-cultural, ethical and/or political impacts. Furthermore we had to write a wiki page about a place as a TDR, TGR and transit route (40%) in groups of 4 people with other students from the SCU and with external students from Singapore. This was a bit difficult, because some of the external students did not participate or even respond to our e-mails for a long time. The unit was held by Mieke Witsel, a very experienced professor and world traveller. As the unit was being rewritten during the semester it had a pretty loose structure that left room for picking up a lot of current topics from the media. Mieke was also very interested in our personal experiences in travelling and shared a lot of personal travel stories with us. The class was really interesting and I believe that it will improve once a new syllabus is being used.

4.3 OUTDOOR EDUCATION

DANIELA Outdoor Education tries to rouse the admiration for natural phenomena (e.g. star constellation) and bring forward the protection of flora and fauna as well as develop individual character building. This course was divided into lectures and tutorials and moreover, also included two outdoor trips. The first one was a 3-day-trip to Meebunn-bia, an outdoor centre set up on land which belongs to farmers who provide it for the purpose of outdoor education of all age groups and the second one took place in a national park called Girraween. The difference between the two trips was that almost the whole second trip had to be planned in little groups of three to five in advance. Therefore, Bermadinger, Handl, Stiendl 7

Exchange Report SCU Lismore we could make the decisions, as for instance, when to get up in the morning and when to take a break, pretty much on our own. The trip planning included a navigation sheet, risk and minimal impact assessments, equipment lists amongst others. This came along with a greater responsibility for the whole group and longer and more exhausting hikes with heavier backpacks since all the gear we needed had to be carried by ourselves. Both trips led us into the wilderness, i.e. into the uninhabited bush far away from any civilization (e.g. no electricity, toilets, showers, etc.). The contact with the untouched environment and the connection to the admirable nature took centre stage. Secondly, we undertook heaps of exciting activities and games from which I could learn a lot. We did wilderness bushwalking or hiking, had to carry heavy backpacks, participated in high rope and wire courses (on the first trip) and navigated with map and compass. Moreover, we set up tents in order to camp, cook, clean cooking equipment and got the opportunity to apply new knowledge about risk assessment and prevention. Group- or teamwork including motivation of each other and connected with observing and determining group dynamics and leadership styles was the core of the trip. Furthermore, everyone had to be prepared for challenging difficult tasks within which one could also test his own physical and psychic limits. With regard to such tasks, you could find out more about your stamina, how you function, i.e. act or react, in pressure situations and how far you could push yourself. I got the chance to improve my social and communication skills, to build new or to deepen already existing relationships, and therefore, contribute to the whole development of the group. Being more aware of risks and dangers in the outdoors, especially in Australian outdoors, as well as being more aware of the beauty of nature were further aims of mine which I could definitely achieve. I absolutely appreciated the challenge by choice method, the get-to-know-each-other/social outcoming talks and the reaction, memorization and teamwork games, the trust-partner-activities, the cave climbing, the barbecue at the campfire, the sunsets and sunrises, the videotaping on the trip and the reflection on experience in the end. However, what probably made the trips so perfect in the end was the huge enthusiasm and motivation of/from the tutor plus instructors and the group. One could feel that it contributed to a stronger team spirit and pushed the whole group forward. To sum it up, besides the navigation and teamwork skills, I have improved my outdoor knowledge and feel way more comfortable in the bush than before. In addition, I appreciate the nature even more now and know how to take care of it properly. Concerning the assignments which had to be completed, in addition to the trip planning, the participation in the trips and individual reflection papers about them afterwards, we also had to write a big critical reflection paper which was linked to a case study and two final exams one with general theory questions and one which covered the more practical navigation part in the end. Last but not least, I have to say that this course was by far the best one I have taken. Both of the trips were amazing adventures for me, it was heaps of fun which was due to our great tutors/instructors and the awesome people who build up the harmonious group(s) and I am very impressed by what we have all achieved in teamwork! Bermadinger, Handl, Stiendl 8

Exchange Report SCU Lismore SABINE The course consists of a theoretical lecture and a practical tutorial. In the lecture we learned the theoretical stuff which is important for any outdoor activity, e.g. how to minimize the impact on the environment or how to pack a backpack correctly and what to take with you. In the tutorial we learned how to navigate with compass and map in the Australian Bush, how to plan trips and how to prevent any hazard factors. And we also had to prepare everything on our own for our two field trips to National parks (our clothes, our food, our gear, our route and itinerary, ). Steve, the lecturer, is one of the best lecturers I have ever met. He is pretty young and knows how to motivate the students. Furthermore he is a really cool guy and loves the Outdoors. So he really knows what he is talking about. During our field trips we got to know him really well and he even went out with the whole class after our last lecture. In this class we had to write one big paper which counted for 50% of the final grade and we had a theoretical exam and a practical exam where we had to find grid references, read maps, work with the compass, evaluate hazard factors during a trip and so on. Those two exams together counted for 50% as well. I strongly recommend this course to every exchange student at the SCU. This course is completely different compared to any course at the IMC. ANDREA This unit definitely was my favourite unit in this semester. We learned a lot about planning camping trips and other outdoor activities with minimal impact on the environment, how to navigate in the bush and deal with hazard situations, how outdoor activities can help to develop communications skills and the ability to work in teams and that you can learn a lot about yourself when you are in a challenging environment. The unit was divided into 2 parts: the actual lecture in which we dealt with the theoretical aspects of outdoor education and a tutorial in which we learned practical skills about how to behave in a natural environment. However, the best part was the 2 camping trips that we had during the semester. In the first one we went to an outdoor education centre where we did some activities on high rope courses and played a lot of teambuilding games. For the second trip, which we had to plan in groups of up to 4 people, we went to the Girraween National Park where we hiked for 4 days and explored the natural environment. All the skills that we learned in this unit helped us to successfully complete these two trips and also enjoy being in the outdoors for a few days. In this unit we had to take an exam (50%) that consisted of a theoretical and a practical part. Furthermore we had to write an assignment (50%) in which we had to plan a trip for a fictional group and also reflect on what we have learned during class and on our trips. It really was a great unit, because Steve Hawkes, the lecturer, made every student love the class. He is really experienced in his field, knows how to deal with students our age and simply loves being in the outdoors and hanging out with young people. He also organized the trip to the outback in our study break where we spent a lot of time together, so at the end of the semester he was not only our teacher anymore, but also a real friend.

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Exchange Report SCU Lismore

4.4 TOURISM PLANNING & THE ENVIRONMENT

DANIELA This unit examined the concept of sustainable development and how it applied to the planning and management of tourism. Special emphasis was put on the social, cultural and environmental impacts of tourism, not only on a local, regional or national level, i.e. in Australia, but from an international perspective. The core elements central to ecotourism and sustainable tourism were recognised. Furthermore, it also provided a critical assessment of various approaches of tourism planning. Finally, of utter important for the tutor was being a critical and reflective thinker who can examine his/her own assumptions regarding sustainability and tourism planning. The final grade was made up of the active participation in online blogs, two critical thinking and reflection papers and a big sustainable tourism project report about 2500 words. This unit was similar to the Contemporary Tourism Issues unit, whereas it has to be said that Tourism Planning and the Environment was less interesting which might have been due to too many definitions, the loose structure of the course and the tutors lack to create more excitement. Besides, the marking was sometimes also quite inscrutable. All in all, I liked this unit the least, but some guest lecturers were definitely worth listening to. SABINE This course was about sustainable tourism and nature based tourism. Some interesting topics were discussed and there were also two guest lecturers who spoke about sustainable tourism in Australia. Erica, the lecturer was a bit confused sometimes and to my mind she was not able to explain the important facts to the students. This was not only my opinion: At the beginning of the semester the class room was full of motivated and interested students who expected an exciting course and when the semester came to an end there were hardly any students in this class anymore because no one was really interested and motivated any longer. We had to write several small papers about different topics and therefore we had to do a lot of research which was really, really time consuming. The good thing about this course was that there was no final exam. Erica told us that next year this Unit will be rewritten and will have another name. But it will still be held by Erica and the syllabus will be pretty much the same. (I am not sure about the exact new name but it will be something like sustainable tourism). All in all, I would not take this course anymore even though the topic is interesting but Erica is not the type of lecturer who makes the unit interesting. ANDREA In this unit we talked about how the tourism business can affect the environment and how the tourism business is affected by external forces. We dealt with topics like socio-cultural, political and economic impacts, but the main focus was on natural impacts, how to plan tourism activities in natural areas and ecotourism. We also made field trip to a national park and some other facilities that concentrated on a sustainable way of tourism.

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Exchange Report SCU Lismore We had to write several blog entries (15%) about topics dealt with in the lecture, 2 papers (40%) about critical thinking on ourselves and sustainable tourism and a big assignment (45%) in which we had to discuss how an existing tourism activity or facility fulfils certain sustainability criteria. The lecturer Erica Wilson sometimes was really confused and I had the impression that she did not really know what she was talking about. This was a bit frustrating, because the topics themselves would have been really interesting if they had been presented in a clearer way. I hope that when the unit is rewritten next year, the structure of the lecture will be improved so that students actually can gain something from this unit.

5 PRACTICAL HINTS
5.1 JOURNEY TO AUSTRALIA
The orientation week for our exchange semester started on June 21st, but due to some exams at the IMC Krems we could not arrive the weekend before as suggested by the SCU. Daniela left Austria on June 18th and Sabine and Andrea left on June 19th, because they still had some exams back home. We flew with Emirates from Munich to Dubai and caught a connecting flight to Sydney from there. As we had decided to visit New Zealand after the end of the semester we already booked the flights to New Zealand and then back to Austria at the same time, because the overall package was cheaper than if we had paid for every trip individually. The airline Regional Express (REX) is the only airline that offers connections to Lismore from Sydney, so we had to catch a train from the international to the domestic airport. The REX plane was pretty small and we were a bit worried, but it turned out to be fine. We informed the staff at the International Department in advance when we would arrive, so they sent someone to pick us up at the airport and bring us to our accommodation. The other exchange students from Canada and the US flew to Brisbane the weekend before the orientation week, because the SCU organized a bus transfer for all of them at that time. We were also asked to arrive at that date, but when we told them this was not possible for us, it was no problem at all to arrive later.

5.2 VISA
In order to study in Australia we had to apply for a student visa which costs AU$ 500. We had to wait for the Certificate of Enrolment which we received from the International Department of the SCU, because it contained a code that proofed our acceptance at the SCU. We received this certificate only a few weeks before our departure to Australia, but as we applied for the visa online, it still got approved in time (it did not even take 24 hours until we were granted the student visa). The visa was valid from the beginning of the semester until one month after the semester ended. We wanted to use the month afterwards for travelling, so we decided to leave the country on November 11th, the day the visa expired. Most of the other exchange students left the country right after the end of the semester to go home or visit places like New Zealand or Fiji before going home.

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Exchange Report SCU Lismore

5.3 INSURANCE
We knew that we had to arrange a health insurance in advance of our trip, so Sabine and Andrea applied for an Overseas Student Health Cover with ahm Australian Health Management. At that time we did not know that the SCU would offer us an insurance that would also cover us. Daniela accepted the offer from the SCU and was then covered by Medibank Private, which turned out to be the better deal. It is advisable to take the offer from the SCU, because the patients contribution is much less with Medibank than with ahm.

5.4 ACCOMMODATION
All the Exchange Students had to live on campus. The SCU-Village has 3 Colleges which are all near the Southern Cross University. The colleges are called ORION, MAGELLAN and SIRIUS. We strongly recommend every exchange student to live at ORION COLLEGE because it is the biggest one and all the exchange students live there. The college is like a little village. There are several blocks to live in. Each block consists of 4 apartments. So every resident has his own room and has to share the apartment with up to 5 other people. Another important fact is that Orion College is located up a hill, called the ORION hill. This hill kept us fit because we had to walk it up every time after university or after a shopping trip. The rooms are small but the apartments are rather big, so it is not a problem to share the kitchen, bathroom and living room with other students. The equipment is not the newest one but it is okay for just one semester. Sabine lived together with 4 Australians, Andrea lived with 3 Australians and an exchange student from the US and Daniela lived with 2 Australians and an exchange student from Papua New Guinea, though she changed the apartment, because the first one was too dirty. It was an awesome time which we do not want to miss. We felt comfortable from the first moment on. All the Aussies were extremely friendly and helpful. All we had to buy was a pillow and a blanket but everything else was there and we could use everything else from our roomies. (eg. kitchen equipment). For those of you who like it warm in their rooms: There are no radiators at the college and it does get a bit cold in the winter months (May, June and July). Many of us simply bought a little heater to keep the room/the apartment warm. Due to the fact that so many people had a heater, the power supply system broke down many times. So we had blackouts nearly every evening for about 3 weeks time. That was a bit annoying but every resident got a little reduction of his/her rent and the office decided to renew the system, so in the end everything worked out again. Everyone simply loves the life on college, especially if you like to get to know many people and to party. There is a student party almost every evening in one of the units. Everyone brings his own drinks, but at 10 pm the parties end because the neighbourhood does not want to be disturbed. Every first Thursday in the month, there is a Theme-Party at the UniBar that is organised by the college residents and EVERYONE dresses up. This is pretty much the biggest party of every month. All college residents are really excited and think about their costumes already weeks in advance. We

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Exchange Report SCU Lismore often went to second hand stores in Lismore to buy cheap stuff in order to dress up. One simply has to be creative to find a good and cheap costume!

5.5 INTERNET
There is a wireless internet connection at the Orion College, but the charges are not included in the rent. Sometimes there were problems with the connections due to the large number of people using the internet at the same time or because there were rooms and areas in which the signal simply was too low. The villages management tried to work on that so the situation improved a bit towards the end of the semester. As an alternative there are computers with an internet connection in the library, the international department and the computer labs that can be used during the semester. On Campus there is also free wireless internet on which you can log on with your personal computers. A working internet connection is very important for your studies as all of the information about classes and the university are available online. In addition most of the papers we had to write had to be uploaded on the units online platforms and we did not have to hand in a printed version of them.

5.6 PRICES
All in all, everything is a bit more expensive compared to Austria. The exchange rate of the Australian Dollar was good at the beginning of our stay but within the last months the Dollar became stronger compared to the Euro and that made everything even more expensive for us. Fruits, vegetables and dairy products are much more expensive in Australia. Alcohol is really expensive over there. There are liquor stores/bottle shops where you can buy alcohol but it is really expensive. Just a little hint: The students drink GOON. Thats really cheap wine. Fuel is the only thing which is less expensive in Australia.

5.7 CELL PHONES

All the exchange students had the possibility to buy cheap cell phones from the international office. Those cell phones are not really the newest ones but one can cope with them for one semester. If you are lucky your Austrian cell phone will work in Down Under, but for Sabine and Daniela it was not the case and so they had to buy new ones. Every exchange student got a global gossip simcard from the international office. We think global gossip is a rather good provider for prepaid cards with cheap rates especially for (international) short messages.

5.8 SHOPPING
Lismore has one big shopping square which is located near the town centre. One can find almost everything there. COLES and WOOLWORTHS are the two big grocery stores. BIG W and KMART are two warehouses where you can buy clothes, blankets, pillows, kitchen equipment and so on. Of course there are several clothing stores and a surf shop as well. Furthermore the square has a large food court with Subways, Mc Donalds, Chinese food and so on. As the college is up the hill and we did not have a car, we often walked down to the square which took us almost half an hour. But life becomes much easier if you become friends with some Australian students who own a car. If no one is able to give you a lift, one either has to walk or wait Bermadinger, Handl, Stiendl 13

Exchange Report SCU Lismore until 5 pm because there is a free shuttle bus for the students which leaves from the colleges and drives directly to the shopping square every evening from 5 pm to 9 pm. This service was really convenient and we appreciated it a lot.

6 REFLECTION ON CULTURAL ISSUES

6.1 DANIELA
When I try to review my absolutely amazing time in Down Under, it is, first of all, simply beyond words. All of a sudden, so many different and exciting impressions intermix with each other, that it is hard for me to couch them. But I will try my best to... When my friends and relatives asked me back home what I liked best about my exchange semester in Australia, most of the times I did not know where to start, what to begin with, how to make such a one-word assessment or even judgement...and I said: the people. It just takes me a little time to realise it more and more, but it is true the one and only travel component which makes the whole experience so special and longlasting are the people I met there, the Australians I got to know and have made friends with, the international students who have become my friends, all the young students and also more mature adults I can count myself lucky to know and call my friends now. The Australian landscape is stunningly beautiful and impressive no doubt about that but what would it have been without all these extraordinarily awesome personalities admiring it...?! Since I was staying at Orion College, I had the unique opportunity of meeting and getting to know a lot of other students from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. There were my roommates, two Australian girls and a boy from Papua New Guinea, my so-called neighbours, a mix of locals and internationals, Karen Jessen, the lovely spirit of the International Department, Steve, our tutor, coach and friend, Travel Al, our personal trip assistant and all the other nice European, Asian, American and Australian girls and boys, men and women. And it was anything else but hard to get in touch with them. Already in the beginning, an Orientation Week took place where all the international students got the chance to introduce themselves and make themselves familiar with the university campus, the units offered and life on college by participating in group activities and introduction courses. I can, therefore, definitely say that the intercultural exchange is extremely boosted at the SCU. There is this unit Outdoor Education which we have chosen and parts of it are outdoor trips where the focus is placed on teamwork. In the study break the university, furthermore, organises an optional trip for all the international students, where one can either spend a more luxurious week on Fraser Island or experience an exciting adventure in the Outback. I can definitely say that these trips have welded us together and there are all these unforgettable experiences which we will share for a lifetime. Except for two French girls and a few Asians, most of the students came from an English-speaking background and therefore, we got the chance to practise our English with native speakers on a permanent basis. What I found really great was the fact that there were not only all the friendly and extroverted internationals, but also all the lovely locals with whom we could easily get in touch with on and around college (the Unibar made a not insignificant contribution to that ;-)). As I am a very Bermadinger, Handl, Stiendl 14

Exchange Report SCU Lismore curious and open-minded person interested in other peoples lives and cultures I spent most of my time meeting and getting to know all these exceptional people and really enjoyed having conversations about their home country and culture with them. Google Maps was a huge support and even allowed us to show each other the places where we usually lived. ;-) On our final road trip along the East Coast, we already got the chance to stop along the way down and visit some of the friends we made during our studies. I could endlessly enthuse over the Australian hospitality. Stopping at our friends places gave us an even more intimate and unique insight into the Australian mentality or way of living. We owe these people so much, but I really hope one day we can give them a little bit back when they are coming over to Europe and visit us in exchange. I can proudly say now that we have our own Australian family in Sydney where we spent a whole week and to which we could go back anytime, a lot of friends spread all over the world with whom we are still in touch (thanks to Facebook at this point ;-)) and whom we could easily catch up with in their home country and that we are just waiting for all of them to fly in. After all, we have never even thought of becoming tired of approaching new people.

6.2 SABINE
Intercultural aspects are really important at the SCU. This semester, there were about 60 exchange students from all over the world, especially from the USA, Canada and from Asian Countries. I got to know many different nationalities due to the fact that nearly all the international students live on college. Of course I got to know heaps of Australian students as well. The managers of the college decide in which unit an international student lives. I had to fill out some forms and evaluate my habits and preferences before I came to Australia. So local Australian students are mixed up with internationals which is a very good idea. Nearly everyone on college was interested in the country we came from. Especially the Australian students wanted to learn something about Austria because many of their ancestors came from Europe. It was a real pleasure for me to represent Austria in Australia and to teach some funny German words and phrases. Now the Australians, Americans, Canadians and all the other nations which were present on college know a lot more about Austria and Europe and some prejudices are now disproved. I am sure that I learned a lot about Australia and America and some of my prejudices are disproved but others are confirmed. One could say that the residents on college were one big family for one semester. We all had so much fun together and there were hardly any residents I did not know. Therefore it was really sad to say good bye to all of them at the end of the semester. We all got along with each other really well even though there were so many different people with a different cultural background. Nobody was discriminated or teased because of his/her origin.

6.3 ANDREA
Coming to Australia meant living in a different country with different people that have different customs and believes than we have. It was a really interesting experience to get to know so many

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Exchange Report SCU Lismore people from all over the world and to learn from them, not only about their countries, but also about their lifestyles and mentalities. Australians in general are really friendly and always offer their help no matter if they gain something form it as well or not. They were also very interested in our origin and why we came to Australia. It happened several times that we met people in the streets, the bank, the airport or even the police station that just started talking to us, because they overheard that we were not from the area. After they found out we were from Austria a lot of them proudly told us that their ancestors were from Europe or that they had already been to Austria for travelling. It was really great to experience this interest in other cultures, because it made us feel welcome from the first moment on. During our exchange semester we lived with Australians, studied with exchange students from the US, Canada and Asia and made friends with all of them. I think it was really great that, unlike in some other exchange destinations, all the international students were mixed up with locals and lived together in the colleges apartments. We talked about everything and anything, exchanged music, recipes and customs, learned about their travel experiences in Austria, Europe and the world and taught them some easy and funny German words and sentences. Everyone was really open-minded and curious about the other peoples background, but also very tolerant when they discovered parts of their culture they did not understand. I also really enjoyed representing Austria during my exchange semester and I was glad that, like Sabine, I brought my Dirndl with me. Even if it was just for a costume party, it was great to wear it in a surrounding where nobody knew the custom behind it, but everyone thought it was great that we brought a bit of home with us. I also got another point of view, in a positive and negative way, on some aspects about the Austrian life, because some things are simply done differently in Australia. I believe that living with people from all over the world really changed my way of thinking and broadened my horizon. I might not even be aware of the influence all the great people I met during this semester had on my, but I know that I changed a lot because of them. Therefore I am really glad that I met each and every one of them, because they all shaped my exchange semester and made it an unforgettable time.

7 TRIPS & TRAVELLING

7.1 TRIP TO THE OUTBACK
In our study week we went to the Outback with 14 exchange students, our Outdoor Education teacher Steve and his friend Jude. We flew from Brisbane to Alice Springs, where we rented 2 trucks to drive through the Red Centre. As we did not have our own big backpacks, sleeping bags and camping mats, we borrowed them from the university or friends. We also had to bring good shoes (Andrea and Sabine brought their hiking boots from Austria, the others simply wore runners), a rain jacket, a hat, a torch, cutlery and a lot of other stuff which we could borrow from friends or had to buy in the shopping centre.

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Exchange Report SCU Lismore During this week we visited the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (where the Uluru (Ayers Rock) is located), the Western MacDonnell National Park, the Kings Canyon and some other sites which were pretty amazing. Every day we drove some hours in the car and hiked for several hours. Most of the time we left our big backpacks with the cars and only took smaller daypacks on the hikes, but once we had to bring almost all our stuff as we stayed away from our cars for the night. We slept outside for 7 nights on sandy rivers beds, camping grounds or in canyons between rocks. We also brought some tents to sleep in, but most of us wanted to sleep under the stars anyway. The nights were pretty cold and we even had frost on our sleeping bags twice in the morning, so it was good that we brought enough warm clothes and warmed us up at the campfire before we went to bed. We also had to prepare our own meals, so everyone had to participate in cooking lunch and dinner. As we did not have access to supermarkets for the whole time we had to bring all the food and enough water for the whole week and did not bring many perishable food items. For lunch we always had wraps with vegetables, tuna, sausage, cheese and sauces and for dinner we cooked simple things like rice or pasta. The university supplied us with the food, so we did not need to bring anything on our own except some snacks and sweets. We only had the chance to shower once during the week (in the Uluru Resort), but there were some cold water holes along our hikes where we could refresh ourselves. We also did not have access to proper toilets, because only a few of or camp sites where equipped with toilets. Most of the time we were so far away from civilization that there was no need to bring our mobile phones on the trip. We had an absolutely great time on the trip, because we saw a lot of wonderful places and sites. We did not really know a lot about the Red Centre (except the Uluru) before we went on the trip, but we were amazed how much it has to offer. We learned a lot about the country and also the indigenous culture that is connected with it. Furthermore we did not only got to know the other exchange students better, but also made good friends with our teachers Steve and Jude. The trip was completely planned by the international department and we did not have to take care of anything. Some of the other exchange students were lucky, because their home institutions had a special agreement with the SCU, so their trip, except the air fare to Alice Springs, was covered for them. The IMC does not have such an agreement, so we had to pay the whole amount of AU$ 1,220, but the trip was definitely worth all the money! The International office also offered a trip to Fraser Island which was a cheaper (AU$ 700), but as it took place at the same time, we could not take part in it.

7.2 ROAD TRIP

Most of the exchange students did a lot of trips to Brisbane, Sydney, Cairns and other places on their weekends during the semester. As our student visa only expired a month after the semester finished, we decided to rent a camper van and do a road trip instead. We flew up to Cairns, visited a friend in Port Douglas for some days, went back to Cairns and picked up our car there. In the following days we drove down the East Coast and saw wonderful places like Townsville, the Whitsunday Islands, Bermadinger, Handl, Stiendl 17

Exchange Report SCU Lismore Rockhampton, Fraser Island, Brisbane, Byron Bay and Coffs Harbor before we returned the car in Sydney. There we could stay with our friend Dan and his family for 5 days. They made us feel like family and we really had a great time exploring the city and experiencing the true blue Aussie life. After 5 days we took the overnight train to Melbourne and stayed with Diana, another friend from college, before we went to New Zealand, from where we went back home to Austria, for some days. We already decided to do this road trip before we went to Australia, therefore all 3 of us brought our Austrian and International Drivers License that we needed to rent a car. We decided to rent a Jucy-Camper-Van that was well equipped with a gas stove, cutlery and dishes, a fridge and even a sink and which had an automatic gear. This was really great, especially as we had never driven on the left side of the road before. It turned out not to be so difficult, so we really enjoyed driving and being on the road for such a long time. During the trip we could sleep in the car, because there were 4 sleeping places (2 in the car, 2 in a tent on the roof). The only problem was that overnight parking is not allowed in public areas and there are only a few free overnight camping sites, so we had to pay to park on camping grounds several times. Furthermore we had to pay a toll when using the highway around Brisbane and Sydney, which was not too much, but turned out to be a bit difficult to manage (the automatic answering machine at the hotline did not recognize our voice). The universitys travel agency and its owner Alan helped us a lot in preparing this trip. He did not only assist us in renting the car and buying bus, plane and train tickets, but also gave us a map of the East Coast where he marked all the places we should see. Alan was really nice and helpful, but he loves to talk to and joke with students, so it also always took quite some time before we talked business.

8 PERSONAL EVALUATION
8.1 DANIELA
Besides all the friendships I have made during my time in Terra Australis, this exchange semester also contributed a lot to me becoming more mature. Given the fact that I had never been abroad for such a long time before, I had not only to survive at the other end of the world, but rather cope with a totally different setting: a different culture, a language which is different from my mother tongue and a different university system for the first time. With regard to the culture, I have already said that I have just become more open-minded and outgoing than I was before. Concerning the language, I feel way more self-confident speaking English now and I am glad that I have got to know another course design and graduation system. Living in a place far away from home always helps you in becoming more mature, I guess, because you have to organise so much more on your own which goes hand in hand with more responsibility and to find your way around in all the foreign cities and on a new campus. The way of living life was different

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Exchange Report SCU Lismore there to the one I was used to at home, but I would say in a rather positive way and that I got quickly used to it. In my opinion, you have to be more flexible, more tolerant, as well as extremely curious and enthusiastic about travelling and getting to know foreign places and new people in order to be able to really enjoy such an exchange semester. I have always been interested in the background of this continent and its inhabitants. Therefore, I have tried to get as much information about them as possible and store it in my brain, so that I know much more about Australia and also New Zealand, since we were staying there for a short time as well, now. The long trip at the end was organised mostly by us and with a little help from our travel assistant and it had also been the first time for me that I had planned such a big adventure. Especially the outdoor and outback trips gave me the chance to experience how I act and react under different and more difficult conditions and pressure situations. Finally, I have benefited so much and in every aspect from this exchange semester, it really did teach me a lot, not only how to drive on the other side of a road, but more essential and longer-lasting things, that I would not have wanted to miss a single second of it. Travelling, indeed, broadens your horizon!

8.2 SABINE
I simply LOVED my time in Down Under. I would definitely go there again anytime. It was just awesome. The Australian folk are so nice, open minded, friendly, helpful and laid back. I felt comfortable from the first moment on and my new friends from the other end of the world made every day of my stay to a very special one. I really liked most of the courses at university and I learned a lot. I got to know so many nice people and many of them took us to beautiful places in New South Wales and Queensland. I am really glad that I could spend half a year of my life in Down Under and be part of an amazing continent. But one has to keep in mind that an exchange semester in Australia is rather expensive. So one should think about money matters in advance, but to my mind it was absolutely worth it! I always wanted to visit Australia one day and the IMC made my dream come true. I did not feel like a bloody tourist in Down Under but I was able to make true blue Aussie friends and therefore I was very much involved in the Australian lifestyle and culture. That made my stay to an unforgettable adventure. Now Australia is a part of my life and I simply fell in love with this amazing continent. Live it the Australian way: NO WORRIES MATE!

8.3 ANDREA
I definitely dont regret a single moment of my exchange semester because I met heaps of amazing people and learned to love a whole continent! From the first moment I found out that I would spend

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Exchange Report SCU Lismore my exchange semester in Australia with Sabine and Daniela I knew that we would spend an amazing time together on the other end of the world. We got to know a wonderful continent that offers so much to see that one semester really is not enough to discover everything. I am really glad that I got the chance to go to the Outback and that we made this incredible round trip at the end of the semester. We could easily have stayed for a second and third semester without capturing all the wonderful things that make this country so spectacular. I also enjoyed studying at the SCU, although and because the way of teaching was so different from back home. It was interesting to see a different approach towards education and how tricky it can be to adapt an unfamiliar system. However, the staff of the international department and our units helped us to adjust to different setting quickly, so we could keep up with our Australian colleagues and successfully complete this semester. Last but not least, I am glad that I met all these wonderful people and made some friends that I know will be there for me for the rest of my life. We might be separated by oceans, but I know that one day I will see all of them again and it will be as if we had never parted. All of them contributed to making this semester the best time of my life and I hope I did the same for them.

9 USEFUL LINKS
SCU homepage www.scu.edu.au Lismore City Council www.lismore.nsw.gov.au Lismore Tourism www.visitlismore.com.au Online application for student visa www.immi.gov.au/e_visa SCU Village Lismore Campus www.scuvillage.com.au/lismore Medibank Private www.medibank.com.au Global Gossip globalgossip.com Lismore Shopping Square www.lismoresquare.com.au Jucy Rentals www.jucy.com.au

PLEASE DONT HESITATE IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT OUR EXCHANGE SEMESTER IN LISMORE, AUSTRALIA!
DANIELA BERMADINGER
0910311005 daniela.bermadinger@fh-krems.eu

SABINE HANDL
0910311022 sabine.handl@fh-krems.eu

ANDREA STIENDL
0910311059 andrea.stiendl@fh-krems.eu

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