Lonely Planet - Caulfield

Architecturally interesting Monash Caulfield is located on Dandenong Road (Princes Hwy) in Caulfield East, a pleasant, inner-city suburb about 10km southeast of the city centre.

Destination overview
Eat & drink
Places to stay
Things to do
Work

Destination overview

There's a definite air of affluence in the Caulfield area, particularly in close-by suburbs such as Malvern, Malvern East, Brighton East, Armadale and Elsternwick. It's an urban walker's dream around here: pick a street, like Balaclava Road starting in Caulfield North, and just keep walking (you'll be amazed at the changing landscape, from jaw-dropping mansions to fabulous little delicatessens).

A stroll in just about any direction will see you stumbling across something of interest: whether it's fabulous shopping strips, great parks, gardens and walking trails, or simply a fine example of Melbourne suburbia.

Caulfield train station is so close to campus it seems like it was purpose-built for the uni. It's a quick trip into the city from here (10 minutes; take your pick of the Cranbourne, Pakenham or Frankston lines) or you can head one stop east to Carnegie station to sample all the food delights that Koornang Road has to offer (see Places to Eat & Drink – Off-Campus). Trams (eg No 003) also run right past the uni into the city and surrounding suburbs.

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Eat & drink

Places to stay

Places to stay (on-campus)
International Mews - While not on campus, this apartment complex consists of 18 five-bedroom self-contained apartments under a private lease arrangement with Monash University and can accommodate up to 90 students. It's about a seven-minute walk from campus and is designed to provide international students (18+ years) with an immediate accommodation option on arrival. For more information, have a look at Caulfield's Monash Residential Services' website: www.mrs.monash.edu/on-campus/caulfield

Things to do

There are some great cycling paths close to Monash Caulfield. Head straight up Burke Road for about 3km then pick up the bike trail just over the Monash Freeway. From here you can head west into the city or east hooking up with the Anniversary Trail down near East Malvern train station. You can ride all the way (about 18km) to gorgeous Fairfield Park Boathouse (tel 9486 1501; www.fairfieldboathouse.com; Fairfield Park Drive, Fairfield; open daily) on this trail (if your legs are up for it), where you can reward yourself with a Devonshire tea or perhaps a hot chocolate fudge sundae ($6).

If you like to follow the horses, you're in luck with the Caulfield Racecourse (tel 9257 7200; www.melbourneracingclub.net.au; Station Street, Caulfield) on the campus doorstep. And if you're not too busy studying for/sitting exams, make sure you head on over for the annual Caulfield Cup (students $20), one of the biggest horse races in Australia, held on the third Saturday in October.

One of the best things about Monash Caulfield is its proximity to so many great shopping strips, such as: Glenferrie Road, Malvern; Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick; High Street, Armadale (well known for its pricey antique shops and bridal boutiques, and well out of the price range for most students...but fun for window-shopping); and, slightly further afield, Burke Road in Camberwell (walk up Burke Road to Malvern Road, then take tram No 72 the rest of the way up Burke Road to Camberwell Junction).

Then, of course, there's the shopping mecca Chadstone Shopping Centre ('Chaddy'), about 3.5km east along the Princes Hwy (see Clayton campus for details; take the train east to Hughesdale station, then walk north up Poath Road to the Princes Hwy).

There are some lovely parks and gardens close by, such as Central Park (cnr Burke & Wattletree Roads), a little slice of New York City in suburban Melbourne, 1km north of campus; and Caulfield Park (bordered by Balaclava, Hawthorn & Inkerman Roads), a lovely expanse of green less than 1km northwest of campus, with plenty of ovals for kicking a football or going for a jog.

You'd never guess it, but the Caulfield campus is only about 10km from some great beaches, so if the weather's too good to be sitting indoors studying, why not head on down south to the coast? Sandringham's Half Moon Bay is a gorgeous place – you'd never know you were in the city – great for swimming, watersports and walking. Take the train two stops east to Murrumbeena station, then catch bus No 822 going south down Murrumbeena Road to Sandringham station.

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Work

Monash's Careers & Employment website (www.careers.monash.edu), which incorporates an online job-searching system, is the best place to start looking for part-time or casual work while you're studying (or full-time employment after you've graduated). Here you'll find any number of jobs advertised, from local restaurants and eateries to companies doing their annual stocktake.

For casual work you could also try approaching large stores in the area such as:

• Officeworks (tel 9564 7277; cnr Warrigal & Waverley Roads, Chadstone)
• Coles Supermarket (tel 9571 0311; Caulfield Plaza Shopping Centre, cnr Dande­nong & Derby Roads)
• David Jones (tel 8531 4444; Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone)
• Myer (tel 9567 6211; Chadstone Shopping Centre, 1341 Dandenong Road, Chadstone)

Also keep your eyes open for the 'Study, Work, Play' program, an initiative aimed at creating on-campus job opportunities for students.

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