Preparing for Rural Placement
Rural placements provide students with an opportunity to live and work in a smaller community. They provide exposure to a wide variety of tasks at work and a great opportunity to learn new skills.
Planning your placement
To help with the planning of your trip to your placement, the UniSA DRH has developed a brief check list. This is to be used as a guide and should be not be your only checklist.
Getting to placement
As many placement locations within rural and remote South Australia are a considerable distance from Adelaide, it is important that careful consideration is made when planning your trip and ensure you keep family and friends aware of your progress once you have left home.
Travelling to the placement location in your own vehicle is highly recommended to allow you the ability to travel between your accommodation and placement, particularly in locations where public transport may not be available. Having your own vehicle also gives the opportunity to explore the area on your time off.
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Driving
If you do bring your own vehicle, it is important to make sure that it is mechanically sound to cover the vast distance of your journey. When travelling in your own vehicle, plan your journey to avoid travelling at dusk or dawn to reduce the interaction with wildlife that are active at these times.
Before heading out on your journey to placement it is a good idea to have your car serviced and the following items checked:
- Water levels
- Oil levels
- Tyre pressure and tread
This is only a guide and not an exhaustive list.
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Flying
Some locations in rural and remote South Australia are only a flight away. Flight times vary with each season and location.
Flights operate out of Adelaide to the following locations:
- Ceduna
- Coober Pedy
- Kangaroo Island
- Mount Gambier
- Port Lincoln
- Port Augusta
- Roxby Downs (Olympic Dam)
- Whyalla
For details on flight times and airlines see the airlines websites:
- Rex: http://www.rex.com.au
- QANTASlink: https://www.qantas.com/au/en/qantas-experience/our-network/qantaslink.html
- Alliance Airlines: https://www.allianceairlines.com.au
When making flight bookings ensure you have transport at the other end, not all locations have a taxi service and public transport.
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Bus
There are several bus companies that operate in country South Australia. Below is a list of the major service providers. Note that some services do not operate daily or the arrival time maybe after dark. This, along with transport at the arrival location will need to be considered when planning your trip.
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Stateliner has several services within rural South Australia, however does not service the Yorke Peninsula. For up to date information on this service visit their website: https://stateliner.com.au/routes/
- Yorke Peninsula Coaches does travel on the Yorke Peninsula, for up to date information on this service visit their website: https://ypcoaches.com.au/services/
- Greyhound bus service is through to Alice Springs, the Port Pirie stop is at the Tinman service station just outside of town. For up to date information on this service visit their website https://www.greyhound.com.au/
- LinkSA: https://linksa.com.au/bus-services/route-info.html
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