Cairns Travel Forum

I am moving to Oz on a work holiday visa in June. I was planning on moving to Brisbane, but should I start in Cairns first?

HI, I would start at the top, Cairns and then work my way down the coast or other parts of Aus.They also start at Port Douglas which is a lovely village, here also there is work at this time of year.
This is what a lot of backpackers do. There are many here at one time.
June is really a great time to get to Cairns as you can almost gaurantee there will be work.Also the weather in June is good, following months it's great.
If you are travelling alone, you will meet heaps of people that are doing as you are and probably will meet others to travel with when you want too.
There are many backpacker places to stay, also there is share accommodation available. Start at a backpackers and go from there.
There is some great nightlife here as well for the young.
There is also a lot to see and do here. Reef and rainforest the most popular.

http://jobsearch.gov.au/harvesttrail/

Check out this web site, it is a great starting point.

Also there is a new site for Cairns, it is a site that the local newspaper has established. cairns.com.au

Work and accommodation are printed in the Wednesday and Saturday papers of the Cairns Post.
Also you will find job adverts on notice boards at backpackers and windows of shops, pubs etc.

Moved to Oz 6 1/2 yrs ago - between Brisbane and Cairns! Doesn't matter where you start or where you end up really - the country is so vast you will always want to see somewhere else. Remember though, Cairns is hot, so from a climate point of view, you may be better to start somewhere a little cooler. It's also more expensive to travel in and out of Cairns.

Hey great choice to head to Australia!

And I agree with Anne - start up north and head down south to Brisbane...fantastic journey.

My favourite stop would be Airlie Beach where you can explore The Whitsunday Islands from...don't miss it.

Have fun and post some pics about your journey!

Same here. Work your way down. Cairns to Brisbane. Good luck with that!

I agree, Cairns first woukd be ideal - the weather is perfect in the winter - and work down. I guess, though, that it depends where you'll be flying in to...

I highly highly highly recommend Port Douglas. I spent 2 months there working and it was one of the highlights of my trip to Oz! It's an hour north of Cairns and if you book a couple nights at Dougies or the YHA hostel either of them has a shuttle from Cairns.

The only issue you will face in Port Douglas is it might be hard to find a place to live. A lot of the backpackers live at Dougies hostel. I lucked out and found a gorgeous house with 2 flatmates though, so it is possible to find a place for short term. Best bet is to ask around and check out the postings at the supermarket.

Port Douglas is quaint, very gorgeous, with a lovely beach, lovely marina (free sailing on certain days of the week - ask the locals about it), weather is great that time of year, and if you walk down the main street with your resume you will have a job no problem anytime between May and Sept. It's got a great little community of backpackers who are living there and working for the winter, so you soon get to know everyone around town. I found Cairns a little harsh and just touristy overload! Once I got to Port (as the locals call it) I fell in love with it and never wanted to leave!

And I agree - start up north and head down - perfect weather that time of year for it and it's cooler down in Brisbane. Head down to Brisbane for the warmer weather.

Port Douglas is one of the most beautiful places in this great land of ours.
Cairns is just an hour away, and again is a great place..Not so much Cairns itself, but surrounding areas...therefore I have to agree with the others..go top and head down!