The Ultimate Guide to Doing a Working Holiday in Australia
- IDreamofMangoes
- Mar 5
- 12 min read
If you’re thinking about heading Down Under for a year (or more) to partake in Australia’s Working Holiday Visa program, then this guide is for you.
The Working Holiday Visa Program in Australia is something you should absolutely take advantage of if you’re eligible. You can enjoy great pay, beautiful nature, and so much fun stuff to do and unique things to see, all on one of the wildest and most interesting continents on this Earth.
Read on to find out everything you need to know to plan your working holiday in Australia, including budgeting, health, where to live, unmissable experiences, cultural quirks and more.
This guide is tailored to British working holidaymakers, so do double check the conditions of your visa if you’re from another country, as there is some variation. For example, UK citizens get free healthcare in Australia, but American Working Holiday Makers do not.
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Am I Eligible for a Working Holiday Visa for Australia?
The Working Holiday Visa (417) for Australia provides uncapped visas to 19 partner countries: Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
The ‘Work and Holiday’ visa (462) is open to another 25 partner countries but operates under annual visa caps and with extra conditions.
For the purpose of this guide, we will only be talking about the Working Holiday Visa 417. This is for people who are 18-30 years old, or if you are from the UK, Ireland, Italy, Canada and France - 35 years old.
Most partner countries are eligible for second and third working holiday visas, if you do some regional or farm work (not including UK citizens, as the farm work requirement was removed after Brexit, thankfully).
Conditions of the Working Holiday Visa for Australia
As well as having the correct age and the correct passport, you will also need the following for a Working Holiday Visa in Australia:
Savings of $5000 AUD (in my three working holiday visas, this has never actually been checked by anyone).
Working Holiday Makers in Australia can work in any occupation or industry while in Australia, but for only up to 6 months with one employer. There are ways to get around this, for example, if you work for a big company, your 'employer on paper' can be shifted around within the group and it is no big deal.
Your ‘main purpose of visit’ for this visa is HOLIDAY. The work part is to support your travels (in theory) and you need to write this on your visa application form and express this to the immigration officer if you get questioned.
None of my travel history has affected my entry into Australia. For example, I can no longer get an ESTA for the USA as I have recently been to Iraq and Cuba, and before I did my WHV in NZ I had to have a TB test as I had been in Cameroon. In Australia, none of my travel history caused any red flags for my visa application and I was just waved straight through at immigration.
Choosing Where to Move to in Australia
More than 85% of Australians live within 50km of the coast, and more than 72% of the population live in major cities. Australia is HUGE and the rest of the country is a vast amount of nothing.
Yes, you could go to work on a cattle ranch or a macadamia farm and travel 6 hours to get your hair cut, but for the sake of this guide, we will talk about Australia’s main hubs for working holidaymakers - which are the big cities.
Sydney, NSW: If you like big cities and beautiful beaches, tonnes of things to do, places to eat, and finding a job very quickly, then Sydney may be for you. You will also have to put up with paying exorbitant rent, traffic jams, and Australia's most commercial (and plastic) people.
Brisbane or Gold Coast, QLD: Queensland's cities are suited to the more laid-back surfer types, with warm oceans and 'country town' feels. There is, however, less of a food and culture scene and less earning potential than Sydney and Melbourne, and you could be navigating humid weather and a hell of a lot of Bull Sharks.
Cairns, QLD: Far North Queensland is ideal for nature-lovers and ocean babies, with the world-famous Great Barrier Reef and the ancient Daintree Rainforest at your fingertips. You will have to compromise with hot and humid weather, more difficulty in finding a job, less of a cultural scene and approximately 30,000 crocodiles.
Melbourne, VIC: The art and food scene in Melbourne is unparalleled, and for struggling musicians and culture vultures, it is the place you want to be. If you love your coffee, street art, and don't mind crappy weather, head to Melbs, but be prepared to be surrounded by the most hipstery of hipsters.
Adelaide, SA: Adelaide has a warm Mediterranean climate and the city is a foodie haven and wine lover’s paradise, with some of Australia's best wine regions all within a day trip. The cons are: it can be harder to find a job, and the sea is too cold to enjoy for most people.
Perth, WA: Perth gives you access to the stunning west coast of Australia, which is one hell of a perk. To live here though, you will need to drive, it may not be easy to find a decent job, and you would be moving to one of the most isolated cities in the world.
Darwin, NT: For outdoorsy people who want an outback OZ adventure, some say this is the 'real Australia'. You must watch for crocodiles at every turn, even in the sea, it may take you a while to find a well-paid job, and it is hot all year round (mostly too hot).
If you are happy to work in hospitality or another type of job that you can put down and pick up, and you have the ability to make friends easily, you could spend 3 months or so in each city. I have only ever lived in Sydney so I can't speak to that, but I have visited Melbourne and Brisbane with plans for a Perth to Darwin road trip this year!
Things to Prepare Before Your Working Holiday
Visa Application - Mine was granted within two minutes, but I would personally do the application a couple of months before you plan to go to Australia anyway. Once the visa is granted, you have one year to enter, so there is no harm in being prepared.
Savings - As I said before, you should have proof that you have 5000AUD in your bank account, but in my three working holiday visas I have never been asked for proof of this.
Police Clearance Check - In the UK, it is free to get a police clearance check, and it is sent by post, so you may as well do it before you leave. Many jobs ask for this document these days (Australia is sadly a nanny state in many ways).
Initial Accommodation - Where will you stay when you first arrive? Rentals can be VERY COMPETITIVE and hotels are expensive. You're going to want to have two weeks at least booked up, and if hostels are not for you, think about joining Aussie House Sitters. We got 6 weeks of accommodation in Sydney for free whilst looking after someone's cat, the alternative would have been spending about $6000 on Airbnb.
International Drivers License, if needed - UK Citizens do not need an international driving license to drive in Australia, but if you are not British, check your specs!
Medical Insurance, if you need it - UK Citizens get Medicare, so we mostly get free healthcare, based on a reciprocal arrangement between Australia and the UK, although the application is tedious.
Documents you may need as a rental reference - A copy of your birth certificate, phone bill, utility bill, bank statements, and landlord reference.
Things to Get in Check When You Get to Australia
Phone number - You can do this very easily at the airport when you land, and it is a real mixed bag. Some companies tried to swindle us by paying 6 months up front, and we actually found Vodafone to have the friendliest and most easy-going contract. It was $35 for 50gb data p/m with unlimited domestic calls and texts, and you can cancel any time.
Tax File Number - A TFN is something you'll need to apply for once on Australian soil, and the form takes about 10 minutes to fill out. You get your Tax File Number sent by post so you'll need to use a friend's address if you don't have somewhere to live yet. You are able to open a bank account and start working without a TFN, but you will need to get one as soon as possible to avoid being overtaxed.
Medicare - If you're from an eligible country, you can apply for Medicare - which gives you free or heavily discounted healthcare whilst on your working holiday in Australia. The application is quite painful, so be warned, but it is worth muddling through.
*If you're not British, consider getting travel insurance, for all my trips recently I have put my trust in Safety Wing, and I use their 4-week rolling policy as it is affordable and covers almost every country. They have been great so far!
Bank Account - Getting a bank account in Australia is super easy, unlike New Zealand, which requires you to have a job and an address already. I signed up in person with CommBank and the whole process took about 10 minutes. If you don't have somewhere to live yet, you can use a friend's address or your hostel address and change it later. FYI, bank accounts are not always free in Australia, you'll need to deposit a minimum amount per month (CommBank is $2000 or you'll have to pay a monthly fee to keep the account open, I think it is around $7).
RSA - Did you know that in Australia you need to do a course to work in an establishment that serves alcohol? This is called an RSA or a 'Responsible Service of Alcohol Course' and it is an incredibly dull program that will set you back around $200, but thankfully nowadays you can get it done online in your own time. Give yourself three days to get through it in bite-sized chunks, it is soooo boring.
Job - The best sites for jobseeking in Australia are Indeed and Seek - and if it was me, I would start job searching one month before I plan to start work, although in places like Sydney and Melbourne you could probably easily land something within a few days of looking.
Super - In Australia, a pension is known as a Superannuation and it is essential for Working Holiday Makers to partake in this programme. Your employer contributes 9% per month, and you match it, and at the end of your time in Australia, you can withdraw it (after losing at least 50% of it to 'early withdrawal fees'. Your employer will set one up for you if you don't want to, but if you change jobs, I suggest keeping the same Super fund, as if you have multiple jobs, trying to close several accounts when you leave is a bit of a nightmare.
Somewhere to live - If you want to rent officially, then 'Real Estate' or 'Domain' are good options, but be aware you will need a solid rental history with references and you will need to sign a lease agreement. For something more casual, you can try Gumtree or Facebook.
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Earning, Spending and Money Saving Hacks
Earning money whilst on your working holiday in Australia
As an example of earning potential, minimum wage in New South Wales is $24.10 an hour, but most places pay more than that.
You’ll also get extra for working Saturdays, Sundays, and Public Holidays. If you work in construction, jobs can pay up to $60 per hour, and if you work in hospitality, you can make great tips - so there is a lot of money to be made in Australia. As a Sommelier, I earn double in Australia what I was paid in the UK.
Think about whether you want casual and contracted work - would you prefer more freedom or more stable income?
Spending money whilst on your Working Holiday Visa in Australia
In Sydney and other major cities rent is HIGH, for example, between three of us we pay $1300 per week in rent for a very nice apartment in an expensive area in Sydney.
That being said, other costs of living are pretty good, household bills are around 1/4 of those in England, transport is efficient and cheap, and groceries are affordable too.
Going out to eat and drink is pricey (same as London, let's say), but there are lots of ways around that...
Money-saving ideas whilst you are on your working holiday in Australia
There are lots of ways to have free days out in Australia. For a start, beaches are free and are often equipped with free barbecues for public use, as well as things like water fountains and showers.
Hiking is one of my favourite things to do in Australia and apart from the occasional minimal National Park fee and purchasing suncream, it's a free activity. Sydney's waterfront alone is filled with countless ocean pools that are free to use, and a coastal trek followed by a cold dip is one of my favourite day-off activities.
For free accommodation in exchange for your house-sitting or pet-sitting services, check out Aussie House Sitters.
For free transportation check out vehicle relocations with Imoova.
For a free stay and often a cool experience or learning opportunity, check out Workaway.
Camping is often free, so my best piece of advice would be to invest in a tent! We use the Robens Boulder 3 because it is lightweight but so hardy, it has survived tropical storms and nights in the desert and weighs only 3kg!
For the rest of your travels around Australia, check out the I Dream of Mangoes article:
Making the most of your Working Holiday Visa
I think the mistake lots of people make with a working holiday in Australia is that they treat it as a year-long freshers week. Yes, bar crawls are fun and the backpacker scene is lively, but you can literally do that stuff anywhere.
What makes Australia special and why are you going?
These are some of the unmissable and Iconic things I think are must-dos in Australia...
Learn about Steve Irwin's legacy and get up close with Koalas at Australia Zoo
Wild camp on the beaches of the East Coast, in particular Booderee National Park in NSW near Jervis Bay
Drive the iconic 240km Great Ocean Road starting in Victoria
Hit up the food and music scenes in Melbourne
Sip and cycle around the wineries and cellar doors of South Australia
Scuba-dive or snorkel the Great Barrier Reef
Have a 4WD Adventure on Fraser Island
Wriggle your toes in some of the world's whitest sand of the Whitsundays & Whitehaven Beach
Learn to surf, probably not at Bondi TBH, but how about Queensland's Airlie Beach?
Do a Great Western Australia road trip and explore the country's most astounding National Parks
Admire Uluru and Alice Springs
Watch the Australian Open in Melbourne
Farmwork and Extending your Visa
If you’re not from the UK, you will probably have to do 3 months of regional work to get a second working holiday visa, and 6 months of regional work to get a third working holiday visa. This means you have to spend 50% of your second working holiday year in a regional area (the outback) to be able to stay for a 3rd year - brutal!
Most people refer to this as 'farm work' as it needs to be in ‘regional Australia’ i.e. not near any major cities or tourist spots. This is to fill the labour gaps in agricultural work that Australia has.
Lots of farms are set up to take advantage of backpackers who are desperate for their 88 days to be eligible for another year in Australia, so it is important to do your homework, get referrals, and don’t just turn up anywhere. You could be lugging around 80kg regimes of bananas for pennies otherwise.
For my regional work, we did tree planting and travelled all over Victoria, NSW and QLD, and it was a bit of a nightmare to be honest. We were paid fairly, but lived in the middle of nowhere in caravan parks or derelict forestry department houses. We got paid around 10 cents per tree, and if you are strong and fast, you can make a living wage on this, but if you're new and slow (like me) you make very little.
Luckily, UK citizens no longer need to do farm work, but I believe every other nationality does. If I were you I would get it done in the beginning of your working holiday if you know you’re going to want to stay a second year, and take the time to research and choose somewhere interesting and with a good reputation rather then last-minute back-breaking banana humping...yes that IS what they call it.
Thank you for reading my post: The Ultimate Guide to a Working Holiday Visa in Australia!
If you have any questions, please hit the comments section - I will always reply.
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Happy Travels
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