Welcome to Australia! Each February and July WEP Australia welcomes students from around the world to Australia where they live for several months, a semester or a year as Australian teenagers. Students live with a volunteer host family, attend school time and make memories and skills to last a lifetime.
Scroll down to hear their stories as they settle in. From trying Vegemite to meeting the furry locals, our exchange students are jumping right into Australian life.
WEP has begun to receive the applications of students arriving in our next intake! Can you host one of these wonderful students?
My first week in Australia is just amazing! I live with a lovely host family and we do a lot of things together.
I saw the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House of Sydney when I arrived on Friday. I was too swimming in the sea with Zane, my host brother. It was a little cold but fun! We visited beautiful places!
I’ve been ice skating with Tiana, my host sister, and her friends and we went to the reptile park where we saw kangaroos, koalas, tassie devils, snakes...I saw too a whale in the sea!
I tested some Australia specialities like vegemite and I loved that! I haven't yet cooked for my family but I brought nougats and bergamotes from France and they loved that!
All is really different here and I just love Australia, everything is perfect. Thanks WEP and my host family for allowing me to live that!
-Eva from France living with the Barson-Wright family in Empire Bay.
I've been having an amazing time here in Australia. I have met so many nice people!
I've tried so many good foods (such as Tim Tams, my personal favourite, Fantales and a meat pie) and other not so good foods (Vegemite, sorry🙊) but I'm still trying to get myself to like it!
-Erika from Argentina living with the Barney family in Sydney
This is my first week here and for me is so strange to think that a week is already passed!
My family is really nice and they are very kind with me. I'm getting closer to my host sister everyday more and I think that sharing the school experience with her helps me a lot. Also the two younger siblings are funny and nice with me.
In the school I'm starting new friendships with my sister's friends and tomorrow night we are gonna make a little party all together because they wanted me to taste all the Australian specialties. It will be fun!
I'm the only exchange in my school, but the teachers are very nice and always ask me if everything is going well.
I cooked Spaghetti Carbonara and in the weekend I think we'll make Tiramisu!
-Francesca from Italy, living in Lismore with the McInerney family.
I’ve been to the Mareeba Rodeo with my host family, Palm Cove and Yungaburra and I’ve tried a lot of new things for the first time!
I tried TimTams, chips sandwich, Vegemite (and I kind of liked it), Promite, Lamingtons, avocado toasts and, of course, Australian pasta!
I really love Australia and the kindness of Australians, they are always really nice when you have some problems and help you as much as they can.
Here is my host sister, host brother and host grandma at Palm Cove.
-Eleonora from Italy living with the Hartley family in Cairns
My time in Australia has been great so far! Last weekend, my host family and I did the ‘Lighthouse Walk’. It’s a walk to a lighthouse through the low water. I loved it! The views in Bowen are so incredible!
My host family is a warm family who embraced me with open arms!
-Silke from Belgium living with the Peterson family
We have been to a couple of fancy dress birthday parties and I thought I would share a couple of photos of Giulia and our family! We are having an absolute blast with her! Thank you.
- The Hill Family of Bateman's Bay hosting Giulia from Italy.
I'm having an amazing time in Australia and I'm totally in love with this country!
My host family is amazing and we're doing a lot of things together. Last Sunday we went to a soccer match, then we had a barbecue in Narooma where I've seen seals and stingrays. It was amazing!
I've tried some Australian foods like Lamingtons, meat pies and I've also tried Vegemite (actually I liked it)!
I haven't cooked for my family yet but I've planned to cook carbonara, typical Italian pasta. I hope they will like it.
The school is really different from the one I'm attending in Italy but I'm really enjoying myself and I've met a lot of incredible people.. uniforms are not so bad actually! I've also joined a tennis team and this afternoon I have my first training.
-Teresa from Italy, living with the Aitken family in Bateman's Bay.
WEP Australia wishes our students and their host families a wonderful experience!
Welcome your own exchange student!
Request a free info pack: https://wep.org.au/host/
Email: info@wep.org.au
Phone: 1300 884 733