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
2018/19 Recap:
Continuing the Journey Alone ☀️
Jessi and I both received different job offers, so our paths diverged. Sad, but true 😢😀
I had found an au pair job where I earned $350 a week looking after three children aged 7, 5, and 2. Additionally, 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 cash. Usually, I was paid $600 - $700 a week. 🤑 I'll admit, I was pretty nervous! 😨 Solo travel all of a sudden? Can it really work out? 😰 Anyone who knows me knows I can be a bit scatterbrained at times 😳. Sometimes it's good, but when it comes to finding my way back to the right place, it could be challenging. My sense of direction is not the best, to be honest. And believe me, I thought it would get better during my travels. No, it didn't. You can't even imagine the bizarre places I've ended up sometimes. THANK YOU, THANK YOU for Google Maps – otherwise, my dear ones – you probably would never see me again 😀 So..., let's continue with the story... Jessi got a job in Sydney, so she didn't need our car anymore, and I could drive Apollo (our car) to my job as an au pair and farm worker in the Outback. And here's where the first point comes in. Outback? Totally dangerous! So many people have died there. Thirsty. Accidents. Driving this route alone? Who doesn't know these horror stories? My host mother offered to pick me up, but in the end, I decided to drive alone. For whatever reason... I can tell you one thing: It was incredibly beautiful! 🥰 Along the way, I saw so many animals, and hundreds of eagles were circling above me 🦅. Once, a flock of sheep blocked my path ⤵️😀.
On the next image, you'll see in the upper right corner, in beautiful, ultra-poor quality, an emu crossing the road. Unfortunately, I had a really bad phone camera during my travels in Australia, so I can't offer you anything else – just consider it as retro/vintage or whatever. Actually, my journey to the Outback took 7 hours and 19 minutes. With all the animal stops and admiration, it took at least twice as long 😄.
When I finally arrived shortly before evening, the host family was already expecting me. 😊 Over the next few days, I looked after the incredibly lovely children of my host parents! I've heard so many bad things about au pair work in Australia from some backpacker stories. However, I must say that I absolutely loved it! My host family was really super nice! 🙂 And I also loved the farm work on weekends. You can't believe how much fun it was for me 🤩! The family had around 450 cattle, plus 2 pigs, a goat, 3 dogs, chickens, and more. During my time there, one pig died (most likely from a snake bite – as the nest was completely disturbed 😢).
I helped with the cattle work, assisting in moving the cattle slowly for kilometers 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? When a bull becomes aggressive, it runs straight toward you and doesn't stop! 😃 😃
One day, I visited the neighbor who had a sheep farm. It was incredibly interesting to learn about his daily life and see how the sheep were sheared. This only happens 1 - 2 times a year, so I was glad to experience it once. Overall, the work looked quite strenuous. I mean, a sheep weighs quite a bit. Did you know that sheep spend most of their time eating? 🐑
Overall, I learned a lot and gained incredible experiences: I rode a motorcycle for the first time, learned to shoot with various guns, drove through the Outback on a quad, and so much more... It was such an exciting time, and I wouldn't want to miss a second of it! 😊
Did you know that kangaroos are a real nuisance for most farmers? They're just everywhere. In a report, I once read that there are twice as many kangaroos in Australia as there are residents. Unfortunately, kangaroos cause a lot of damage to the fields. As you can see in the bottom right image, there's a kangaroo accidently caught on a fence, or at least what's left of it... ☹️ Kangaroos try to jump over the fences, but sometimes they get stuck in the wire. They're then so tightly trapped with their legs that they can't free themselves. A cruel sight ☹️!
Repairing fences was also part of my duties in the Outback. The weather was very hot, usually around 45 degrees Celsius. Your mouth dries up just from breathing. So, cold water was an absolute delight for me! Fortunately, there are tablets for dehydration! The flies in the Outback are particularly annoying! They stick to your whole body. I would have gone crazy without music in my ears 😃🪰🪰🪰. buzzzzz buzzzzz buzzzzz 🤯😬
After about a month, it was time to say goodbye. 😢 But I was also a bit excited to finally be around people again. With loud music blaring, I headed towards civilization 🙂. The road was sandy, and the sun beat down on the car. There were occasional grooves on the ground, so I had to drive a bit slower. And then it happened. So fast. And unexpected. When I hit the brake to slow down, the car swayed to the right. Then to the left. Then to the right again. Then back to the left. I lost all control of my vehicle. It felt like an eternity. In that moment, I knew exactly what was happening. "Janet, you're going to have an accident. And you can't do anything about it." So, I let fate decide.
POOF. POOF. I was dead straight. My whole body was tense. It took a while for me to realize that my car was on its side. The music was still blaring in the background. I'll never forget this song. Tim Benzko. "Ich Laufe." Well, in any case, after struggling to turn off that stupid music, I had a little panic attack. CRAP. What if the car starts burning? Or if it explodes? 💥 I have to get out of here 😨!!! Yep. That's what happens when you watch too much TV 📺❌. After finally managing that, I unbuckled myself from the seat belt – which wasn't easy when you're lying on your side in the car. Then I tried to open the door above me to climb out of the car. Unfortunately, the other door had become one with the ground 😃. After somewhat clumsily getting out of the car, I moved a few safety meters away from it (explosion risk and all 😋). My body felt heavy. I can't describe it. I was full of adrenaline. There was blood running down my shin, and I thought – now I'm going to die. But believe it or not. Apart from a tiny scratch, I was perfectly fine. No injuries at all. You know how it is when you cut yourself and the blood just flows, but it doesn't hurt at all & it's not serious at all. Yeah, it was kind of like that with me. So, it could have been worse 😀. After checking that everything was okay with me & cursing and spreading more panic, I finally pulled out my phone. And YAY. Almost forgot. There's no network in the boonies. Great 😠! The nearest house was extremely far away, and there was no one around. My host family goes to town about once a month 🚘. Well, hope started to emerge. But... For some reason.... For some reason, I always have such luck, I got reception for about half a minute. Practically impossible in that place. I just shouted into the phone: "Accident. Accident." After about an hour, my host father arrived and took care of me. Thank goodness 🙏.
Our beautiful Apollo... There he lay. Half-dead... I was so angry. And sad. And ohhh.... Everything at once... Well, long story short: The car was taken to the workshop, in the nearest village. They wanted 1000 euros for the repair there. So I said goodbye to my hard-earned money 🙋🏼♀️💸. A night in the village where the workshop was located cost about 200 dollars 🤑. Exorbitantly expensive and unaffordable for me at the time 😵! I tried my luck and went from shop to shop looking for a job 👀. Nobody... 😔 Nothing... 😞 The people there were just happy they could keep their stores running at all. But my search paid off anyway. I met Debbi. A wonderful person 😊! She supported me so much during this time 🙏. I was allowed to sleep in her vacation apartment, which saved me a lot of money 🐷!
I was also super happy that our car was at least repairable…😍 Hahaha, wrong! I drove for about 30 minutes towards the beach – full of anticipation… and POOP. Our beloved car finally gave up the ghost…😢 I was stranded in the middle of the road and had to be towed away. Engine failure. To this day, I haven't received a single cent back from the “unnecessary €1000 repair“… and therefore paid for everything completely for nothing… So much savings… I was so angry😡. Really angry😤. In the end, I had to leave our Apollo there and continue on by bus. You wouldn't believe how many things I had to leave behind in that car… I couldn't exactly carry everything with me…. 💔
New Castle
So I drove to New Castle. There I met great people, so I could almost forget the whole nightmare 😌! I stayed there for a while because I started a job at a café ☕️. Plus, I could sleep for free in the hostel, in exchange I just had to clean for 1-2 hours a day. In New Castle, I had found a perfect way to quickly refill my cash 💰💰💰.
A better remedy for sorrow than the sea does not exist! 🥰
Coffs Harbour
After some time, I left Newcastle again and drove to Coffs Harbour 🚍. There, I worked in a cool bar 🍸. Additionally, I once again slept for free in a hostel, in exchange for providing a shuttle service. The coolest thing about the hostel was that I could go stand-up paddling for free, and the lake was only 5 minutes away. Here, I saw brightly blue crabs & hundreds of stingrays 😍. Did you know that stingrays can jump? I have a video on my Instagram profile where you can see it! There, they were hopping about 1 meter high just before sunset! Really crazy! 😦
Once again, I must emphasize how AMAZING the beaches in Australia are!!! 😍☀️🏖
Brisbane
Then the time finally came, and my then-boyfriend and my best friend came to visit me. After such a long time, you really get homesick occasionally... That's why I was really, really excited! We explored Brisbane together (beautiful city!!!) & chatted endlessly. I had a lot to tell... 😀! In Brisbane, we visited, among other things, the world-famous Australian Zoo. Steve Irwin (the "Crocodile Hunter") was buried on this site. I thought he was sooo cool. When I was a kid, I watched his show a lot... Unfortunately, he died during his filming from the effects of a stingray barb. ☹️ Also really nice 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 walking along the harbor or sunbathing on a beautiful beach in the sun, this is the place for you! The place is very quiet, but you can also find some bars with great live music! 🎶
Townvsville City
Townsville is a coastal town in northeastern Queensland. There is 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 were: snorkeling along the spectacular reefs, our hike ("Forts Walk"), and
spotting the rock wallabies & koalas. Also, you shouldn't miss the sunset! 🌅
Tours and activities: Magnetic Island and the Great Barrier Reef
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Mission beach
Oh, I loved jogging along the beach at Mission Beach. The beach was deserted! 😍🙏 I actually only went to Mission Beach because the hostel promised me a farm job, which unfortunately I had to wait for way too long... In the end, I moved on again... Unfortunately, not everything always goes according to plan, but despite everything, I enjoyed the time! ❤️
What's better: Traveling alone or together? ☀️
There are pros and cons to both options! Absolutely… But one thing I've learned: On my solo trips, I was never truly alone. I met thousands of people, definitely far more than on my trips with someone else. It's strange, isn't it? When you're with someone, it's usually natural to sit down with them at a table for two, plan activities together, and chat. But when you're alone, firstly: Other people are more likely to approach you and strike up a conversation. Secondly: You're more likely to approach other people yourself or simply sit at larger tables. At first, I was a bit reserved, but I realized how easy it is to connect with other backpackers! And if you're hesitant to approach others, I promise you – it won't be long before someone strikes up a conversation with you 😋 We backpackers all have one big thing in common: We love to travel!
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For tourism boards, I develop content that visually tells the story of Australia's east coast, the Great Barrier Reef region, and travel experiences along the route. More about possible productions and collaborations can be found on the page for collaboration.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an au pair earn in Australia?
I received $350 a week and looked after three children, then aged 7, 5, and 2. Room and board were provided free of charge by the family. In the afternoons and on weekends, I helped out on the farm and usually received $600 to $700 a week for that.
How hot is it in the Australian Outback?
It's usually around 45 degrees Celsius. Even just breathing in dries out your mouth completely; cold water becomes a real treat. Luckily, there are tablets for dehydration. The flies that stick to your body are especially annoying.
Is it bad to travel alone?
On my solo trips, I was never truly alone—I met significantly more people than when traveling with a companion. When you're alone, others are more likely to approach you, and you're more likely to sit at larger tables. If you're hesitant, it won't be long before someone strikes up a conversation.
What happened to your car?
On the dirt road out of the Outback, I lost control while braking, and the car rolled onto its side. I was unharmed except for a small scratch. At the garage in the next village, I paid €1,000 for the repairs—after a 30-minute drive, the engine failed, and I never saw that money again. A night in the village cost about $200.
How do I get help in the Outback without internet?
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.
“Life is too short for ‘someday’.”
Janet Dannehl
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