Mountain walks and foodie delights in Melbourne

Residential Leader Callum made the move from Portland to our Melbourne Burwood campus to pursue a degree in Environmental Science. He's loving being able to immerse himself in the natural environment while still enjoying all the city has to offer!

Not only are the beautiful Dandenong Ranges an easy day trip, the relaxing Gardiners Creek Reserve is just a two minute stroll from our Burwood residences. In fact, we're delighted that there is a great deal of space to explore at the doorstep of our residential precincts at all four Deakin campuses!

We caught up with Callum to ask a few questions about his experiences so far:

How have you found the move from Portland to Melbourne, and why did you decide to
live on Res?

I found the move from Portland to Melbourne to be quite exciting and have enjoyed being
able to live independently. I decided to live on Res due to it being so close to campus, meaning I didn’t have to commute everyday. I also decided to live here due to the social aspect being that I could make friends and network easier.

How are you finding your Environmental Science degree so far, and what led you to study
this?

My degree is going quite well. I chose to do an Environmental Science major
because I have always had a passion for the outdoors and wanted to learn more about how the world works and contribute to helping manage and save the environment.

Have there been any highlights of your studies so far?

One of the highlights of my studies so far has been the opportunity during one of my units to go up into the beautiful Dandenong Ranges to analyse the water quality and soil samples along Olinda Creek with my group and apply knowledge and skills learnt through the unit.

What are some of the most rewarding things about your role as an Residential Leader?

The most rewarding part about my role as an RL is being able to interact and meet so many new and different ressies, and also working with an amazing RL and Campus life team!

Tell us about life in Burwood – what have been some of the highlights of city life?

The biggest highlight of Burwood is the amount of amazing food that is available everywhere and the convenience of going anywhere. I’ve gotten to try so many new and amazing cuisines.

What are you hoping to do once you finish your studies – any particular region or
environmental setting you’d like to work in?

After finishing my studies I would like to travel around and visit National Parks around the
world to see their beauty, learn more about them and see how they are managed. One
region I would like to work in would be in or around the Grampians National Park.

What advice would you give for students considering living on Res at Deakin and making
the move from the Portland region or other regional areas?

I would say to anyone moving to Res to make the most of every opportunity and to try new things - make the most of your time spent here by signing up for events and meeting new people, you will form friendships and make lifelong memories if you go out of your way to do things that you wouldn't usually do.

Thanks for that Callum, and great words of advice. We hear time and time again from students that by staying open to the opportunities that are on offer here at Res, they get much more out of their time at university.

Want to experience our campuses in person? Book a residential tour now.