What Two Years in Australia Taught Me
In 2024, I decided to leave my life in Portugal behind and move Down Under. My first few months have been incredibly chaotic but exciting. I lived in 3 states and got to experience so many different sides to Australia. After a few exciting and adventurous months, I started to build up a more settled life in Melbourne. Here is what these two years of living in this beautiful country have taught me.
1. Life Is Different Depending Where You Go
As a Swiss person it sometimes is incredibly difficult to wrap my head around how large Australia really is. Switzerland itself could fit multiple times into the state of Victoria (and that’s not really a big state tbh). But not only the siye of this country is fascinating but also how different each city is (not only weather wise). I’ve lived in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. And while the weather obviously is very different in each state I think the mentality and people are also very different. I’ve also experienced smaller towns and the big city life and it’s fascinating that sometimes the difference feels like you’re living in two different countries. If you’re coming to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) my recommendation is to go and experience a few different states, cities and towns. You might be surprised what you will end up liking best.
2. Finding a Job Is Different Here Than in Europe
I did not only learn new skills when I moved to Australia (like making coffee, rolling burritos or cleaning supermarket floors) but I also had to learn how to properly job hunt in Australia – especially Working Holiday jobs. The biggest tip I could give people coming from overseas is that you need to meet people. Talk about looking for a job, make friends or send emails with your details. If you are looking for a hospitality job print your CV and walk into bars, restaurant or cafes. People hire people and not CVs. Especially in customer facing roles, employers in Australia want to see you, hear how you speak and interact with people. They want to see if you dress approriately and how eager you are to work a job.
Even when I was searching for an office job, being friendly and open and reaching out directly to people was way more successful than simply applying through LinkedIn.
3. Making Friends with Aussies Can Be Difficult
One truth about living abroad is that making friends with locals as an international is often more difficult than making friends with other internationals – that’s just how it is (sorry). I was quite surprised when I moved here how difficult it actually is to become friends with Aussies. I thought out of all the cultures I know Australians would be so open and friendly and ready to make friends. Turns out though Australians love staying in their own friend circle (usually friends they made in Middle or High School) and they are not necessarily that open to make new friends. There are exceptions (like some of my favourite people in Melbourne are Aussies).
4. Houses Are Not Build For the Cold, Nor The Heat
After having lived in Portugal (where houses are not insulated well either) I thought nothing would surpise me to some of the houses here in Australia are built like little paper houses. Windows are not properly insulated so the heat or the cold will come through the cracks making staying inside horrible and uncomfortable. I only learned this year that the Ugg Boots are meant to be worn inside because the houses in winter are so cold. I grew up in Switzerland and winters are harsh there. The cold is the type of cold you feel deep in your bones and yet I have never had to freeze within my won house there. Winters in Melbourne do not get that cold and still I am freezing more than I would back in Switzerland. Wild.
5. The Australian Sun Is Way More Dangerous Than You’d Think
Aussies would always warn me and tell me about how strong the Australian sun is. And they really are not kidding. Especially when you’re out on the water it does not take much for you to burn (sometimes even burn so much you get blisters). People here are used to the sun and most people either themselves or someone they know had to have some moles removed or had skin cancer. So get your sunblocker out and layer up!
6. Parking Signs Are The Most Confusing Thing Ever
I have actually never driven on the left side before I moved Down Under. So I was relatively nervous about learning that but let me tell you the driving itself is quite easy. You know what’s not easy? The parking signs. The amount of information on these signs is unreal and you need to take a second to study them and figure out if you are not allowed to park there. Often it will say something like 2P within 8am – 6pm Mo – Sat. Meaning you can park there for 2 hours between Monday to Saturday from 8am to 6pm. If you’re outside these hours there is no parking limitation. Once you get the system it amkes sense but I still won’t understand how Aussies can decipher and calculate this whiel driving.
7. Casual Work Contracts
Not sure if causal work is a thing in other countries but I was quite new to the concept of not getting set hours per week. I also didn’t know that places pay you highter hourly rates but you can’t get a paid sick day off nor holidays. Especially from Working Holiday jobs it’s super common to be working as a casual. The great thing is: it’s quick to make money and save up. The not so great thing is: if you’re not working, you are not making any money – so you better not be sick.
Maybe this is silly but I was so worried with my first job of not getting enough hours I took on a few jobs just to ensure I would earn enough to survive. This ended up in my having 4 jobs at the same time haha (maybe don’t do that).
8. Everything is FAR Away
This one probably seems on the nose if you’ve ever looked at a world map. And don’t get me wrong, I did know Australia was so far away from everything but having lived here for two years you get a different understanding of this. Travelling anywhere outside of Australia needs at least a week or two of time off work. Most flights are around 8h and quite expensive – forget little weekend trips (except maybe to other Aussie cities) but leaving Australia will take lots of preparation.
9. Fines Are Expensive
Last but not least, if you are thinking of driving here make sure you do learn how to read the parking signs and avoid speeding. Because the fines here are heafty. There are cameras everywhere and if you forget to pay a fine they will increase massively. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.
