An Insiders Guide on How to Be a Travelling Winemaker in Australia and Live the Australian Dream.
Living the Australian Dream – Take Me There
How To: Visa
First things first:
You need a visa.
I don’t know about you, but my Instagram and TikTok have recently been flooded with young internationals flaunting their newfound freedom in Australia.
How are they doing this you might say?
Either a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) 417 or a WHV 462 (depending on which country you are from). They are the most common and easiest temporary work visas you can get your hands on.
Here are the facts:
If, like me, you are from the UK, you are eligible to apply for a 417 visa if you meet certain criteria.
- 18–35 year-olds (30 for some other 417’s).
- Passport from an eligible country (see country list below)
- Haven’t entered Australia on a 417 or 462 before.
- Apply by yourself, no family dependents.
- Apply from outside Australia.
You are also eligible for a 417 from the following countries:
Belgium, Canada, Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan
Didn’t see your country there? Try the list below (it means you need the 467 visa):
Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, People’s Republic of China, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea (PNG)Peru, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, Uruguay, United States of America, Vietnam
There is very little difference between the visas in terms of once you are in Australia. 462 visa holders just have to jump through a few more hoops for the application process including:
- Proof of a functional English level
- Meet the education requirements
- Have a letter of support (for some countries)
This all differs depending on your country of origin so check out the Australian visa website for further details.
Are there any other visa requirements?
- You need to apply with financial proof you will be able to support yourself (around AUD 5,000) plus the airfare to leave Australia when you land
- You need to meet health and character requirements
So do I need to have a job already lined up?
Nope. That is the beauty of WHVs, they give you working rights within the country to help fund the ‘extended holiday’. It is to allow you to do short-term work like hospitality or working in wineries to help allow you to travel around their beautiful country.
You are allowed to leave and enter as many times as you want.
How long is it? How much does it cost?
12 months and AUD 650.
Is one year in paradise all I am allowed?
Not a chance!! You have the opportunity to be in Australia for up to three years. You can apply for second and third WHVs as long as you have carried out the specified work required (88 days for your second-year visa, 6 months for your third). Unfortunately, winery work does not count towards it. However, working in wine tourism and vineyards does as long as it is within the specified rural regions.
NOTICE FOR UK PASSPORT HOLDERS – Lucky for us, the rules changed in 2024 meaning we no longer have to carry out any specified work to get our second and third-year visas.
How long does the visa take to come through?
Mine was immediate but it will differ person to person. Most (90%) of 417 visas are issued with 52 days. It may take longer due to current demand but check the visa processing times.
Now the boring but essential bit is over, let’s follow the money…
How To: Jobs
Australia has 65 wine regions.
Some are larger or more popular with international travelling winemakers meaning they can be easier to find work in.
These include:
- Barossa Valley
- McLaren Vale
- Yarra Valley
- Adelaide Hills
- Hunter Valley
- Margaret River
- Tasmania
Top Tip: If you want to work in smaller regions or wineries, make sure you check the job adverts thoroughly. I found a few in McLaren Vale that I was keen to apply for only to read the specification for unlimited working rights or Australian citizenship required.
When should I start applying?
You NEED to start looking for jobs in August/September the year before the next vintage (which starts January/February time) otherwise you will miss out. Jobs are highly desirable, and you will be up against a lot of harsh competition.
What experience will I need?
Like I say, competition is rife!! Most jobs will specify you have at least a couple of years/of vintage experience as a cellar hand. Some specify you even need a degree in a wine production-related field.
I was applying for vintage cellar hand jobs with a degree in Viticulture & Oenology and 2 vintages in the UK, and my partner with 3 (including Canada). We were struggling to get responses.
Where can you find job posts?
Wine Industry Jobs – The best for vintage job adverts.
Wine Jobs Australia – A mixture of vintage work and longer-term gigs.
Top Tip – Include a cover letter. It is necessary and will make you stand out from the sorted competition.
Now, if you are in the industry, you will most likely have heard of the Facebook group ‘Travelling Winemakers- Living the Dream!!’.
Last-minute job adverts are posted here alongside occasional tips and advice from other winemakers. However, if you are job searching, I find some of the contributors and responses to be frosty, pushing you towards the search button.
You have to be invited to the group and work in the industry to be accepted. You are not allowed to post about looking for a job either or your comments will be deleted. This is not something I agree with and is a lot of the reason I decided to start this blog. I want to offer free information and stories for and from people in the industry or looking to get involved.
How To: Accommodation
Accommodation shortage is an issue everywhere in Australia at the moment. However, it is in particular for travelling winemakers and especially in Margaret River (where I did my vintage).
When you get to the interview stage, they will ask you ‘Do you already have accommodation? and ‘Do you have a car?’.
Some wineries can and will offer you accommodation over vintage (of which mine did). If you can find a job that does that, definitely write it in the pros section of your list. Otherwise, it is pretty tough out there.
You often need to sign longer leases than the 2/3 month contracts the wineries will offer you. A lot of the accommodations will have live-in landlords who rent out a room. Make sure to meet them first as some can be quite overbearing. Others will be in-house shares with other Aussies and internationals.
Now I know I sound like a millennial hopped up on mid-day mimosas raving about Facebook pages. However, they do come in handy here but BEWARE of scammers. I know of people who have been scammed through these accommodation groups. Make sure you do not hand over any money before you have verified everything and have financial protection.
I have attached some helpful groups for major regions:
Margaret River – For accommodation closer to Margaret River. For places closer to Busselton, try this page.
Barossa Valley – Often accommodation on here but also a great way to connect with others doing a Barossa vintage.
NSW/Tasmania – Backpackers page to help with work, car and accommodation.
Backpackers tend to get involved in the grape picking, to help towards their 88 days. With plenty of backpacker pages, sign up for a few and see if you can connect with other people doing harvests in your region.
Another helpful website for is Flatmates. I found a room in a share house via this website and there are plenty of regions and territories to choose from.
How To: Transport
Australia is a massive continent. Unlike in Europe, you can’t walk to work. So unless you win the vintage lottery and get a car included with the job, you are going to need to buy a car. Although the hours are lengthy, you will still need to grab groceries and enjoy that one day off.
Here is another mimosa millennial suggestion: Facebook Marketplace.
It is a great place to search for cheaper backpacker cars, especially for people trying to sell them in a hurry. We sold our car through Facebook marketplace without a hitch. Just remember again to be aware of scammers. Ensure you have given the vehicle and test drive and that you have carried out the necessary ownership checks for your territory. I found this website extremely helpful.
Top Tip – I would recommend buying and selling your car within the same state. Selling your car in a different state to your rego (car registration) is almost impossible. You will have to pay to change the rego over. I learnt this the hard way having to transfer a QLD to WA plate.
My partner and I used Autotrader to buy our car. We bought through a second-hand garage as we wanted a great warranty driving from Brisbane to Perth (hell of a journey!!).
You are required to have compulsory third-party (CTP or green slip) insurance with your rego. However, I would recommend going fully comprehensive. If you are spending a significant portion of your money on a vehicle, you want to ensure you will at least be able to buy a new car if you hit something.
And by something, I mean kangaroos.
They will most likely write your car off and they seem to take great joy in playing chicken with your moving vehicle.
I hope you enjoyed the read!
My next blog post will be a continuation of my Aussie adventures focusing on my Margaret River vintage experience and my guide to the region.
Speak soon, G x