A few nationalities, such as the Dutch, British and Canadians, are privileged since their respective governments enjoy bilateral work visa agreements with Australia, allowing young people to work for one year. Such a paper undoubtedly makes things smooth for this group of travelers as they can simply apply for any job within the country while being mobile.

Others, like myself who do not carry a work permit, face a bit of a challenge. After all, when caught by the Immigration Service you can be deported on short notice to any place in the world including the PRC or Libya, your funds confiscated with cold blood. The Aussies are serious about their business.

However, there are ways to get around the strict regulations, particularly in Australia. The country is huge enough to conceal large numbers of backpackers/dodgers who must work in order to travel. From the government's point of view what you do is, to put it mildly, immoral; however, all you desire is to come up with enough cash to move from Perth to Broome, or to fly out from Brisbane to Bangkok. Unfortunately, your species of 'border walkers' (or transnational human entities) does not figure in the government's 'old politics' manual. As long as such a situation prevails on the global arena, you will have to hide and, occasionally, resort to such utterly repelling jobs like agriculture in Western Australia.

Kununurra - Before You Go, Think Twice!
It would be unfair if I failed to share my work experience in Kununurra, Western Australia, with those of you who one day might be driven there by despair. It is an archetypical Aussie town woken up from its perpetual slumber on Friday evenings when citizens cram to local bars to "get pissed" on Emu beer (local brew).

Located on the edge of the Kimberleys, one of the most inhospitable, desolate areas in the world, Kununurra thrives owing to the grand scale Ord River Irrigation Project that delivers precious water to this dry but fertile land.  Today there is more work in Kununurra than the farmers can handle, therefore, if you are broke and without a work permit the town can be good news for you.

Keep in mind that the season stretches between May and November, otherwise you will encounter only rain and mud beyond this time frame. Also remember that on account of the extreme weather conditions and, often times, a repugnant behavior of the farmers, only very few desperate travelers survive to the end. Your well-being will hinge in large part on the people and friends you will deal with. From my own experience I can reassert that time heals bad memories, leaving you with faces and moments that have positively contributed to your survival.

I first heard of Kununurra in Tully, a banana growing hub of Australia on the East Coast. An Israeli told me that jobs there were plentiful and no one would ask you for a work permit. Desperate as I was, I hitched across the heartland in the company of my girlfriend via Mt. Isa, Three Ways Crossing and Katherine. In Kununurra I met with a friend of mine, Alister, who had already arranged a job for me.

For the record, finding something to do there is quite simple and there are a few ways you can go about it. If you have a work permit you can go to a rural job center where someone will contact you with a farmer who, in turn, will put you to some backbreaking activities. Otherwise, you can't be worse off finding the same deal on your own. Many big farms arrange transportation for their seasonal workers from three established points in town. The most popular is Shell Station where Bardena Farms pick and drop off their "slaves". You can also try the Post Office where the infamous Bothcamp Australia Farm collects their manpower. Your next bet would be to stumble towards Chicken Treat Restaurant where the iron fisted and short tempered owner of Ceres Farms, a Teuton par excellence, lines up his men.

Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Pacific Insiders page.