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My TOP 10 experiences in Australia

There is nothing like Australia.

There are few countries in the world that have so much diversity and that many varying things to do than Australia. Whether you like bustling cities or peace and quiet, snowy mountains, barren deserts or white beaches, Australia has it all. I fell in love with the country, its nature, people, way of life, wildlife, and cannot wait to visit that magnificent place again.

In this post, I am listing TOP 10 experiences that I had during my two working holiday years in Australia.

1. Living and working in Melbourne

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My favourite city, liveable, quirky Melbourne. Crazy weather, high quality coffee, out-of-this world restaurant scene, sounds of the trams, Flinders Street Station, Queen Victoria Summer Night Markets, open air movies, street art, evening walks at Southbank, graffiti, small alleys and rooftops and different festivals and events. This is the city of my heart, hands down. I worked and lived in Melbourne around a year, and this was probably my best overall experience in Australia.

2. Uluru

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The red center of Australia. Seeing Uluru during the sunset and sunrise has been on my bucket list since my early childhood, and experiencing it a year ago was amazing and something that I will remember for the rest of my life. The rock symbolises much more to the whole Australia and its indigenous population, and learning about Aboriginal culture and beliefs was one of the highlights of my Uluru experience.

3. Working on a farm in Queensland

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Living in sheds, dirt and sweat everywhere, bugs, snakes, geckos, spiders, pain in your body, burning sun and freezing mornings made the whole experience quite memorable. Also challenging yourself, the close-knit community, break from social media, learning about life in rural Australia and the tired but pleasant feeling in your body after a day of physical labour. That was my farm experience in a nutshell. I would not want to do this again, but I am happy that I have had this experience that gave me my second year visa.

4. Diving in the Great Barrier Reef

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Also one of the things on my bucket list and my first ever diving experience. Definitely worth the money!

5. Visiting wineries

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At least for me, you cannot talk about Australia and not to mention its wines. One of the weekend activities for locals was to drive to the countryside and visit local wineries. You can taste wines from small producers, learn about wine making in general and of course have gourmet lunches at some of the restaurants in the area. I visited Yarra Valley near Melbourne and Barossa near Adelaide.

6. Roadtrip in Tasmania

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Tasmania is a stunningly beautiful place, and the distances are perfect for a roadtrip. I spent ten days in Tasmania and managed to hike to Cradle Mountain and Mt Wellington, visit Bruny Island, prison colonies, rainforests, beaches, taste local oysters and other produce, relax in Hobart and meet a bunch of great people!

7. The Westcoast

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I did a tour from Perth to Broome and in 11 days we drove 4200 km! I really liked the relaxed posh atmosphere in Perth and the great activities in Broome. In between those cities, I saw cattle stations, remote beaches, the Pinnacles, the dolphins of Monkey Mia  and the Karijini and its stunning cliffs and waterholes.

8. Sleeping in a swag under the sky

Swag is an Australian version of a sleeping bag. During my tours to Uluru and along the West coast, we spent several nights sleeping outside in a swag. If you are lucky and wake up in the middle of the night, you will see nothing but sky, the milky way and the some shooting stars above you.

9. The Eastcoast

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Doing a roadtrip along the east cost is the ultimate backpacker ritual that you cannot skip. Visit the surf town of Byron Bay, see Fraser Island, relax in Airlie Beach and do a skydive in Mission Beach. Travel to Townville and take the ferry to the Magnetic Island for a lazy day on the beach. And of course, see Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Cairns and all the small towns in between!  Sleep in hostels, meet other backpackers, drink goon and get lost in the feeling of being young, wild and free.

10. The Great Ocean Road + Blue Mountains

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I could not pick just one, so here are two different places with popular rock formations, small towns full of unique atmosphere and beautiful scenery. The Great Ocean Road in Victoria is the ultimate scenery route with the popular rock formation called The Twelve Apostles. The Blue Mountains is located a two-hour drive away from Sydney and its most famous attraction is another rock formation called Three Sisters. Remember visit both of them!

Ah, this post has been one journey along the memory lane! I really struggled to pick and choose only ten experiences to this list and several great things were left out. Anyway, all I can say that leaving to Australia has been one of the best decisions of my life, and I can truly recommend this to anyone who has ever considered doing the same!

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