Every year at the start of O-Week, you see the same thing around St Lucia. Parents double-parked outside college, boots open, carrying tubs and suitcases and a floor lamp nobody will ever use. By about week three, half that stuff is shoved under the bed or on its way home.
College rooms are smaller than your home. Most are a single bed, a desk, a wardrobe and not much floor space. You don’t need to bring your whole bedroom from home. You need the basics, a few things that make the room feel like yours, and a plan for the Brisbane heat.
This is a practical packing list for moving into a UQ residential college. It covers what you’ll actually use, what you can skip, and a few things people forget until the first night.
Before You Pack Anything
Check your college’s own info first. Every college at UQ does things a little differently. Some rooms have ensuites, some have shared bathrooms down the hall. Some let you bring a bar fridge, some don’t. Most have rules about candles, heaters and anything that plugs in.
Your college will usually send a welcome pack or have a page with a “what to bring” list. Read it. It’ll save you buying something you’re not allowed to use.
Also find out your bed size. A lot of college beds are king single, which is longer than a standard single. Standard single sheets won’t fit properly, and you’ll spend the year with a fitted sheet popping off the corner.
Bedding
This is the stuff you’ll want sorted on night one, when you’re tired and everything else is still in boxes.
- Fitted sheet and flat sheet (two sets, so you’ve got one to use while the other’s in the wash)
- Pillow and pillowcases
- A light doona or quilt
- A mattress protector
Go light on the doona. Brisbane in February is hot and sticky, and plenty of college rooms don’t have air con. A thin cotton quilt or even just a sheet will do for the first couple of months. Winter does get cool at night from about June, so a warmer blanket is worth having, but you can bring that back after the mid-year break.
A mattress protector sounds boring, but college mattresses have had a lot of previous owners. You’ll feel better having one.
Clothes
Most people overpack clothes. You’ll end up wearing the same eight or nine things on rotation, like everyone else.
Here’s what’s actually useful:
- Everyday stuff for uni: shorts, t-shirts, a couple of pairs of jeans or pants
- A jumper or hoodie for lecture theatres, which can be freezing even when it’s 32 outside
- Something waterproof. Summer storms in Brisbane come in fast and hard
- Comfy shoes for walking. The campus is big and it’s hilly in parts
- Thongs for the shower if you’re sharing a bathroom
- Togs, for the pool or a trip to the coast
- Sportswear if you’re keen on college sport (and you’ll probably get dragged into it)
Then there’s the college-specific stuff. Colleges have formal dinners, balls and a lot of themed nights. Pack one decent outfit for formal dinners, something like a collared shirt or a simple dress. For themed events, don’t buy costumes in advance. You’ll have no idea what the themes are yet, and half the fun is throwing something together from Kmart or op shops the day before.
Leave the winter coats at home for now. You can bring them in July.
Bathroom Stuff
What you need depends a lot on whether you’ve got an ensuite or a shared bathroom.
The basics either way:
- Two towels, plus a hand towel
- Shampoo, conditioner, body wash
- Toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant
- Razor, skincare, whatever your normal routine is
- Any medication you take, with your scripts
- A small first aid kit with paracetamol, bandaids and some hydrolyte
If you’re sharing a bathroom, get a shower caddy. A cheap plastic one with a handle is fine. You’ll carry your stuff down the hall and back every day, so it needs to be easy to grab.
Don’t bulk-buy toiletries before you move. There’s a Coles at Toowong Village and a few shops around Indooroopilly, and it’s easy to top up once you know what you’re actually running through.
Study Gear
You don’t need a full Officeworks haul. Most of your study will happen on a laptop, either in your room or the library.
- Laptop and charger
- Phone charger with a long cable (power points never seem to be near the bed)
- A power board with surge protection, if your college allows them
- Headphones, ideally ones that block some noise
- A few notebooks and pens
- A desk lamp if the room light is harsh
- A USB stick or cloud storage set up
Good headphones matter more than you’d think. College is loud. Someone’s always playing music, or there’s a group yelling in the corridor at 11pm. Being able to block that out when you’ve got an assignment due is worth a lot.
Hold off on textbooks until you’ve been to your first classes. Lecturers often tell you which ones you really need, and a lot of them are available through the library or second-hand from older students at college.
Laundry Basics
A lot of first-years have never done their own washing. That’s fine, it’s not hard, but you need a few things.
- Laundry basket or bag
- Laundry detergent (pods are easiest to carry)
- A few coat hangers
- A small clothes airer for drying things in your room
Check how the laundry works at your college. Some use coins, some use cards or an app. Brisbane humidity also means things take longer to dry inside, so try not to leave washing sitting in the machine. It’ll smell musty fast.
Things That Make the Room Feel Like Yours
The first week can feel a bit strange. A blank room with plain walls and a stranger’s old desk isn’t exactly homey. A few small things help a lot.
- Photos of family, friends or your pet
- A small rug, if the floor’s lino or cold
- Removable hooks or poster strips (most colleges don’t allow nails or Blu Tack)
- A desk fan or pedestal fan
- A water bottle and a mug
- Some snacks for late nights
That fan is close to essential. If your room doesn’t have air con, a decent fan is what gets you through summer. Buy one in Brisbane if you’re flying in, rather than trying to fit it in a suitcase.
A pair of earplugs and an eye mask are also handy. Corridors can be noisy, and if your window faces east, the sun will wake you up early.
Documents and Admin
This stuff isn’t exciting, but you’ll need it in the first week.
- Photo ID (driver’s licence or passport)
- Your college acceptance letter or confirmation email
- Bank card, and a little cash
- Medicare card, or OSHC details if you’re an international student
- Any scholarship paperwork
- Your UQ student number written down somewhere
Keep these in one folder or envelope. Moving day is chaotic, and you don’t want to be digging through four bags looking for your ID at check-in.
Things People Forget
These come up every year:
- A small sewing kit or safety pins
- Plastic containers for leftovers
- A torch or just knowing where your phone torch is
- Insect repellent. The mozzies around St Lucia, especially near the lakes, are relentless
- Sunscreen and a hat. You’ll walk everywhere, and the Queensland sun doesn’t mess around
- A doorstop. Leaving your door open during O-Week is how you meet people
- Some basic cleaning stuff, like wipes and a cloth
What You Can Leave at Home
This is the bit most people get wrong. You can skip:
- Big kitchen gear. Most colleges cater your meals, and you won’t have much room to cook
- Lots of decorations. One or two things is enough
- Every pair of shoes you own
- Heavy winter clothes (bring them after the mid-year break)
- Anything banned by your college, like candles, heaters or toasters
- A printer. Use the library ones
If you forget something, it’s not the end of the world. Toowong and Indooroopilly are close by and have everything. Plenty of people pick up a few things in the first week once they see what the room actually needs.
Keep It Simple
Packing for college isn’t about having the perfect setup. Bring sheets that fit, light clothes for the heat, a good fan, your documents and a few things from home that make you smile. That’s most of it.
Before you buy anything, open your college’s official packing list and tick off what you’ve already got at home. Then fill the gaps, and leave room in the car. You’ll be surprised how much you collect over the year, and you’ll need to fit it all back in at the end.
For more information, visit the Residential Tenancies Authority for Queensland renting rights and bond details, Services Australia – Relocation Scholarship if you’re moving for study and may be eligible for financial support, and the Queensland Government’s heat and sun safety page for practical advice on staying safe in the Brisbane climate.