+ Accommodation - Student Apartments

Moving to a different state, or overseas can be quite scary! We want to help make your transition a little smoother by helping with aspects of settling in. First of all, we recommend doing a little research about the location of the uni, what residential options might be available, and working out how much you want to spend. Some other things to think about would be whether you would prefer a place that is already furnished to save the hassle of purchasing and moving around furniture in future years, and how far away from the university you’d like to be. Where possible, it is highly recommended to have an inspection of the accommodation before you sign up for anything, in particular private rental places where you might be sharing an apartment or house. The first year timetable is fairly busy, 5 days a week, 9am-4pm with breaks in between. It may be convenient to stay closer to uni or anywhere in the upper part of Adelaide City. We’ve done a bit of research and compiled some basic information for you! Please keep in mind these are not the only options.
Links to visit:

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/accommodation/
https://adelaide.studystays.com.au/

Student reviews

The best thing about living at the Village is how close it is to the Central markets and Chinatown so whenever you need groceries or want to eat out, it's right there. The room size is more than you need, and there are usually other dentistry students living there. There are social events, once in a while, organised by the village where you can meet other people that live there. It is a nice 30 min walk to the university or you can take a free bus or tram. Added to that, there is also quiet study area with computers and printers.

The UniVillage, Diffy

UniHouse is a great place to live if you are someone who prefers to live on their own. There are few different layouts, each apartment features a furnished, small but decent sized living room with kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. The building is generally quiet, which creates a great studying environment. The best thing about living here is that it’s on Rundle Mall, meaning most classes are a 2-5 minute walk as well as shopping, food and entertainment. There is also a common room on the upper floor with some extra facilities and can be great for hanging out with friends or having studying sessions. The place, however does not supply Internet as of yet, meaning you do need to set up your own Internet connection.

UniHouse, Anchal

Facilities: Urbanest probably has the full package if you’re looking for decent accommodation. Bedrooms can get a little cramped, especially if you tend to hide out in your room a lot. The wifi isn’t too bad, though it might drop from time to time. I would recommend hooking your laptop up to an Ethernet port because it improves the connection. The ensuite bathroom (though it resembles a slightly larger plane lavatory) is an absolute godsend.
Location: close enough to come back for a nap before your afternoon lecture. However since Urbanest is located just off Hindley Street, precautions should be taken at night.
Cost: Is the exorbitant price they charge at Urbanest worth their gym facilities, study spaces and TV privileges? Probably not. But if you’re looking for comfort and good location, it’s not too shabby at all.

Urbanest, Jamie

A very reasonably priced student accommodation located conveniently in the heart of CBD, just 10-15 mins walk from school and 5 mins from Rundle Mall. Being located on Hindley Street, in my opinion, is not a bad thing as the street is always populated and has a police station. Which beats walking down a dark alley alone.
Positives:

1. Unilodge@Metro regularly organises free events like “Zoo field trip”, “Ice skating” and “Royal Adelaide show free entry” that gives good opportunity to get to know your neighbours, or just go on an excursion with your friends (who live at unilodge@metro too)
   
2. Has a reception area with very friendly staff, which is good as there is someone you trust to receive your mail and ensure that your mail does not get stolen or go missing.
   
3. There are staff living in Unilodge@Metro as well, and as such, will ensure u never spend the night sleeping out in the streets if you forget your keys, as you can just call the staff to let you into your room.
   
4. Located in Hindley Street with access to many good food options, both restaurants and fast food
   
5. Close proximity to gym (Jetts Gym on Pirie St) that is 24/7 and has decent facilities
   
6. Air-conditioned common room with pool table and table tennis, which is a great place to unwind after school
   

Negatives:

1. Electric stove, which is not bad for everyone, just for anyone who likes to cook
   
2. The frequency of fire alarms at Unilodge@Metro is higher than other accommodations and can occur at odd hours as well. Depends on luck, or in this case, a lack of …
   

Unilodge@Metro, Jeremy

+ Accommodation - Residential Colleges

Applications open around the October period the year before for most residential colleges, hence it is critical to apply as soon as possible, as they usually fill up. However, there are always those that leave last minute so even if you’re not sure, give them a call.

Student reviews

Some of the best parts about living here are the closeness to the restaurants on O’Connell Street and the fact that there are usually other dentistry students around to help you out and make friends with. The rooms are of a decent size, and the facilities are quite well maintained. The college events are fun and the people are friendly. As with the other colleges, there are pastoral and academic staff to turn to for advice. Overall, Lincoln College is a great way to spend your first couple of years adjusting to life away from home and entering dental school at the University of Adelaide.

Lincoln College, Henry

I found the environment created at St Mark’s College played a large role in my success in the first year of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery program. The newly build academic centre is a great place for quiet study and also has rooms available for group learning. The mentor program helps students to find their feet in their first year of university life while weekly tutorials ensure that you stay ahead of the curve in class. A large collection of medical and dental textbooks helps to supplement the information you receive in lectures and labs. The communal living dynamic and regular events create an atmosphere that is friendly and easy to make new friends in, as well as opportunities to blow off some steam once the study is done. An array of sports and physical activates ensures students maintain a balanced lifestyle and still succeed academically.

St Mark’s College, Sam

Housing 270 residents, Aquinas feels less like university lodgings and more like a home for extended family. The College prides itself on its high academic standards but has a special regard for its sporting prowess in the High Table Cup, a competition run throughout the year against the other four colleges in Adelaide.
The heart of Aquinas lies in its spirit, embodied in the welcoming attitudes of its residents. The college also offers extra facilities including laundry services, tutoring, internet and catering. If you’re looking for a home where you can make steadfast friendships outside of dentistry (as well as within) then Aquinas College should be first on your list.

Aquinas, Monica

I spent my first 2 years at university living at St Ann’s college. For someone moving to Adelaide who didn’t know anyone that lived in South Australia it was a great opportunity to meet people in a very similar situation and establish long lasting friendships. Staying at a residential college like St Ann’s is a terrific way to transition from living at home to establishing yourself in a new city and you don’t have to worry about cooking, as it is completely catered! St Ann’s resides in a very convenient location in North Adelaide, it is only a 10 minute walk to the University of Adelaide. It provides a very friendly and sociable atmosphere and there are a number of sporting, academic and leadership opportunities. I would strongly encourage anyone who is moving to Adelaide for study to strongly consider St Ann’s college.

St Ann’s College, Daniel

+ Accommodation - Rental Apartments

This is just to give an idea of what is available in the north-eastern part of Adelaide. There are many more places that you could consider, such as Palais Apartments on North Terrace, David Jone’s Apartments, Hindmarsh Square apartments next to Crowne Plaza, places in North Adelaide, apartments on the west side near or on King William Road, South Terrace, fringe suburbs just outside of the city. These rental properties will be advertised on real estate websites such as:

http://www.realestate.com.au/rent
http://www.domain.com.au
http://www.ljhooker.com.au

Student reviews

Bent Street Apartments is located very close to University and Adelaide Dental Hospital around 5 minute walk which I personally found very convenient on the days I’m running late. The close proximity to Rundle Mall and Rundle Street makes it so easy to grab a bite or go grocery shopping. Most apartments are furnished which is a plus, there is also so much storage space that you will never run out of places to store any of your belongings. All apartments include a balcony allowing you to hang your clothes (saves on using the dryer and killing your electricity bill). Unlike student accommodation, it does require you to set up your own electricity and internet account for the apartment.

Bent Street Apartments, Calvin

+ Getting Around Adelaide

Getting around Adelaide is quite easy. One of the best things about Adelaide city is that everything is so close and in one place! If you live in the city area, uni, shops, supermarkets, restaurants and cafes can be a short walk away. If you don’t feel like walking, there are other cheap/free options.

Adelaide Metro runs the buses, trains and trams around the city and outer suburbs. There is a free City Connector bus service that runs on 2 loops - inner city and one that extends to North Adelaide. Route 98A and 98C goes around city and North Adelaide every 30min and 7 days a week, whilst routes 99A and 99C runs every 30min on weekdays only. Services runs from early morning until 7:15pm, with extra services for Friday night until 9:15pm. There is also a Glenelg Tram service that runs between Glenelg and Entertainment Centre with free travel between South Terrace, city and Entertainment Centre. For more information about the bus and tram stops, check out:

https://www.adelaidemetro.com.au/Timetables-Maps/Special-Services/Free-City-Services
https://adelaidemetro.com.au/routes/Tram

If you wish to catch public transport, the Metrocard is the cheapest way to go. You can purchase a concession Metrocard (must bring student ID) at the Adelaide Metro desk on the corner of King William St and Currie St, or at certain newsagents or convenient stores.

Alternatively, biking around Adelaide is another healthy way to go. With wide bike lanes and a path along River Torrens, it is a fast and economical way of getting around. Until you get your own bike, Adelaide City Bikes Scheme offers Adelaide City Bikes for free to hire between 9am and 4:30pm from the Bike SA Office, or 6 other hiring places across Adelaide City. To hire, you will need to surrender a current passport or driver’s license, and hire will include a helmet, bike and bicycle lock where required. For more information check out http://www.bikesa.asn.au/adelaidefreebikes

Parking in the city is generally okay, costing up to around $10 for street parking all day with some ticket machines accepting coins only. Alternatively there are several parking lots around the city. If you are planning on living outside the city and wish to drive in to uni every day, it may be worth renting out a private car park from $50/week.

For after-hours University of Adelaide offers a free shuttle bus service operating every hour between 5:30pm and 11:30pm for students. This service takes students and staff up to 2.5km from the university, which includes some of the residential colleges. See the website for more details at http://www.adelaide.edu.au/infrastructure/on-campus/transport/

+ Looking for food?

Groceries

For those living in the city, there are 2 places to go to get groceries: Rundle Mall and Chinatown. Rundle Mall offers all the shops you will find in a shopping centre, in one street! Woolworths and Coles are the main supermarkets, both closing at 9pm during weekdays and 5pm on weekends. For cheap fruits and veg, and other produce, Chinatown’s Central Market is the place to go. About a 10min walk from Rundle Mall, or 2 stops away on the free tram, it opens till 5:30pm Tues-Thurs, 9pm on Friday and 3pm on Saturday. Students will take advantage of sales starting from around 1pm at Central Markets, where you can find bags of veg from $1! If you’re looking for Asian ingredients, check out the following grocers found in Chinatown: Hong Kong Asian Grocery Store, Seoul Asian Grocery Store, Kim Wang Asian Grocery & Thuan Phat.

Looking to eat out? If you know where to go, you can find some really great places. As a general, Rundle Street, Chinatown, Grenfell Street, Hindley Street, Peel Street and Waymouth Street are places to look out for. Keep reading to check out which ones to try.

Victoria’s Food Guide

Welcome to Adelaide, fellow friends! Staying in this foreign city thousands of miles away from home, we need to fend for ourselves, which includes planning our meals. How many of you find this a hassle? I do! I would prefer a list of restaurants that I can go out for meals and a list of recipes that I can follow. Well I am just lazy haha. To make your life easier, here is my humble Adelaide food guide that you can use.

For Asian food lovers, try Ming’s steamboat salted egg pumpkin fries and pig trotter or yumcha at Ding Hao or Star House. If you are craving for dumplings, why not try the dumplings hot pot at Mandoo’s or fried dumplings with the amazing special sauce at Dumplings R Us.
Delve your fingers into Malaysian food such as Char Koay Teow at Nanyang and Warong. On the other hand, Swinging Bowl offers delicious satay and authentic Malaysian curries. Do include also Thai restaurants such as Nu Thai, Star of Siam and Sukhumvit Soi 38 in your food hunt list. Besides that, The Golden Boy will offer you the modern Thai and Australian fusion cuisines.
Slurp pho and wrap your own cold roll at Vietnamese restaurants such as Yen Linh, Thanh Thanh and NNQ. If sushi is your thing, head off to Genki Sushi Bar, Sushi Train, Wasai Japanese Restaurant.

My night time activities with my friends always linger around food trips, specifically dessert sessions. My all-time favourite is Eggless which has different offerings every month, not to mention that it’s vegan-friendly too. Other dessert cafes which feature thick hot chocolate drinks are Koko Black and Steven ter Horst Chocolatier. The Original Pancake Kitchen on the other hand offers a 24/7 meeting venue for late nighters. For Asian desserts, check out Sir Cafe honey toast and Meet Fresh taro dessert. Dainty desserts can be found at Dolce and Co, whereas macaron can be ordered from Mac Factory.

Adelaide often hits the highest temperature during summer. In times like this, I often visit the ice cream shop to cool myself down. Check out Gelatissimo for the green tea ice cream, St Louis Ice cream for the artisan ice cream or 48 flavours for the variety of ice cream choice.

Burger joints are becoming a trend in Adelaide in recent years. I love the Mighty Crow Eater from Grill’d, Fancy Burger, the Option 2 burger from Burger King, soft shell crab burger from Bread & Bone Wood Grill and veggie burger from Vego and Love’n It.

Although I am not a coffee addict, but it cannot wipe away the fact that good coffee is essential, especially during SWOTvac or hangout sessions. Take a sip of coffee at Exchange or Coffee Branch and try the pastries (especially cruffins) there which are made by Abbots and Kinney. The mushroom ragu and coffee from Bar 9 are a must when you visit.

Speaking about pastries, Red Door Bakery is famous for its sausage roll and Jenny’s Bakery is proud of it’s cronut. For a good brunch, try cafes along Ebeneezer Place or Argo on the Square. The sweet potato fries at Argo are to die for. Check out PUBLIC and Flinders Street Project for interesting and delicious offerings.

For quick meals during short lunch breaks in university or budget meals, check out the food court at Renaissance Arcade, Chinatown, Rundle Place or Southern Cross Arcarde. I particularly love the Japanese bento at Chinatown and Soonta Vietnamese food at Rundle Place food court.

For a fancy night out, do try Sean’s Kitchen, Jamie’s Italian, Africola (African food) or Georges on Waymouth (European food). If you are looking for Italian food, why not try Amalfi, Brunetti or La Trattoria.

On Sundays, do check out the Adelaide Farmer’s Market as well as Market Shed on Holland. Both the markets offer fresh produces and food. In addition, you might see Poh, the runner up of MasterChef Australia 2009 in one of the markets as she has stores in both markets. There is also Fork on the Road which will happen once per month which gathers all the food trucks in one place. Visit the Facebook page to stay up to date about the next gathering.

Last but not least, food is always more delicious with good company. Do plan occasional food hunt trips with your friends amidst the busy schedule of dental school.

Enjoy Adelaide!

Love, Victoria.

+ Getting to clinic

As of 2017, First year BDS and BOH clinics will be held at a clinic in Gilles Plains. The address to the clinic is:

TAFE SA Gilles Plains Dental Clinic
33 Blacks Road
GILLES PLAINS
SA 5086

If you're not sure how to get to clinic, there are a couple of transport options available to you.

Car

Gilles Plains Clinic is about a 20 minute drive from the CBD. Have a look at the interactive map below for more specific directions. To save some money on fuel, organize a carpool with some friends!

Bus

Catching a bus from near the University:

• Express (O-Bahn): Hop on the 501 or 502 bus at Stop I2 North Terrace (North side), Hop off at Stop 28 Sudholz Rd, Cross the road and walk 500m up Blacks Rd to the Gilles Plains Dental Clinic. This trip should take approximately 25 minutes.

Catching a bus from North Adelaide:

• Hop on the 273 bus at any stop on Melbourne St (Stop 2A-5), Hop off at Stop 29A Sudholz Rd, Walk North up Sudholz Rd for 100m then turn right on Blacks Rd and walk 500m to the Gilles Plains Dental Clinic. This trip will take approximately 45 minutes.
• Hop on the 271 bus at any stop on Melbourne St (Stop 2A-5), Hop off at Stop 30 North East Rd, Walk south back down North East RD for 100m then turn right on Lynton Ave continue to the end and then turn right onto Blacks Rd and walk 500m to the Gilles Plains Dental Clinic. This trip will take approximately 45 minutes.