Australia

Visited: February 1999, June 2023

Duration of visit: 98 days (1999 – 85 days; 2023 – 13 days)

Capital city: Canberra

Population: 26.6 million (2023)

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

• Picking-up grapes and pears to earn money for further travelling.
• Beautiful cities of Melbourne, Adelaide and especially Sydney.
• Sunrise and sunset at Uluru and The Olgas sacred mountains in desert of Central Australia.
• Out in the bush being attacked by flies, whenever I stopped and walked out of the car.
• A laid-back and easygoing way of life.
• Learning to play the didgeridoo in Alice Springs.
• Excellent camping facilities where occasional visitors are minorities.
• Second visit in 2023 to guide kids at Asian FLL robotics competition.

The Land Down Under has captivated my interest for numerous reasons, including the iconic Uluru, recognized as the largest monolith globally, the vibrant city of Sydney – host of 2000 Olympic Games, unique wildlife (koalas and kangaroo), endless distances in the bush, the newly established capital – Canberra, and the picturesque Great Ocean Road.

Following a 15-month journey across the American continent and a mandatory 12-month internship in my home country, I felt a strong desire to embark on another exploration of the world.

Asia was the main destination and somehow, I added Australia, because it was not too far, it offered great opportunity for quick money earning and it sounded very exotic at that time. Therefore, Australia was the starting point of the Big Asian Tour from Australia, through Southeast Asia and China to India. During this 15-month voyage, I traversed most of the countries in the region and allocated nearly three months to traveling and working in Australia, utilizing buses, cars, and motorhomes for my journeys.

My visit to Australia was a combination of travelling and working. It was impossible to save enough money for further travelling during a year-long internship in Slovenia. Picking up fruits (pears and grapes) on Australian farms was probably the hardest work I have done in my life. The intensity, speed and persistence must be at extremely high level if you want to save money. Especially if you are paid by result and not per hour.

I was naïve at the beginning, didn’t know how the system worked, but managed to save considerable amount of money that enabled me to travel through Asia for a year.

From a visiting perspective, I enjoyed all destinations that were on my bucket list. From amazing nature along the coast to endless bush and Uluru mountain, I was thoroughly impressed by Australia. Easy going people, the attitude to enjoy life here and now, numerous options for good income and no worries frame of mind, could persuade me to consider Australia as a place to live, if it only wasn’t so far from Europe …. and if it wasn’t for the boring sport scene with the most popular being Australian football, cricket and rugby.

Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide are top destinations for visitors, but also perfect places to live and work. The quality of life in Australia is high. Many opportunities for all professions, races and ethnic groups. The importance of free time and high level of coexistence with the nature reflects in happiness of average Australians.