Wollongong, where ARET is based, is a coastal city about 80 kilometres south of Sydney.
It is the 10th largest city in Australia, with a population of approximately 290,000.
Before white settlers arrived, Wollongong’s residents were the Dharwal Indigenous Australians.
The area has a lot of coal so coal mining has been one of Wollongong’s main industries since the 19th century.
Today, Wollongong’s main industries are steel production and other heavy industries, education and tourism. The University of Wollongong attracts many international students and many students from Sydney as well.
Wollongong is a very beautiful and scenic city, with the ocean on one side and mountains on the other. The beaches are very popular with surfers and families. You could say that Wollongong is characterised by three different types of culture—the working class culture, the student culture and the beach culture, making it a diverse and dynamic city.
The climate is mild – not too hot in summer and not too cold in winter. In my humble opinion, Wollongong has the best climate in the world! Sometimes it gets a bit windy but I don’t mind that at all.
Wollongong is also a convenient place to live because of its proximity to Sydney. It takes only an hour to travel to Sydney on the train. It is more relaxed, scenic and less expensive that Sydney!
Vocabulary
Coastal 海岸沿い
White settlers 白人の開拓者・入植者
Indigenous Australiansオーストラリアの原住民
Coal mining 石炭工業
Steel production 鉄鋼生産
Heavy industries 重工業
Scenic 景色のいい
Working class 労働者階級
Diverse 対応性のある
Dynamic 生き生きした
Mild 穏やか
In my humble opinion… 私見ですが・・・
I don’t mind that at all 全然構いません
Proximity 近接