In case – really, just in case; nobody freak out just yet – I wanted to stay longer in Australia, I will have to do something called „specified work“. Which means 88 days of volunteering on a farm, berry picking, recovering bushfire-declared areas or other declared areas that have been affected by natural disasters.. One could also be working in hospitality in the Outback. There are a lot of different options – they just have to meet certain criteria.
If I finished my 88 days I’m eligible to apply for a second WHV, which is no guaranty that I get it. Anyway, the system goes on like that – I would have to do another 88 days then to be eligible to apply for a third one. That’s just how the system works here. Not like Canada, where you have a maximum of two years as a German citizen and that‘s that for WHVs. After the second year you need a different visa/work permit. But enough about that..
So, because I didn‘t get a job in Sydney I started looking to get my 88 days done. You know, get it out of the way. So I don‘t have to stress about it, once I‘m getting closer to the end of my visa and decided I wanted to stay longer.
There are websites, apps and facebook groups, where you are able to find such work. I got lucky on facebook. I saw a post by a farmer, who was looking for help feeding animals, general maintenance around the house, as well as gardening. I was supposed to lend a hand for roundabout twelve hours a week and therefore get my own little cottage I could call home. As you can see, it‘s not a paid job, but I still would get to save the rent by volunteering on the farm. I think it was a great deal. So I accepted – or got accepted by the farmer – whichever way you want to see it.
Alright. I got my volunteering job fixed. Now, I just needed a car to get me there and another „real“ job to have an actual income I could live off. Easier said than done.
In my head I was buying a nice truck (, called an ute here, in Australia) or a camper van. Something I could easily live out of, if I was in between jobs and places, or wanted to go on a road trip. And honestly, ever since Canada I just wanted to drive a truck – it just looks so cool. Anyway, that dream was busted quite easily.
I saved a lot of money over the winter season in Austria, but I sure wasn‘t ready to put all my money on a truck or van, which might let me down. You never know what you get, when you’re buying a used car. (Especially from facebook marketplace.) And just because I got super lucky in Squamish doesn‘t mean I‘m jumping in head first like that again.
I had a deal lined up. Got the cash from the bank. Was about to make my way there the next morning. And just before I headed to bed I received a text: „Just sold the car.“. That literally is facebook marketplace in a nutshell. You can‘t really trust anyone. If you want something you will have to get it immediately. Always check their profile and see if they have any reviews or how long they’ve had facebook in the first place. Be careful and curious – ask a lot of questions before you settle on anything. (Maybe that advice would also suit other parts of life..)
At the same time I was once again applying for jobs all around Verges Creek, which is the village the farm is located at. I found a cute, little cafe and thought I‘d give it try. With no experience whatsoever in that field of work – they still agreed to let me come in for a training session. I was over the moon to finally have found a job – no matter what it was.
Now, the pressure was on. I had a start date at the cafe and also at the farm. I was in desperate need of a car.
Ollie and Jo offered to borrow me one of theirs, if I don‘t find one in time. Which I was super grateful for. Thankfully though, I found my own vehicle. It was exciting up to the last second. I sealed the deal on my Nissan x-Trail just 24 hours before I had to hit the road.
I can always sell and buy another car. For now all it has to do is get me from A to B, and sometimes C. So once again, I packed all my belongings together, put them in my car and was off to a quieter life on a farm up north.
And boy, did it get quiet.
Arriving on the farm, after an adventurous first drive on the left side of the road, was pretty rewarding. I nearly took out a motorcycle in a roundabout because I was looking the wrong way. Only drove on the right/wrong side once, with luckily no one else around. And still sometimes have to remind myself to change gears with my left hand, as well as not hit the windshield wipers when I want to indicate a turn. But, all in all, I‘m slowly getting there.
Paul and Rebecca, the owners of the farm, welcomed me warmly and were probably laughing a bit about the white pants I decided to wear on arrival. (Haven‘t worn them ever since -hahaha.) Nevertheless, they showed me around, got me settled in and told me to stock up the next day on groceries. Seems like there’s a lot of rain supposed to be coming and we might be flooded in.
Well, they’ve been living on the 115 acres farm for seventeen years now. I would trust their word. And it came exactly like they said. So for the first whole week I was stuck on the farm. Rain – day in and day out. No job at the cafe. Not really anything to do on the farm. Easy first week. But it never got boring..
Stay tuned for more! So long.
marie louise travels 