1

no trouble meeting people.

your first job is to get your working holiday visa and the amount of money that they say you need for it. And as much more as you can for good measure.

good luck.

2

Fortunately for you, "Doing the Macarena" has just been added to the list of skills in demand down under.

But get a working holiday visa and stay a bit longer, cos you'll need plenty spending cash whatever you do.

3

Hey both

I am glad the Macarena is a skill in demand in Australia, I can also do the conga..

I completely agree and in fact that is the first step I have taken (Actually getting the Visa), only looking at the form today I know they take a few weeks to come back. In regards to money I currently have £4,000 but will have saved up more by the time I plan on going. I would definitely like to get a working Visa as you said because I think earning money out there takes a lot of stress off carefully distributing your savings. Any events I plan on doing I would like to spread out over the period I am there as I am interested in just meeting the locals and checking out the bars/clubs/beach's etc. I had a friend who worked out in oz for 4 months and he said jobs out there are not quite like here in the UK where they are difficult to find, luckily for me I have a good job at the moment (work for Mazda UK) so any basic sales jobs even call centres would be fine.

Cheers

Mark

Edited by: Markbuckingham

Edited by: Markbuckingham

4

Hi Mark. Welcome to TT.

Can I just suggest you avoid saying I have not really planned anything yet because I am a tit if you are looking for someone to go with. Lots of useful people would run screaming at that phrase.

You can expect Australia to cost about AUD100 per day depending on what you want to do, expect beer to more expensive and in many cases food will be more expensive. For the most part vegetables, milk and bread will be cheaper. Bigger cities such as Melbourne and Sydney will be more expensive (as will a smaller city like Perth) than other places and probably avoid north of Brisbane November-February.

5

Hi Mark ( awesome name may I add! )

Ha ha no you're too right, I think it was intended in a way in which only I would understand. The correct meaning would be - I have not put any ideas in stone yet as if I found someone to go with its then best to share ideas first.

You mentioned the bigger cities (Melb + Syd), which are both I would like to pay visits too, is there anywhere in particular which is maybe in easy travel distance which would reduce the cost? I know overall its quite rural so maybe this is not the case and I would just have to go with extra funds.

Mark

6

Kind of depends what you like. Newcastle has a cool surfer vibe about (apparently, I've only been there once and meh) and Geelong might be another option. Adelaide is a city which is at the cheaper end of the scale and a very pretty place,

I would basically suggest doing a couple of weeks in Syd/Melb, try and find work, and get out if you can't before they suck you dry.

Oh yeah, its a non de plume (is any of that spelt right or should I just have said fake rather than try to look fancy and wound up looking like a plonker?).

7

If I am honest Mark I have only been out the UK solo a few times (France Skii-ing and Turkey), So a lot of my travels would be an adventure of discovery than anything else, which suits me to the bone! I am quite lively as I said so there really isnt anything that doesn't amuse me (not sure if that's a good thing or bad lol)

I agree with what you wrote as I did make that a likely option, to search for work in a main city as If I could get myself sorted there I would be set.

ha ha!

Edited by: Markbuckingham

Edited by: Markbuckingham

8

Not really - the big cities sprawl so much that it can take hours to get clear of them. Anywhere within commuting distance will end up costing you as much as living in the city, unless you just like staying inside watching TV all the time. So you might as well stay in the city.

For somewhere so rural that it's much cheaper to live, then it's too far to commute to the city, so you'd better enjoy country town life. (which many people do, to be fair - I'm a country boy myself)

9

Taking hours to get clear of the capital cities is something of an exaggeration Mark as is needing $100/d to live on and there are many options.
Forget the dancing and just decide you might want to be working a bit and you'll be on the right track, it likely meaning you might have to get the head down, arse up getting the hands roughened on the harvest trail, details of which you'll find on the WHV section - http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/working-holiday/visa-options.htm
There's also wwoofing - www.wwoof.com.au version and not being a silky terrier.

Attempting to find someone to travel with can waste a lot of time and stuff a good trip so be independent and study up on Australia to see what it is that might tuen you on and then go about developing something of a plan or you'll be more than a Tit!

10

Mark - i was traveling round Australia for about a year and a half a few years back. My main tips would be:

• you'll meet plenty of people out there, wherever you go. if you're traveling alone it's psychologically tougher, but more rewarding. in my experience you'll enjoy it more by yourself; i went out there with a mate from uni and we went our separate ways after 6 weeks. i met plenty of people out there, stayed with them for a bit and then when our paths went separate ways i moved on.

• everything is similar enough to england to not be disconcerting, but also different, so you shouldn't get any culture shock really. there are plenty of people out there in the same boat as you, and the majority are nice and hospitable

• don't spend too much time in the cities. if you're there and not working you'll rinse your piggy bank quick smart, and if you're working there you'll find it hard to save money (more on that later)

• don't spend too much time on the east coast. that's the developed bit, the tourist trap, and wages for farm work there are generally lower than other parts of oz.

• you have to go over to the west coast. that's the 'real' australia. sparsely populated Outback, hundreds of deserted beaches all the way north. there is a reef system (Ningaloo reef) that is not as spectacular as the great barrier reef, but a lot quieter. from coral bay you can swim out from the beach onto the reef, which is just unbelievable. i went swimming with whale sharks from exmouth (the season is around april - june), which is one of those once in a lifetime experiences you have to do. luckily i got told about it early enough to plan my trip to coincide with the trip.

• you have to go to the northern territory. kakadu national park is where they filmed crocodile dundee, real marshy wetlands with loads of wildlife.

• work wise if you're intrepid and get around you can do some really interesting jobs. there's a minerals boom over there; various mines around perth and a massive diamond mine near kununnurra - i met travelers doing relatively menial jobs there, and were earning fantastic money. there are pearl boats operating out of broome and a massive fishing fleet out of darwin. again, big money can be made. i worked for a fencing contractor in the northern territory for a couple of months which was unbelievable. sleeping on a bedframe under the stars every night, got taken for a helicopter flight where we flew over brumbie (wild horses) herds, wild boars fighting, hundreds of buffalo frolicking in marshland.... obviously do some research before rocking up at any of these places, but there are so many opportunities for adventure (and that includes working as well) over there it's criminal really if you just stick to the tourist trail.

• if you're not bothered about hard work, get yourself a labouring health and safety card (think you need a different one for each state) and some steel toe-capped boots. if you work on building sites you can register for an ABN number (mostly places actually require it) which means you are registered as being self employed. therefore you get your wage without tax or their NI equivalent knocked off - the construction industry is the only place you can do this really. as you're a non-resident you don't have to pay the tax. this makes a massive different, especially as the wages in construction are better than a lot of farm work anyway. again, check that there's plenty of work before you take the plunge (sydney was a bit of a gold mine for this when i was there, not sure if it still is though). i'd use this as a springboard to save some cash while having a bit of city life - move on before you get in a rut!

• other places to see, some being pretty obvious; fraser island, great barrier reef, atherton tablelands/far north queensland, great ocean road, melbourne, ayers rock, byron bay, shark bay, near enough every national park, the margaret river area, wilsons promontory, jindabyne, blue mountains, wave rock, albany, esperance, litchfield national park, broome....

• remind yourself every day that you're not there forever and to squeeze the most out of every day

• move on before things get stale

sorry if i've taken over your thread but it took me ages to figure some of that stuff out so i thought i'd pass on some of the knowledge. you'll have the time of your life mate, good luck!

11

ketmanscoop - Thanks so much for your post! REALLY helpful, If im honest I think you opened my eyes a bit because I was very heavily focussed on the west cost and maybe that would be a fault as i want to stay the full duration of the VISA rather than burn my money and head home early!

I am a very social person and enjoy meeting people so hopefully there are some good bars/places to go on the east while having the desserted areas.

I may look into trips, if they do those, like guides around wetlands or deserts as I cannot see myself going into their on my own ha ha!!

Also money wise, as you have been there, in terms of £, what is a good base amount to start on whilst maybe working also? I know thats a very open question and doesn't really hit any specific criteria, but I am in the phase of mind where I would like to be able to say all thats left to do is plan. I have around £4000 currently.

I am checking out the stuff you have posted so may edit this.. :)

Cheers mate!

Edited by: Markbuckingham

12

no problem mark. just to confirm, the east coast is the 'tourist trap' and the west coast is sparsely populated wilderness.

there are definitely some great bars and party towns on the east coast, and i loved it there, just don't get stuck!

the best way to see the west coast is to look for a car share in perth. this way you're masters of your own destiny, rather than prey to the whims and timetables of the coach driver/tour guide. There are loads of people heading north from perth; i met a german lad and had just the best time, sleeping on deserted beaches and falling asleep under the milky way! we got on so well i've been over to berlin to stay with him since, that's the sort of bonding you can do on big 2/3 week trips.

i came back from oz about 3 years ago, so in terms of money my references points are out of date. when i went there the exchange rate was $2.40 : £1 and when i left it was under $2.00 : £1 i think, and now it's about $1.40 : £1. so it's going to be very expensive, unfortunately! i went with about $5k in aussie and went through most of it in about 6 weeks - very easily done when you're on your first big trip. if you're anything like me, you'll probably cane your starting cash early and then have to do a lot of work. i don't think the recession is as bad over there as it is here, but you definitely need to be careful with your money, so that when you're a bit low and need to work, you're in a place where you can get work. moving around for farm work can be very expensive, as the distances to move between states are unfathomable when you're coming over from our little island.

13

Yeah got a bit mixed up there with my geography there..! woopsie!

it does sound so AWESOME! I know what you mean though, when you meet someone out there you're both looking for the same things so its very easy to get along!

ahh right fair enough, I don't mind working at all I have done it all my life, I am actually a qualified electrician but never used it ha ha and I currently work in Fleet for Mazda. I think Farm work actually sounds more appealing to me than construction. My friend actually said to me to look into WOOFING, I thought she was joking as that sounds ridiculous and a bit similar to another type of public exposure.. but have not checked it out yet, I will do though!!.

Yeah see I think im going to need more money...I am sure 4k will be enough to last at least half a year while I am out there, I can see myself maybe checking places out for a month or so before thinking about working. the reason i wanted to work out there is because (hopefully) it takes a lot of stress of you knowing you have some sort of income. as I absolutely hate staring at my balance going down like a clock he he

Edited by: Markbuckingham

14

ah right, if you're a sparky out there you'll clean up mate. they're crying out for tradesmen. i didn't meet any electricians, but i met tilers and carpenters that were traveling around, earning big money even in small towns because there aren't that many people with the skills around. there's loads of construction going on, people building houses all over the country, so if you're able to wire houses or just tag on with a crew to help out then you should have no problem.

WOOFING is alright, but from what i remember you pay a company so that they send you to work on farms in the outback for a couple of weeks at a time...and don't get paid. didn't see the point myself, as you can get some cool farming jobs anyway if you look hard enough, and earn good money. for example, i worked on a grape farm in victoria, proper out in the sticks, for 4 months hauling boxes of grapes out in the vineyards; a fantastic experience and i saved up thousands of dollars.