Finding the Best Australian Working Holiday Job (Visa 462)

Australia is a rad country and most people who visit or spend time living in the country want to extend their stay. Thankfully it is very easy to apply for a one-year working holiday visa! However, what happens when your first year runs out and you’re still not ready to leave?

The Australian government has not made this step so easy. In order to obtain a second Australian working holiday visa you have to complete the infamous 88 days of “farm work.” For most backpackers this is a grueling process of finding a job and then slaving away on a (banana) farm for 3 months. I got extremely lucky with the job I found and my 3 months of work was one of the highlights of my travels! Here’s how I scored such an awesome  Australian Working Holiday job in the Daintree Rainforest.

Continue reading to find out more valuable information on completing the 88 days visa work requirement, finding a good job, and hearing about my awesome work experience in the Daintree Rainforest.

USA Visa 462

I got lucky with my Australian Working Holiday job because Americans, and a small handful of other countries (mostly in Latin America) are fortunate to have the Visa 462. Unlike backpackers from Europe, our visa allows us to work in the hospitality and tourism industry as opposed to farm work. The only drawback is you can only work in remote areas, which is defined by anywhere north of the Tropic of Capricorn. There is not much happening north of this line. Cairns and Darwin are the biggest cities, and the rest is mostly uninhabited. Thankfully, Cairns and Darwin are tourist hubs, so there are plenty of jobs to be found in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Finding my Australian Working Holiday Job

I set out on a mission from Sydney, Australia to drive up the whole east coast in my van. My goal was to make it to Cairns and then look for a job around there. I got to surf, camp under the stars, see a lot of wild animals and experience a wide variety of landscapes.

I arrived in Cairns at the end of March (following a quick vacay to Bali). It was extremely hot, humid and wet. The rainy season was lasting longer than usual and a massive cyclone had just hit the area. I quickly learned that this was not the best time to be looking for a job in Cairns. Most people I spoke with said to check back in a month or two when they would start hiring for the busy season. This is where I first sensed that finding a job to satisfy my working holiday visa requirement would be very difficult. In addition, I started hearing horror stories about the farm work. I even ran into a guy I met in Vietnam that had almost lost his finger on one of the banana farms.

Snorkeling with sea turtles

Recruiters are Helpful in finding a good Australian Working Holiday Job!

I searched all over the Internet for jobs, and joined a lot of Australia backpacker groups on Facebook. I finally heard from a lady at Workers Wanted. This is a recruiting service for backpackers trying to satisfy their working holiday visa. At first I was skeptical, but this turned out to be the best decision I could have made. It is the only reason I landed such an awesome job. Monique at Workers Wanted and a lady named Izzy at Adventure Cairns and Beyond are the two people I know in Cairns that off backpackers this service. They charge a fair amount and trust me it is 100% worth it knowing that someone has your back.

The Job I Landed

Monique connected me with a lady named Jackie, who owns and operates a campground and pizza restaurant in part of the Daintree Rainforest called Cape Tribulation. She was ultimately looking for a pizza chef. I had no cooking experience but thankfully she took a risk and hired me anyways. The next day I was on my way to the rainforest – I had no idea what I was in for.

Aerial View of Cape Tribulation Camping

Cape Tribulation, where the Rainforest meets the Reef

I knew that Cape Tribulation was a very small town tucked into the Daintree rainforest, but I did not realize how remote it was until I arrived. It is located only 2.5 hours north of Cairns, but feels like a whole other world. You have to take a ferry across the crocodile infested Daintree River, just to access it. After that, it’s a 45 min (if you’re fast) drive to Cape Tribulation.

The whole drive from Cairns is stunning. The first part is a beautiful scenic drive along the coast, and then once you are in the rainforest you wind through dense green canopy. There is almost no cell service once you cross the river. Everyone has to generate their own power and maintain their own plumbing, and you have to pay to deliver any waste to the dump. It’s definitely not the place for everyone, but for me it felt like an adventure the whole time.

Pizza Maker

Working at the Cape Tribulation Campground

I really could not have asked for a better job to satisfy my working holiday visa. My boss, Jackie, is one of the coolest people I have ever met. She is seriously a super woman and a badass boss chick. I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as she did, nor have I ever met anyone who could squeeze so much into a day.

She’s an awesome boss, and not only owns an operates a 60 site campground and restaurant, but also has to maintain the generator, climb into the waste treatment plant when the toilets back up, and ensure that all her guests are having the best time. Oh, and did I mention that she was pursuing a nursing degree, training for a marathon, and could drink any guy under the table!! She is a real life super woman. Jackie made working at the campground an amazing experience because she was an inspirational boss and also became a good friend of mine.

Call me Chef Allie

After my 3 months in the jungle, I can confidently say that I am a chef. I learned the inns and outs of wood fire pizza making. Everyday I was responsible for lighting the fire (and keeping it lit), making the dough and Napolese sauce from scratch, prepping all the different toppings, and the worst, shucking the prawns. Then from 5-8 we were open for business. As the season picked up we went from making 20 pizzas a night to making 60 plus!

The time flew by as I busily prepared the pizzas and cooked them to perfection in the wood fired oven. Most of the time it was pretty fun and I took pride in producing a delicious pizza. When I wasn’t playing chef, I also bartended, cleaned bathrooms and handled reception. I learned so much in those 3 months and gained such valuable work experience. As the campground got busier we had more backpackers join the workforce and thus, I made some cool friends.

Cape Trib Camping Girls

The benefits of working at Cape Tribulation Camping

1. It’s the most beautiful place – The campground is tucked into the jungle only steps from the pristine beach. I loved working out on the beach or reading a book under the palm trees. Most of the time I felt like I had the beach to myself

2. It’s a very fair job – unlike the horror stories I heard from most backpackers, I experience a very fair workplace. I got paid a proper wage, wasn’t over worked and had an awesome boss. My friends who worked at other establishments in Cape Tribulation were not compensated as fairly.

3. Its an adventure lovers paradise – The Daintree rainforest has it all. You can snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, trek to the highest point, climb your way to waterfalls, horseback ride on the beach and search for crocodiles. The list is never ending, and even in my last days I was exploring new places.

4. You get to do the tours for free – because I worked in reception and was responsible for booking tours, I got to go on all the tours for free. My favorite was the Catamaran cruise to the Great Barrier Reef

5. Money – I saved a ton of money working at the campground. The isolation made it easy to save money, and I got to eat every time I worked. Ill never be able to eat pizza again, but while I was in the jungle it helped cut down costs. I was also living out of my van at the campground and Jackie didn’t charge very much.

6. Meeting awesome people – Not only are the people that stay at the campground pretty cool, but the other backpackers working in the area also became close friends of mine. We would all get together for bonfires on the beach or Friday nights at the local bar. I got to meet travelers from all over the world.

7. It is an extremely unique opportunity – I laugh every time I tell someone about my job in the rainforest. It doesn’t sound real, but it was, and it was epic. Sure there were times when the isolation got to me, but ultimately I could not have asked for a better job. I got to experience the wild side of Australia. It’s not the easiest place to live, and thus breeds only outdoorsy, adventurous people.

Our Neighbor

Tips for finding a good Australian Working Holiday Job

1. Get started early – its difficult to find a job, and to find one where you can accomplish all of it in 88 days. A lot of jobs won’t give you enough hours, or you may have to work at a couple different places before you finish the 88 days. I’d say the best time to start looking for a job in Cairns or Darwin is Mid April – Beginning of June. You do not want to be pressed for time and worried that you won’t complete the work before your first year runs out.

2. Find a decent employer – unless your life depends on staying in Australia another year, it is not worth it to be treated like a slave

3. Avoid Farm Work for Australian Working Holiday job – if you have a Visa 462, do not do farm work. Its unreliable, difficult, and miserable.

4. Connect with recruiters and use the Facebook groups to find a good job.

5. Having your own car helps! Jackie wouldn’t hire anyone who did not have there own car, and not being able to leave the jungle would really take its toll on you. I loved driving back into the city on the weekends to get a healthy dose of civilization.

sunset in cape tribulation

Check out this link for helpful Australian Working Holiday job information:

https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462

Good Luck Mate! Share your Working Holiday Visa stories below