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Money Matters
I think one of the main questions I kept asking myself during my time in Australia was 'Why can't I just be rich?'
About halfway through my travels (after I'd maxed my creditcards and spent my life savings) I found myself completely
skint and for the rest of my trip only seemed to ever have just enough money to scrape by. I suppose the fact that I
only did two days of paid work in my first six months had something to do with it, but still, it always sucks not
having the money to do everything you want to! In a way, though, I'm sort of happy I'm not rich. My lack of funds led to
some interesting work experiences in very strange jobs in very strange places.
The main major concern for most backpackers I've met is always money. Will I have enough? Are things expensive? Will I find work?
Will I be able to save? Money is a huge pain in the ass (mainly not having enough!) but to help you get a rough idea about how
much you'll need to get by, 'I've worked out how much I spent of my funds from home, how much I earned while in Oz, and how much I spent on
travel and accommodation over the course of the year.
It was really strange to see all this laid out clearly but I'm sure it'll help some of you try to plan things. All money is in Aussie dollars and
keep in mind that I took my trip in 2001/2002.
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Starting Money
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Cash
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$4400
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Mastercard
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2400
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Visa
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600
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Total
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$7400
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Money Earned in Oz
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Fruit Picking in Donnybrook
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7 weeks
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$2900
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Pear Picking in Victoria
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6 weeks
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2400
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Wooramel Sheep Station
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5 weeks
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1500
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Aussie Way Hostel
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2 weeks
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400
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Cleaning at Happy House
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2 days
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80
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Telemarketing in Brisbane
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1 day
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40
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Total
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20 weeks
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$7320
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Rent Expenses
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Sydney
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1 week
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$100
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Cairns
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4 weeks
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400
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Yacht from Cairns to Magnetic Island
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1 week
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245
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Queensland Coast
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2 weeks
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224
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Gagaju Bushcamp (food & booze included)
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8 weeks
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0
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Brisbane (4 weeks free)
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6 weeks
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200
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New South Wales Coast
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2 weeks
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280
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Sydney (again)
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3 weeks
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180
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Lenne's Orchard (pear picking)
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6 weeks
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276
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Nullabor & Grampians Camping
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2 weeks
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140
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Fremantle
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1 week
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105
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Donnybrook
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7 weeks
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700
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Western Australia Coast & Perth
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2 weeks
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200
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Wooramel Sheep Station
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5 weeks
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0
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Odds & Ends
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2 weeks
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200
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Total
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52 weeks
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$3250
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Leaving Oz Expenses
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Plane Ticket to London
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$1100
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London Startup Money
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1000
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New Clothes
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500
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Total
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$2600
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Food is fairly cheap in Australia when compared with the UK and Ireland and about on par with Canada.
A Big Mac meal in 2002 was $5.95 and, for the poor, a five pack of 2-minute noodles was $1.95. If you
want to splurge on a nice meal, a big rump steak only costs about $3.50. When I was trying to save while
picking fruit in Donnybrook I had my weekly grocery shopping bill down to $20. This got me some yoghurt
for breakfast, a loaf of bread, cheese slices, and tuna for lunches, and soup and bread for dinner.
Not the healthiest of menus, but cheap enough. If you're smart with your shopping you can eat really well on
a budget of $50/week.
Transport is a major cost in such a huge country. I took a variety of modes of transport - cars, a yacht, planes,
and buses. I bought a Greyhound kilometre pass for $250 for 3000 kms. This took me from Brisbane to Sydney, Melbourne to
Shepperton, and near Shark Bay to Perth. I had 800 kms I didn't use which was sort of a waste, but having this type of
pass afforded me the flexibility to hop in people's cars for rides. I shared with other backpackers from Airlie Beach to
Noosa ($60 in gas), The Grampians to Perth ($150), and Perth to Carnarvon ($60). I also flew with Virgin Blue a few times -
Sydney to Brisbane for $66, Brisbane to Townsville for $110, and Sydney to Melbourne for $66.
The rest of my money was spent on doing stuff and drinking heaps of booze. Hope this helps you organise your finances a bit!
Kirsty Henderson
July 2002
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