About Canadians Down Under
Canadians Down Under is a blog about life on an Australian Working Holiday Visa. The posts are written in real time as I travel throughout Australia. While there is lots of helpful content targeted towards those interested in knowing more about Working Holiday Visas (Subclass 417) or for those wondering how to apply there are also plenty of other resources and content designed for people who are just travelling throughout Australia. Stay tuned for posts about things to do, where to eat/drink, and where to stay.
Posts found under Before You Go, are practical information on preparing for a year long trip throughout Australia. This includes visas, packing, and background information on Australia as a country. All in all, this section aims to prepare Working Holiday Visa travellers for their year-long adventures.
Travel Australia is a working section. So, you may notice that over time different categories appear in the drop-down menu. This is because I am writing as I explore. My goal for the year is to visit every state. As such, I will be adding information about each state as I begin my journey throughout.
Working and Living in Australia covers daily life in different cities. This includes tips on finding a job, how to find a place to live, and practical stuff like budgeting.
Posts found under Canadian Down Under are anecdotes giving an on the ground perspective of life in Australia for a Canadian. The main purpose of this section is for entertainment. But this section also aims to provide guidance, motivation, and a look at the challenges. These posts will always be my honest, hopefully unbiased impressions of life in Australia.
About the Author
Hi, I’m Arielle. I first heard about Australian Working Holiday Visas when I was 20 years old. However, I was still in the middle of completing my university degree. While this sounded like an amazing thing that immediately made its way onto my radar, it was not something worth interrupting my degree for. Instead I told myself, once I’m done university, I will venture off on a working holiday. Instead, I spent two months doing an internship in New York City (Not an experience I regret even a little). Then I told myself, after my internship, I can get a job and save up. Sadly, or not so sadly, life kept getting in the way and other travel plans kept coming up. In the four years since finishing my degree I visited 12 countries (excluding Australia), during all of this time I kept swearing next year is THE Australia year.
Again, this year I started to think that, if I save up I can pay off all of my student loans and then move to Australia. But, noticing that this has been my ongoing trend of putting things off until next year, I decided that I have to just get there. Being freshly 28 years old with a current visa cap of 30 years old, I have put myself dangerously close to aging out of the Australia opportunity. Which has led us here.
Canadians Down Under is a personal exploration of all the things that I have seen and done in Australia, how I got myself here, and hopefully a motivation for others who keep putting off this opportunity to break out and do it now. That being said, my stories will remain my honest impressions, downsides, amazing times, and everything in between.
My favourite place in Canada- Moraine Lake.
Countries Visited:
Australia, Egypt, France, Peru, Ecuador, Cuba, Spain, England, Portugal, Mexico, Greece, Italy, Tunisia, Finland, Turkey, America, Jamaica, The Bahamas, and of course my home country is Canada.
For as long as I can remember, I have had the desire to see the world. This has led me to a few different places with many more on my list. But for now, Australia! Next, maybe New Zealand. And then maybe Japan. It never ends, you see.
Let’s Keep in Touch!
Follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, or Facebook. Or, we have a mailing list with a trip planning guide to get you to Australia.