Marcus Road Kindergarten, Dingley Village, Melbourne, Victoria 3172. Australia.
This is a sessional Kindergarten for children aged 4. There are two groups of children and they attend the setting for two 3 hours sessions and one 5 hour session per week.
The sessions are run by one teacher, Vicki Beaumont, and one assistant and there can be between 25 and 30 children in each group. The children follow the Early Years Learning Framework of Australia.
I stayed with a friend here in Dingley Village but there is a hotel in the village called the Dingley International Hotel http://www.dingleyinternational.com.au/
The nearby town of St. Kilda is approximately 20 minutes away by car and has many backpacking hostels etc. This would provide more affordable accommodation if you are happy to travel.
Flights to Australia cost approximately £850 at this time of year (March). they tend to be cheaper in the British Summer and mor Expensive in the British Winter.
It takes approximately 24 hours to travel to Melbourne from the UK. There are flights from London Heathrow and Birmingham Airport. Once you arrive in Melbourne Dingley Village is 30 minutes away by car/taxi. It will cost you approximately $50 (£35) in a taxi.
There are buses that run every 15 minutes throughout the day that will take you to the local tram and train stops from which you can travel into the city and access the attractions, sporting venues and shopping precincts. To travel around you will need to buy a smartcard in advance from a local newsagent where you see the 'myki' sign.
Dingley Village is a fairly small community with a small centre which has a supermarket, cafes and restaurants. These include a Thai, Chinese and Tandoori. There are also many fastfood outlets such as fish and chips, pizza and southern fried chicken.
For a livlier night out head to St.Kilda where there are many restaurants, bars and nightclubs that are open until the early hours, or in to Melbourne city centre which is famous for its waterfront dining and cafe culture.
Things to do, things not to do
Do make sure you apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) visa to allow you access to Australia, this is valid for 3 months. It costs approximately £10 if you purchase this through a travel agency, but if you do it yourself online directly with the Austalian Government it is free www.eta.immi.gov.au
Do not try and bring any liquids into the country in your hand luggage (including Duty Free) over 100ml as this will be confiscated by boarder control. Its best to save any purchases such as perfume from Duty Free until the flight home.
The Australian Government also do not like you bringing in any food or wooden objects to the country. If you do bring these you will have to declare them otherwise you could be fined upto $1000 (even for a bar of chocolate!)
Make sure you read the travel guide available at the airport. There are so many great things to do in this area. From visiting one of the many gorgeous beaches to heading in to the county and travelling on the Puffing Billy steam train or hitting the shops bars and cafes in the city centre. There really is something for everybody.
Marcus Road Kindergarten tel: 00 613 9551 1209
British Consulate tel: 00 613 9652 1600
Pack plenty of sunscreen. It can get very hot here and the sun and UV rays are much stronger than Europe.
The climate is also very changeable at this time of the year (March) so bring a variety of clothes. One day it can be 30 degrees and the next day 20 degrees.
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