Friday, September 21, 2018. My phone showed 17:30 and 28 degrees. It was a hot day. I was sat on the back seat of Giovanni’s car. In front of me there were Francesco, driving the car, and Kevin, on his left. It was my fourth time going to Cairn’s airport, although, the first one not driving my car. I had previously spent nine months in Sweden and nine months in California. But, that time, Australia, after Spain, (the country where I was born) had just become the country where I had got to spend the longest in my life. After 11 months and 2 days I was leaving the sixth largest country in the world. I couldn’t believe it.
It seemed it was last month when I first arrived in Sydney. It seemed it was last week when I got to spend half a day waiting for the New Year’s fireworks, right in front of the Harbour Bridge. It seemed it was a couple of days ago when I went to Tasmania to try to become the “new” Lionel Messi. It seemed it was yesterday when I went through the hottest period of my life; yes, my beginning picking pears and apples in Mooroopna was not easy, but it was worthwhile. It seemed it also was yesterday when I embarked myself in a one-month trip around Australia with my friend Chaves. It definitely seemed it was not too far ago when I started building my third period in Australia, after Sydney and Mooroopna, it was time for Cairns.
As Einstein used to say: “time is relative”. I couldn’t believe that, after having been thinking about it for a while, I had decided to leave my life in Barcelona and jump into the unknown. The unknown, “after a little while”, became not that scary. Unlike in some previous experiences of my life, throughout my time in Australia, I was able to focus and enjoy what I had, instead of thinking about what I didn’t have. Unlike in some previous experiences of my life, I was able to avoid comparing where I was with where I had been before. Unlike in some previous experiences of my life, I did my best to live in the present and I decided not to take what I had for granted.
I believe that after eleven months, different regions and different jobs, I’m in a fair enough position to give you some advice when it comes to spending some time in Australia. Thus, before closing this post and letting you know where I went after Australia, I’d like to provide you with some key points.
Where to live in Australia?
At the end of the day, this depends a great deal on what kind of person you are and what are your preferences. I did some research myself before going to Australia and I ended up starting in Sydney. I know there is a lot to discuss between Sydney and Melbourne but, after eleven months, I can tell you there are other cities in Australia as worthwhile as the previous two. Let’s discuss a little bit the ones I visited or the ones where I got to live and, from there, you should be able to decide where you would like to start:
- Sydney: The most beautiful city I visited in Australia. I still remember as if it was yesterday the first time I saw the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. Impressive. Majestic. Speechless. You have plenty of nice beaches where you can surf or chill. You have Hyde Park and the Royal Botanic Garden, if you are looking for some green areas. You have the CBD with all the restaurants, bars, businesses and clubs. You have plenty of neighborhoods where to live. And… you also have the most expensive prices in Australia. Grocery shopping is kind of similar to what I used to pay in Barcelona but, tobacco, alcohol and specially rent, are really really really expensive. From my experience, salaries are not higher (or much higher) than the ones you can get in other cities like Cairns, for example.
- Melbourne: Not as beautiful as Sydney. Not as expensive as Sydney. When it comes to beaches you have less way options than in Sydney. You still have green areas, like its own Royal Botanic Garden. Prices are a little cheaper than in Sydney and, that, at the end of the month, makes a difference, specially when it comes to paying your rent. I liked the vibe better in Melbourne. I felt like you had more nightlife options and the regulations were not as crazy as in Sydney, where they have some stupid rules like the lock-out. I also felt people in Melbourne were more genuine. So, for me, that’s another important good point for Melbourne. You also have a CBD with plenty of businesses, restaurants, bars, etc.
- Adelaide: I Just spent half a day there, so I can’t say much. Nevertheless, from what I saw, I would say the city wasn’t the most beautiful in Australia. The vibe seemed nice and I met some people throughout my time in Australia who happened to live there and they loved it.
- Canberra: As with Adelaide, I can’t really judge it because I just spent half a day there. That being said, again, I didn’t feel the city was specially nice. I met some people who lived there and I got the impression is not a city to live, but just to visit (if you have time).
- Brisbane: The third largest city in Australia. I spent a day there while travelling with my friend and I got the impression the city was both beautiful and lively. The vibe was really good. Prices are cheaper than in Sydney or Melbourne and, since it is closer to the Tropic of Capricorn, the weather is better. It has a CBD and green areas but, unfortunately, no beach. Gorka, who happened to live with me in Sydney, went there to study, work and live and he found it better than Sydney.
- Cairns: The biggest problem I found was the lack of jobs. From what people told me, it was one of the worst years, so, I would assume it won’t always be as bad. The city is smaller than the previous ones, but it is also way cheaper. For a private room I would have to pay between 300 to 350 AUD in Sydney. In Cairns, I could get it for 150 AUD. The city is not super beautiful and it does not have a big CBD or big green areas like the previous cities. But, it is placed in a really nice location, surrounded by waterfalls, rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef. It is a city full of backpackers with a very nice vibe. There is no beach in Cairns city but you can find some at a close driving distance. That being said, I got the feeling the best beaches where in Sydney.
- Tasmania: I spent a week there and my headquarter was in Launceston. I managed to visit the biggest city of the island: Hobart. Throughout the island, I got the feeling that I wouldn’t live there, but it is a nice destination for holidays, specially if you like nature. The cities didn’t have much to offer, specially when it comes to nightlife. They had small CBDs and small green areas, and prices were similar to what you can find in Brisbane.
To sum up:
Just some notes on the table above: the rent is for a private room, a very good weather means a pretty warm and sunny weather throughout the whole year, Cairns city doesn’t have a beach, but you can find one within a 30-minute drive, which is the time it takes you to get to some beaches in Adelaide, for example. Jobs rating have been given, of course, as per my experience. It always depends a great deal on whether you are at the right place at the right time. By the way, when it comes to looking for a place to live in Australia, as I mentioned before in other posts, your best options would be “Gumtree”, “Flatmates” and different FB groups, like “Backpackers in Australia”. All in all, I hope the above can help you out making up your mind on where to live in Australia 🙂
IMPORTANT: If you already know where you are going, if I were you, I would start doing some research on the different hostels available. Once you find the ones you like, I would email all of them asking whether they allow work in exchange for accommodation. You should be able to get at least a couple of places where they allow that. And, like that, you could save quite some money during the first weeks, as you look for your shared house. I wish I had thought about it back then 😉
How to get a job in Australia?
I already spoke about this in other posts like this and the idea is still the same: be persistent. From the first time I went into one of the restaurants in Bondi Beach to the last time I spoke to the manager at Hemingway’s, I always did the same: print out tons of resumes, go to every single bar, restaurant and/or pub and ask to speak to the manager. Like always, your attitude and your body language are key to the first impression you are going to cause on someone.
So, try to be relaxed and confident, and show up with a smile on your face. Many times they will tell you they are not looking for someone. Other times you will be told the manager is not there. Regardless, keep on trying. It is also key to have good connections. It didn’t happen to me but I know people who got jobs because of their friends. So, try to socialise as soon as you step on Australia 😉
How much money will you need in Australia?
This is also another interesting question which, at the same time, is kind of a relative one. What you need depends on how much you spend and on how much you have before you arrive. It also depends on how fast you can get a job. In my case, I arrived in Australia with 7000 euros. After a month or so I had already spent almost 2000 euros. Beginnings are not easy 🙂
It took me around 3 weeks to get my first job but, to be fair, I didn’t start looking for work as soon as I stepped in Australia. I spent the first week relaxing, getting to know the city and fighting jet-lag. The next two weeks I spent them trying to find a place to leave and, right after that, I started looking for work. That happened in Sydney, where I could say I got a job kind of soon. In Cairns, however, it took me around a month to find a job.
I didn’t work too much throughout my time in Australia. I worked for around 3 months in Sydney, but not too many hours. For sure, in average, I didn’t work more than 25 hours per week. I then worked for almost 3 months picking apples and pears. However, again, out of those 3 months, I would say I actually worked around 50-60 days.
And finally, in Cairns, I could say I worked for 3 months but, again, never more than 30 hours per week (in average). These are some numbers that hopefully will help you understand how much you need for your stay in Australia. As I said before, I arrived with 7000 euros and, after 11 months, with the jobs I mentioned before, I left the country with 6500 euros.
I would never ever go to Australia for more than a month if I couldn’t work, unless, of course, I was rich. So, for me, and for many other people I met during the way, being granted with a Work and Holiday visa is a very good opportunity to get to know the country without working as a slave or without going bankrupt 😉
Car, van, hitchhiking?
If you are going to live in a big city like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, etc., I wouldn’t even think about buying a car or a van. If you are going to be living in a very small town because you are going to be doing farm work, go for it. You would normally need it to work and even to do some grocery shopping. If you are going to go on a trip around Australia, get a van. If you can’t afford it, get a car. If you can’t afford buying them, try renting them. Although, as you might have already guessed, in the long term, it will turn out to be less worth it.
If you don’t feel like driving, you might want to check out the next website, which allows you to explore Australia by bus:
It is also a good way to make friends along the way and, normally, it stops every now and then and it covers all the highlights the country has to offer. I never tried it myself but I met some people who did use it and they really enjoyed it.
You can also check the different FB groups in Australia and see if someone is looking for travel mates. That’s another common option and, like in the previous one, I have friends who use it both as a driver and as a passenger and they had a great time.
And, last but not least, hitchhiking. I never used it but, like before, I know some people who did use it and had great times. That being said, sometimes it can be dangerous, but I guess that’s like everything in life, it’s just a matter of “luck”. In New Zealand it is a very common option and if I ever go there I’ll use it for sure 😉
How to extend your Work & Holiday visa?
Whether you are on a 417 or on a 462, if you want to extend your visa, you will have to work 88 days or a total of 3 consecutive months. Depending on your visa, you might need to move above the Tropic of Capricorn of you might be already on the right spot. What job do you have to do? Farm work, hospitality or construction, depending on your visa. Do you want to find out more about that? Then, please, check the beginning of my Farm Work post. I hope it helps 😉
The end?
I still had around 28 days left on my visa, but I decided to leave. Why? Mostly because of my family. As I said before, I had already spent sometime away from home, like when I did Erasmus in Sweden or when I went to California to finish my studies. Both times I went home for Christmas and for summer. So, my time in Australia was the first being away from home for “so long”.
Before I even arrived in Australia, I had a little plan. I thought that if everything went well, I would have to leave Australia on October the 19th, 2018. I also thought that, in that case, I would like to go home for Christmas. And, last but not least, I thought that since I hadn’t been on a long solo-trip before, since I would be already kind of close to Asia, it would be amazing if I could get to spend 3 months in Southeast Asia.
All the above was in my mind. But there was also the fact that I might not like the country or my life there, the fact that I might run out of money, etc. Luckily enough, everything went alright. Or, better said, I tried to think of every single outcome as neither good nor bad. When I had “bad” times, I tried to learnt from them. When I had “good” times, I tried to enjoy them for as long as I could. There are two nice sayings that could fit in here: “your outer world is a reflection of your inner world” and “everything is always changing”.
With the above two sentences (and with some others) in mind, I spent one of the best years of my life. I worked as a cook, as a waiter and as a barman. I worked on boats. I worked at an Indian wedding and at a Science Award gala. I worked at football games and at horses’ races. I picked thousands of apples and pears. I had some tryouts to see if I could (finally) become a professional soccer player.
I met people from every continent. I had my own car and I drove on the left-side of the road. I slept in my car several times. I saw the great white shark. I saw a cassowary. I saw plenty of kangaroos and koalas. I saw snakes, spiders and crocodiles. I got my Open Water certification and I dived in the Great Barrier Reef. I visited the oldest rainforest in the world. I spent around 5-6 months living in hostels…
One day I decided to leave my comfort zone and take a plane to the other side of the world. I was happy in Barcelona, with my friends and my life. The job was not super exciting but it was alright. From a rational point of view, the next step would have been to change job, but I didn’t do it. Instead, I left everything behind and showed up in a country full of beautiful and extraordinary animals. Why? Because I didn’t listen to my brain but to my heart. I don’t regret for a single second the decision I took. I strongly believe that throughout the 11 months and 2 days I spent in that country, I grew up as a person and I was able to add different values and points of view to my mindset.
I hope I had been able to make you feel like if you were there with me. I hope I had been able to provide you with some help. I really enjoyed writing this and I thank you for reading it. I’ll see you next in Southeast Asia, trying to make you feel part of my first-ever 3-month solo trip.
All the above was amazing, but I didn’t cover nearly half of the country. So, it might be that I have to come back to check it out ;). Thanks for everything Australia, so long!
