Australia packing list for a working holiday
This Australia packing list is built for a working holiday, not a fortnight on the beach. The country is bigger than it looks on the map: you might pick fruit in tropical Queensland in July and pour coffee through a Melbourne winter a few months later. Tick items off as you pack. Your progress saves in this browser, and you can print the list for the night before you fly.
Your Australia packing checklist, by category
The short answer: for an Australia working holiday, pack about a week of light, breathable clothes, one warm layer and a rain jacket for the south, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses, shoes you can work in, your passport, visa grant, insurance details and a bank statement, and a Type I plug adaptor. Sunscreen, bedding and most work gear are easy to buy after you land.
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0 of 7 packedWhat to pack for Australia's climate zones
Australia is almost as big as the mainland United States. Packing for "Australian weather" makes about as much sense as packing for "American weather".
Most first-timers picture beaches and 35 degrees. That's real, in some places, for some of the year. It's also why so many people end up buying a jacket in their first fortnight. Melbourne in July is grey and windy, with daytime highs in the low teens. Tasmania gets snow on its mountains. And in the Red Centre, a winter day warm enough for a T-shirt can be followed by a night below freezing.
So pack for the coldest place on your route, not the warmest. Light clothes take up almost no room. The one warm layer and the rain jacket are the things you can't improvise once you're there, at least not without paying full price on day one.
| Region | What it's like | Add to your bag |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical north (Cairns, Darwin, Broome) | Hot all year. The wet season, roughly November to April, is humid with heavy storms. The dry season is warm and sunny. | Quick-dry clothes, insect repellent, a rash vest for stinger season, a light rain jacket |
| East coast (Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sydney) | Hot, humid summers and mild winters. Sydney's winter nights get properly cool. | Summer clothes plus one warm layer and a rain jacket |
| The south (Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth) | Hot summers, cool and wet winters. Melbourne is famous for getting four seasons in a day. | A real warm jacket, long trousers and closed shoes for winter |
| Tasmania | Australia's coolest state. Mild summers, cold winters, snow on the mountains. | Thermals, a fleece, waterproof jacket and boots, beanie and gloves |
| Outback and Red Centre (Alice Springs, Uluru) | Fierce summer heat. Winter days are warm, but nights can drop below freezing. | Serious sun protection, plenty of water capacity, and a warm layer for the nights |
The seasons are flipped: summer is December to February, winter June to August. A rough guide only, so check the forecast for the places you'll actually be.
Heading to Tasmania? Pack as you would for an autumn in northern Europe. The summer picking season there is mild by Australian standards, but early mornings in the orchards are cold, and the weather on the west coast and in the highlands can turn at any time of year. Thermals and a waterproof jacket earn their place even in January. Which regions pick what, and when, is in our Australia harvest calendar.
Sun and stingers
Cancer Council Australia's advice fits in five words: slip, slop, slap, seek and slide. Slip on clothing, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat, seek shade and slide on sunglasses, whenever the UV index is 3 or above. In the tropical north that's every day of the year. In the south it's most of the year, cloudy days included. Buy sunscreen after you land rather than carrying it from home. Every supermarket stocks SPF 50+, it's made for Australian conditions, and you'll get through far more of it than you expect.
Up north, the risk is in the water. Box jellyfish and Irukandji live in tropical waters, and the Queensland Government says the risk is highest during the marine stinger season, November to May, though stingers are around all year. That's why a rash vest or lycra stinger suit is on the checklist. Reef trips usually provide stinger suits, but your own is handy for beach days. At patrolled beaches, swim between the red and yellow flags, and inside the stinger nets where a beach has them.
What to pack for working in Australia
Pack for the jobs backpackers actually get, and let the employer supply the rest.
Most working holiday jobs in Australia sit in a few groups: farm and harvest work, packing sheds, hospitality, construction and labouring, and cleaning. Farm work is the big one for anyone chasing a second visa, because it's the classic way to rack up the 88 days of specified work. Hospitality is where most city jobs are. Each comes with its own dress code, and a lot of the gear is supplied.
| Job | Pack from home | Usually supplied or bought there |
|---|---|---|
| Farm work and fruit picking | Long-sleeved shirts, a wide-brimmed hat, sturdy boots, old clothes you don't mind ruining | Picking gear comes from the farm. Gloves and sunscreen from any supermarket or hardware store |
| Packing sheds | Closed-toe shoes, warm layers for the cold rooms | Hairnets, gloves and hi-vis are normally supplied |
| Hospitality | Black trousers, black non-slip shoes, a plain black shirt | A branded shirt or apron from the venue, plus an RSA certificate for anything involving alcohol |
| Construction and labouring | Your own steel caps, but only if you already have a broken-in pair | Hi-vis, hard hats and other safety gear the job requires come from the employer. Many still expect you to arrive in your own boots |
| Cleaning and housekeeping | Comfortable closed shoes | A uniform is usually provided |
"Usually" means usually. Ask what's supplied when the job is offered, before you buy anything.
Steel caps deserve a paragraph of their own, because they're the heaviest thing on most packing lists. Under Australia's work health and safety laws, a business has to give workers the protective equipment a job requires, as Safe Work Australia sets out. Queensland's Work Health and Safety Act goes further and says an employer must not charge a worker for anything provided in relation to health and safety. In practice, plenty of farms and labour-hire agencies still expect you to turn up in your own boots. So bring a broken-in pair if you already own one, don't buy new ones before you leave, and when a job asks for steel caps, ask who's paying.
Two cards matter more than any piece of clothing. Bar and restaurant work needs an RSA, the Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate, and the rules differ by state, which is why our RSA and RCG guide exists. Construction sites need a White Card, the general construction induction, which you get in Australia through a registered training provider. Neither goes in your bag before you fly, but both belong on your list for the first week.
On a farm in the heat, a long-sleeved shirt beats a singlet. It sounds backwards until you've spent a day picking in full sun. A loose cotton or technical shirt keeps the sun off your arms and the back of your neck, and you'll sweat less than you'd expect. Add a hat with a proper brim all the way round, not a cap. If you're planning regional work for a second visa, our farm work and 88 days guide explains what counts, and the 88 days postcode checker tells you whether a job's location qualifies. What every kind of job pays is in our guide to working holiday jobs in Australia.
Bring it or buy it in Australia?
Australia has shops, and some of them are very cheap. Everything you buy there is something you didn't carry through three airports.
The rule we'd go by: bring what's personal, hard to replace or already worn in. Buy the bulky, cheap and consumable stuff after you land. Sunscreen is the clearest case. It's sold everywhere, it's made for Australian conditions, and a big bottle is heavy.
Bring from home
- A rain jacket and one warm layer you already trust.
- Shoes and boots that are already broken in.
- Prescription medicine, glasses or contact lenses, and copies of the prescriptions.
- A laptop or tablet if you have one. CVs, tax forms and visa admin are miserable on a phone.
- Good sunglasses, if you already own a pair you like.
- Your backpack, tested at home with real weight in it.
Buy when you land
- Sunscreen, insect repellent and toiletries, from supermarkets or Chemist Warehouse.
- Bedding, towels and kitchen basics for a share house, from Kmart or Big W.
- Work boots, gloves and hi-vis, from Bunnings or a workwear store, once you know the job.
- Camping gear, from Anaconda or BCF, or second-hand on Gumtree and Facebook Marketplace.
- A winter jacket, if you end up somewhere colder than you planned.
- A local SIM card, unless you set up an eSIM before you fly.
Second-hand is the smart buy for anything you'll only need for a few months. Backpackers leaving the country sell tents, swags, eskies and whole camping set-ups on Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace and hostel noticeboards, often for a fraction of what they paid. Buy it, use it, sell it on when you go.
Buying a car? A lot of backpacker cars and vans change hands with the camping gear still inside. Our guide to buying a car covers registration, roadworthy checks and what to look out for before you pay.
Can you bring food, hiking boots and medicine into Australia?
Often, yes. But you have to declare them, and Australian biosecurity doesn't do warnings.
The short answer: you can bring a lot of food, used outdoor gear and your own medicine into Australia, but you have to declare it. Biosecurity officers inspect what you declare and hand back anything that's safe. Not declaring risk goods means an infringement notice of at least AU$728, and on a visa it can get you referred for visa cancellation at the airport.
You fill in a declaration when you arrive, which for almost everyone is still the paper Incoming Passenger Card. On it you either declare risk goods or drop them in the bins before biosecurity. The Department of Agriculture's list is broad: any food, animal products, plant material including wooden articles, and all footwear, clothing and equipment you've used in rural areas or near animals. For a working holidaymaker, that last part means your hiking boots, your tent and anything you've worn on a farm back home.
Medicine. Under the Therapeutic Goods Administration's traveller's exemption, you can bring up to a three-month supply of your own medicine. Keep it in the original packaging with the pharmacy label, and carry the prescription or a letter from your doctor saying what you take and how much you're bringing. That leaves most of a 12-month working holiday uncovered. The TGA's own answer is the Personal Importation Scheme: once you're in Australia, more of your medicine can be sent to you before the first supply runs out. Some medicines, including strong painkillers and ADHD medication, come with extra rules, so check those before you pack.
How to make it painless. Clean your boots and outdoor gear at home until they're dry and free of soil, seeds and grass, which is the department's own standard. Pack anything you'll declare near the top of your bag. And if you're not sure, declare it. Something that turns out to be harmless is simply handed back to you.
Documents, money and travel insurance
The checklist names them. Here's what each one actually has to show.
Passport. Your working holiday visa is linked to the passport you applied with, and you have to enter Australia on that passport. If you renew it before you fly, update your details with Home Affairs first. Dual nationals: use the passport the visa was granted on, not whichever one is nearer the top of the drawer.
Your visa. Australian visas are electronic, so nothing gets stuck in your passport. The grant notice is your proof, and employers can check your work rights online through VEVO. Keep a printout and an offline copy anyway. One more thing worth knowing before you book: your 12 months start the first time you enter Australia after the grant, even if that's a short stopover on the way somewhere else.
Proof of funds. Home Affairs says you'll usually need about AU$5,000 to support yourself, plus the money for a fare out of Australia. Carry a recent bank statement as a printout or a PDF you can open offline. Border officers can ask, and an arrivals hall with no signal is a bad place to start logging into your banking app.
Driver's licence. Each state sets its own rules for overseas licences. In New South Wales, for example, a temporary visitor can drive on an overseas licence for up to six months, and anyone who stays longer has to switch to a NSW licence, according to Transport for NSW. If your licence isn't in English, NSW also requires an English translation or an International Driving Permit. Check the rules for the state where you'll actually be driving.
Travel insurance. Unlike New Zealand, Australia doesn't make insurance a condition of the 417 or 462, and nobody checks for it at the airport. That's exactly why so many people arrive without it. Australia has reciprocal health care agreements with just eleven countries: Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Even those only cover medically necessary treatment, not everything. If your passport isn't on that list, an ambulance ride and a night in hospital arrive as a bill.
Your employer's workers' compensation covers injuries caused by the job. It stops when the shift does. The weekend dive trip, the scooter, the appendix that picks a Tuesday: none of that is work. When you compare policies, check the wording against the work you'll actually do, because plenty of cheap travel policies exclude manual labour.
SafetyWing Nomad Insurance
A monthly subscription with no fixed end date, so you can start it before you fly and stop it when you go home, which suits a year that might turn into two. A $250,000 medical limit, and most adventure activities are covered. Check its wording for the specific farm or site work you're planning before you rely on it.
Get a free SafetyWing quote →The SafetyWing link above is an affiliate link. If you buy through it we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend what we'd recommend without the commission. Details are in our affiliate disclosure. Five providers side by side, including the ones we don't work with, are in our insurance guide.
Money. Your wages go into an Australian bank account, which you can open once you've arrived, and you'll want a Tax File Number sorted early, because without one 45% of your pay gets withheld. Our TFN guide walks through it. Until the first payslip lands, you're living on money from home, and a normal bank card can quietly take a few percent on every tap and withdrawal. A card like Wise, linked in the checklist above, converts at the mid-market rate. Keep a second card from a different bank in a different bag. How the local banks compare is in our banking guide.
How much luggage do you need for a year in Australia?
One main bag and a daypack. Honestly.
Pack for one week and do laundry. Hostels, caravan parks and share houses almost all have washing machines, and in the heat things dry in an hour on a line. A 40 to 60 litre backpack or a mid-sized suitcase, plus a daypack, is enough for a full year in Australia. You'll wear the same few things on rotation anyway.
Backpack or suitcase comes down to how you'll move. Greyhound buses, farm stays and dirt roads favour a backpack. If you're flying into Sydney or Melbourne to work for months, a suitcase is fine and far easier to live out of. Whichever you choose, try it at home first: fully loaded, up and down the stairs. Then picture a 3pm walk from the bus stop to a farm hostel in 34 degrees.
What goes in your hand luggage
Passport, visa grant, insurance certificate and bank statement. Everything a border officer might ask for should be on you, not in the hold.
Prescription medicine. In its original packaging, with the prescription, and enough for a few days in case your checked bag goes missing.
Power bank and any spare batteries. Airlines don't allow spare lithium batteries in checked luggage, so they travel in the cabin.
Phone, chargers and your plug adaptor. You'll want them working in the arrivals hall, not after you've found your bag.
A light layer and a change of clothes. Long-haul cabins are cold, and bags do sometimes take a different flight.
Your allowance is whatever your ticket says, so weigh the bag at home. Then think past the long-haul flight. Distances in Australia mean you'll probably fly domestically at some point, and the cheapest domestic fares often include cabin baggage only. A heavy checked bag gets paid for again on every one of those flights. Fares, routes and open returns are covered in our flights guide.
What not to bring
The stuff people pack and regret, every single time.
A heavy winter wardrobe. Unless you're spending the whole trip in Tasmania or the Victorian Alps in winter, one warm layer and a rain jacket will do. Anything more you can buy if you need it.
Multiple pairs of jeans. Heavy, slow to dry, and far too hot for most of the country most of the year. One pair is plenty.
Low-SPF or "once a day" sunscreen. Australian UV is among the strongest on earth. Buy a high-SPF, broad-spectrum local brand and reapply often.
A hair straightener or curling iron on the wrong voltage. Most made for 110V fry instantly on Australia's 230V supply. Buy one locally if you need it.
A first-aid kit the size of a hospital bag. Pharmacies (chemists) are everywhere. Pack the basics, not a field hospital.
Stacks of "just in case" outfits. You'll wear the same five things on rotation. Every extra outfit is just extra weight on your back.
Expensive jewellery or watches. Hostels are generally safe. They're still not the place to risk anything irreplaceable.
Snacks from home you haven't declared. The muesli bar in your daypack is the classic way to get pulled aside at the airport. Declare it or bin it before the officers.
Travelling solo? Our solo travel safety guide covers hostel vetting, transport and farm work safety on top of what to pack.
Australia packing list FAQs
The questions people ask before a working holiday in Australia, answered short.
What should I pack for a working holiday in Australia?
Pack about a week of light, breathable clothes, plus one warm layer and a rain jacket for the south and for winter. Add a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, shoes you can work in, your passport, visa grant notice, insurance details, a recent bank statement and a Type I plug adaptor. Sunscreen, bedding and most work gear are easy to buy after you land.
Do I need warm clothes in Australia?
Yes, unless you'll only be in the tropical north. Melbourne, Adelaide and Tasmania have cold, wet winters, Sydney's winter nights are cool, and in the Outback a warm winter day can be followed by a night below freezing. One proper warm layer and a rain jacket cover most of it.
What should I wear for farm work in Australia?
A long-sleeved shirt, a hat with a brim all the way round, sturdy boots and old clothes you don't mind ruining. Long sleeves keep you cooler in full sun than a singlet does. The farm supplies the picking equipment, and gloves and sunscreen are cheap at any supermarket or hardware store.
Can I bring food into Australia?
Some, yes, but you must declare all food on your arrival declaration or bin it before biosecurity. Officers inspect declared food and return what's safe. Not declaring it can mean an infringement notice of at least AU$728, rising to AU$2,184 or AU$4,368 for high-risk goods, and visa holders can be referred for visa cancellation.
How much medication can I bring into Australia?
Up to a three-month supply of your own medicine, under the TGA's traveller's exemption. Keep it in the original packaging and carry the prescription or a doctor's letter. For a longer stay, the TGA points to the Personal Importation Scheme, which lets more of your medicine be sent to you in Australia before your supply runs out.
Do I need travel insurance for an Australian working holiday visa?
It isn't a condition of the 417 or 462 visa, but you're personally liable for your medical bills. Australia only has reciprocal health care agreements with eleven countries: Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Even those cover medically necessary treatment, not everything.
Should I bring sunscreen or buy it in Australia?
Buy it when you land. Every supermarket and pharmacy sells SPF 50+ broad-spectrum sunscreen made for Australian conditions, and a year's supply is far too heavy to carry. Cancer Council Australia recommends sun protection whenever the UV index is 3 or above, which in most of Australia means most of the year.
How much luggage should I take for a year in Australia?
One 40 to 60 litre backpack or a mid-sized suitcase, plus a daypack. Laundry is easy to find and clothes dry fast in the heat, so a week of clothes is plenty. Check your ticket's allowance, and remember the cheapest domestic fares often include cabin baggage only.
What plug adaptor do I need for Australia?
Australia uses the Type I plug, the same as New Zealand, on a 230 volt supply. Phone and laptop chargers handle that without a problem, but hair straighteners and other heating appliances made for 110 volts can burn out.