G’day mates! This post serves as a small update from my life and a visit into the life of a Dane on Working Holiday in Australia

Too lazy to read the whole thing? I’ve been in Sydney for a little over a month now and it’s been great!

Reminiscing on the past

The first two weeks I stayed at my friend David’s house near Bondi Beach – beautiful surroundings, central location.

The next two weeks I stayed at my friend Garrett’s girlfriend’s parent’s house in the suburbs. I slept outside on the balcony, listening to kookaburras and frogs while enjoying the pleasant temperature of the Australian summer.

Finally, I spent a week at a hostel, a time which can be seen as a transition period before I finally will be moving in to a regular apartment in Ultimo, Sydney (about 15 min walk from central station). It’s a dorm style flat where we are 5 people total and 3 in the room I’m in.

Rent in Sydney is ridiculously high and unless you want to pay a lot of money or stay far from the city center, that’s how you do it. A good offer is about $350 AUD / week (or about $1500 AUD = $1150USD = 8000DKK per month) for a private room in the city center. I pay $175/week. On the plus side, there is a free gym, free pool and a fussball table included.

“Everything is better with a fussball table.”

Living in the present

Currently, I am in a train on the way to Canberra where David works during the weekdays. He stays at a hotel so I can crash there and stay for free while taking a break from Sydney to explore Canberra, the capital of Australia. Everyone says it’s a shithole because it’s basically just a very lightly densed small town styled city in the middle of the bushes. Consequently, it’s an ideal place for spotting Kangaroos, so that’ll be the highlight of the trip for me. Kangaroos and the Australian War Memorial which is also worth a visit if you find your way here.

UPDATE (I succeeded):

I’ve also gotten a job at the iconic location of Luna Park, which is a 1930’s styled theme park right by the river with a view to both darling harbour, the opera house and the bridge. It is a prime location and a well-known tourist attraction. I work there in the functions department which means my day mainly consists of polishing glasses, decking tables and serving / waiting food and drinks at events.

It’s not too hard on the ol’ thinker and when your shift is over you can forget about work – none of that “Your work follows you home” kinda crap.

“It’s not too hard on the ol’ thinker and when your shift is over you can forget about work – none of that “Your work follows you home” kinda crap.”

Forward, Always Forward.

My immediate future looks like I’m going to be a working man. I’ve got a couple of online endeavours as well as the job at Luna Park and between these I’ll have plenty to do. I’ve already accepted that these first 3 months in Australia are dedicated to money making time. Less sightseeing and more canned Salmon and pasta. I’ll still be able to get “underneath” the city and experience day-to-day local living here.

Also, I haven’t touched a drip of alcohol since New Years and I’ve dropped 6 kgs down to an all-time low of 89kg (in recent time).

So that’s my life in a nutshell. I’ve opened a bank account, I’ve opened an Australian phone number, I’ve moved in to an apartment, I’ve gotten a job and a tax file number. In short, I’m settled.