Some days it feels like you know nothing. You’ll be faced with a challenge that makes you feel useless. Other days you feel like a king/queen, bossing life and making everything look easy. But take time to contemplate Australia and know how much lessons you will learn on your trip to this Southern continent. Perhaps it’s because it’s so large. Perhaps it’s the people. Whatever it is that gives Australia its uniqueness, it is undoubtedly a land of extremes unlike any other. These are some of the things you realise when travelling in Australia.
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You don’t NEED half the things you want
Working out bush gave you a whole new appreciation for what you need vs. what you want. You don’t really need a plumbed toilet, you don’t need Facebook. You DO NEED water and food and sleep! We are not preaching that we should all throw away our mobile phones and live like cavemen. But you will learn though, that not enough changes every day to warrant our obsession with social media. It’s refreshing to rely less on Facebook and find more joy in the present.
Money is easy come, easy go
In australia you can acquire wealth quickly and easily, you may also lose it just as easily … You may buy a car that is not worth it or even have to spend some money on random things you didn’t expect! As a backpacker, it is relatively easy to find short-term work to earn (good) money, such as farm work or hospitality jobs. However, unexpected expenses can quickly drain a backpacker’s funds.
Moreover, it is common for us to engage in fun and exciting activities such as exploring the country’s scenic spots, trying different types of food, and socializing with fellow travelers. While these experiences can be enriching, they can also be expensive…
Australia is a land of opportunity
Work hard and play hard. There are a thousand opportunities. You will learn new skills at work and tried new hobbies. But you will also meet people who will give you all kinds of random knowledge. When you work on a farm and the weekend came about, you will go away and find an adventure. 4×4 along the Gibb River road, fishing in Keep River National Park, climbing gorges, visiting waterfalls, hunting, you name it – you do it. Every time you will leave the campsite you ll find another opportunity to make memories and new connections.
Australians take pride in the strangest of things
Australians love to exaggerate! The amount of times you will turn up at a place and said, ‘This is not what I expected.’ The pinnacles desert. Staircase to the moon. Kakadu. They are all worth visiting in their own right but you will learn that the best experiences are the ones you haven’t been told to experience! Moments such as an Emu standing next to a sign saying, ‘Warning! Emus on the road.’ Feeding an orphaned cow so that it didn’t starve to death. Then there’s the giant fruit statues, or best of all for me, Dunedoo where they tried to build a four story outhouse. Trust us, unless you’ve never visited a true Aussie long-drop, you’ll know it’s probably for the best that they didn’t do it!
People can make or break your happiness
You will definitely meet a lot of people in Australia. You ll find that you ll meet some truly amazing friends who vastly outweigh those couple of bad people you ight encounter. Meeting friendly and like-minded individuals can make your travel experience more enjoyable and fulfilling. On the other hand, encountering unfriendly or unsupportive people can make your travels less enjoyable and even stressful. So always stay close to positive people and drop the others in the outback (not litteraly).
Be careful what you wish for
To get a second year visa, backpackers have to complete 88 days of regional work. You may spend hours doing manual labour in blistering heat. Everyday you go come home and say, ‘I wish I worked in a packing shed. It would be so much easier.’ Then you may got your wish and ended up in a mango packing house in NT… It will be easier, cooler, won’t start at 6am. But… on the other hand it will be super boring and repetitive… No music allowed. Print sticker. Pick up a mango, pack the mango. When the box is full, put it on the belt. Hating this job that led you to finish your 88 days as a water tank builder instead… physical sure but … different!
There are so many more deadly creatures than you’ve ever realised
Crocodiles. Sharks. Spiders. Snakes. Jellyfish. We all know about these. What you don’t realise, is that Australia has ants the size of your little finger. It has biting flies. Scorpions. Parasites. Bacteria that thrives in the wet season mud that’ll kill you if you walk around bare foot. Happy travelling guys. Don’t forget to check your shoes before you put them on…
