Two years in Australia | 24 pictures | This is what it looks like!

On the 1st of July 2021, it was two years since I arrived on a working holiday visa (WHV) in Australia. It has been an absolute adventure, and I never expected to stay longer than the 1st year! Consequently, it is a good time for the ‘two years in Australia – 24 pictures’ post. 

There is no better way to celebrate this than by posting a little overview of the experience and going back through my first two years in photos! This adventure would be nothing without all the fantastic people I have met. I am so lucky and thankful to have met you, and I hope we will all keep in touch. I have started my 3rd and final Australian WHV, which is crazy.

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July 2019: arriving in Melbourne:

After a journey that took me through Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and parts of Australia, I flew into Melbourne at Avalon Airport. My budget was low, and after travelling for six months, I needed stability in my new travel career. Although it was winter in Melbourne, it could not have treated me better. My first job was in a hostel, where I worked for accommodation and made many friends. The hostel was right in the middle of the CBD and within walking distance from the shine of the remembrance where I got this picture.

August 2019: working as a barista:

As my job in the hostel was only to support my accommodation, I had to find another job. My second job as a barista was essential to buy food and keeping up with my living expenses. By the end of July, I had utterly run through my savings, so I got into coffee making at the start of August. I have never been a coffee fan, but Melbourne opened a love for good coffee within.

September 2019: visitors from Belgium:

The initial plan when I started travelling was to return home in August. I had a budget for seven months, and my mum was about to remarry. I had decided to start this working holiday visa, so I stayed longer. Unfortunately, my budget didn’t allow me to fly return to Belgium to be a part of the wedding. Luckily, my mom and Gert decided to include Melbourne in their honeymoon itinerary.

October 2019: less working – more travelling:

Throughout September, I experienced the downsides of working in a foreign country. Although my colleagues were the most amazing people, my boss was not. My pay was often incorrect, and he refused to give me much time off when my mum and Gert came to visit. The moment I had saved just enough to survive another six weeks, I quit my job. I started exploring Victoria with extra time and walked the Great Ocean Walk.

November 2019: leaving Melbourne:

Melbourne was my first experience living abroad, and I had a fantastic time. The people I met during this time will be in my heart forever. Initially, I only wanted to stay one year in Australia, although since I needed money and wanted to have the option to do a second year, I started looking for a remote job to extend my visa. At the end of November, after five months in Melbourne, it was time to leave.

December 2019: arriving on King Island:

King Island in Tasmania started my travels’ 11th and longest chapter: working for King Island Dairy. My first weeks on the island were rough, but the show was on as soon as I made some great friends! I suddenly started saving again, making travel plans while spending December on the beach!

Januari 2020: sunset at Currie Lighthouse:

January marked one year of travelling, and things could not have been better. I had spent 2019 the best way possible, and the future looked fantastic. Travel plans were on the table; I saved a decent amount of money and slowly travelled around the island.

February 2020: Festival of King Island

February was initially my last month on King Island. However, since I had a stable job and friends on the island, I decided to extend my stay another month to get a reasonable start budget in my bank account. Moreover, I was slowly getting in touch with the local musicians and helped out Wade from King Island Radio on Foki and other parties. I had a great time!

March 2020: Enjoying the weather

At the start of my last month on King Island, a few friends and myself moved in together. It started with numerous backpacker parties, movie nights, and enjoying time together in our garden. The weather was great, and I extended my stay another month because of the first Covid-19 stories. There was no point leaving a safe remote island for upcoming lockdowns anyway!

April 2020: horse riding with Avalon:

Lucky as we were to live on a remote island in Tasmania, Covid-19 didn’t affect us too much. Our team of backpackers had stayed the same for a while as everybody wasn’t leaving in a pandemic. Therefore, everybody started to bond well. By the end of the 2020 summer, life on King Island was pretty good. I was busy for the first time since leaving my music career. Next to my full-time job at King Island Dairy, I rode horses, hung out with friends, and taught music.

May 2020: Hunting

The ongoing pandemic made us realise we would be on the island for a while. Instead of being sad, we made the best of it. I decided to stay on King Island until January. My second year in Australia would start in July; that way, I could finish the required six months to obtain the third year in the country. I started helping out on farms to live the country boy experience to the fullest.

June 2020: backpackers:

June was the least exciting month I had on King Island. My roommates left the island, and I had to move houses again. Besides, it was raining a lot, and if it weren’t for starting my second year and the chance of doing my six months, I would have left too. The only exciting that month would have been all the illegal backpacker parties. We all worked together anyway, so I wouldn’t have made any difference.

July 2020: living on an island:

July, mid-winter, suddenly came with a lot of good weather. I started to enjoy my time on King Island again. As I extended my stay, I had to; I was only halfway! Although I sometimes had enough of my job, I was given a pay rise and could only dream of the possibilities in the future of my travels. After my time on King Island, I almost reached my starting budget again at the start of 2019. Above all, the music project we had been rehearsing was slowly progressing towards a first playlist.

August 2020: first Yentl As Anything gig:

The first restrictions started to ease in August 2020, and Yentl As Anything played its first gig. Everybody had to sit apart and stay seated, but it was a taste of more to come for us. This first concert opened an entirely new chapter for me on King Island. I wasn’t longer here to save up for the rest of my travels. I was living my life here. Even better, I was enjoying it!

September 2020: Cape Wickham Lighthouse:

Summer was slowly making its way to King Island, and with all the restrictions gone, we could finally enjoy the island again the way we were supposed to. Peak season at King Island Dairy started, so it was busy during the week. On the weekends, we went on camping trips again, had barbeques and rehearsed with Yentl As Anything.

October 2020: rehearsals at Wade’s:

October 2020 was the most musical month in my two years in Australia. The events for the summer were in their early stages of planning, and all of them were asking for live music. We sometimes rehearsed multiple times a week to keep up with our newly made playlist,m and I remember having to practise lots of new guitar skills.

November 2020: playing with The Lanky’s:

December 2020: road-tripping around the Island:

January 2021: my last month on King Island:

February 2021: travelling around Tasmania:

March 2021: more travelling in Tasmania:

April 2021: travelling in Victoria:

May 2021: travelling in South Australia:

June 2021: travelling in the Northern Territory: