Australia’s East Coast: Cairns, Great Barrier Reef & Sydney
- Au pair in the Outback: $350 a week, ,Farm work on weekends $600–700
- The farm had around 450 cattle, plus pigs, goats, dogs and chickens
- In the Outback, the weather was usually around 45 degrees
- The journey into the Outback takes 7 hours 19 minutes, with animal stops, double the
- After my accident: €1,000 for repairs, then engine damage, the money was gone.
Contents of this post11 chapters
Look back at 2018/19
The journey continues alone
Jessi & I both got different job offers, so our paths parted. Sad, but true. I had found an au pair job where I earned 350 dollars a week looking after 3 kids. Back then they were 7, 5 and 2 years old. On top of that, I could live and eat with the family for free. In the afternoons and on weekends I mostly helped out on the farm to earn some extra money. Most of the time I was paid 600 – 700 dollars a week. I'll admit, I was pretty scared! Suddenly traveling alone? Could that go well? Anyone who knows me knows that I can be a bit scatterbrained at times. Sometimes that's fine, but as soon as it's about finding my way back to the right place, it can get harder. My sense of direction is probably not exactly the best. And believe me, I thought at least on my trips it would get better. Nope. Nothing changed. You can't even imagine what bizarre places I've ended up in sometimes. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, that Google Maps exists, otherwise, my dear ones, you probably would never have seen me again. So…., back to the story… Jessi started a job in Sydney, so she didn't need our car & I could therefore drive Apollo (our car) to my work, as an au pair & farm worker, out in the Outback. This is where the first point begins. Outback? Super dangerous! So many people have died there already. Died of thirst. Had accidents. Driving that stretch alone? Who doesn't know these horror stories? My host mother offered to pick me up, but in the end I preferred to drive alone. Who knows why… One thing I can say: it was unbelievably beautiful! Already on the drive I saw sooo many animals and hundreds of eagles circled above me. Once a herd of sheep blocked my way .
In the next picture, in the upper right corner, in gorgeous, ultra-bad quality, you can see an emu crossing the road. Unfortunately, I had a really bad phone camera on my travels through Australia & so I can't offer you anything else, just think of it as retro/vintage or whatever. Actually, my drive into the Outback took 7 hours and 19 minutes. With all the animal stops & moments of admiration, it took me at least twice as long.
When I finally arrived just before evening, the host family was already waiting for me. For the next few days I looked after my host parents' incredibly lovable kids! From some backpacker stories I had already heard so much bad stuff about au pair work in Australia. However, I have to say that I absolutely loved it! My host family was also really suuuuper nice! I also loved the farm work on the weekends. You can't believe how much fun that was for me! The family had around 450 cattle, plus 2 pigs, a goat, 3 dogs, chickens & more. During my time there, a pig died (most likely from a snakebite, because the nest was all churned up).
When working with the cattle, I helped with mustering. That means I helped drive the cattle slowly, for miles, into the yards. You're full of adrenaline when you stand in front of such a huge bull and try to drive it forward. Did you know?: If a cow gets aggressive, it runs straight at you and doesn't stop!
One day I visited the neighbor, who had a sheep farm. It was incredibly interesting to get to know his daily life and to see how the sheep were sheared. This only happens 1 – 2 times a year, so I was so glad to experience it once. Overall, the work looked pretty exhausting. I mean, a sheep weighs quite a bit, after all. Did you know that sheep spend most of their time eating?
All in all, I learned a whole lot & gathered an incredible number of experiences: I rode a motorcycle for the first time, learned to shoot with various firearms, drove through the Outback on a quad and and so on…. It was such an exciting time & I wouldn't want to miss a single second of it!
Did you know that kangaroos are a real plague for most farmers? They're simply everywhere. In one report I once read that there are twice as many kangaroos in Australia as there are inhabitants. Unfortunately, the kangaroos cause a lot of damage in the fields. As you can see in the picture on the right below, a kangaroo that met with an accident is hanging on a fence, or at least what's still left of it… the kangaroos try to jump over the fences, but sometimes they get caught on the wire. Their legs then get wedged in so tightly that they can't manage to free themselves. A horrible sight!
Repairing the fences was also part of my tasks in the Outback. The weather was very hot and mostly around 45 degrees Celsius. Just breathing in dries out your whole mouth. That's why cold water was an absolute pleasure for me! Luckily, though, there are tablets against dehydration! The flies in the Outback are especially annoying! They stick all over your whole body. Without music in my ears I would have gone crazy. bzzzzzz bzzzzzz bzzzzzz
After about a month it was time to say goodbye. But I was also a little happy to finally be around people again. So I drove toward civilization with the music turned up loud. The road was made of sand & the sun beat down on the car. Every now and then there were grooves in the ground, so I had to drive a bit slower. Well, and then it happened. So incredibly fast. And unexpectedly. When I hit the brakes to slow down again, the car swayed over to the right. Then to the left. Then to the right. Then to the left again. I lost all control of my vehicle. It felt like an eternity. In that moment I knew exactly what was happening.„Janet, you're about to have an accident. And there's nothing you can do about it.“Well. So I let fate decide for me.
PUFFF. PUFFF. I was bolt upright. My whole body was tense. It took a while until I realized that my car was lying on its side. The music was still playing loudly in the background. I'll never forget this song. Tim Benzko.„Ich Laufe“. Well, anyway, after I laboriously tried to get that stupid music turned off, I had a little panic attack. SHIT. What if the car catches fire any second? Or if it explodes? I have to get ouuuuut of here! Yep. See, that's what happens: watching too much TV isn't good for you. After I finally got that sorted, I freed myself from the seat belt, which isn't that easy when you're lying on your side in the car. Then I tried to get the door above me open to climb out of the car. Unfortunately, the other door had become one with the ground. When I had managed to get out of the car, somewhat inelegantly, I first moved a few safety meters away from the car (danger of explosion and sooo).My body felt all heavy and pressured. I can't describe that at all. I was full of adrenaline. Blood was running down my shin & I already thought, now I'm going to die. But whether you believe it or not. Apart from a super small scrape, I had absolutely nothing. No injuries at all. You probably know the feeling when you cut yourself somewhere and the blood just pours out, but it doesn't hurt at all & isn't bad at all. Yeah, it was pretty much like that for me. So it could have been worse. After I had checked that I was all right & had cursed around a bit & kept spreading panic, I finally pulled out my phone. And YAY. Almost forgot. There's no reception in the middle of nowhere. Great! The nearest house was extremely far away & there was nobody far and wide. My host family drives into town about once a month. Well, that really got my hopes up. But…. For whatever reason….For whatever reason I'm constantly so lucky, I got reception for about half a minute. Actually impossible in that place. I just screamed into the phone: Accident. Accident. (Unfall, Unfall). After almost an hour my host father arrived & took care of me. Thank goodness
Our beautiful Apollo… There it lay. Half dead… I was so angry. And sad. And ohhh…. Everything at once… Well, long story short: The car was taken to the garage in the nearest village. There they wanted 1000 euros for the repair. So I said goodbye to my hard-earned money. One night in the village where the garage was cost about 200 dollars. Ridiculously expensive and, for me back then, unaffordable! I tried my luck and went from shop to shop to look for a job. Nobody… Nothing… The people there were glad they could even keep their shops going on their own. But my search paid off anyway. I met Debbi. A wonderful person! She supported me so much during that time. I was allowed to sleep in her holiday apartment, which saved me a lot of money! I was also super happy that our car was at least repairable… Hahahha, wrong thought… I drove for about 30 minutes toward the beach, full of anticipation… and PUFF. Our beloved car died for good… I stopped in the middle of the road and had to get towed. Engine failure. To this day I haven't gotten a cent back from the “unnecessary 1000 euro repair“… & so I paid for everything completely for nothing… So many savings… I was so angry. Really angry. In the end I had to leave our Apollo there & continue by bus. You can't believe how many things I had to leave behind in this car… I couldn't carry everything with me….
“Life is too short for ‘someday’.”
Janet Dannehl
New Castle
So I now headed to New Castle. There I met wonderful people, so I was almost able to forget the whole nightmare! I also stayed there for quite a while, since I started a job at a café. I could also sleep for free in the hostel; in return I only had to clean for 1-2 hours a day. In New Castle I had therefore found a perfect opportunity to quickly refill my funds.
There is no better remedy for sorrow than the sea!
Coffs Harbour
After a while I left New Castle again and went to Coffs Harbour. There I worked in a cool bar. In addition, I once again slept for free in a hostel, for which I did a shuttle service. The absolute coolest thing about the hostel was that I could do stand-up paddling for free and the lake was only 5 minutes away. There I saw bright blue crabs & hundreds of rays. Did you know that rays can jump? I have a video on my Instagram profile where you can see that! There they jumped about 1 meter high just before sunset! Seriously crazy!
Once again I have to stress how AWESOME the beaches in Australia are!
Brisbane
Then the time had finally come and my boyfriend at the time and my best friend came to visit me. After such a long time you really get homesick every now and then… So I was extremely, extremely happy! We explored Brisbane together (beeeautiful city!) & chatted nonstop. I had quite a lot to tell…! In Brisbane we visited, among other things, the world-famous Australian Zoo. Steve Irwin (the “Crocodile Hunter“) was laid to rest on this grounds. I loved him sooo much. Back when I was a kid, I watched his show totally often… Unfortunately, though, he died during filming from the consequences of a stingray's sting. Also totally lovely to see in Brisbane: The botanical garden, the Story Bridge & South Bank!
Mooloolaba
Mooloolaba is a small town in the southeast of Queensland and belongs to the Sunshine Coast. If you love strolling along the harbor or sizzling in the sun on a beautiful beach, you're exactly right here! The place is very quiet, but you'll also find a few bars with great live music!
Townvsville City
Townsville is a coastal city in the northeast of Queensland. There's a great waterfront promenade here! In the evenings we always hung out at the sports field and played basketball with some cool people!
Magnetic Island
An absolute dream! My absolute highlights here included: snorkeling along the spectacular reefs, our hike (“Forts Walk“) and spotting the rock wallabies & koalas. You also shouldn't miss the sunset!
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Mission beach
Ohh, I loved jogging along the beach of Mission Beach. The beach was deserted! Actually, I only came to Mission Beach because the hostel promised me a farm job, which unfortunately I ended up having to wait way too long for… In the end I moved on again… Unfortunately not everything always goes according to plan, but despite all that I enjoyed the time!
Which is better: traveling alone or together?
Both options have pros and cons! Clearly… But I learned one thing: On my travels without a companion I was never really alone. I met thousands of people and definitely many more than on my trips with another person. Funny, isn't it? When you have someone else with you, it's usually a given for you to sit down with them at a table for two somewhere, plan the activities together and chat with each other. But when you're alone, first: other people are more likely to approach you and talk to you. Second: You're more likely to approach other people or simply sit at larger tables. At first I was a bit reserved, but I noticed that it's that easy to get in touch with other backpackers! And if you don't dare to approach others, I promise you, it won't be long until somebody starts chatting with you. We backpackers all have one big thing in common: We love traveling!
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Next stop: Cuba – Caribbean
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Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Does an Au Pair Earn in Australia?
I earned 350 dollars a week and looked after three children, aged 7, 5 and 2 at the time. The family provided free accommodation and meals. In the afternoons and on weekends, I helped out on the farm and usually earned 600 to 700 dollars a week for that.
How hot is it in the Australian outback?
Usually around 45 degrees Celsius. Just breathing in dries out your whole mouth, and cold water becomes a treat. Luckily, there are tablets to help with dehydration. Especially annoying are the flies that cling to every part of your body.
Is traveling alone bad?
On my solo travels, I was never really alone, I met far more people than when traveling with someone else. When you're alone, others are more likely to approach you, and you're more likely to sit at larger tables. If you don't feel brave enough, it won't take long before someone starts talking to you.
What happened to your car?
On the sandy road out of the Outback, I lost control while braking, and the car ended up on its side. I escaped with just a small scratch. At the garage in the next village, I paid 1.000 euros for the repair, after 30 minutes of driving, the engine failed, and I never saw that money again. A night in the village cost around 200 dollars.
How can I get help in the Outback without a signal?
I was lucky: I had reception for about half a minute at that spot and could only shout "Accident, Accident" into the phone. My host father arrived after almost an hour. My host family usually went into town about once a month.
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