When I left the UK to start my working holiday in Australia in October 2018, I had no idea what to expect. I felt nervous, apprehensive, overwhelmed and excited all at the same time. I travelled the East Coast, got to Melbourne, started working and I’ve never looked back since.
Melbourne has been my dream city and it’s a place that I’ve honestly come to think of as home. With everything from a busy social life, my job as a barista and multiple journalism internships to keep me occupied, there’s never a dull day.
You can read about my adventures and my advice on doing a working holiday in Australia in this section of the blog.
Doing an Australian Working Holiday
I think that doing a working holiday is one of the best things that you could do in your 20s. Travelling long-term is one thing but actually having the experience of living and working in another country is life-changing.
There are many countries that you can do in a working holiday in such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the UK.
To do this, the process is genuinely straightforward. You simply need to apply and pay for your working holiday visa online. Then once It’s granted, you can arrive in the country anytime and your one year visa kicks in from the date of arrival.
I’ve written lots of posts throughout my working holiday in Australia from packing lists to how to’s and insights into what it’s really like to live in Australia on a working holiday visa.
Living in Melbourne
So, why did I pick Melbourne. As strange as it sounds, I didn’t do a lot of research when it came to picking an Australian city to settle in. Sure, I could have picked Sydney, Gold Coast or Brisbane but I’d heard great things about Melbourne- and I’m glad I made that choice. 
Australia’s cultural capital
Back in the day, there was a rivalry between Sydney and Melbourne about which of the two cities would be Australia’s capital. The solution was to build Canberra, Australian capital territory, right in the heart of the two. However, which city became the temporary capital in the meantime? Melbourne.
Today, Melbourne is Australia’s cultural capital. It’s a melting pot of creatives and is responsible for producing a lot of talent in the music, art, tech and food industries.
Melbourne is characterized by its world-famous street art that can be found all across the city, its hidden bars, it’s tram network- one of the largest in the world and it’s a fantastic coffee scene. Did you know that Melbourne has more cafes per capita than any other city in the world?
All of this combined is one of the reasons that Melbourne has made it to the top of the world’s most livable city’ list for years in a row.
Studying in Australia
My Working Holiday visa was coming to an end but I was nowhere near ready to leave Melbourne. I hadn’t done my farm work so what were my options?
I decided to start studying Marketing in Melbourne for several reasons.
Firstly, studying would allow me to continue working and living in Melbourne, a city that I had come to call home.
Secondly, I’d never officially studied marketing but I had done internships in it and it was something that I was keen on learning more about.
What’s more, Australia offers plenty of shorter courses such as diplomas and certificates for international students. These are cheaper than degrees and shorter than a full three years. Making the transition from a working holiday to a student visa seemed like a no brainer.
I’ll be sharing more posts about my experience studying in Australia, how to’s on getting internships and sponsorships and my favourite spots in Melbourne and elsewhere on my travels.
Passport Please 