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Published: August 8th 2011
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Hi Everyone!
For those of you who don't already know, I have come to Australia on a Work and Holiday visa. Australia has one of the most well known working holiday programs. Under this visa foreigners from Europe, Canada, the UK, and the US can live in Australia for 12 months and work legally in order to subsidize their travel funds. You cannot work for more than 6 months for the same employer. Most working holiday makers find jobs in hospitality or as migrant farm workers. I spent a lot of my time in Sydney looking for a job, but most retailers want to hire permanent employees. I signed up with a recruitment agency who referred me to a working hostel here in Leeton, New South Wales. At first I was going to do grape pruning because it included free accommodation. I called the owner of the farm. He runs the hostel called the Fruitshack where farm workers stay while they are working. I was told that the grape pruning jobs were taken, but since I have customer service experience there was a bakery looking for people in town. The pay and hours were much better than grape pruning and the
Fruitshack courtyard
The double decker bus is outfitted like a dorm room. From all accounts, however, it is freezing at night and boiling during the day. work is not nearly as physically challenging. So I sent my resume to the owner of the bakery and got an interview set up. I agreed to leave Sydney and travel to Leeton. I took a six hour train to Wagga Wagga (isn't that just the awesomest name for a place?) and then a two hour bus to Leeton all of which cost 66 dollars.
My interview went well and I started work two weeks ago on the 19th of July. I find it very interesting to get to interact with a local community. So far most of the people I have met have been other travelers but working for a small business means I talk to lots of Australians everyday!
The Fruitshack is a very interesting hostel. It is mostly renovated farm buildings that have been outfitted as a kitchen and bathroom and dorm rooms. 'Shack' is probably the appropriate word, but any backpacker worth their salt isn't interested in appearances; only function. Really what more do you need in life: a place to sleep that's warm, a place to shower with hot water, and a place to store and cook food that is clean. Since all of the
Road to the Fruitshack
Through the lovely orange grove. travelers here are working it ends up being more like a college dorm experience than a hostel. Everyone comes back around the same time and cooks dinner and discusses the day. On the weekends there are impromptu movie nights and game nights. The age cut off for the work and holiday visa is 30 years so I am one of the oldest backpackers here at the Fruitshack. My roommate, Emma, is also close to my age so it just goes to show that no one is too old to travel. My plan is work here for 4 or 5 months and save as much money as possible so I can explore as much of Australia and South East Asia as I can. It is interesting to be stationary here Australia. I am working five days a week so it is much like living at home, except that I have a fraction of the possessions and not very many clothes. Luckily my job requires a uniform so I don't have to work in my few good clothes. There is a lot that I could say about my job and working in a foreign country, but I will save that for the
Christmas in July dinner
The Fruitshackers celebrated christmas in July. We weren't sure if this was really an Australian holiday or not but we take any excuse to celebrate. Everyone volunteered to cook a dish from their home country. next blog. It will be awhile before I travel to any exciting places so I have to ration my blogging. If anyone has any questions about my working experience feel free to message me or comment. I will try to include the answers in my next blog.
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Anais from France
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Good memories
Hi Jennifer ! It is incredible to see these pictures ! I have lived in the fruitshack in 2005/06 for about 4 months, I wrote on that door ... It is weird to see that absolutely nothing has changed... except maybe the kitchen that seems cleaner ! I am sure you had great times there as well as I did.. I will never forget the place and on top of that the people I met there... many of them are still in my heart.. Thanks for the pictures.. PS: Pepe did not change at all !!!!! neither did Michael !