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The Victorian government has announced there will be free VLine trains until the end of January 2016.   The Reasons   After a string of extended delays and regular cancellations an announcement was made free travel on all services between January 23 and January 31. This includes Melbourne to Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat and Gippsland. Approximately 70 trains have been replaced by buses due to wheel problems and a train failing to trigger the boom gates at Dandenong – a safety concern the government has been aware of since 2011, according to The Age.   The Victorian Government has announced free Read more

Thirty hours after crashing their car in a remote road designed for four wheel drives three French backpackers decided to go on the look out for help. The crash happened 80km north-east of Lake King in the Frank Hann National Park. The road receives very little traffic which you think would have prompted the three backpackers to try and search for help themselves rather than wait for a lucky break. “They left a note inside their station wagon and grabbed their remaining supplies and set out on foot along the Lake King-Norseman Road bound for Norseman, some 150km away” according Read more

  The Australian department of Immigration and Border Protection has released new findings in its first ever white paper on developing Northern Australia. There’s some huge changes to come into affect over the coming months.   The Summary   -462 Work and Holiday Visa holders can get a 2nd Year Visa from some time in 2016 after completing 3 months of agricultural, mining, construction and mining, tourism, aged and disability care and or hospitality work in Northern Australia. -417 Working Holiday Visa holders 2nd year visa criteria will remain unchanged. -417 & 462 Visa holders can work with one employer Read more

Once you’ve paid for your bus, your hostel and your meals there isn’t always much left to spare in the backpacker’s budget. That doesn’t have to stop you enjoying the true Byron experience. Here are some of things to do in Byron Bay that won’t cost you a fortune.   Sample the Coffee Culture I have met a number of backpackers around the world who swear that the best coffee they’ve ever had was in Australia. Where better to test this theory than Byron Bay with its hipster café culture? For coffee enthusiasts Bayleaf offers a three cup tasting board: Read more

Picking a horse during the Melbourne Cup can be a confusing process so we’ve decided to simplify things for all the travellers and working holiday makers.   Dutch   5 BIG ORANGE (GB) – Hoop Holland!   The United States   22 THE UNITED STATES (IRE) – Well that was easy 17 ALMOONQITH (USA) 24 GUST OF WIND (NZ) – For people from Chicago!   Canada     Not 22 THE UNITED STATES (IRE) – Have to keep the neighbourhood rivalry strong   Confused Traveller   20 BONDI BEACH (IRE) – Because Everyone loves Bondi, Right?   The Confused Bettor Read more

When is The Melbourne Cup   The Melbourne Cup is on Tuesday 3rd November 2015 at 3pm.   Where is the Melbourne Cup Held?   Now we are at the business end of the Carnival, all roads lead to the Melbourne Cup and Flemington racecourse. With over 100,000 people packed at the course it can be an absolute spectacle. There’s plenty of ticketing options for each of the days, as per usual general admission tickets can be purchased at the gate on line   Where Can I Get Tickets   Melbourne Cup Day Tickets can be purchased online or at Read more

Known locally as the river city, Brisbane does indeed straddle a river, but I question their suggestion that they are either the only city on a river or even just the best city on a river. Regardless of my petty semantics Brisbane is actually a fantastic city to visit: easy to wander and perfect for stumbling upon cool places to eat food or drink drink. You could easily spend a week there, but 3 days is enough just the same. If you’re on a tight schedule that’s probably the perfect amount of time so here we go, Backstreet Nomad’s recommended Read more

Welcome to Australia, where the national minimum wage is $17.29 per hour the sun is shining and there’s plenty to see and do. Having operated working holiday jobs for the past few years I’ve seen tens of thousands of working holidaymakers come through our site. Many succeed at finding work while others often fall short. I’ve compiled this quick summary to give you the edge in finding work and to help you along the way. Put yourself in the eyes of the recruiter / employer Provide the information they have requested with a concise resume and cover letter. For basic Read more