Australians don’t do much work in January, and between Boxing Day and Australia Day (January 26) you could work 12 hours a day seven days a week in any beach holiday town in the country. Holiday crowds thin a little after Australia Day but there’s still plenty of shifts to be filled in surf schools, hotels, cafes and tourism businesses. Here are a few destination options for a working holiday in Australia.
Torquay Victoria: This is our home town and it’s a great place to pour beers, make coffees, our drive tour buses down the Great Ocean Road.
Torquay is the surf capital of Australia and home to Bells Beach, Rip Curl Quiksilver and the Rip Curl Pro
Deakin University is 20 minutes away and Torquay is home for many students. Accommodation is tight but there’s usually share houses looking for new flat mates.
There’s plenty of construction work available and a semi skilled person typically gets $AU35-$40 per hour while fully qualified tradespeople (known as tradies) can earn $50 + an hour. If you are looking for a working holiday by the beach, Torquay on the Surf Coast is a good option.
Byron Bay has beautiful beaches and businesses begging for staff to run the joint.
Let’s start with the good things about Byron. The town has stunning beaches with warm water, and great surf breaks. Fitness fanatics hike to the lighthouse to do dawn yoga while watching humpback whales cruise by Australia’s most easterly point.
The food is fabulous, so too is the nightlife, there’s a vibrant art scene, and the town hosts dynamic events throughout the year.
Now the bad stuff. If someone wrote a text book about over-tourism, Byron Bay would have a chapter. Covid has seen city folk moving into the town in large numbers, driving up housing prices to eye-watering levels. This has driven up rents and many long term locals are now homeless. Workers have been forced to move further out of Byron to find affordable housing because once affordable housing is on the short term rental market. This has caused traffic jams as they commute into the town centre for work.
Yes there’s great pay in Byron as businesses scramble for staff, but you’d want to get your housing sorted first.
Tropical North Queensland (TNQ) is desperate for hospitality workers and the peak season is in the Southern Hemisphere “winter”. In places like Cairns and Port Douglas, winter means warm and sunny. Along with standard hospitality staff, TNQ needs specialist diving guides, white water rafting people, and farm workers.
So how desperate are businesses in TNQ? Read this to see the incentives they were offering to attract tourism workers. If you are interested in this destination, just add Cairns and/or Port Douglas to your profile and we will let them know you are keen.
Airlie Beach / Whitsundays (Queensland)
If you work on boats, are a dive master, or want general resort work on a tropical island, Airlie Beach and the 74 Whitsunday Islands off the coast could be the perfect location for a working holiday.
Hamilton Island is a premier holiday destination with plenty of high end hotels and it’s own airport.
If you take a job on one of the offshore islands, it typically includes accommodation. There’s also a very large number of fruit picking jobs in this region.