Live, Work & Travel in Australia
| advert | Stay Free as a House Sitter. The Win Win for Pet Lovers That Travel
Top Sites
TNT – These guys provide an excellent free weekly magazine for Australians in London and another for visitors to Oz. Their Independent Traveller’s Guide to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji is available to read online.
Perisher – A dedicated job site for the Perisher Valley, a ski resort in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales that employs 1200 seasonal staff each year. Employment generally starts in June and finishes late September with a selection of staff starting earlier and finishing later.
Employment in Australia
Employers, Agencies & Placement Services
Abracadabra Childcare Services – A Sydney nanny agency that places girls from the UK.
Access Nursing – An Australian nursing agency.
Adecco – Staff Agency that dealt with recruitment for the Sydney Olympics.
Adelaide Staffing Agency – Nursing agency. Volunteer work also available.
Affinity Nursing Recruitment – A specialist nursing agency which places nursing staff throughout Australia.
Airtasker – Backpackers may be able to use this community marketplace site to earn extra money while travelling in Australia. Users of the site turn their skills and talents to complete flexible jobs such as handyman, cleaning, assembly, plumbing, carpentry, electrician, office admin and photography. The average earn for each task is around $50.
Allied Medistaff Nursing Service – Nursing agency.
Ambition – Temp and contract accountancy work.
Au Pair To You – A service for au pairs hoping to work in Australia.
Belmore Nurses Bureau – Nursing agency that provides nurses and nursing aides with agency shifts in public and private hospitals across all of Melbourne and regional Victoria.
Cairns Nursing Agency – Nursing agency..
Challenge Consulting – Specialise in providing temporary, permanent and contract positions within the Sydney, Australia market. Challenge Consulting also have a very heavy focus on helping travellers looking for work.
ChoiceOne – Agency looking for people in HR, trades, business professionals and nurses..
CQ Nurse – Nursing agency.
Drake Medox – Nursing agency.
Durty Nelly’s – A boutique Irish pub in Sydney. Australian and Irish nationals employed as bar staff, catering and cleaning.
Family Match – An online service that matches au pairs and nannies with families in Australia.
Highschool Australia – Offers a work and travel programme specialising in preparing and placing working holiday visa holder in jobs in rural areas and outback Australia. Their training farm works closely with over 1,800 farm businesses across Australia that are looking for suitably experienced young people for both short and longer term farm work.
Hollywood Private Hospital – Nursing staff often sought by this Australian hospital.
HV McNab and Son – Request the assistance of backpackers to bring in the crops in Ardmona, near Shepparton. Application is available online.
Infinity – Gold coast theme park. Includes employment information.
Just Cuts – Qualified hairdressers are wanted to work in 140 salons in Australia and New Zealand.
Klinsman Reynolds Consulting – Employ temp secretaries, receptionists, data entry and WP operators.
HCA Healthcare Australia – Numerous nursing brands matching healthcare professionals with temporary positions.
Hospitality Professionals – A hospitality recruitment agency providing permanent and temporary staffing solutions.
Manpower – Australian branch of the worldwide employment agency.
Medicall Placements – Provider of Sydney and rural nursing jobs for intensive care nurses and midwives.
Medistaff – Nursing agency.
Michael Page Finance – Banking and finance, commerce and industry jobs.
Mindahome Australia – Now the family pet can really have a dog’s life with their own pet sitter. Since 2009 Mindahome has been helping reliable house sitters find house sitting jobs.
National Nurses Plus – A nursing agency based in Sydney Australia. National Nurses Plus can assist nurses who want to work in Australia either on a Working Holiday or if you are migrating to Australia.
Nursing Australia – Nursing agency.
OBI Recruitment – A labour hire company specialising in placing overseas workers in agricultural jobs in rural and regional Australia.
Oxley Nursing Service – Australian nursing agency.
Oz Au-Pair – Oz Au-pair Agency in Australia selects and matches Australian families with au pairs and nannies.
Paxus – IT recruitment.
People For People – Looking for Au pairs and nannies who would like to go to Australia. Minimum hours work is 25 to 30 for room, board and wages. Most homes have pools and beautiful surroundings. Their service is free but you pay your own airfare.
Perisher – A dedicated job site for the Perisher Valley, a ski resort in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales that employs 1200 seasonal staff each year. Employment generally starts in June and finishes late September with a selection of staff starting earlier and finishing later.
Pinnacle People – Hospitality and tourism recruitment agency with offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Pivotal – Office jobs.
Quay Appointments – Part time, casual, temp and full time work in offices, call centres, customer service, sales and banking / finance in Australia. A valid working visa, tax file number and a good work ethic is required to join their temporary team.
Robert Half Recruitment – Jobs, recruitment and career advice for finance, accounting, banking and technology professionals.
Smart Au Pairs – A Sydney based au pair agency that specialises in placing candidates with strong language skills and a genuine interest in children, looking for a real cultural learning experience and committed to providing a reliable extra pair of hands for the host family.
SnowyStaff – An on-line recruitment service located in the Snowy Mountains of NSW. They match employers in resorts with keen qualified job seekers wanting to work in the snow.
Spearmint Rhino – The gentleman’s club is always auditioning entertainers and interviewing waitresses for its Melbourne branch.
Techstaff – Scientific staff agency.
Troys Hospitality Staff – If you’re going to be packing black and whites for your aussie trip, Troys may be able to help you find work.
Victorian Nurse Specialists – A recruitment and nursing agency providing opportunities for travelling nurses. Call them for an interview for an immediate start.
Visitoz Scheme – Jobs on outback cattle and sheep stations, farms and host farms for up to three months with any one employer are available in Australia. The scheme is open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 30 years able to get an Australian Working Holiday Visa or a Student Visa which allows some work.
Voyages – Manage the Ayers Rock Resort, Alice Springs Resort, and Kings Canyon Resort and the island resorts of Dunk and Bedarra. Adobe living and working factsheets are available for download.
Ways Fundraising – Invites applications from potential new team members to raise funds and awareness for their charity partners.
The Wright Nanny – Connecting first class nanny and babysitter candidates with families throughout Sydneysince 1995.
Employment Resources for Finding Work in Australia
Advice & Useful Sites for Finding Work
Adzuna.com.au – 130,000+ jobs advertised in Australia.
Aussie Backpacker – Budget travellers guide to Australia. Includes working information, a harvest guide with a map of growing regions, and a general vacancy list. Free print publications are distributed in Oz or send them money to cover postage costs to receive a copy.
Australia and New Zealand Outlook – Now owned by TNT this useful and free tourism and immigration newspaper has relaunched as a magazine and is now available to read online.
Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs – Official information for emigrating, retiring, visiting and temporary residence in Australia, including the Working Holiday Maker Visa.
Australian Job Search – Includes a harvest trail of clickable maps leading to farm and orchard jobs.
Australian Tax Office Super Annuation Tax – Working in Australia? Superannuation Tax goes into your retirement fund. As a visitor to Australia it is reasonable to assume you will not be retiring in Australia and I’d like my money back, sir, thank you very much. Luckily the tax bods think this is a reasonable request and will give it back (less 30%). Find out if your employer contributes to this fund, and the name of it, while in Australia. Once back home you will need to provide a copy of your visa and the departure stamp in your passport.
Backpackers & Adventure Travel Expo – Held in Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland.
Backpackers of Queensland – Backpacker hostel in Stanthorpe that can assist with finding fruit picking work for those in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa.
BarMax Australia – A training and referral company for hospitality work in Australia. They train over 40,000 people annually for work in bars, hotels, clubs, restaurants, marine vessels and special event work.
BBM Live – Along with a website and magazine, BBM also have an Australia Work & Travel Guide (AWTG) that is released in the UK. The site also has a jobs section, and a separate adult employment page.
Bowen Backpackers – Queensland backpacker hostel that can assist with finding fruit picking work for those in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa.
Cronulla Beach YHA – Fifty minutes south from Sydney by train is Cronulla Beach. The YHA can help arrange work for labourers, pub and cafe staff, retail staff, nannies and in childcare centres and hospitals.
Discover Thredbo – Information portal for Thredbo Village in Australia’s snowy mountains, providing information on accommodation, real estate, employment, eating out, ski and snow reports.
Freespirit – Online career centre for both Australian workers and travelling workers. This site covers visas, sponsorship and tax services in Australia and gives a great deal of clear information for those about to arrive.
Fruit Picking Australia – A site setup for backpackers and fruit pickers who are looking for working backpacker accommodation who specialise in sourcing fruit Picking and farm work for their guests..
Fruit-Picking.com – Job listings, visa information, forums, a guide to fruit picking regions and interviews with backpackers.
FruitPicking.org – Essential information and a forum for harvest work in Australia.
Grey Nomads Jobs – Find employment, jobs, house sitting and community opportunities with thousands of “nomad-friendly” employers all over Australia.
Harvest Trail Lodge – South Australian backpacker hostel that can assist with finding fruit picking work for those in Australia on a Working Holiday Visa.
H n H Travellers Australia – Accommodation network that includes rideshare information and a guide to fruit harvests.
Home for Backpackers – Brisbane hostel. May be able to help with work.
Hotel Careers Australia – A recruitment website for the hospitality industry.
Housesitting in Australia – The Book – Nikki Ah Wong sells a book that details how to find housesitting assignments, how to support yourself while on the move and how to live in style for less money than some people spend on coffee.
Inspired Options – Recruitment and migration assistance for those working in the following fields: nursing, teaching, human resource management, social work, business, science, banking and finance.
Jobaroo – Australian job search website that, amongst others, covers hospitality and seasonal jobs.
Job Capital – White collar professional and semi skilled jobs for working holidaymakers and students in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane Australia.
Jobs 4 Travellers – Hundreds of backpacker jobs and jobs for travellers in Australia covering every sector and all states and territories, plus plenty of info needed for working downunder.
Jobs.com.au – One of Australia’s highest ranking and leading online job search websites offering thousands of available job and employment opportunities.
MADEC – Supplies labour to major harvest areas seeking large numbers of harvest workers to supplement local labour supply. MADEC now operates 6 Harvest Labour Offices across three states. Harvest Labour Offices in Mildura, Renmark, Wentworth, Robinvale, Swan Hill and McLaren Vale operate all year to alleviate some of the added pressure on growers during peak harvest times.
Murray Valley Fruit Harvest – Information on the grape and stone fruit harvests in Mildura, Swan Hill, Robinvale and Wentworth. Includes telephone numbers of local labour offices, weather conditions and pay rates.
Mycareer.com.au – Job search and career information.
No Boundaries – Helps grey nomads working their way around Australia on a working holiday or as a life style.
Nomads – Relaxed hostel accommodation and budget travel in both Australia and New Zealand. Employment assistance provided too.
Open Colleges – Australia’s leader in online learning offering over 150 flexible courses, including in tourism and hospitality.
Poms in Oz – Forums for expats and those migrating to Australia.
ResearchJobs – A weekly email service that lists new positions available within the research and development sector throughout Australia. It also includes details of scholarships, awards and grants available.
Riverina Tourism – One of Australia’s richest agricultural areas, the Riverina tourist authorities used to produce a handy guide to taking a working holiday in this region of NSW. Though this seems to have gone by the wayside the free visitor’s pack nonetheless contains maps and other resources that will be of use in a job hunt around the area.
Study Options – Provide free advice and assistance to students wishing to study, learn or train in Australia or New Zealand. Degrees, vocational courses, internships or gap year courses.
Superyacht Sydney – Designed to provide superyacht captains and crew with as much information as possible about cruising NSW and to put them in direct contact with the leading service providers that will contribute to making their trip a total success.
TaxBack.com – Organises tax back for people of all ages and sectors who have worked in Australia.
TNT – These guys provide an excellent free weekly magazine for Australians in London and another for visitors to Oz. For a few stamps and a nominal fee they also provide various travel planners to Britain, Australia and New Zealand – see their site for more details.
Travellers Contact Point – A onestop centre for the independent traveller. their services include a visa processing service, mail holding, tax refunds, city starter packs and an employment service.
The Victorian Bar School – Looking for work in a bar, restaurant or cafe? The Victorian Bar School can help you find your perfect Job. They offer courses such as cocktail bartending, espresso coffee, barista training, RSA, RSG food handling certificate and food safety supervisor.
Visafirst.com -Organise working holiday visas for Australia and New Zealand.
Wages.com.au – An Australian site that provides information on Australian wages with links to Australian industrial relations and labour sites. Also international wage info.
The Word – Helpful pocket guide with information for working travellers that can be picked up in many hostels and traveller hangouts.
Workabout Australia – A book and a club aimed at travellers to Australia looking to find work.
Gap Year & Voluntary Work in Australia
Unpaid Positions & Adventure
Aussitel Backpackers – Work for accommodation roles come up frequently and are given to suitable guests already staying with them. Local farmers in Coffs Harbour also let them know when there is work available during the blueberry picking season.
Australian Tropical Research Foundation – Rainforest restoration and related research in tropical far north Queensland. They are seeking volunteers, interns and students to assist in a wide range of rainforest and climate change related activities.During their down time volunteers can enjoy some of the finest coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. A small fee, the amount depending on ability to pay, is required to cover food and lodging.
Bellbunya – Bellbunya is a demonstration centre for sustaining living on the Sunshine Coast hinterland in Queensland. Full time positions are rarely available but part time volunteers are welcomed.
Bush Heritage Australia – A national non-profit organisation conserving biodiversity in Australia, volunteers perform a range of tasks to support Bush Heritage’s dedicated staff in the field and in the office. Reserve opportunities include land management, ecological monitoring and research, visitor management, caretaking and infrastructure support. Desk-top opportunities include event management, marketing, finance, communication, social media, fundraising and general administration.
Conservation Volunteers Australia – Aid the protection of the endangered flora and fauna of Australia, plant trees or restore historic buildings.
Flying Monkey Backpackers – Volunteers can stay for free in Cairns in return for 16 hours’ work a week in housekeeping for a minimum of one month.
Internships Down Under – Provide individuals with tailor made internships in Australia and New Zealand.
Koala Beach Resort – Cairns accommodation that has been spotted looking for a work for stay superstar cleaner for two and a half hours a day.
Port Macquarie Backpackers – Current vacancies are listed on the their website. When we looked they were looking for a duty manager, but they also say they are always looking for drivers and cleaners. Some positions receive pocket money as well as accommodation.
Queensland Government Volunteering for Parks – Become a volunteer for parks through the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. These pages also carry information on volunteering as a campground host, described as perfect for self-reliant couples who are experienced campers, enjoy meeting other people and love being outdoors. At least one host must have a current senior first-aid certificate. Hosts should also be fit and healthy, and preferably be 18 or over. There is also information on work experience and industry placements for students.
Think Pacific – Gap year expeditions to Fiji and the South Pacific combining volunteer projects with an adventurous island safari.
Tolga Bat Hospital – Every year the Tolga Bat Hospital rescues, rehabilitates and releases hundreds of bats that would otherwise die. Tasks include serving up banana smoothies for the bats and trips to the rainforest to release or capture the bats. Volunteers are required for a minimum of one month and should expect to pay for their food and accommodation. Shorter stays can be arranged by those willing to pay higher rates for their board.
Volunteering WA – Resources and information for volunteering in Western Australia.
WWOOF Australia – Willing Workers on Organic Farms provide lists of organic farms willing to accept volunteers.
Living in Australia
Real Estate and Resources for Staying Long Term
Domain.com.au – Property rental ads.
LJ Hooker.com.au – Established Australian estate agents.
McGrath – Large Australian estate agents.
Migrationexpert.com – Provides free Australian immigration eligibility assessment. An independent online source for personalised advice on migrating to Australia and Australian Immigration Law.
Parish Patience Immigration Lawyers – Immigation consultants.
Property Finders – Search for a home in Australia.
RealEstate.com.au – A big website for finding a home in Australia and New Zealand.
Rent4free.com.au – Search for rental property, houses, flats and apartments in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and other cities and towns all over Australia.
Sydney Migration Consultancy – Immigration lawyers.
Visa Corp – Immigation consultants.
Travelling in Australia
Accommodation & Getting Around
Apollo Motorhome Holidays – Specialise in campervan and motorhome hire in Australia and New Zealand including the “Cheapa Campa”, aimed at the budget-minded traveller.
All Seasons Campervans – Campervan rental.
Aussie House Sitters – One of Australia and New Zealand’s leading house sitting companies.
Aussie House Swap – A house swapping and home exchange website.
Australia.com – Official tourist office site. As you would expect from the Australians there is plenty of information for the important backpacker market including working around the country.
Bridge Climb – Climb up the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Employment possibilities too (for Australians or those allowed to live in Australia only – not for those on a working holiday) for climb leaders, photographers, office, shop or cafe workers and Japanese speaking team members.
Campahomes – Campervan rental.
Camperman Australia – A business providing campervan rental and sales in Australia, especially in Sydney, helping to make your trip and work in Australia more convenient.
Carmarket.com.au – We met a number of people proudly travelling Australia and New Zealand in a VW Combi. The vehicles are often brightly coloured and eccentrically painted with pictures of frogs, kangeroos, Austin Powers or Darth Vader. The Combi owners – sometimes a couple, sometimes a group of lads or girls – extol the flexibiltiy their Combi gives them in travelling and stopping where and when wish and feel part of a club or fraternity, particularly on the long deserted roads that connect distant towns and cities in Australia. Most buy their van equipped with beds and a cooker, pay for fuel and sell the thing at the end of their trip, usually for the same price paid at the start. When these guys were known as the Kings Cross International Backpackers Car Market they were thought to be a good place to meet travellers in Sydney, hear some advice and stories and buy a Combi or car for your own journeys.
Countrylink – Rail and coach network.
Diamantina Outback Information – Diamantina offer detailed information on travel to the Australian outback as will as attractions, deserts, expeditions, visa and flight information.
Discovery Melbourne – The blurb of this backpackers hostel says they are better in bed.
Exford Hotel – Accommodation in Melbourne.
Firefly Express – Interstate coach travel in Australia.
Flinders Station Hotel Backpackers – Accommodation in Melbourne.
Getabout Oz – Campervan rental in Australia and New Zealand.
Greyhound Pioneer – Coach passes and tours.
Groovy Grape Getaways Australia – Groovy trips in vans. Backpacker companies have the best names, don’t you think?
KEA Campers Australia and New Zealand – Campervans, motorhomes and 4WD’s to explore Australia and New Zealand at your own pace, experienced multilingual staff and an extensive network of rental depots.
Mighty Cars and Campers – Campervan rental.
Needaride.com.au – Australia’s biggest virtual message board for lifts. There were plenty available from various departure points when we last looked.
Nullarbor Traveller – Road tours across the Nullarbor connecting Adelaide and Perth.
Oz Experience – Backpacker bus service.
Professional Pathways Australia – Successfully facilitating internships in Australia since 2001 for international students and graduates. With offices in the central business districts of Melbourne and Sydney, they are able to offer students and recent graduates an appropriate industry based programme that will support their work and life aspirations.
PURE Australia – An independent backpacker guide to assist anyone interested in Australian backpacker travel. Share experiences, ask questions and offer advice to new travellers.
Sydney Aquarium – It’s difficult to believe but sharks are one of the less dangerous critters in Australia compared to the crocs, spiders, snakes, stonefish, buffalo, jellyfish…. the list just goes on and on. The Sydney Aquarium has a world famous shark display among its attractions that also include seals and penguins, crocodiles, platypus, underwater tunnels and a Great Barrier Reef complex. Travellers arriving in Sydney and heading up the coast will find the display of over 11,000 aquatic animals, open 9am to 10pm every day, a good grounding for what they may see later in the wild.
Tamworth Jackeroo and Jillaroo School – Many people think all Australians live on farms the size of Belgium. They don’t, but you can and for around the price of a double room per night. Among the things you’ll learn on your way to becoming an Australian cowboy or cowgirl are horseriding, shoeing, mustering sheep or cattle, milking, whip cracking and lassoing and calf throwing and marking. At the end of your stay you may even have a skill that can be used to find a real, paid job on a cattle station.
Travellers Auto Barn – Car and campervan sales and rentals. There’s also a page of employment opportunities at TAB.
Travelodge – Accommodation. Includes a careers page.
The VanExchange – A place to buy and sell backpacker vehicles in Australia. Whether you’re looking to buy or sell they have listings of cars, campervans, 4×4’s, Utes, SUV’s and more.
Wake Up -Backpacker accommodation and bar in Sydney.
Western Australia – ‘The Real Thing’ – Travel information from Tourism Western Australia.
Wicked Campers – Campervans for backpackers to rent. Great pics of entertainingly painted vans including a very chummy Darth Vader and a Stormtrooper ready to take on the open road. Includes a jobs page.
YHA Australia – Hostel accommodation.
Other Useful Australian Websites
Culture, News…
The Australian – Newspaper.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Cool Country Radio – Sydney country radio station.
Educaedu.com.au – Search engine for higher education courses in Australia.
Sydney Opera House – Sydney has an Opera House apparently.