I’m uploading this in a frenzy after salvaging my belongings – laptop, iPad, camera, phones, viola case, etc. from my hostel locker after a sudden and torrential rain storm left my hostel dorm room flooded. There was a legit waterfall pouring down from the ceiling, and thankfully people came to help us clear beds and belongings that had been soiled. Had I not been around, all of my electronics and my viola could have been ruined inside my locked locker. And all following just my second full day of hospitality work here in Australia… Phew!
Tangent aside – today it has been two weeks since I arrived in Sydney, Australia to begin my working holiday visa. Things have been moving along quickly, and I’ve been eager to make the city feel like home. My emotions have gone from excited to stressed to homesick to appreciative and back again – but overall things are going well.
First impressions? I was very impressed by the quality of the metro trains in the city. They are double decker and very clean. Exiting out of the busy Kings Cross station it was just a short walk down to my accomodation, Hump Backpackers Hostel. After checking in I saw the staff were accepting housekeeping volunteers in exchange for free dorm stays (which had cost me $12 USD/night). I inquired and was set up to start volunteering three days a week for 4-5 hours/day.
Coming to Australia I knew that I would be pushed in new and potentially uncomfortable work directions. That said, housekeeping in our four-story hostel was very exhausting. I’ll never forget my first day running up and down the stairs with cleaning products and a vacuum, sweating constantly in the high humidity without air conditioning. I kept reminding myself that I am receiving free accomodation in one of the world’s most expensive cities for just 15 hours of work per week.
In the first couple of days I found a community of other travelers on a working holiday. I’ve been used to people coming and going at hostels in the past, but here many have decided to call one hostel home while they work or volunteer. I’ve enjoyed some social experiences through the hostel such as the Sydney Mardi Gras parade, mini golf, drag bingo, and happy hour at Frankie’s Pizza in the CBD.
Sydney was one of the final ports of call during my time working the Holland America Grand World Voyage in March of 2020. I only spent two days here on that visit, so I am excited to actually live in Sydney this time. My hostel is located on the same street where I had an Airbnb two years ago – which feels very full-circle. Darlinghurst Road is full of businesses and wonderful people watching. With a large gym down the road there is a constant stream of passersby in active-wear, and people in this neighborhood are beautiful. It’s a bit intimidating, to be honest!
In the same building as the large gym is my grocery store of choice – Coles. (Being from the USA all I could think of was Kohl’s retail stores). It has been fun to see what others in the hostel whipp up in the kitchen each day. With limited cubby space in the kitchen I have kept myself to simple meals: avocado toast, eggs, chobani yogurt, oatmeal with almonds/walnuts/chia seeds, lentil pasta and veggies, various fruits, and tea.
After just a few days in the city I came to the conclusion that from an aesthetic point of view Sydney is basically a tropical version of London (with far less history). I hadn’t made this observation on my first visit two years ago, but neighborhoods such as Surry Hills and Paddington share a distinct architectural similarity to many of London’s outer boroughs.
A particular similarity to London is the abundance of large parks throughout the city. Like London, the Sydney CBD has its own (smaller) Hyde Park. There is also The Domain and the Royal Botanic Garden, which extend up toward the opera house. To the south is Moore Park and Centennial Park, the former being where the recent Mardi Gras parade was held indoors at the Allianz Stadium due to covid.
Many travelers on a working holiday visa opt for hospitality work – such as in restaurants, hotels, or bars. The country requires anyone who sells or serves alcohol to complete a Responsible Sale of Alcohol (RSA) training before they can work. While the course can be done cheaply online I was advised to pay a bit more for a one-time, six hour, in-person class. The benefit is that you leave with your certificate in your email.
I took the class six days after my arrival at the Drydocks building in the Sydney CBD. This day was the first during my trip with good weather, and on our lunch break I could feel a renewed energy in the city after weeks of straight rain. Once the class was over I took the opportunity to go down to the harbour and see the opera house. I tried to find new vantage points from those I had two years ago.
I didn’t waste any time finding a job. With the RSA certificate in hand I joined a Facebook group for hospitality job seekers, and I sent in my resume to a number of places. Similarly to the USA, Australia is facing a major labor shortage, and so jobs are plentiful. Within a day I set up a trial shift at a restaurant/cafe called Little Jean in the ritzy neighborhood of Double Bay.
Having never worked outside of music performance/visual art I was naturally a bit nervous to do something else, but my academic and musical training has fostered a good mix of skills that transfer into hospitality roles. My 1.5 hour trial shift in Double Bay turned into a six hour shift, and I was hired on that day. The restaurant is a 25 minute walk from my hostel, and features beautiful harbour scenery on the commute.
Following one of my mid-day volunteering shifts at the hostel I went out the famous Bondi Beach for the first time. Small, dark clouds lingered around here and there, but I managed to get a decent amount of sun. I haven’t seen many beaches with similarly impressive sequences of waves as I observed at Bondi.
My legs were exhausted from running food and coffees at the restaurant the day before, but I still had energy to do the popular coastal walking trail south from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach. This path takes you along some impressive cliffs with great views of four different beaches along the way. The trail seemed completely void of tourists, with mostly locals out for their late afternoon run or walk.
My time in Australia is going to be filled with all kind of learning experiences that I hope will fill some holes in my overall resume and make me a more well-rounded person. Heading into week three I am quitting my hostel volunteering work to make time for the new job in Double Bay. Check back in the next couple of weeks for more from Sydney!
Up Next: WHV Australia Part II “What If I Never Want To Leave“
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