I have returned home from a 10 month trip to Australia. I knew that I
could get a working holiday visa, but I was not sure how easy it would be
to obtain work while over there. This was fairly important to me as that
was the only money that would keep me travelling throughout my stay.
Shortly before I left England I heard about the VisitOz Scheme. It is a
scheme specifically designed for backpackers who want to work in rural
Australia, and to experience proper "bush life". The scheme is set up so
that you spend five days at one of three farms, where you learn to do
tractor driving, horse riding (specifically mustering), chainsaw work,
motorbiking and fencing. After the week, Joanna Burnet will have found you a job
in "outback Australia".
My first job was working on a cattle station where I got to go mustering
cattle on horseback, cattle/stock work, draughting, trucking, fencing and
also things such as floor tiling and carpentry. Due to the fact that you
are living in the middle of nowhere for a month or so, not only do you
experience the true Australian farming lifestyle, but you are also forced
to save all of the money that you earn for the next part of your travels.
The cash I earned at my first job provided me with enough money for two and
a half months of travelling.
When I ran out of money I simply phoned up Joanna and asked her to get me
another job, which she did within the week. The second job was on a sheep
and cattle station where I got to try my hand at branding and burning
fields.
There are jobs available all over Australia: Werstern Australia, Northern Territory, the
Kimberleys, Queensland, and even a few in New South Wales and Victoria. One girl who
went on the scheme with me ended up on a station that was 600 kilometres
from the post office and had to be flown to the station by mail plane.
I can honestly say that I had the best time of my life doing these jobs,
and truly believe that I have experienced Australia away from all of the
typical backpacking routes.
Also, because of my ability to spend money
rather than save it, it was extremely useful to fund my travelling,
particularly because, while working on nearly all of these jobs,
accommodation and food is provided.
There is an initial fee to pay for the course and provision of jobs, but I
made the cost back within two weeks, and it is definitely preferable and less
stressful than telemarketing or fruit picking. There is an email and web
address for the scheme, which is where I first became involved:
visitozscheme@bigpond.com, www.visitoz.org.
It may not be suitable
work for everyone, but if you feel that you would like to experience
something truly different and don't mind getting your hands dirty, I would
give it a go!
Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Pacific Insiders page.
