For many people from all walks of life, backpacking around this wonderful country called Australia is nothing short of a dream.
Australia is all about the great outdoors and the famous Outback, the laid back lifestyle, the amazing wildlife and a sensational coastline.
Second Year Visa
Many travelling visitors come to Australia with a working holiday visa (417), and love their stay so much that they want to extend it into a second year.
But to be eligible, working travellers need to complete 88 days – three calendar months – of specified paid work within a regional area of Australia. The Backpacker Job Board has a dedicated section for Second Year Visa jobs.
What is Regional Australia?
It seems obvious which parts of the vast land of Australia are ‘regional’, but it’s a little more complicated than that. In fact, there have been cases in the past when backpackers accept some work on a farm assuming it will count towards the 88 days, only to find the postcode was not in fact ‘regional’.
And there are other places that may not in fact seem ‘regional’ but whose postcodes do actually make the eligibility list. For instance, nowhere in the ACT is considered to be regional, while all of South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania are classified as part of regional Australia.
Those places aside, work in the major centres like Brisbane and the Gold Coast (Queensland), and the Melbourne (Victoria), Sydney (NSW) and Perth metropolitan areas are not considered regional.
Here is a list of the postcodes currently (at the time of writing) considered regional:
| State/territory | Postcode |
| Australian Capital Territory | The Australian Capital Territory is not classified as part of regional Australia. |
| New South Wales | 2311 to 2312 2328 to 2411 2420 to 2490 2536 to 2551 2575 to 2594 2618 to 2739 2787 to 2899 Note: Excludes Sydney, Newcastle, the Central Coast and Wollongong. |
| Northern Territory | All of Northern Territory is classified as part of regional Australia. |
| Queensland | 4124 to 4125 4133 4211 4270 to 4272 4275 4280 4285 4287 4307 to 4499 4510 4512 4515 to 4519 4522 to 4899 Note: Excludes the Greater Brisbane area and the Gold Coast |
| South Australia | All of South Australia is classified as part of regional Australia. |
| Tasmania | All of Tasmania is classified as part of regional Australia. |
| Victoria | 3139 3211 to 3334 3340 to 3424 3430 to 3649 3658 to 3749 3753 3756 3758 3762 3764 3778 to 3781 3783 3797 3799 3810 to 3909 3921 to 3925 3945 to 3974 3979 3981 to 3996 Note: Excludes Melbourne metropolitan area. |
| Western Australia | 6041 to 6044 6076 6083 to 6084 6111 6121 to 6126 6200 to 6799 Note: Excludes Perth and surrounding areas. |
Source: Department of Immigration and Border Protection
What is Specified Work?
There are also certain approved industries for the specified work, including:
- Farm work
- Fruit picking
- Fishing & pearling
- Tree felling
- Mining Jobs
- Construction
Many of the industries are seasonal, but fruit picking jobs – including mangos, grapes, bananas and much more – and harvest jobs are typically available all year round, and all around the country too. Demand for work on farms is also high, although this type of work is hard.
Useful links:
