"There are boxes everywhere. We don't know what to take, what to leave – it's just crazy the amount of things you end up collecting,” the international student said. 

After two-and-a-half years in the central Victorian city, Ms Cuoto will next week submit her masters thesis before boarding a plane to her native Mozambique.

Her two children, Kaylane and Klausley, will join her. 

Ms Couto is one of about 200 students from overseas who study at La Trobe University in Bendigo.  

Although they come for a prescribed period of time, more often than not, something about Australia – new friendships, the unique culture – crawls underneath the skin of these students, making it difficult for them to contemplate leaving.  

The decision to return to Mozambique was a financial one for Ms Couto.

The Australian government gifted her a scholarship to study community development and planning, under the condition she repatriate and work for her country. Staying would mean paying back tens of thousands of dollars in student debt. 

It was an expectation Ms Couto was happy to fulfill, saying she felt an obligation to apply what she had learnt to her homeland.  

“The reason why I first came here was to gain experience and knowledge that I can use back home,” she said. 

“My experience in Australia would help because we're a far cry behind in terms of economic and social development.” 

But the move means temporarily breaking up her family. Ms Couto’s husband, Karson, has secured a working visa and will stay in Bendigo after his family fly home next week. 

It is a familiar situation for the clan. Ms Couto spent her first six months in Australia alone, leaving Kaylane and Klausley in their father’s care while she carved out a life for them in Bendigo. 

"It was the worst experience that I've been through, I would cry every night," she remembered. 

Ms Couto suspected this split would be hardest on her husband; she and the children would be surrounded by family upon their return.

The decision was also proving difficult for Kaylane, for whom the move will mean leaving behind classmates at Kennington Primary School. 

“She's asking, 'Mummy, I'm going to be away from my friends. I will miss my friends and my teachers,' and things like that,” Ms Couto said, explaining she felt some guilt about migrating again so soon. 

"We know that, for the age that she is now, she needs stability, she needs to have friends and attachment to place.

"This is a huge change, but she will adapt, the same way she managed to adapt and cope with Australia when she came here.”

Jack Tougen will also need to reacclimatise once he flies back to Vanuatu next week.

Before travelling to Australia for study seven years, the 33-year-old was living in a village one hour’s walk from Port Vila, sharing an aluminium shed with his family-of-five.

His friend and financial sponsor, Jane Withington, who hosted Mr Tougen when he first came to Australia, said the man’s life changed dramatically upon his arrival. 

“When he first came to me in 2009, he had no idea what a fridge even was. He called my bath a spa, and taking a bath was going for a swim,” Ms Withington, who Mr Tougen calls Mum, said.  

Since then, he celebrated a number of firsts: graduating from TAFE and university, getting his pilot’s licence and even modelling for Myer. The experiences were so far-removed from island life that it made going back difficult to imagine.   

The IT graduate was hopeful he could soon be in Australia again. A previous 12-month stint back in Vanuatu ended when the federal government granted him a new visa.  

Mr Tougen was already planning for his return, having been offered a place at RMIT Unversity next year. Ms Withington has even started a crowdfunding campaign to pay for his comeback, hoping to net $5000 towards his immigration fees. 

Until then, her friend’s mood was sombre, Ms Withington said, not knowing what work would be available once in Vanuatu. Here he works at herb farm B&B Basil. 

“He's not wanting to get on that plane.”

Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services executive officer Kate McInnes saw firsthand the consternation students faced when contemplating departure from Australia.

It was an especially difficult time for visitors from developing countries, Ms McInnes said, with many holding concerns for their personal safety and financial security back home. It was the quality of life they enjoyed in Bendigo that overseas-born residents valued most.  

The LCMS head wanted to see more international students stay on in Bendigo after their studies were complete.  

Most who came to the city did so for postgraduate study, Ms McInnes said, meaning they brought with them pre-existing expertise.  

“They're highly qualified individuals and I think that could have enormous economic benefit for the region.”

Encouraging those who stayed in Australia to choose Bendigo, instead of the more culturally diverse Melbourne, was also a challenge, she said. 

But Mexican man Alonso Navarro Mendoza is not seeking the bright lights of the city. Since touching down on Australian soil two years ago, the 30-year-old has thrown himself into Bendigo life, most notably as an LCMS employee responsible for building bridges between international students and the wider community.

“Bendigo's community welcomed me when I got here, gave me opportunities to develop myself,” he said when asked why he wanted to stay in the regional centre.  

He is currently in the process of applying for a visa that would grant him another two years’ stay. The wait for news from the immigration department was best described as “overwhelming”, he said.  

Mr Navarro, who aspired to work at a local council or community organisation, spent Friday at a La Trobe jobs forum, meeting with prospective employers. 

He hoped uncertainty about his visa status would not disadvantage him in the hunt for full-time employment but he understood bosses needed to be sure he was worth their investment. 

“I'd like to contribute to development of this place as much as it's contributed to my development.”

While time in Bendigo might be running out for Mr Navarro, Mr Tougen and Ms Couto, a new cohort of international students were just arriving.

Twelve new enrolments will begin studying at La Trobe this semester, from countries including the United Kingdom, Sweden and the Philippines. 

For them, Ms Couto has some advice: “Keep your mind open, make yourself ready to experience new things and enjoy most of the time you are here.”