The tradition of British people obtaining work visas for Australia is one which is many years old. Like the Aussies who come to the old country to experience British life, many of our own young people choose the endless blue skies and stunning landscapes of Australia. Be it a gap year before university or a working sabbatical, there are lots of travel jobs to consider whilst in Oz, to fund your adventures.
For those who prefer the city lifestyle offered by the likes of Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane, life among the skyscrapers can be a thrilling experience. But for those who've had their fill of city slicker life in the UK, the Australian east coast offers beautiful beaches, wide open spaces and mountains - and of course plenty of travel jobs.
The vast majority of travel jobs are in the agricultural sector. It will come as no surprise that the Aussie climate is ideal for producing a wide range of fruit and vegetables. And if it grows anywhere, then it is probably growing in Queensland. Put your rubber gloves on and start snapping pineapples, or start sliding tomato bushes, or cutting potato vines.
The list of things that grow in this region is seemingly unending. If you're feeling brave, you might go picking mangoes - which seems fine until you find out that when you pick one off the tree, it squirts out blinding acid (literally blinding). So bear that in mind if you try it, and wash your hands in the facilities provided!
If you're the muscular type, you may wish to travel to the far north of Queensland and go 'banana humping'. This is the most draining of travel jobs - and is actually a lot worse than the already eye opening job title suggests. You may find yourself surrounded by big machete-wielding Australians, who compel you to have up to 80KG of bananas come crashing down on your shoulders, having chopped down the banana tree with said machete. Certainly not for the feint hearted, this job does not pay as well as, for example, tomato picking, and is notably more physically stressful.
All travel jobs involving farm work on the east coast of Australia are hard work - but (banana humping excluded) they tend to pay more than unskilled jobs in the cities. Farm work is fantastic because it gives you an income as you travel around this remarkable part of the world.
And after 9 hours of sweaty toil, you certainly feel like you've earned that ubiquitous ice cold beer. There is nothing better than the trip to the classic Aussie pub, surrounded by fellow workers and backpackers, as you discuss the crazy farmers (the majority of agricultural employers) and perilous fruit.
The kind of accommodation experienced by those doing agricultural travel jobs tends to be of the hostel variety. Once you get used to this communal living environment, you'll soon discover it is a great way to meet people from across the globe. Having said that, most of the farm workers are Japanese, Korean and British - with a few Aussies thrown in to give an authentic experience.
Author Resource:-
Anna Stenning is an expert on travel jobs having travelled and worked around the world.
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