Welcome Day & O‑Week: Go Big or Go Home (And We Went Big)
Welcome Day at UniHall is always huge—but when you’re UWA’s biggest college, it’s basically a small festival. And this year? We really leaned in.
For Semester 1, 2026, we welcomed 352 new students into the UniHall family. With everyone encouraged to arrive on the official day, more than 200 new residents rolled in—along with parents, siblings, pot plants, childhood soft toys, and enough storage cubes to build a second college.
The Dining Hall was buzzing from the moment the doors opened. ResClub were in full force, handing out their iconic Fresher Packs and recruiting for the legendary Fresher Dance. Staff were right there too—helping residents jump onto our socials, snapping those classic first‑day moments, and showing newcomers why UniHall energy is… well, unmatched.
Everywhere you looked, something wholesome was happening—roommates meeting for the first time, parents giving heartfelt (and occasionally teary) pep talks, and corridors filling with the joyful chaos of people setting up their new lives.
Once families headed off and the campus took a deep breath, we gathered in the Lower Quad for our first moment as a community. A powerful Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony connected us to place, culture, and each other. Then came the most Aussie transition ever: a sizzling barbecue under a warm Perth sky.
From there, ResClub took the wheel. And trust us—they drove fast.
O‑Week was stacked with adventures designed to spark friendships and help everyone settle into college life. Some highlights:
By the end of the week, UniHall felt different. Not just full, but alive. The people who arrived clutching suitcases and nervous smiles were suddenly laughing together, planning their semesters, and settling into the rhythm of their new home.
This is what UniHall does best: turning strangers into neighbours, neighbours into friends, and O‑Week into the first chapter of something big