Welcome to this week’s blog post, we’re back after a short hiatus over christmas time and this post is about how we found a job in Australia and what it’s like working in hospitality (hospo).
How we ended up here
After spending the majority of our allocated funds on the van (going over budget on the van itself by $3,500 dollars and then the additional costs that racked up another $1000), we soon ran out of money after visiting the blue mountains and Katoomba. Old Scotty told us of a cherry farm we could earn some money in Young, and it was an option we weighed up. However, Young is inland, and cherry picking sounds fun, but won’t pay an awful lot. Instead, we decided to drive to the closest free campsite we could find on the coast: Termiel point.
This campsite was a dream, just a 30 second walk through the bush where we encountered our first wallaby (carrying a pup!) and you arrived on a beach with soft, squeaky sand, gentle waves and rock pools over to the left. We encountered a timtam stealing possum and more wallabies. We also met someone who would teach Ben how to fish. Although it was I that would achieve the biggest catch of the day: A sea bream.
Finding a job
Here, at Termiel Point, we were shooting off emails, CVs and phone calls trying to land a job nearby this beautiful coast. Ben received a reply from a rooftop bar and grill in Mollymook. We scheduled a trial shift, went to Kmart (think the equivalent of Matalan), bought suitable clothing and went to our trial shift.
Ben started off flying the shakers around and wowing everyone with the speed he could bash out cocktails, he’d obviously worked in a bar before.. For me it was a little less clear, I forgot to relay tables and had to double check with numerous customers about their order, but I did work hard! Whether it was Ben’s cocktail shaking flare that landed us both the job, I’m not sure, but we were happy to be offered one and shown the hourly rates, which I’m convinced are much higher than what would have been offered cherry picking in Young.
Of course, I’m speaking from a somewhat privileged perspective, as all holiday working visas for Australia are required to do remote farm work, such as cherry picking in Young. It was only halfway through 2023, the day before we had applied for our visa, that the visa requirements changed for UK citizens. We no longer have to do any farm work of any sort if we want our 2nd and 3rd year VISAs. It’s for this reason we can be picky and go into hospitality rather than farming.
Hospo life
So our weeks have come and gone a little faster, filled with 30-40 hours of work a week. Working in hospitality in Australia is fun. We get 50% off food, lunch when there’s a double shift, and a drink after work. The team is fun to work with and we’ve already started making some good friends there. I’m not sure Ben will ever want to move on!
I enjoy the work, more than I thought I would initially. The area is absolutely stunning, and I’m surprised it’s not more popular than it is currently, although perhaps that would ruin its charm. Despite this, I still feel an itch to move on, I don’t like spending our days off around the same area we’ve been working, I want to see new places, beaches, bushes, walks etc. It’s funny how I felt this urge for the new in England, and here I am in Australia, and I’m still feeling this urge for the new.
But for now, we’re staying put until we have enough money to move on! I keep spending my money so it might be a little while, a couple of months or so, and like I said, Ben is very happy with the work, the people and the place. We’re feeling very lucky to have happened upon this little slice of life.
That’s all for now, we will hopefully catch up soon, and I need to carve out time to begin again the newsletters!
