Not only does it boast being home to the world's continuously operating lacrosse club (since 1883), but the University of Melbourne is also the breeding ground of Nobel laureates and Australian Prime Ministers. Seven Nobel laureates have been students or faculty at the University, and four Australian Prime Ministers are also alumni.

Photo: University of Melbourne, Melbourne
Photo Courtesy of / www.unimelb.edu.au

With a smaller student body and smaller classes than counterpart University of Melbourne, the Australian National University, the campus holds a six-branch large library replete with 2.5 million physical volumes, and an idyllic campus setting perfect for the bookworm student.

Photo: John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra
Photo Courtesy of / www.anu.edu.au

Founded in 1850, it's marginally the oldest university in Australia and Oceania, and despite having residential colleges being modelled (architecturally as well as culturally) on those found at Oxford and Cambridge in the U.K., this hasn't stopped the University of Sydney from having some very fantastically modern and futuristic architecture and interiors in several of its buildings.

Photo: University of Sydney Main Quadrangle, University of Sydney, Sydney
Photo Courtesy of / www.sydney.edu.au

Earlier this year they joined edX to offer several MOOCs on topics ranging from hypersonics to tropical coastal ecosystems - but it's more fun if you're on campus - the university originated the 'Three Minute Thesis' competition - which challenges students completing a higher degree in research to present their thesis in just 180 seconds.

Photo: James and Mary Emelia Mayne Centre, University of Queensland
Photo Courtesy of / www.uq.edu.au

If building robots and then setting them off to play football (soccer) somewhere in the world, is your thing, then you might be interested to know the University of NSW is the home of the rUNSWift team - the world's most successful contender in the international RoboCup Standard Platform League competiton - which showcase the team's built, soccer playing robots.

Photo: University of New South Wales, Sydney
Photo Courtesy of / www.unsw.edu.au