Accommodation
Organising your accommodation is an important step as you prepare for the study year. We recommend that you start looking at your accommodation options as early as possible, particularly if you want to apply for on-campus accommodation in Townsville. If you are planning to live off-campus, aim to arrive early so you have enough time to look at options and secure permanent accommodation. Study in Australia has some useful information about accommodation and the costs you might expect to pay for the various options.
James Cook International provides a free transport service for students wanting to view potential properties and meet with agents/landlords. If you wish to use this transport service you must register 24 hours prior to the commencement of each session, by visiting the Student Centre in Townsville and Cairns. Tours will depart from the Student Centre.
Tips before you register for our free accommodation transport service:
• Familiarise yourself with the suburbs of Townsville and Cairns. Students’ preferred suburbs for searching for accommodation in Townsville are: Douglas, Aitkenvale, Cranbrook, Annandale and Kirwan. In Cairns, they are Smithfield, Trinity Beach, Yorkey's Knob Beach, Clifton Beach, Kewarra Beach, Parramatta Park and Westcourt.
• Search for accommodation from the Off-campus Accommodation database; The Townsville Bulletin (Wednesday and Saturday); The Cairns Post (Wednesday and Saturday) and RealEstate.com.au
• Once you have the found potential accommodation, you will need to make an appointment to see the properties. Make sure you check with the Student Centre for available times before making appointments.
• Register for the Accommodation Transport Service by completing the form available at the Student Centre
The JCU Accommodation Service co-ordinates your on-campus accommodation applicaton for Townsville and manages an off-campus accommodation database, including private rentals, share housing and boarding. For off-campus listings visit the JCU Accommodation Service Off-campus database.
The Student Centre can organise temporary accommodation for you prior to your arrival if you do not have permanent accommodation organised. You can complete the Temporary Accommodation Booking form to take advantage of this service (Note: students are responsible for the cost of temporary accommodation).