Itinerary

Our ‘Learn to Earn’ trip is the ideal way to get into the Aussie lifestyle!  You get to experience the buzzing, cosmopolitan city of Sydney before heading into the outback for a few days training on typical duties involved in working at a ranch.  This then stands you in good stead for earning some bucks during the next 12 months.  The trip will end up paying for itself, not to mention give you a chance to meet some new mates, learn new skills and generally have a ball.  So, to find out how to work smart so that you can play hard, read on!

Obviously we don’t know where you’ll end up working after your training, but the itinerary below gives you a good idea of what to expect for your first ten days.

Day 1 to 3 - Thursday, Friday, Saturday

Sydney – well known for its Opera House, Harbour Bridge, top beaches and one of THE best hostels in the country, Base Backpackers!  With the ‘Gold Package’, which also includes airport pick-up, this is where you’ll spend your first 3 exciting nights – think comfy rooms, fun and friendly staff and a fantastic location close to all the main attractions and vibrant social activities.  There is an on-site café that feeds you up in the mornings with an all-you-can-eat brekkie for $6.  That’s right, just $6 (about 4 quid) to fill up on as much tucker as your belly can take.  Plus, there is excellent nightlife at the ‘Scary Canary’ and daytime/night time activities every day of the week!

With Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge at the end of the street and Darling Harbour just two minutes walk from the hostel, you hardly even need a map (except for when you’re planning on sampling a few cocktails!), but you’ll receive an information pack on arrival with details on getting around, discounts for attractions and info on everything you need to know about the trip.

This is the perfect way to start your working holiday, especially if you’re going it alone or it’s your first visit (to Australia or anywhere!), as it takes care of that daunting prospect of arriving somewhere unknown.  You’ll meet people straightaway and basically be far too busy to worry about being homesick!

Day 4 - Sunday

We will pick you and your trip mates up at the Base hostel in Sydney at 10:30am (if you think that’s early, wait until you start work at the ranch!) to start the journey to the outback ranch.  It takes around 6 hours, but there are plenty of stops along the way where you can have a look around the gorgeous scenery, have a snack or just enjoy some fresh air to help wake you up after that late Saturday night ;0)

In the early evening we arrive at the Ranch, where you’ll be welcomed with warm outback hospitality and ‘the smell of the countryside’ as people in the UK might call it! The friendly team you’ll be working with for the week will be there to greet you and after settling into your accommodation you’ll have chance to chat with your new ranch family.  Remember though that these are the people who will determine whether you pass or fail the course, so be good!

Day 5 to 9 – Monday to Friday

First thing on Monday morning the whole group will be taken into the town of Coonabarabran (known locally as Coona), where you can pick up any last minute items, organise bank accounts, sort out post forwarding and a phone/sim card.  If you are on the ‘Gold Package’ then we help you with all of these boring but necessary bits!

You might also be interested to know that Coona is considered as the ‘Astronomy Capital of Australia’ and there is an observatory nearby that runs Skywatch tours if you fancy getting a glimpse of the stunning night sky.  Remember that there will be very little light pollution where you are so it’s the ideal opportunity to do some star-gazing - even with the naked eye it’s possible to see the Milky Way.

Once all the paperwork type stuff is out of the way it’s time to get down ‘n’ dirty.  Your training and duties for the next 5 days will vary between fence and equipment maintenance, driving various types of vehicles, cattle yard work and mustering - never mind the sheepdogs, how about rounding up those  cattle on a quad bike?  It’s like the Wild West meets Top Gear!  Other beasts you’ll get to drive, both mechanical and animal, include tractors, ag farm bikes and horses (ok, so technically you don’t drive a horse, you ride it).

In addition to the physical training you’ll get the chance to pick up on the lingo and engage in some banter.  For a head start, take a look at our blog so that if one of the team calls you a ‘humbug’ or tells you to ‘have a blow’ you’ll know whether to be offended or not (all in good nature of course)!

It is pretty hard work, but great fun and at the end of it, depending on which package you choose, you have the choice of going to a job that we’ll find for you or travelling onwards to your next destination with a view to looking for some work later on.  Either way, you’ll be equipped with the skills you need to earn some money doing a fun, adventurous job.  It certainly beats mundane fruit picking.

So come on, don’t be a few snags short of a barbie - get in touch to arrange the start of your Aussie adventure today!