friends taking selfies at four mile beach

Working Holiday in Australia

Work, Study & Play in Paradise in Tropical North Queensland

Stay a little longer

Welcome to Cairns & Great Barrier Reef, a dictionary definition of paradise, where summer never ends. Cairns is a laidback and vibrant city and is just a stone’s throw away from some of the most diverse and stunning landscapes on the planet. From the iconic Great Barrier Reef to the Wet Tropics Rainforest, to the outback, there’s always a new adventure waiting.

Make the move to sunnier climates on a working holiday and work and play in Tropical North Queensland. There’s a few laws surrounding working holidays, so make sure you read up.

girls with juice on four mile beach

Working Holiday Maker Visas

A Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa applies to all kinds of work – full-time, part-time, casual and volunteer – and is the perfect way to earn money while you holiday! A WHM visa will allow you to stay in the country for up to 12 months but you may be eligible for an extension.

More information
Extending your visa

emerald creek falls mareeba

What it’s like to have a working holiday in the tropics

Hear first hand from the working holiday makers who made the move to Cairns & Great Barrier Reef for the experience of a lifetime.

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taste port douglas

Need some help?

Take the hard work out of planning your working holiday by booking through a work and travel agency.

Global Work & Travel connects working holiday makers with a huge database of employers and matches you with a job before you even touch down in Aus. They also provide a dedicated trip coordinator, help you get your visa and start off your trip with group orientations, day trips and hostel accommodation.

Global Work & Travel

Welcome to Travel helps travellers find jobs by linking them to employers. They also help with your tax file number, bank account and help you to organise your travel plans.

Welcome to Travel

Rainforest Bounty Farm

Seasonal Harvest Work

In Tropical North Queensland, you’ll find an abundance of farms producing incredible tropical produce including mangoes, bananas, lychees and more.

Find seasonal farm work on the Australian Government’s Harvest Jobs hub.

HARVEST TRAILS

Cairns ZOOM & Wildlife Dome

Student Visas

There’s every reason to enjoy studying in Cairns with the tropical lifestyle at your doorstep.

Student visas in Australia

There are organisations like Study Cairns in place to make the process easy and rewarding for international students.

STUDY CAIRNS

How’s this for a day off?

From snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef to chasing waterfalls, your days off will be jam-packed with memories.

cairns esplanade
Cairns & Northern Beaches
16 things to do on your first trip to Cairns

If ever the statement “so much to do, so little time” rang true of a destination, Cairns would be it. With the Great Barrier Reef in its front yard and the Wet Tropics rainforest out the back, aside from your bathers, time is the best thing you can pack for a visit to Tropical North Queensland. If it’s your first time in the North Queensland capital, start with these 16 things to do in Cairns.

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Cairns & Northern Beaches
50 must-do day trips from Cairns

While Cairns itself is known for its laid back city vibes and stunning esplanade, the Great Barrier Reef, rainforest, waterfalls and quirky townships are just a stone’s throw away. Grab a pen and paper and add these day trips from Cairns to your holiday bucket list.

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Emerald Creek Falls
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20 waterfalls near Cairns

Mighty mountain ranges and Wet Tropics Rainforest create the optimum environment for a myriad of extraordinary waterfalls. Fall in love with these 20 waterfall wonderlands only a short drive from Cairns.

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River Drift Snorkel
Tropical Lifestyle & Culture
The Ultimate ‘Only in Tropical North Queensland’ guide

It might be a well-known fact that Tropical North Queensland is the only place in the world where two natural World Heritage sites collide, but there’s more first and only’s to this destination than its reef and rainforest.

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Uncategorised
11 adventures to take you from coast to country in Tropical North Queensland

From exploring outback caves to diving deep into local Indigenous culture, there’s endless opportunities for adventure in Tropical North Queensland.

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Rocco by Crystalbrook
Cairns & Northern Beaches
Bars & breweries to check out in Cairns CBD

A big part of travelling is finding the perfect spot to have a cold drink at the end of a day adventuring. Here’s where to quench your thirst in Cairns, whether you’re a cocktail connoisseur, beer buff, gin junkie or simply love a glass of wine with a view.

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emerald creek falls mareeba
Atherton Tablelands
10 things near Mareeba worth the drive from Cairns

If your ideal holiday involves roaming from providore to providore, seeing 400-million-year-old rock cave formations and exploring waterfalls in between, there’s a town on the Atherton Tablelands you’ll want to get to know.

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Great Barrier Reef
10 Great Barrier Reef Experiences for Adventure Seekers

While most people come to the Great Barrier Reef for postcard-perfect swimming, snorkelling or scuba diving in the real-life World Heritage-listed aquarium, there’s plenty of ways to experience the reef and not all involve getting wet. Choose your own Tropical North Queensland reef adventure with this adrenaline scale ranging from sunset sails to vistas served at speeds of up to 200km per hour.

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scuba diving great barrier reef
Great Barrier Reef
Diving 101 – Everything you need to know about scuba diving

Have you ever dreamed of scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef? Just imagine sinking down into the warm waters, exploring coral gardens and seeing this wondrous world through the eyes of a fish. Learning to scuba dive is easy and is your passport to a brave new world. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about learning to Scuba Dive.

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Cairns Botanic Gardens
Cairns & Northern Beaches
How to explore the rainforest near Cairns

Flying into Cairns, you can see the city’s close proximity to the rainforest so you know don’t have to go far to explore this wonder. In fact, you can even find it in an inner-city suburb.

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Where to stay

Affordable accommodation around Cairns

Book now and save big!

Book your holiday to Tropical North Queensland and save up to 20% off on hotels, tours and more!