Nicole Apthorpe Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Hi guys. I'm just starting to plan my working holiday. I can't decide between starting in Sydney or Melbourne. Ideally I'd like to settle in one city for the majority of my time I'm Oz to work and save before travelling around the rest of the country & also parts of SE Asia, so it's important for me to chose the right place. From what I can see, Melbourne sounds like my 'kind of place' (although I know you never really know until you get there) but I'm coming on my own and most people I've spoken to so far online are all heading for Sydney. Is there a big backpacker community in Melbourne? And how about places to stay long term? I need to find a job asap and I've heard its easier to get a backpacker job in Sydney, is this true? If so that would be a big deciding factor for me! Any help is appreciated xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted March 13, 2015 Share Posted March 13, 2015 Hi guys. I'm just starting to plan my working holiday. I can't decide between starting in Sydney or Melbourne. Ideally I'd like to settle in one city for the majority of my time I'm Oz to work and save before travelling around the rest of the country & also parts of SE Asia, so it's important for me to chose the right place. From what I can see, Melbourne sounds like my 'kind of place' (although I know you never really know until you get there) but I'm coming on my own and most people I've spoken to so far online are all heading for Sydney. Is there a big backpacker community in Melbourne? And how about places to stay long term? I need to find a job asap and I've heard its easier to get a backpacker job in Sydney, is this true? If so that would be a big deciding factor for me! Any help is appreciated xx There is no 'right' or 'wrong' decision, so just think of it as two 'right' choices. If you fancy Melbourne, go there first. I planned around going to Perth first, which I did, but spent the bulk of my time in Sydney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewilton Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 It's bloody cold in winter in Melbourne! Keep that in mind. June July August I'd want to be further north Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzukiscottie Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 "Bloody cold" for some might be quite balmy for others! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewilton Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 "Bloody cold" for some might be quite balmy for others! There is nothing balmy about 10C living in the equivalent of a shed which most Melbourne houses appear to be. I was never as cold in London as I was here in winter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzukiscottie Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Yes there is a large backpacking community in Melbourne. Heaps of backpacker hostels in the cbd. I guess the ease of securing a job will vary depending on the job, the applicant and the applicants range of skills. I would think that the challenges of securing a job would be just the same whichever city you choose to go to. Have a search on the book of Face. There are various backpacker groups on there all sharing info specifically for backpackers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 There is nothing balmy about 10C living in the equivalent of a shed which most Melbourne houses appear to be. I was never as cold in London as I was here in winter Sydney houses aren't much better. I was never as cold in Scottish houses :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole Apthorpe Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 It's bloody cold in winter in Melbourne! Keep that in mind. June July August I'd want to be further north haha! thats one of the things thats attracting me to Melbourne. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garreth Peat Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Hey Nicole I'm in the same predicament I have no idea where to start I just wanna get there then ill be like a rabbit in headlights haha when you going x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole Apthorpe Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 Hey Garreth, i'm not planning on going until January 2016. Only just started looking into it & need time to save up enough money! how about you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garreth Peat Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 I haven't done much planning I only applied for my visa on Tuesday got it on Friday and I'm planning go going at the endie of April I think I'll have about 7000 English after everything's paid so I'm hoping I have enough I just need to start working soon as I get out there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole Apthorpe Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 i can imagine that will be more than enough! i'm planning on taking between £3 & 4k over with me. hopefully i'll find work ASAP I think the minimum they say to take works out to be about £2,500 but they don't always check and i've heard of people taking less and being ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Keeler Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Start in melbourne, then you can always work up!! i didn't like sydney, was far to busy for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hanaknight12 Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Hi Nicole, I've been thinking the exact same thing. It's alot harder to make a decision than it sounds isn't it?! Have you started planning much of your journey? I'm looking to travel October 2015 so I may see you out there in Jan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grahamffc Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 As some have already said you'll best avoiding winter in Melbourne. January to March is brilliant in Melbourne, even if you don't think you'll be into them the Australian Open, Grand Prix, Gay Pride, Moomba Festival, and St Kilda Festival create a real buzz around the City, there is something big practically every weekend for those three months. So give you are going in January I'd head to Melbourne first then go up to Sydney in May/June time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 A left field suggestion - why not start in Brisbane? A lot of the things you really want to see are in Queensland: beautiful beaches (Sunshine Coast), Fraser Island, the Great Barrier Reef, the Whitsundays, Kuranda etc. You could then fly to Darwin to see the Kakadu National Park or to Alice Springs to see Uluru - or for the adventurous, I believe you can take a Greyhound bus and do some stopovers along the way. Sydney and Melbourne are big expensive cities and while they have tourist attractions like any big city, they're not quintessentially Australian. Once you've seen the Harbour, Opera House and Bondi Beach in Sydney, you've seen all there is to see (the Blue Mountains are pretty but if you've ever been to the Lake District or Scotland, you won't be overawed). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misskayleigh Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 Hey Garreth, i'm not planning on going until January 2016. Only just started looking into it & need time to save up enough money! how about you? Hi Nicole, I'm going in January 2016 too and thought I was set on Sydney but now I'm not too sure! Maybe we could meet up if we land in the same place Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.