Hub Central (Part 1)

Entrance

The Adelaide University Hub central is arguably the heart of the University. I have travelled to a couple of Universities around the world for my exchange semester experience. I have also knowledge on other universities such as UNISA (University of South Australia) and Flinders University. Each of them have their allocated location for students to study, get errands done, access university facilities or simply just to hang about after a long day doing a series of lectures. The Hub in Adelaide University has proven to far excels the others when it comes to comfort and with usefulness. So much could be done without leaving the Hub itself.

It is important to note that these types of areas dedicated mostly to studying are very important to University students. A good place to study is very important as often many cannot concentrate at home. So, a could area to study not only facilitates study but indirectly helps students excel at what they do. Now, the Hub central is not the only building used to study. There are other buildings around the campus although Hub central is the most central one and it is also the one that is accessible by absolutely everybody. There is a lot to offer so, often my mates would come here to study together or my group mates doing some work here rather than doing it in a cafe or somebody else’s house. The building is divided into four levels. Also, strangely enough, the main entrance is located on the third floor while the bottom floor is actually the first floor. It all goes down to the original design of the Hub although this ends up being more convenient.

Alright, let's begin then. To get to the main entrance of the hub is from North Terrace. When you are facing the University from North terrace you would simply have to walk directly straight to it while sticking to the left side. On the right side (relative to north terrace) you will be able to access other parts of the University. While on the left you will walk down a few stairs to enter be able to face the entrance to the hub. The entrance is predominantly glass which allows you to look inside (and vice versa). Before entering, on your right there is the main building for the music faculty. This structure is currently being renovated. It is a joy to walk past this place every day. Often, even late at night, you will have very talented individuals playing their tunes and singing songs with grace and absolute raw beauty. I would highly recommend sitting about this area if you are looking to relax as these are not beginners trying to figure out different strings in their instruments or picking up the basics. Rather, these are growing professionals in their field.

Opposite of this building you will be able to enter the Adelaide University’s post-office. The post-office is privately run and pays a lease to maintain business there. From here you could get any of your letters to establishments or NGOs sent or buy equipment for university. This includes high-power calculators, notebooks, rulers and much more. It makes life quite convenient as sometimes I lose too many pens and I could imply buy a pack from here to last me for a while.

Returning to the entrance. If you look up to your left from the entrance you will also be able to spot a bit of writing glued onto the glass. Here, it shows a bit of background of Astronaut Andy Thomas. He is considered one of Adelaide University’s greatest graduates for ending up sponsored by Nasa and sent to space. It is actually quite beautiful. Even if he places on his legacy will live in the memories of others not simply with a quote on the side of a University entrance but history as well. It is quite touching.

General store

There are also large wooden benches under the quote for those that want to sit and chit chat in the area or set up stands for whatever cause or idea. Once you enter those doors you will be in level 3. It is worth noting that on the weekend and after a certain time during weekdays it is impossible to enter the University unless you or a mate have a University of Adelaide student card. This card has a chip you could scan to be able to enter. The glass doors would slide away to allow you inside. Now, there is quite a lot to take in. On your right you will have the University of Adelaide’s General Store. This store is a place that acts much like a small convenience store. You could buy all sorts of snacks and foods such as sandwiches, donuts, chocolate bars, peanuts, sweets, instant noodles, Tim tams and much more. It is also a place to buy University of Adelaide merchandise.

If you’re looking to buy a tote bag, a t-shirt, a hoodie or a vest with the University of Adelaide’s initials on it then you could buy it here. It’s a good way to be able to take a small break and grab something to eat. It’s convenient as the closest supermarket is about a ten minutes’ walk away which would probably require 5-10 minutes of shopping to grab what you want and check it out with another ten minutes walking back. It's too much of a hassle. That's why the General Store comes in to the rescue. They also sell fruits such as apples, bananas and also some yogurts and other health meals. So, it's easy to be healthy although it is not exactly cheap. Although, you have the option of getting a union membership for 25 dollars. This membership gives quite a bit of benefits. One of the most important ones is the 10% discount on what you buy in the general store. This makes things more affordable that it would have been without it. As it is quite expensive without the discount.

If you exit the General Store, on your right you would have a few ATMs to access. There are three different types of ATMs which make it easier to draw money from. Right next to one of the ATMs there is a recharge station for metro cards. Here, you could recharge your card easily and in a convenient manner. This has saved me quite a few times in the past. Since quite a few of the times I ran out of credit on my card and I was unable to find a place that was open at that point in the night to recharge my metro card. The only place I am aware of that does not require a place to be open will be a recharge machine in the most northern station of King Williams Street. From there you could easily access the recharge station with little trouble.

Student accommodation and the kitchen

Right next to this ATM there is the student accommodation help office. It's a door less office and pretty small. They set up a couple of computers and desks in there during the day. It's a great help for many incoming students as many struggles to be able to find a place to live in a new country. It doesn’t help that sometimes the language of the country is not your first one. This is a very common case where many who do not speak English fluently move to Australia to learn English through university while acquiring a degree. This place will help you find a place quite easily. If you have any problems with other forms of accommodation, then you could come to them and they could give you advice on what to do.

Facing the Hub entrance there are more than a dozen tables several metres away. Many study in this area as there are also sockets installed. This will allow you to study for hours on end with eateries nearby. The only downside to this is the fact that you have to deal with all the hustle and bustle of students walking to and from class. It's not exactly the picture of peace and quiet on level three. There is also a small bookcase located in this area where people put books they don’t want or need. You could take a book or deposit your own for others to read. I recall how half the time I came to look at the books out of interest I would find German books. Whether they are German language books or regular books in German, I am not too sure. Although, they are probably still there.

This area is quite large and just diagonal to this spot is another large and exposed studying area with tables and electric sockets. Here you could find stairs that lead to the lower floors. Just across it is one of Adelaide University’s book stores. Here you could find textbooks and all different knick knacks useful for your everyday university life. Returning to the area of the student accommodation, there is a large area where has a couple of doors. One which leads outside the building back to the campus and the other is the large outside area where students can sit down and relax or eat food on one of the tables while still being inside the hub.

This large room is actually the kitchen area. There are many benches and seats along with a long table and another couple of high tables to sit on. At the far end of the room there are several microwaves to use which also includes a couple of toastie machines (sandwich toaster) and a couple of sinks to clean your plates in. Usually during peak lunch hour there are a crazy amount of people here. Often there would be a line that extends almost to the entrance of the room. There are two vending machines that sell all sorts of snacks and a couple of microwavable foods as well if you forgot to bring your own.

This room also has several dozen lockers which allow you to store your stuff as long as you’re a student. The way it works is that there is a spot close to the entrance of the kitchen where you need to scan your student ID to open. From here, you are allowed to pick a key (if there are any available) and leave your stuff in there. There is a limit on time. The downstairs lockers range from 3-8 hours of usage. On the other hand, the kitchen only provides three-hour lockers. After that you will have to remove them. Right outside the kitchen room within the Hub there are a few computers which are perfect for quick use. They’re mostly designed for sending an email or sending something to the printers to get printed. If you walk further into level four you will enter a large area where a few dozen computers are set around. This place is a very popular spot and is quite often full, you would have to keep a close eye for anybody getting off or grab a place pretty early in the day or much later.  There are also many rooms around the area where you are able to book for a study session by yourself or with mates. All of these allocated study areas need reservation and are almost always full. They are in high demand so you would have to book one of these rooms way in advance.

Food court

Finally, the last main area of level three is the food court. Here, you’ll have the option to buy food from four main eateries. In effect, you’ll have access to Chinese food, Burger Theory and a whole variety of sandwiches and salads. The food here isn’t too bad. One of the most popular options is paying roughly 6-7 options for a massive box filled with fries. Perfect to have if you are doing a long group project and need to share. The box is definitely not one designed for a single person to eat due to how many there are. There is also the option of buying wedges instead. Either one is a good option although the wedges is like a dollar or so extra.

This place has a small sitting area in between all the different eateries. There is also an outside area for you to enjoy your meal or coffee. I do recommend trying out the salads from Grassroots. They are quite tasty and very satisfying to try. If you want something crispier then I recommend the prawn chips which cost only two dollars for a large amount from the Chinese eatery. They also serve apples and bananas for a dollar each, so they’re offer a balance from awful to decent food. This pretty much concludes level three of the Hub. The main area for food and relaxation or simply catching up with mates. The small area to study is also an option to undertake. Next up we’ll be referring to the heart of the Hub which is located on level 3.