Morgane returned home after one year in Australia on a WHV

My name is Morgane and I’m 26 years old. Having completed 5 years of studies in journalism and communications, I am now a communications consultant specialising in wine.

I embarked on a working holiday to Australia in April 2022. I had originally planned for New Zealand, but I had to change my plans because of prolonged covid border closures. Australia was the obvious next choice. It was the perfect place to experience van life, but not just that. My goal was to improve my English and to self-finance my lifestyle by working here and there during my travels.

So many things… I started my trip in Sydney, where I was able to buy a fitted van. With it, I did a road trip along the East Coast. I drove through the Australian desert and I was totally cut off from the world for a good month. I continued to the north and then the entire west coast. Obviously I made stops during this trip. At Port Douglas, I worked as a server and cleaner in luxury homes. Then, I drove to Manjimup in Western Australia, where I worked an entire season picking cherries. I ended things in Perth, in a family farm that sold grapes. Since the Australia WHV is multi-entry, I also went to discover Bali for two weeks.

I think my WHV changed everything in such a short amount of time… I was able to re-centre myself, find myself, and even meet myself… Going to the other side of the world and fully leaping outside of one’s comfort zone quickly makes you a more mature person. I think all working holiday makers can resonate with that. Through my adventure in a van, freedom became my companion. It was a freedom that led me to unforgettable adventures, unique encounters, and unexpected obstacles.

Several come to mind. But if I had to choose just one to relive, it would be the hike in the Kings Canyon national park in the heart of the desert. It looked like Mars. My boyfriend and I decided to start the trek at 4-5 in the morning with portable lamps. We were alone in climbing the hill, illuminated by nothing else but our lamps. When we arrived at the summit, we had a VIP view of what I think was the most beautiful sunrise I had ever seen. I can still feel that day begin, my feeling far from everything but close to myself. If I could relive just one moment, it would be that sunrise.

It’s a bit cliché, but I would say to make the most of every present moment. Don’t worry too much about what might happen. If you let yourself be led by adventure and intuition, you can only have big and wonderful experiences. Also, remember to live the experience for yourself and no one else.

After spending an enriching (but tiring) year in Australia, family issues required my attention, so I decided to go home to France. I’ve taken this time to re-establish order in my head and life. Honestly speaking, I had always believed that going abroad would be the hardest, but I learned that in my situation, coming home was even more so. Since my return, I’ve re-adopted a more “traditional” life: work, sports, friends and family, hang outs etc. I love this life, but deep down I’m thinking about my next big adventure. Even though I am enjoying my life in France, I have a feeling that more beautiful things await me elsewhere. Until then, I’m putting my time towards professional and athletic pursuits. I’m not rid of the travel bug though. Who knows if the future might hold another WHV for me somewhere?

In our pvtistes.net’s podcast called “Changer d’horizon”, I had already shared a crazy anecdote about my encounter with the most dangerous bird in the world (a southern cassowary, if you’re curious). Since I already told that one, I’ll tell a different one here… it’s also about another exceptional encounter. It might not be too surprising, since Australia is known to have some of the most dangerous wildlife. To set the context, at the end of my WHV, I had found a job on a grape farm near Perth. It was a job that allowed me to earn some money and also gave me time to sell my van. My role was to manage the store and to sell our fruits. Since the store was closed on Mondays, my boyfriend and I decided to work the vineyards on those days. That consisted of weeding, pruning, and general maintenance of the vineyard.

On a given Monday, our job was to remove the weeds that were growing at the foot of the vines. Without any protective equipment (because Aussies are laid back that way), we started our day of work. As a rather careful person, I moved the vines and branches with care in case there were any critters hiding inside. Imagine my horror when I found myself face to face with a venomous redback spider, literally one of Australia’s most dangerous animals.

Once I composed myself from the shock of being mere centimetres away from the thing, I alerted the farmer. With the calmest attitude possible, he takes the spider into his hands to prove to us that it wasn’t actually a redback spider. After a few seconds, we could tell by his gaze that he had just realised that it really was a redback. He had a surprised look but nothing more than that as a reaction, probably because he was an Australian used to this kind of thing. So we continued to work for the rest of the day and in all, we saw over 15 of them. I think I had never been so close to death in a day than that. I can say that it was the most dangerous job that I had in Australia.