Life in Australia

Update: Due to COVID19 some previously mentioned restaurants are closed. We have removed them from the list and added new ones. We have also updated the location, opening hours and pricing of all of the existing restaurants on this list.

Every single cent counts while studying in Australia as an overseas student, so we decided to start a new blog series of cheap eats in various student cities in Australia. To begin with, we will be taking you guys to Melbourne and its cheap eats under $10 for lunch and dinner.

Ok! We all know that those typical fast-food chains (Macca’s, HJ, Dominos, and KFC) can conquer all the top spots, so we have factored in few things in this deciding these top 5 cheap eats.

The main consideration we have given in deciding these top 5 cheap eats:

 ✅ It must be for or under $10

 ✅ Food must be on the healthier side

 ✅ It must in Melbourne CBD

 ✅ Good reviews

 ✅ Very Important – Tasty (Fine! We let you decide that)

1. Crossways

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📌 Location: 147 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000

⏰ Opening Hours: 11.30am – 8.00pm (Sunday Closed)

🍽 Cuisine: Indian

⭐ Google Reviews: 4.7/5 (from 1419 reviews)

First on our list is Crossways which without a doubt tops a list with all you can eat vegan and vegetarian food for just 7.50 (if you are a student or concession cardholder) or 9.50 for everyone else. They serve the delicious curry with rice, pappadum, and a mouth-watering dessert and a drink. Don’t miss out on their Custard Halva Dessert. Yum!

When it comes to value and taste, you can’t beat Crossways and that’s why they are on top of our list. In case, you have no money left in your pocket, they have a temple in St. Kilda which offers free meals every single day of the year. It is a 20- 25 minute tram journey from the city but if you have nothing else left in the pocket at least you don’t need to starve yourself.

2. Om Vegetarian

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📌 Location/s: Shop 4-5/227 Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000

⏰ Opening Hours: 11am – 8pm

🍽 Cuisine: Indian

⭐ Google Reviews: 4.0/5 (from 1554 reviews)

The second restaurant serving also all you can eat Indian vegetarian restaurant is Om Vegetarian. They serve you with two curries, rice and a bread soft naan bread in a Thali plate for just $9.90. The food is yummy and you can refill it as many times as you like also. The major difference between om vegetarian and crossways is the naan bread.

They have many outlets in the city, so you easily find one of their restaurants near you. If you don’t have any money, then they also offer a free meal between 3pm to 5pm on their 113 Swanston Street restaurant. If you like vegan or vegetarian food, then you should check our complete survival guide on it. 

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3. Soi 38

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📌 Location: 38 Mcilwraith Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000

⏰ Opening Hours: 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm

🍽 Cuisine: Thai

⭐ Google Reviews: 4.3/5 (from 961 reviews)

One of the most popular place for the students and locals to eat out cheap in Melbourne is Soi 38 restaurant. All the noodle soup bowls are $10 (right on our targeted budget). Some of the popular items on the menu include: Boat noodles with Beef, Pork and Vegetarian Thai Laksa. Decent portion sizes means it is a win-win for any student to save few dollars on the eating out.

You might be surprised with a location of this restaurant as well as you will be eating in the corner of a city car park. (Oops, did we let the hidden secret place out).

4. Nelayan

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📌 Location: 265 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000

⏰ Opening Hours: 11am – 9pm

🍽 Cuisine: Indonesian

⭐ Google Reviews: 4.2/5 (from 1119 reviews)

Home-cooked food with a variety of options to choose from the exotic Indonesian cuisines, Nelayan makes in our top 5 list. You can try dishes from popular Indonesian provinces which offer you lots of varieties like Beef Rendang, Sate Padang, Pempek, Nasi Goreng, Mie Goreng, Gado Gado, Soto Betawi and many more dishes for less than $10.

You must try Beef Rendang from the buffet for your spice cravings.  For those who don’t know “Nelayan” means Fisherman in Indonesian.

5. Udon Yasan

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📌 Location/s: 186 Bourke Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 and 187 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

⏰ Opening Hours: 11.30 am – 8.30 pm

🍽 Cuisine: Japanese

⭐ Google Reviews: 4.3/5 (from 1287 reviews)

Another Japanese restaurant makes to our list of Top 5, but this one is more for those who feel like noodles. Udon Yasan offers rice bowl sets starting from merely $5 in the heart of Melbourne CBD.

Their fried chicken is absolutely incredible. Once you get your Udon, head to the free topping station to add some extra flavors and make sure to try their variety of teas from their free drink station. Seriously! Can’t ask for a better value.

6. B3 Café

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📌 Location/s: 15 Centre Pl, Melbourne VIC 3000 and  2/353 Little Collins St, Melbourne VIC 3000

⏰ Opening Hours: Usually 8.00 am – 3.30 pm (Weekends closed)

🍽 Cuisine: Pattiserie

⭐ Google Reviews: 4.6/5 (from 97 reviews)

This is one hidden gem in the center of Melbourne CBD. You will have to be the one exploring Melbourne’s lane way culture in order to find it. Right in the middle of Centre Pl, you will find huge lines during lunch time and that is for this little tiny takeaway only café.

They have some serious variety of fresh baguettes, from roast chicken to smoked salmon, Salami to vegetarian baguettes. You can’t go wrong with the pricing as well. The smaller baguette costs $6.50 and large one costs only $9. Apart from Baguettes, they got croissants, rice papers and cakes as well. Yum!

If you are a vegetarian, then our recommendation is Eggplant Schnitzel (Our favourite).

7. La Petite Creperie

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📌 Location/s: Swanston St CBD, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Australia (Opposite Melbourne Townhall)

⏰ Opening Hours: Weekday – 4pm to Late, Weekends – 2/3pm to Late

🍽 Cuisine: French

⭐ Google Reviews: 4.6/5 (from 365 reviews)

If you are walking on Swanston street in the Melbourne CBD, you can’t miss this tiny kiosk. We mean it literally.

The aroma of fresh French Crêpes will entice you and once you are around, you won’t be going without taking one of them.

The plain crêpes start from $5 onwards, but you can add toppings to make them Savory or Sweet. The best part is that it is made fresh on-demand, so you know that you are always getting a fresh deal under $10.

8. Seoul Toast Bong

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📌 Location/s: 551 Little Lonsdale Street, Shop 6, Melbourne CBD, VIC 3000

⏰ Opening Hours: Monday to Friday (10 am to 6.00 pm), Saturday (10 am – 2.30 pm)

🍽 Cuisine: Korean

⭐ Google Reviews: 4.8/5 (from 209 reviews)

Next on the list is a popular Korean food chain, Seoul Toast Bong. This place is known for their yummy toasties with their signature egg-range starting from just $7.50.

There are plenty of other items on the menu under $10, so you will find something to please everyone.

9. Udon Izakaya Maedaya

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📌 Location/s: 168-174 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000

⏰ Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday (12pm – 3 pm), (5 pm – 10 pm)

🍽 Cuisine: Japanese

⭐ Google Reviews: 4.5/5 (from 624 reviews)

While on Bourke street, you can easily miss this restaurant as the entry seems quite small and usually the door is closed.

But once you are inside, it is a buzzing place with plenty of options for under $10. This place (as the name suggests) serves Udon as their specialty, and you can find some of the Udon bowls under $10.

You can get these Udon hot or cold; the choice is yours. Also look out for some lunch specials during weekdays as well.

10. Asia Unique Cafe & Tavern

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📌 Location/s: 108 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000

⏰ Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday – 11 am to 8.30 pm

🍽 Cuisine: Thai

⭐ Google Reviews: 4.2/5 (from 77 reviews)

Tucked away in the corner of Food Court, this Thai restaurant serves spicy food with cold drinks.

While many menu items are just over $10, there are few you can try under $10 as well. Some of them include their popular soups like Tom Yum, Pork or Beef Soup, etc.

Most of the other menu items are under $15, so it is still quite manageable. Plus it is in a big food court, so you can easily find a seat to eat as well.

🍴So, have you been to any of these restaurants as we mentioned on the list?

Which restaurants do you go to when eating out in Melbourne? Let us know in the comments section below. If you find any restaurant closed or not falling under $10 mark, feel free to DM us via Instagram.

If you are visiting Adelaide, then you definitely want to check our Top Cheap Eats there too.

Plus, if you are willing to learn more about studying in Melbourne, we have a detailed guide about it on this page.

Summer break is Here!

This is usually that time of the year when the days are longer and warmer and if you are in university or studying vocational programs, you might be enjoying a full semester break from studies.

If you are stuck with some ideas on what to do this summer break, we have got you covered in this list of things that you can do over the summer holidays.

Let’s begin:

1. Travel

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First and the one obvious choice is to travel around. After hectic last weeks in the semester, you definitely deserve a break. And what can be a better way than just to take some time out and travel around.

Now with travelling, you got two options: first is to travel within Australia and the second is to travel around other countries.

Travelling within Australia – As you already know, how beautiful this country is and we travelling within our own backyard is one of the best Aussie things to do. You can travel around your city areas, suburban areas or some local tourist attractions. You can also travel interstate and visit other cities and attractions. We have plenty of things to see and do in each state and territory, so you will never run out of options.

Get a few friends together, hire a van or a car and go for a long road trip ( a highly recommended activity).  If you don’t feel like driving then you can always catch a flight, though the prices in summer can be on the higher side. Depending on your location, there are many world-class attractions that you can visit, eg, Great Barrier Reef, Sydney Opera House, and Harbour Bridge, Uluru, Great Ocean Road, Fraser Island, Cradle Mountain, Rottnest Island, Broome etc.

Travelling outside Australia – Since lots of overseas students come to study in Australia and plan to return after their studies, the summer break can present an excellent opportunity to travel to Australia’s neighboring countries like New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Fiji. Make sure to check the visa requirements for your passport before you decide to book any holidays.

If you plan to travel overseas, we recommend you to check on the Australian government’s official website (www.smartraveller.gov.au) for travelling advice. Although made for Aussie travellers, this website still has lots of good content for any traveller willing to travel around the globe.

2. Visit family back home 

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If you are just too exhausted after assessments and exams and need to see family and missing home food too much then visiting your family back home might be the way to go for you this summer semester.

Get some well-deserved rest, eat mum cooked food, catch up with old mates ( and make sure to tell them how cool studying in Australia is) and most importantly see your loved ones back home.

3. Work 

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As an overseas student in Australia, you are allowed to work 40 hours per fortnight but did you know that you are allowed to work an unlimited number of hours in your school holidays? Well, for some student’s this is the perfect time to start looking for some part-time work and some student’s look for even full-time work during this time. Usually, during summer breaks, there are plenty of opportunities available for part-time work in hospitality, sales, and retail sectors. We suggest you check some jobs available for international students on websites like Seek, Adzuna, and Gumtree.

Work in Australia

4. Learn a new skill

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If you are not planning to work much or at all, then learning a new skill can be the way to go for you. A whole summer semester can be enough time to develop a new skill. Skills like cooking, public speaking, photography, swimming, coding, musical instrument, basic software skills can be learned in a month. Don’t believe us?

Check this video out yourself. You can actually get better in lots of things in just 20 hours.

5. Learn a new language 

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We are keeping this one separate from learning a new skill (although some of you might say learning a language is also a skill but we want to keep it separate as by learning a skill, we meant hands-on skills :P). Since Australia is such a multicultural country and you can meet people from all around the world. Why not take this time to learn a new language.

You can actually do this with one of your very own friends and you can teach other your own language’s, (assuming you also already know a language other than English). But if you can’t find a friend to teach a language or they are all too busy then apps like duolingo can be a good way to learn a new language or find some language buddies in language exchange events like Lingos in your city.

6. Pick a new Hobby 

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At some point in time on holidays, you might be feeling bored. Then it might a good time to pick up some new hobbies. Try some of the hobbies like dancing, painting, gardening or pick something that interests you more.

There might be some event or workshops happening around some of the hobbies, we suggest you check with your local library or Tafe’s for them. Some of them are even Free.

7. Volunteering 

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Well it is rightly said that if you do a good karma, it will come back to you. We define volunteering as a good karma. Look for some volunteer opportunities around your local community. There is always a need for some volunteers in most of the religious and charitable organisations.

If you still can’t find then we suggest you check out the www.volunteer.com.au. You never know who you meet at these volunteering places, you might even be working with a CEO from a company you always wanted to work with? You really never know.

8. Celebrate Christmas and New Year 

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Summer in Australia means Christmas and new year time. As you already know that our summer runs opposite than the countries in the northern hemisphere, Christmas is not too white here. Christmas is usually celebrated very differently in Australia.

Most of the people head to the beach for the barbeques on the Christmas day, so why not try to celebrate Christmas in Aussie style. Also, the Australian New Year celebrations (especially Sydney) are world famous. Check out this video to believe it yourself. This is one of the lifetime opportunity and we highly recommend it. Other capital cities also have amazing fireworks, so don’t feel sad if you miss out Sydney’s fireworks.

The Ultimate Guide to Christmas Season in Australia for International Students

9. Do an online course 

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 Ok, not sure how many of you would like to hear the word “Study” in the semester break but this is something that students would like to do part-time. Maybe go and attend some short online courses to learn new things.

You can actually do some free online learning these days via websites like www.open2study.com, www.alison.com, www.coursera.org and you can also do a paid online courses on a website like www.udemy.com as well. There are plenty of other websites you can jump and learn online these days, so go can google “Free online course” to find them out.

10. Watch a live cricket match 

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Summer also means cricket in Australia. For some of the people, it seems crazy to play a match for five days and not get a result but it is a thing in cricket. Ok, we understand that you may not be willing to commit full 5 days to watch cricket, if so, then there is a shorter version of this game you might like to try, known as 20 20 cricket, which runs around 3 hours and 99% of the time gets results.

We suggest you bring a mate with you who can explain what’s going on in the match.

11. Start a business

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 This is very interesting as there is no rule that says that an International student cannot run a business in Australia. So starting an online business or a small business might be the way to go.

Do some research and learn some business skills before you decide to jump on the “hustling” ride as you might need to commit some time during the semester as well if you decide to run it for good. The easiest way to start selling things online these days is Shopify.

Detailed Guide: Starting a Business in Australia as an International Student

12. Start writing a blog 

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Start writing something that interest you or you have a hobby in. Whatever the topic you may choose, you can write your heart out about it on your blog. We suggest you choose a theme and follow that theme when writing a blog. You can start writing blogs for free these days using services like wordpress, and weebly

If you want, you can also become a YouTube or Social media influencer. We have got that covered in our guide here: https://overseasstudentsaustralia.com/how-to-become-a-youtuber-in-australia/

13. Read Books 

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 “Books and then my parents” If you ever heard about Elon Musk,(aka the savior of the human race) then you probably know how much he loves reading books and he is pretty much self-taught in all the fields he is currently involved in.

Now, we don’t expect you to become Elon Musk suddenly but we are suggesting that you can read some books in the summer break. And these books don’t have to be your typical uni textbooks but can be anything from motivation to biographies, from fiction to novels.

14. Catch-up with friends 

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There is no better time than summer to catch up with some of your friends. You can spend longer time outdoors as we have long summer days, so perfect excuse to see those friends who you haven’t met for a while or catch up for a longer time with the friends who you have just seen for 5 minutes every day in last few weeks.

15. Declutter your life 

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Being a minimalist is the way of life that lots of people are adopting these days. So why not start looking at your room or apartment and see what things you really need and what things you haven’t. If you are not sure whether to keep a thing with you or not, then you should take a mountain test.

16. Develop a career plan 

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Unless you already have a very organised plan for your career, It might be the time to sit back and rethink your career strategy. Look at your past achievements, assess how did you go and set your new goals for the upcoming semester or even better for your next few years to come.

We suggest you to write down your goals and make sure to include the timelines to achieve. At the end of each semester or study period, you can sit down and analyse how did you go with your semester goals. Remember, if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. 

17. Catch up on those Netflix shows 

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We really didn’t need to tell you this as you are at an expert level at this but we just thought to keep this in the list. You never know, if you forgot about all the shows you were planning to watch it during your summer break after the exams.

Just reminding.

18. Develop healthy eating habits 

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Well, we all know that one new year’s resolution where we commit ourselves to go to the gym and yes we do start going to a gym for a week or so and as soon as we see our friends going to eat those lovely pancakes,  then there go that healthy lifestyle habits out of the window.

Developing a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean only going to a gym but also eating healthy. There is no better time to develop a new healthy eating lifestyle than the summer break. So look for some healthy alternatives to your daily routine.

Can you replace those Nutella packed toasts with a smoothie? Sure you can!

There is always a healthy alternative to our diets. Fine, you can enjoy that sweet tooth once in a while still while enjoying healthy eating habits for the rest of the time.

19. Take up the summer semester 

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Last but not the least, if you have no plans at all or don’t feel like doing to any of the things we listed above, there is an opportunity to take up that summer semester and complete your course earlier. We don’t know why would you do that but it is certainly an option for you if you plan to do nothing else.

Well, here you go with all the things we think you might be able to do during the upcoming summer break. Are you planning to do any of these activities during the holidays or planning to do something else. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. We would love to hear your thoughts.

Australia is a country full of surprises. You can be amazed at the people, landscape, animals and everything around you.  We have researched some amazing things that might get you surprised about Australia. Let’s check them out.

1. Kangaroo and Emu are on Coat of Arms as both animals can only move forward not backwards which is why they were chosen
2. Australians love eating Kangaroo meat
3. Australia is one of the most multicultural society in the world
4. More than 85% of the Australian population live near the coast
5. Australia’s first police force was made up of well behaved criminals
6. Australia is almost similar in size to the United States
7. Canberra, Australia’s capital city, was created as people couldn’t decide whether Melbourne  or Sydney is a capital.
8. Australia has nearly 3 times more sheeps than people in the country
9. Australian Alps get more snow than Switzerland
   

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10. Tasmania has the cleanest air in the world
11. Australia has one of lowest density of population in the world. In Fact, there are only 3 people per square kilometer.
12. The official name of Australia is Commonwealth of Australia
13. Australian population is just 25 million people but there are 60 million kangaroos in the country
14. Mount Augustus in Western Australia is the largest rock on earth rising 715m from the ground level. Although most of the people believe that Uluru is the largest rock in the world but it’s not.
15. Great barrier reef is world’s largest reef system and it is made up of 2900 different reefs and spreads over 2300 kilometres
16. You can find over 1,500 species of spiders in Australia and some of them has very dangerous venom
17. Melbourne has been named as the most liveable city for seven years in row since 2011
18. Melbourne used to be known as Batmania before it was named as Melbourne
19. Former Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, set the world record of drinking 2.5 pints of beers in 11 seconds.
20. Ugg boots were originated in Australia and named after the inventor’s wife said they look “Ugg-ly”
21. Australia has the longest railway track measuring 480 kilometres, longest road measuring 146 kilometres, longest golf course measuring 1.3 million metres and the longest fence covering 5400 kilometres
22. World’s happiest animal is Quokka’s found in Western Australia 
23. Australians love playing Poker and is home to 20% of the world’s Pokie machines
24. Australians have proudly invented Wi-Fi, blackbox, notepad and even selfies
25. According to the research by University of Sydney, there are 10,685 beaches in Australia
26. Boomerangs were invented by Aboriginals for hunting animals
27. 95% of world’s Opals (gemstone) comes from Australia
28. Australia is ranked 55th in the world for the Internet speed with an average speed of 25.88 Megabits per second (Mbps)
29. Dutch explorers were the first one to discover Australia in 1600’s. But it was British, Captain James Cook who claimed the island for Britain in 1788
30. Foster’s Beer brand is not the Australian choice of Beer as Australians prefer other brands
31. Australia is home to world’s second largest Greek population after Greece
32. Australia has the highest number of natural world heritage sites
33. Australia was the second country in the world to give a voting rights to women after New Zealand
34. Fraser island is the largest sand island in the world
35. Australia has it’s very own pink lake known as Lake Hillier in Western Australia 
    

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36. The largest number of camels in the world are not in the middle east but in Australia. It is estimated to be home to 300,000 Feral camels.
37. Jellyfish is the  biggest threat to human life as it kills more people than sharks, stonefish and crocodiles combined
38. “Burger King” is known as “Hungry Jack’s” in Australia
39. In Victoria, there is a mountain named as Mount Disappointment after the explorers found the view very average from the top
40. In 1975, Australia had a government shutdown and Queen intervened and she fired everyone from the parliament, Australia never has any government shutdown after that
41. If you are Australian citizen, then you must come to vote, otherwise you will get a fine for a no show

How many of these things did you knew about it already? Let us know in the comments below.

Images: Giphy.com

 

Got invited for a Barbecue? Here are 8 barbecue (BBQ) etiquette that might help you when you are going to an Aussie BBQ:

1. Bring along something

Bring along something either for a drink or to eat. It is usually a good idea to ask the host if they would prefer you to bring along something specific.

Sometimes, hosts may say that you don’t need anything to bring, in that case, you can still bring things like Chocolates, Dessert, Salad, Bottle of Wine, Special dish from your home country, cheese platter, etc or maybe a little gift for the host.

via GIPHY

2. Don’t wear formals

Don’t wear too formal clothes like coats, ties, etc. It is perfectly fine to wear shorts and thongs as it a relaxed social event. Leave all your formals at home.

3. Don’t tell the host how to cook

Don’t tell the host how to cook or BBQ as they might take an offense for that unless they ask for your help themselves in that. Also, it is a good idea to compliment and thank the BBQ chef as you would do at any other such occasion.

4. Be a volunteer for help

As much we recommend not to touch BBQ but we do recommend to volunteer to help with the things. Ask your hosts if they need a hand in something. It is always a good idea to offer help then not and usually appreciated by everyone.

5. Bring along some activities

You can bring along some fun activity ideas and things like games or cards etc. Although, most likely you will learn about the backyard cricket as part of the Aussie BBQ tradition.

6. Clean after yourself

Also, it is usually recommended to clean after yourself. Don’t leave your dirty cutlery, cups, and plates hanging around here and there.

7. Leave the unfinished food

It is also good etiquette to leave the unfinished food or drink with the host as a gesture of thanks to the hosts even the one you brought as well. Don’t forget to bring back your utensils though.

8. Don’t forget to socialise

Last but not least, socialise and talk with others as BBQ’s are social events and a great way to network with other people as well. As an international student, it is vital to network with others and a barbecue is one of the places to do so.

Images via Giphy.com

Planning to own a pet in Australia? If you are a pet lover and want to own one in Australia, you will need to consider few things before you decide to do so, especially when you are an international student in Australia. Here are some of the things you need to consider:

1. Costs

As much fun the idea of owning the pet sounds, it might be too costly for some people to make that dream come true. The average costs will vary but as per ASIC (check the infographic below), average cost of dogs per year is $1475, similar costs for cats are $1029, birds $115 per year and a fish costs around $50 per year

2. Space

Some pets require more space than the others. With most of the students living as tenants, it is important to discuss with your landlord before buying a pet. Also, as the pets grow over the time, there might be a need for them to have a larger space than before.

3. Time

You would need to devote some time of your life to play, feed, nurture and care for the pets. Like little kids, pets will need lots of attention and time. Make sure you have enough time in your life to look after them.

4. Care

Do you understand how to look after the pets? Buying the pet is one thing but caring for them requires more than that. Care includes their well being, health, food and grooming as well. Who doesn’t like a well groomed pet but again, there are some details to need to keep before buying them.

5. Lifestyle

Does your lifestyle suits to own a pet? If you are too busy studying, working or going away then owning a pet might be difficult for you. Simply purchasing them from a pet shop might not be a way to go for you if you have a hectic lifetsyle.

Do you own a pet in Australia? What are your thoughts on owning a Pet as an overseas student in Australia? Share them in the comments below.

Getting ready for your birthday?

Cool. We have curated the top free birthday deals that we know you will love.

You could be eating out nearly for a week if you sign up and use all of these deals.

We have got more than 90+ birthday deals on the list so far with new ones coming along often.

Celebrate your birthday with these free birthday deals in style.

Let’s go!

Tips to get these birthday freebies

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While these birthday freebie sounds delicious and most of them are indeed such a good value for FREE.

Please keep these things in mind before redeeming:

• 📝 Sign Up for loyalty programs: Most of these freebies require you to sign up for the loyalty programs (and might expect minimum spend in some cases). We suggest signing up for these businesses’ loyalty programs at least a month or two before your birthday.
• 📜 Check Terms and Conditions: Check the conditions of the voucher or freebie when you get it through email. Some retailers might require you to purchase an item from them before getting the birthday freebies.
• 📬 Keep Emails and Notifications Enabled: Although some retailers may not send any reminder or freebies and the only way to redeem them via app, and you have to scan it to get it. (Wink Wink, we are looking at you Boost Juice).
• 🆔 Bring ID or Proof of Membership: Some businesses might require you present the Identification proof of your birthday
• 📧 Create Seperate Email: To avoid receiving these promotional emails in your regular inbox, it’s a good idea to create a separate email specifically for them.
• 🔄 Check for Changes: Retailers can change these offers at any time, so please check the website for up-to-date offers as well.
• 📅 Provide Accurate Information: Make sure your details are correct to receive these vouchers.
• 🙏 Be Courteous: Businesses are giving away things for free, so the least they expect is to be polite and respectful.

 Our Top 10 Picks

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There are many birthday deals out there but these are our Top 10 picks below. Check out more details for these deals in the sections below:

🚢 Captain Cook Cruises – Free Cruise

🍗 Nando’s – $15 birthday voucher

🥤 Boost Juice – Free Juice

🌯 Mad Mex – Free Burrito

🍔 Hungry Jacks – Free Whopper

🍫 San Churros – Free Churros for Two

🍩 Krispy Kreme – 4 pack Original Glazed Donut

☕ Gloria Jeans – Free Drink

🍦 Baskin-Robbins – Free scoop of Ice-cream

🍹 Chatime – Free birthday drink.

🥗 Taco bell – Free birthday meal

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All Food Deals

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1. 7-ELEVEN – Free Krispy Kreme Doughnut on your birthday. Redeem via app.
2. BANJO’S BAKERY CAFE – Join Banjo’s VIP Club and receive a free bakery treat (valid 3 days prior and 3 days post the birth date)
3. BASKIN ROBBINS – Free scoop of ice cream valid up to 14 days after your birthday. Sign up via the website.
4. BOOST JUICE – Free Boost Juice for Vibe club members. You can redeem the free juice offer between two days before or two days after your birthday. VIBE card (or app) must be presented in order to redeem the Birthday Boost
5. BRUMBY’S – Free bread loaf or coffee on birthday.
6. CHATIME –  Free Drink in the Birthday Month. You must sign up for their program and make at least one purchase 3 months before your birthday.
7. CHAT THAI – $10 Birthday Rewards Voucher ($30 minimum spend required).
8. COLD ROCK – 1 Free Ice Cream on your birthday
9. DONUT KING – 1 Free Donut king drink via app.
10. GELATISSIMO – Free one scoop of gelato in the month of your birthday (card or app). $5 off your first purchase as well.
11. GLORIA JEANS – Free Drink on the Birthday. Get the app to redeem.
12. GRILL’D – Free snack chips when you buy a burger or salad. Must join their Relish loyalty program. Free to sign up.
13. HARD ROCK CAFE – Free birthday dessert with entrée purchase (valid for birthday month)
14. HOGS BREATH – Free main meal (Valued up to to $33.95) on your birthday. One-off membership fee of $19.90
15. HUDSONS COFFEE– Free Coffee on your birthday.
16. HUNGRY JACKS – Free Whopper on your birthday. (With $1 minimum spend)
17. JAMAICA BLUE – Free slice of cake for the birthday month. You can sign up via the Jamiaca Blue App for this freebie.
18. KRISPY KREME – Free 4 Pack of Original Glazed Doughnuts. You must sign up for their rewards program at least 4 weeks before your birthday.
19. LONE STAR RIB HOUSE – Free meal on your birthday (Must purchase a 2nd meal – from $8.95)
20. LORD OF THE FRIES – Free voucher on your birthday. Sign up via the link.
21. MAD MEX – Free burrito on your birthday. Expires after 1 month.
22. MAX BRENNER – Free regular sized hot drink in your birthday month.
23. MCDONALD’S – Free Cheesburger, Fries or Sundae on your birthday via My Maccas App.
24. MONTY’S/ALH GROUP VENUES – Different Birthday deals each year, sign up at least more than a week before the birthday
25. MRS FIELDS – Free cookie on your birthday
26. MUFFIN BREAK – Free Muffin in your birthday month
27. NANDO’S –  $15 voucher during your Birthday month. Sign up for Peri perks and get free chips after signing up as well. Must purchase something in last 3 months to be eligible for birthday freebie.
28. NOODLE BOX – $10 voucher on your birthday. $5 off on your first purchase as well. Must get the app
29. PIZZA CAPERS – Free Pizza on your birthday month. Get the app.
30. RED ROOSTER – Enjoy free meal on your birthday. Download the Royal Rewards Program app.
31. RIBS AND RUMPS – $30 gift voucher redeemable in birthday month, valid up to 2 months.
32. SALSA’S – Free burrito or bowl from 2 days before to 2 days after the birthday. You must join the Salsa’s Mex Club before your birthday for this freebie. Must purchase something in last 3 months to be eligible for birthday freebie.
33. SAKE – Free Ice Cream Cookie on birthday, (must download the app) (NSW and VIC only).
34. SAN CHURROS – Free churros for two during the birthday month. Must have made a purchase in last 12 months.
35. SHINGLE INN – Free cookie and coffee/tea in birthday month (collect card in-store)
36. SPUDBAR – Free spuds on your birthday. Sign up via app. (Victoria only).
37. STARBUCKS – Free drink on your Birthday available up to 60 days
38. SUBWAY – Free cookie and small cup drink with the purchase of any sub/salad/wrap or panini
39. SUMO SALAD – Free salad Valid for 7 days from birthday. Collect card in-store or download the app
40. TACO BELL – Free meal on your birthday.
41. TGI FRIDAY’S – A meal valued up to $15 in your birthday month. Sign up via app required.
42. TOP JUICE – Free medium drink on your birthday (purchase of salad required).
43. THE COFFEE CLUB – Free drink on your birthday, Sign up via app to reedem.
44. THE CHEESECAKE SHOP – $5 voucher on your birthday
45. THE GROOVE TRAIN – Free meal up to $25 value
46. THE MEAT AND WINE CO. – Minimum $20 voucher on your birthday
47. THE PANCAKE PARLOUR – Free Pancakes on your birthday. (Victoria only).
48. THE SPORTING GLOBE – Get $25 credit on your birthday via app (one time only)
49. VAPIANO – BOGOF pizza, pasta or salad. Birthday emails are sent one week prior to your birthday
50. WOKINABOX – $12 Wok Wallet credit from 1 day before birthday for 7 days (collect the card in-store)

 

You might also like to read our article on Top 5 cheap eats under $10 in Melbourne

Non-Food Deals

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1. AMCAL – $5 off (in-store only)
2. AMF BOWLING –  One free game of bowling
3. ANACONDA – $10 birthday voucher
4. ASOS – 10% promo code for your birthday month
5. BONDS – $10 eGift Card
6. CAPTAIN COOK CRUISES – Free Cruise on your birthday
7. CITY CHIC – $20 Birthday Voucher
8. COTTON ON –  $5 birthday voucher ($20 minimum spend)
9. CROSSROADS – $10 to $15 birthday voucher
10. EBAY  – 10% off voucher
11. GENETAL PANT CO. – Special birthday deal plus $20 off when sign up.
12. GLUE STORE – $10 birthday reward
13. H&M – 25% off item of your choice in the birthday month.
14. HOYTS CINEMAS – Free small popcorn or choc top on your birthday
15. IKEA – $10 voucher for IKEA Family members
16. INTENCITY – Free $10 worths tickets
17. JAG – $20 voucher on birthday
18. JEANSWEST  – $10 birthday voucher
19. KATIES – $20 birthday voucher
20. KATHMANDU – $20 birthday voucher. Not
21. KIKKI.K – $10 birthday voucher
22. LEVI’S – $20 birthday voucher
23. LINCRAFT – Free $1o gift voucher
24. MIMCO – $15 minimum voucher for the birthday
25. MYER – $10 birthday voucher for silver members, $20 for gold members
26. PALACE CINEMA’S – $10 voucher to use at the cinema bar
27. PRICELINE – $5 birthday voucher
28. ROCKMANS – $20 birthday voucher plus $20 off on sign up when spending $100 or more.
29. SABA – $25 birthday voucher
30. SEAFOLLY – $20 voucher on your birthday
31. SHERIDAN OUTLET – $25 birthday voucher
32. SPEEDO – $20 off voucher
33. SPORTCRAFT – $20 birthday voucher
34. SPOTLIGHT – $10 off on your birthday
35. STUDENT UNIVERSE – $20 off on international flights
36. TED CAMERAS – $20 voucher on birthday (minimum spend $40).
37. TIMEZONE – $10 free game credit
38. TONY BIANCO – $30 birthday voucher plus $20 off sign up offer.
39. VILLAGE CINEMAS – Free Small popcorn for the Vrewards members
40. WITCHERY -$10 Gift Voucher for standard members, $20 for Bronze members, $50 for Silver members, $100 for Gold members
41. WOOLWORTHS REWARDS – 5 times points on every shop for 1 week
42. ZONE BOWLING – Two free games of bowling on your birthday.

This list is on-going, so any new deals we come across or if you can suggest us to add on to this list, would be great for all of us. Remember, Sharing is Caring!!!

If this list of free birthday deals sounds interesting enough then be sure to watch this video on a complete 3-day plan for free food on your birthday. Enjoy!

Image via Giphy.com