The below is general information on what you should consider in packing for your trip to Australia. You should also consider your airline luggage size and weight limits.
The Middle School, Senior School or Timbertop Handbook will have further information for you on what is suggested that you bring, particularly if you will be boarding at GGS. Your Head of House may also provide further information, or recommendations and suggestions on things to bring.
Passport
Ensure your passport is valid and you have a copy of your visa. You should also photocopy or have a scanned copy of your passport and your visa, in case these are lost or stolen at any time. Your parents should also keep a copy, and a copy may be provided to the School.
Uniform, Booklist, Computer and Other Equipment
You will receive information as to your uniform, booklist, computer device requirements, and other equipment requirements (including for any sports and music lessons) from the School prior to your commencement. These will vary dependent on your age and your campus. The majority of these items can be purchased through GGS.
The GGS uniform and sports uniforms may be purchased from the Uniform Shop, which has a shop at both the Corio Campus and Toorak Campus. The Uniform Shop offers both new and pre-loved unform items.
For students who are attending the Overseas Student Programme Orientation in January, you will have the option to attend a uniform fitting as part of the Orientation. For all other students, you and your parents, guardians or homestay provider will need to make an appointment to be fitted for a uniform prior to commencement.
Items purchased from GGS, through the uniform or hike shops or similar, and any excursions will be put on your student account for payment by your parents / guardians.
If you are a Senior School student and you are bringing your own device (ie computer) to GGS, your parents will receive instructions on how to set up your device to access the GGS systems in mid January – you should access this email to set up your device before you arrive at GGS.
The Corio Campus book room, located in the Cook Quad, sells a range of pens and pencils, general stationery, books and novels to students and is open during School Terms, Monday to Friday.
Casual Clothing and Toiletries
You will need casual clothing for evenings, weekends and other times you are not at GGS / in School uniform. Given Victoria has varied weather, you will need to ensure you have clothing for both hot and cold weather.
Don’t forget toiletries and personal care items as well. Additional items can be purchased through the School, or on weekends and exeats with your parents or homestay provider.
Further details on what to bring are available in the Middle School, Timbertop and Senior School Handbooks.
Medicine
If you need regular medicine for a medical condition (like diabetes, asthma or eczema), you will need to pack this along with a letter from your doctor (written in English) which details how the medication is to be taken.
If you are a boarder, the GGS Kennedy Health Centre or Timbertop Health Centre will have been in touch with you and your parents to discuss the School’s requirements for your medication. This includes giving the medication to your House or Unit staff on your arrival and they will arrange for you to have your medication as required. You must not keep any medication in your dorm room or unit.
Mobile Phone
Ask your mobile phone provider if your phone will work in Australia – if not, you might need a new Australian SIM to use while you’re here. You may arrange this at most supermarkets and shopping centres, and your family or homestay provider will be able to assist you to get a SIM card and set it up.
If you need a new Australian SIM you should ask your parents or homestay provider to assist you to do this on your arrival in Australia. This will ensure you are able to get in contact with your family, friends and homestay provider while in Australia. The easiest way to stay in touch with your family is via Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Facetime or something similar.
Students at Timbertop are not permitted their phones or other devices during School Term however you are able to access phones and devices during exeats and School holidays. They may, however, communicate via letter with their families – further details is available in the Timbertop Handbook and will be provided by your child’s Head of Unit. For overseas students, letter are scanned and sent to parents to avoid delays in international mail. Parent replies are printed from email and provided to their child.
Money and Banking
If you are not in Australia with your family, you should have a debit or credit card from your parents, which you can use to purchase food, personal items and activities when you go on excursions, visit your homestay provider, or spend time away from GGS.
While your homestay provider will provide you food and accommodation, you are responsible to pay for your personal treats, special foods or tuck you may wish to buy, your activities and trips, and any personal items you buy while you are in their home.
If you will be using a card connected to your parent’s bank, it’s important for you or your parents to tell your bank that you are about to travel and arrange to either access money in Australia or make charges in foreign currency.
An alternative to debit cards may be a prepaid card. Well known examples in Australia include Spriggy, ZAAP and FLX, but there are a number of other options out there. Prepaid cards are similar to debit cards but they are not linked to a transaction account. Instead, money is loaded onto the prepaid card and you may only spend what is on the card. You and your parents may monitor the balance via an app.
Your parents, homestay provider or another trusted adult should show you how to use the card before you arrive at the School, so you are confident to use it.
If you need to pay money from overseas into an Australia bank account you will need a SWIFT code from the payee to make the transfer. This is a code which is specific to each bank in Australia. The payee (the person receiving the money) will be able to tell you their SWIFT code and bank name, along with their BSB and Account Number.
Personal Insurance
Your parents will have arranged Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) as part of your enrolment process, with a health insurance provider. This medical insurance provides different levels of cover, so make sure you and your parents understand any limits or conditions. In all cases, OSHC will cover ambulance in Australia.
For more information on Overseas Student Health Cover see the Australian Government website, your provider’s website or your relevant Policy.
You and your parents should also consider whether you should obtain separate travel insurance as well, to cover things like flight delays, and lost or broken personal items. The School may also recommend further travel insurance for certain Adventures or activities, and will advise you and your parents in those circumstances.