So you are like Australia yea?
You’d like to extend your working holiday visa for another year?
To do so you’ll need to complete 88 days of slave regional work. Up for the challenge?
I was lucky enough to find farm work pretty quickly, completed my 3 months (and then another month for the lols) in one go on the same farm & I am now into my 2nd year.
Everyone will have a different experience but here’s a few things you should expect:
You’ll be pushing yourself possibly physically harder than ever before, prepare for sore muscles galore & broken backs.
Schedule changes
If it’s raining or too hot, this might often influence what work can be done. You may find yourself without work for a few days at a time. Or in the case of our farm, fuck it and work in the downpour anyway - just shove on a bin-liner and you're good to go!
Fluctuating hours
Some jobs you might work 12 hours everyday for a week if the conditions are right, some days you might work two. You’ll often get no warning, so be prepared for a big day everyday. We often had "there's no work tomorrow" & all get nice & drunk to then be told "LOL JOKE there is, start at 7am!"
New friends
Whichever farm you go to, everyone is in the same boat trying to work to get their visas. If theres one thing I've heard over and over, and can back up from my own experience, the people you meet during your farm work will likely be the ones who you remain with throughout the rest of your time in Australia. I made incredible friends during my 4 months!
Tough days
Farm work is not a breeze, you'll have days where you want to quit and give up on having your 2nd year visa. You'll cry, you'll moan and hate life - We've all been there. But man up and get on with it. Also if you're terrible on a hangover, maybe avoid that last drink the night before work!
Filthy clothes
You might want to get yourself some cheap/second hand clothes for your farm work. Expect to throw away whatever you’ve been wearing on the farm once you're done. And try to not wear your nice clothes because likelihood is they'll get ruined. Head to Vinnies or another Op Shop. Stock up on shitty shirts and tops because you'll be living in them.
Early starts
I am by no means a morning person, never have and never will be. But more often than not farm work requires early start so see yourself starting work from anywhere as early as 6am.But a bonus at starting that early, the sunrises are beautiful!
So those are general tips to get your started for your farm work.
The following are things that maybe you can relate to if you've completed yours and had similar experiences to mine.
I know it sounds crazy but I loved my time at Dalbeg and had some hilarious tales!
So here we go; you know you've completed your 88 days farm work when ....
Your back no longer has its full function
Your standard of living decreases massively
Shipping containers for a bedroom seems like a great idea
You no longer want to eat whatever fruit or veg you've picked ever again
But when you see said fruit or veg in the supermarkets you criticise over the quality and find yourself saying "Jesus i'd never have packed that, look at the chips, thats awful!"
Or "Omg, the bruising on that Lebanese Zucchini is terrible"
You can tell whether a zucchini was S, SM, M or ML from afar
You wonder why you don't normally start your day at sunrise
Working in all weather conditions no longer phases you
You accept the fact that guys lose weight and girls get fat
You accept the fact that guys lose weight and girls get fat
You see a squash and you get a tingle of pain in your back and your eyes start to well up
The day of "The 600 Squash" or "The 4 hour Zucchini run" will be tales you'll pass onto grandchildren
The day of "The 600 Squash" or "The 4 hour Zucchini run" will be tales you'll pass onto grandchildren
You no longer give a shit about fashion or your personal appearance
You find no matter how many showers you have, you're never quite 100% clean
You find no matter how many showers you have, you're never quite 100% clean
You lose your mind completely and become farm-shit-cray
You find yourself making pets out of the produce ... aka. Zoe
You find yourself making pets out of the produce ... aka. Zoe
Your life becomes so involved with the farm you forget what normal life is
You start to accept you're going to live on the farm the rest of your life and die there
You become bezzies with the locals & hangout at their local watering hole
You hear certain songs and all you can think of is farm life
"Naaaaa na na. Na na na naa, na na na naaaaa Dalbeeeggggg"
Drinking nights get rowdier and rowdier as the weeks go on & hangovers are hard to handle
You've found happiness in the simplest of activities
You make names for certain areas of the farm "the ghetto"
You've got to witness some pretty cool cane fires
You get excited when you can leave the farm for the day so you can update your Spotify
There was a constant battle over who was DJ in the field
You've been driven going 100km/h hanging off the back of a ute by a crazy local
You've been croc-spotting at the local river
Being on the "Squash Squad" is a death sentence not a gift
Your new hobbies include going out shooting with the locals
You miss the real world and normal nightlife so you make your very own farm club "Club12" & "The Pantry"
Not having access to wifi or 3G for days at a time isn't actually as bad as it seems
You have absolutely no idea what is happening in the rest of Australia, never mind the rest of the world
It is perfectly normal to pretend a shipping container bedroom is a club
Accidents on the farm are normal; falls, bites, cut nerves, bee stings
The scars from which will remain with you forever and serve as a reminder of your adventures 
You look forward to Saturday night for the free BBQ & Sausage Sizzle
You've stood on at least 267 frogs in the night going to the bathroom
You've made the best friends with the best bunch of crazies
Poker Face, Bundies & VBs are now embedded in your blood stream
Pushing people in a tractor tire seems legit safe and fun
Poker Face, Bundies & VBs are now embedded in your blood stream
You can now live harmoniously with all kinds of critters; ghekos, spiders, snakes and mozzies
You've killed your fair share of wallabies and kangaroos driving to and from the farm
Every special occasion deserves a Coles Chocolate Mud Cake
Your entire farm wardrobe has been bought at Vinnies or another Op Shop
You get joy out of the smallest things; having a day off, being able to do a food shop, a fresh supply of Chokitos in the shop.
You can create a fancy dress costume under $5 and look fabulous
You feel a sense of pride when you make it as a Boom Bitch
Its an absolute mission to get someone into the nearest town to stream the latest episode of "Game of Thrones" to bring back to the farm
All you can talk about is the farm
You experience the joy of picking / packing your last fruit & veg and you're finally free
You leave the farm and its all you can talk about for the next week & you feel like you should be going back
The people you met on the farm are now you're best friends in Australia
You feel a greater sense of achievement for reaching your farm graduation than your actual degree that you spent 3 years getting!
No one at home will ever understand what you went through
But you would't change it for the world!
& when you're second year gets granted its the best feeling in the world & you know that all that crazy-shit was worth it!
It was the craziest, hardest, most memorable 4 months and the people I met are some of my best friends in the world now <3
Thank you for reading & happy travels
♡ G
Join me on Instagram @gemwills
& follow me on my Australia Adventure! ☀
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