What should I do in my first week in Australia on a working holiday?
Last checked
Short answer
In week one: apply for your free Tax File Number online (you must be in Australia), open a bank account, get a SIM, choose one super fund, and know what covers your health. Then decide on work: Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane have far more backpackers than city jobs, and harvest towns within a few hours often hire faster, sometimes with a bed.
Days 1 to 3: the admin
- Tax File Number: free on the ATO website, about 10 minutes, and you must be in Australia to apply. Use an address where you can get post. Never pay a website for a TFN.
- Bank account: most banks let you start online with your passport, some before you land, then verify in a branch. Wages into your own account are also your 88-day evidence.
- SIM: coverage in farm country varies by network, so check the map for where you are heading, not just the city.
- Super: your employer pays it on top of your wage. Pick one fund and give the same one to every employer.
- Health: some passports, including the UK, Ireland and Italy, get reciprocal Medicare; most do not. Know what your insurance covers. In an emergency call 000.
Sydney
The most jobs and the most people chasing them, and rent eats savings fast. If you need farm days, Orange (about 3.5 hours) and Young (about 4 hours) in the Central West are the nearest orchard towns, with apples and cherries and the cherry season around Christmas.
Melbourne
A great city to live in and a hard one to find a first job in. The Goulburn Valley around Shepparton (about 2 hours) and the Murray around Swan Hill (about 4 hours) are the closest big harvest areas, with orchard and packing work through the warmer months.
Brisbane
A job-hunting city with few city jobs per backpacker. The Lockyer Valley around Gatton (about 1 hour) hires most of the year, Bundaberg and Childers (about 4 to 4.5 hours) are the classic 88-day towns, and the Granite Belt around Stanthorpe works through summer.
Days 4 to 7: work, mates and a plan
- Decide city job or regional work. If you want a second year, regional farm work is where the 88 days are.
- Check any job's postcode and learn the scam red flags before you travel to it.
- Join a crew in your city to meet people heading the same way and share rides out.
- Get the tickets employers ask for: an RSA for bar work (state by state) and a White Card for construction.
Common follow-up questions
What should I do first when I arrive in Australia on a working holiday visa?
Apply for a Tax File Number online (free, and you must be in Australia), open a bank account, get a SIM and pick a super fund. Then decide where to work: city jobs are competitive, harvest towns often hire faster.
Can I start work before my TFN arrives?
Yes. Tell your employer you have applied on your TFN declaration. You have 28 days to give them the number before they must withhold tax at the top rate.
Is it easier to find work in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane?
All three have more backpackers looking than city jobs. Sydney has the most jobs, Melbourne the hardest first job, Brisbane has the Lockyer Valley farm work about an hour away.
Do working holiday makers get Medicare?
Only passport holders from countries with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement, such as the UK, Ireland and Italy, and only for medically necessary care. Everyone else relies on private insurance.
General information only, not immigration or tax advice. For advice about your situation, talk to a registered migration agent (check the OMARA register) or a registered tax agent (TPB register).
Sources
- ATO: apply for a tax file number
- ATO: working holiday makers and tax
- Services Australia: Reciprocal Health Care Agreements
- healthdirect: calling triple zero (000)
- Fair Work Ombudsman: visa holders and migrants
- Home Affairs: specified work for the Working Holiday visa (417)
General information, not migration or legal advice. Rules and pay rates change, so confirm anything your visa depends on with the official source.
More quick answers
Meet your city crew
Backpackers who just landed in your city, heading the same way. Free on Matey.
Just landed pages