well i didnt go to sydney uni, but i did do a MEng (masters) degree at a top 6 engineering uni here in the UK (loughborough was top 6 at the time haha)
whats the course like? well its all to do with preferences but i found it hot and cold. more hot, that cold though. yes there will be subjects that you just will not like, find extremely difficult or that bore you to death. for me this was materials engineering along with robotics and control and engineering insight (which im finding out now was actually bloody useful!!!)
but on the whole i thoroughly enjoyed it.... Mechanical Engineering is the jack of all trades, the things you can learn are extremely diverse, lots to choose from, so you can be sure you'll get to do things that interest you. electronics, maths, CFD, FEA, statics, dynamics, vibration, noise, laser processing, laser and optical measurement,business law and finance, CAD, old skool drawing by hand, IC engines, thermodynamics, thermo fluids, kinematics, robotics and control, mechatronics, metrology, tribology, teams and leadership..... yeah the list is bloody endless. so im sure you'll find something you like.
the great thing is, you cant be pigeon holed as readily. if youd of done a more specific engineering like systems then you would be perfect for that kind of job...but you may lack the skills for a more mechanical job. though i think our uni tried to get all engineering disciplines to do similar year 1 and 2 modules so that they all shared a few core topics.
so yeah if you arent entirely sure on what you want to do, mechanical is a great way to go because you do a bit of everything while majoring on the big engineering topics like thermo, fluids and mechanics in a less contextual way...(means its easier to see how theories apply to real life rather than just how they apply to engines or planes). it gives you a great spring board from which you can delve into specialising if you want or if you find a subject you become passionate about.
in my first 2 years it was quite broad, everyone did the same modules more or less and 2nd year was where they really squeezed us. no joke we had 9-6 lectures most days of the week. (even sometimes on wednesday when everyone else stopped at 1pm for sports....lboro is a massive sporting uni...lots of olympians here). and thats before having to do assignments and homework etc on the nights so some sacrifice is necessary.
3rd year was a full industrial placement and in the final 2 years on the master degree at least they tone down the weekly hours...you get to pick options/subjects that interest you and theres much more emphasis on project work. Our uni was very well connected with industry and we basically had 1 project per year with an industrial partner (an individual one in 4th year and then we did 2 group ones in 5th) . its a great way to get proper engineering done and learn from people in industry at the same time.... it also opens up great links with employment.
however while you dont spend as much time in the class room....you can spend an inordinate amount of time in the engineering dept, library or at home doing project work which will invlove doing briefs, design concepts, designing things, testing them, writing up results etc.
another thing....we also got a very good balance of pure academic work with practical work. we got to play with engines, taking them apart, designing building and testing little contraptions, playing with lasers, playing with measuring equipment, vibrometers, accelerometers, simulated power stations....so on and so forth.
so yeah in short, if its a got a good rep... then a mech eng degree is very rewarding, good balance of academic, practical and industrial work, diverse mix of subjects, a lot more real world.
if you are genuinely quite clever and switched on upstairs you will find that its quite easy to coast and get passes in most subjects... a pass here is 40% (3rd class, 50% is a 2.2, 60% is a 2.1 and 70+% is a 1st). its one of those subjects that you can waltz through with a 3rd or 2.2 if you want, but its very very difficult to master and get a top grade like a 1st.
you have to be prepared to pay attention in every class... be prepared to put social time on hold and even sports... i quit the swim team to concentrate on getting a first and im one of the few on my course who manage to still hold onto some kind of sports team (surf lifesaving) and get a 1st, alot of the other top guys did no sports and barely went out. you will spend long nights in engineering doing CFD simulations or CAD work or designing a gearbox or something. its a very time consuming subject (heh an people wonder why we moan for getting paid peanuts while the 6 hrs a week business grad is coining it in!)
here in the UK 4 years gets you a BEng with a diploma in industry (year out in industry) 5 yrs gets you an MEng and if the uni offer it off the bat take it. if its like here, if you get stuck on the BEng but want a masters you have to graduate then come back to do a postgrad MSc course at further expense (?5-8k) and do a full 12months learning entire subjects in a week while doing a big group prject with colleagues who are more often than not....nigerian. where as the MEng people just graduate after 5 years with only the cost of an additional year at uni.
Here as well you need the MEng should you wish to become chartered (CEng) as quickly as possible.
i can go do whatever i want now.... consultancy, oil & gas, power, nuclear, measurement, marine, automotive, aero.... Mechanical engineering really gives you the skills to get into any kind of engineering.