Discovering Australia, One Stroke at a Time

My journey with Sport Lived began after I found myself looking for a way to spend my summer following graduating from university in 2024. Having researched numerous gap-year programmes, including volunteering programmes and backpacking, the opportunity offered by Sport Lived to spend a rowing season in Melbourne stood out from the crowd as a unique challenge. I had never been to Australia or been away from home for more than three months in one go, however the level of support offered by Sport Lived was exceptional and made settling in incredibly easy.

Our apartment was made up of six people, a mix of rowers, cricketers and football players. However, we bonded quickly and soon any concerns about being away from home were a thing of the past as we got to know our new city. Melbourne is the centre of sport in Australia, if not the World so as sportspeople ourselves we were excited that Sport Lived included tickets to the Boxing Day Test, a tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, ground passes to the Australian Open and tickets to the Australian Grand Prix among others.

My experience as a rower was one of great development as a sportsman. Being accepted into Mercantile Rowing Club, I knew I was facing a challenge. Mercantile is one of the best clubs in Australia, sending 8 athletes to the Paris 2024 Olympics, however the ‘clubbie’ squad is perfect for rowers such as myself, who will never be elite athletes but want to have the facilities to push themselves to their highest possible level. At Mercantile this meant regularly training alongside Australia’s top rowers and being coached by a multiple time National Champion cox. This was a major step up from the local club I had learnt to row at, however, the squad at Mercantile was very welcoming and I was soon regularly taking part in social events with them. Alongside the social life and daily training sessions was a busy race schedule, racing in numerous regattas across Victoria, giving the opportunity to see a side of life in Australia outside of the cities that most tourists would never experience.

Overall, Sport Lived is an opportunity I would recommend to anyone, especially the six month programme. Although it is a large investment, the quality of accommodation alongside the numerous trips and events included in the price makes it well worth it. As chances to see new countries and try something you’d never otherwise have the opportunity to do, Sport Lived is definitely the best way to do it.