Schoolies Week

Schoolies Week on the Gold Coast

The history of schoolies week probably extends back to ancient Greece when the first formal schools were created, and hence the first formal school graduations. Things would have been simple then, you and your mate Alexius would have finished up at the academy and headed over to Ithicus's house and spent seven days drinking wine in the sun and preparing for the college years.

Nowdays not an awful lot has changed - formal schooling has been around for a while, and it's now the school formal which marks the end of school and the beginning of Schoolies Week.

If you've planned it correctly and saved up the princely rental bond, you will rock up to your apartment in central Surfers Paradise sometime aroud 2pm on the Saturday after the post formal party and start drinking heavily at 2.01pm, or as soon as you've said goodbye to your parents. The drinking will stop approximately six days and sixteen hours later.

Roughly 10,000 of your fellow high school graduates will be sharing Cavill Ave with you, 100 of them will be arrested for being naughty (according to last year's figures) and over 300 toolies (non school leavers hanging out in Surfers during Schoolies Week) will also end up in the watch house.

But mostly, you will have a ball.

Top Ten Tips for Schoolies

• Check out your accommodation house rules - if your accommodation is damaged, or there are other issues, discuss immediately with your apartment manager
• Underage drinking or using fake ID could land you with a $1875 fine.
• Unwanted or forced sexual behaviour is a crime.
• Police are there to help you - stay calm, listen and follow instructions.
• Look out for schoolies volunteers - they'll provide advice and support.
• Respect that others live, work and visit the Gold Coast
• Remember your medication - especially if you're asthmatic, a diabetic or have epilepsy
• Pack your school ID so you can get an official Schoolies Week ID for your chance to win prizes
• If you are sexually active, practise safe sex
• Be sun smart and drink plenty of water