Living in Australia is great. It has stunning beaches, amazing hikes, and lush weather. But…it definitely has its challenges—believe me! Putting it bluntly, the first couple of months in Australia were a bit of a shit show.
Australia is exactly as you think: beautiful, hot, and full of nature. However, I don’t think enough is being said about the realities of navigating this country as a backpacker. There are loads of destination videos, blogs, and itineraries, but there’s not much listing the difficulties of transitioning into this country and balancing living and working here.
I guess the first thing that I need to address is, obviously, my expectations were a little skewed. When I was planning our first year (working vs travelling), I had plans that we were going to work for maybe four months and then travel for three. I thought we could buy a van that would take us around the whole continent and have zero complications with it. I thought that we would be able to find jobs with little to no effort.
Six months into living in Australia, it was made very clear that this was not the case. Things are not that simple or easy.
On reflection, it is very naive of me to think that everything would be smooth sailing. Our trip to Southeast Asia wasn’t, so why would I expect different in Australia? I would, however, say that many things online haven’t helped those expectations because you always hear about the positives and not necessarily the negatives.
As someone who likes to have a plan and, dare I say it, ‘control,’ it was extremely upsetting that two weeks after buying a campervan, its engine blew up. It was also upsetting that after four months of working, we could only afford six weeks of travelling. Finally, it was upsetting that we had ongoing issues with our second campervan.
I wish someone had been honest and said, ‘Actually, it’s not as easy as everyone says,’ and ‘You’ve got no chance with that amount of money.’
Now, before I really delve into it, I want to say that I’m not trying to shit on Australia because we really do enjoy living here, but it’s just I want people not to have the same expectations as I had, which were far from the realities of it.
So, with that in mind, I’ve created three subheadings that are at the root of our pain:
Transport/Living situation
Work
Money
Transport/Living
When coming to Australia, most backpackers opt to buy a campervan. It kills two birds with one stone. It’s flexible, cheap and efficient.
However, when looking into van life, any big YouTuber or Instagrammer is usually in a huge, fancy, long-wheeled van with a shower and toilet, a kitchen area, space to stand up, and an area to sit—a very comfortable way of living.
Unfortunately, we aren’t rich or big-time influencers, so we have none of these. Charlie can barely sit up, our kitchen is outside, our door leaks when it rains, and books are probably our biggest luxury.
What you need to remember is that these people travel for work. You do not. Manage your expectations. You are a backpacker; they are not. If you want to arrive in Australia ready to buy and build a long wheel-based van to travel non-stop for three months, I would say you would need at least $70,000. You are looking at $25,000+ for just the shell of a long wheel-based van, around $10,000+ to renovate the van, $15,000+ for 3 months of travel (campsites and regularly cooking yourself), $10,000 as a buffer for when you arrive in the country and another $10,000 as a buffer for after travelling.
I did look into potentially renting a motorhome so we can have those luxuries without having to buy one, but it is extremely expensive. If you hire between May and August, the off-season (winter), for 78 days, you’re looking at paying $21,000+.
However, having paid $10,000 for a 12 year old van that has had multiple backpacker owners and driven hundreds of miles, it of course, has had its issues. Specifically, over six weeks, whilst travelling from Cairns to Adelaide, we had to go to the mechanics four times!
So note to self: don’t expect a luxurious lifestyle on a backpacker budget.
Job
We were lucky to have a job already set up for us before arriving in Australia, working on a mango farm. However, mango farms are seasonal work between November and February, and when this time ended, we needed to move on. With only four months of work under our belt, it didn’t take long until money started to run low, and we needed to find jobs fast!
When you look online through sites such as Indeed and Seek, there are lots of jobs available, but there are also lots of people who want jobs. Charlie and I spent about two and a half weeks applying for 100+ jobs each and got nothing but declines. Again, we got lucky with finding a job at the caravan park where we were living, but this came from a bit of badgering on our behalf. We got so desperate at one point that we even considered giving up and heading back home to England.
From when we stopped travelling to when we started our jobs, it was 28 days. We then had to wait two weeks to get paid. On the day of this pay, between the two of us, we had just $4. Therefore, it is imperative that you have buffer money.
In conclusion, I suggest establishing friendly relationships with potential companies or employers, handing out paper CVS, and choosing chain companies.
Money
Australia is expensive, but in relation to Europe and America, it isn’t wildly different. Like in Europe and America, you wouldn’t be able to live or travel for too long without a job or some sort of income.
The price varies from state to state and from city to rural. Renting in North Gold Coast, QLD, for a two-bed apartment, you are looking at paying $700 per week or $2800 per month. Meanwhile, renting a three-bedroom and two-bathroom house in a seaside town in North NSW costs $580 per week or $2320 per month.
To put money into another perspective, during our six-week (45-day) trip from Cairns to Adelaide to the Gold Coast, the 28 days we spent trying to find a job, and the 14 days we spent waiting for our first payment, we spent just under $15,700. That is roughly $180 per day. Bear in mind that a portion of this involved driving an average of 430km a day, resulting in spending up to $130 on petrol, and a handful of it was spent shopping.
However, the most obvious expenses we have noticed when moving from the UK to Australia are food shops, alcohol, and cigarettes. A food shop costs an average of $170 per week, three large beers (from a shop) cost $22, and cigarettes cost around $65 for a 20-pack.
I know what you are thinking. If you’ve really had so much trouble in Australia, why are you still there?
1. Going back to England wouldn’t change much as we’d still have the same issues back there.
2. I don’t see having these issues as a reason to pack up and go home.
3. The weather - enough said.
4. The balance between work and life is extremely healthy in Australia, which is lacking in England.
Although arranging anything in Australia is a huge hassle, and maybe some people are feeding an unrealistic way of travelling, it is totally worth it… kind of!
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