Ericson is studying at Australia’s most remote university campus and loving it!

The prospect of studying at Curtin University’s Western Australian School of Mines in Kalgoorlie, 600 kilometers from Perth in Western Australia, did not deter Australia Awards student Ericson Taris from Indonesia.  Having worked previously as a mining engineer in Indonesia, Ericson is accustomed to life in remote locations and he saw few barriers to undertaking a Master of Engineering Science at Curtin University’s campus rated in 2017 as number two (by subject) in the QS World Ranking for Mineral and Mining Engineering.

Having spent the first month at the Curtin University, Bentley Campus in Perth undertaking the Introductory Academic Program, Ericson recalls arriving by train in Kalgoorlie and noting the town hall tower from the railway station as the tallest builiding in town.  But Kalgoorlie a city of 33,000 people doesn’t seem to lack excellent facilities including Curtin’s student accommodation which Ericson describes as ‘lavish’.  This is the home for most of the students in his class, most of whom are international students including five Australia Awards students from Africa.

Currently working a few hours each week in a part time job in the hospitality industry, Ericson is hopeful to get a job working in the mines monitoring during the mine shutdown period – he sees this as a great way to apply his knowledge from the classroom as well as an opportunity for further social involvement.

Kalgoorlie is a very different town to anything you might see in Indonesia.  Ericson describes the town as surrounded by a ‘ring of pubs’ – and describes the city as ‘charming’ with a large number of historic buildings and museums which he has spent many hours visiting.

Returning to Indonesia after two years in Kalgoorlie, Ericson would ideally like to work as a lecturer and researcher in mining engineering.  He feels inspired by the manner in which lecturers at the Western Australian School of Mines relate to the students and their incorporation of technology into classes and would like to replicate this for other students in Indonesia.