A British backpacker who arrived Down Under with just $6,500 says working long hours in rural Australia set her up for the future, saving her nearly $100,000 over five years.
Dom, 23, from a small town near Manchester in England, flew to Australia in 2018 to travel for a few months.
She fell in love with the way of life and has committed to staying in the country as long as possible; do this by Working 60-hour weeks on solar parks.
She now saves $1,500 every week, which means she’s on track to have $100,000 in savings by the end of 2023.
Dom, 23, from a small town outside of Manchester in England, flew to Australia in 2018 to travel for a few months
“I remember dreaming of traveling to the other side of the world, always wanting to experience life to the fullest and get away from my little hometown,” she explained.
Dom spent the first three months traveling the East Coast making memories and new friends.
“Like any 18-year-old, I spent too much money partying and going out,” she recalls.
The backpacker was shocked when her money dropped to just $300 after spending just three months in the country.
But Dom revealed that her luck quickly changed when she landed a job on Facebook that offered her $30 an hour and free hotel accommodations.
“I realized how much opportunity Australia had to offer,” she said.
“A few months after living in luxury, I decided to take an overnight bus and travel ten hours away from the city so I could finish my farm work and get a visa extension.”
Dom worked on a grape farm for six weeks, earning minimum wage.
“I couldn’t save money then because I had to pay for the hostel and transport to and from work.”
The traveler then began working 60 hours a week at a solar farm for the next five months, where her food and accommodation were paid for by her employer.
“That was the biggest opportunity I’d had — I saved $30,000 in no time.”
Dom revealed that she traveled Australia and Indonesia without worrying about money.
“I started doing work periods where I would work for three months and travel the next piece,” she explained.
‘I’m really surprised because I’ve never had further education and never intended to stay in Australia for more than 12 months.
“Australia is full of so many opportunities and you don’t need a lot of money to start with.”
Dom really encourages those who can to put their lives on hold and work in remote areas.
A British backpacker shares her financial secrets and how her work in rural Australia set her up for the future
Many were shocked by Dom’s life and how successful she is.
‘You work so hard! You should be proud of your life,’ said one woman. “This is really great – the rest of us work so hard five days a week and for what?
“I burst into tears, I am so happy for a stranger.”
“This is so inspiring,” added another.
Others revealed similar stories from their lives.
“I did something similar with my partner when we were in our twenties. We managed to save nearly $140,000 between the two of us in two years. It has prepared us for life.
“I bought a house with the money I made and sold it for double!”
But some were not so impressed.
“Yeah right, early 20s voluntary work on a remote island,” one man wrote sarcastically.
“This is super unrealistic and would never work.”
In a video posted to TikTok, a French backpacker (pictured) has wondered how poor Australians can be after saving $15,000 in just three months of farm work in Western Australia
But Dom isn’t the only foreigner who manages to make a quick buck after a trip to Australia.
A French backpacker who claimed to have saved $15,000 in just three months while working on a farm recently irked some Aussies by wondering how the country can have poor people.
The man claimed that on a minimum wage of 50 hours a week he earns more – working as a cherry picker to harvest fruit and “cutting down trees” on a farm in Western Australia – than as a professional marketer with a postgraduate degree in Europe.
“So that’s my question, how can you be poor in Australia?” he said in a video posted on TikTok.
“I get paid the minimum rate of what you can get paid here in Australia,” he said.
The minimum wage in Australia is $21.38 per hour with 25 percent tax to $26.73 per hour for casual work.
“I do maybe 50 hours a week… I try to make a lot of money,” he continued. “And in three months I might have $15,000 in my savings.”
In the comments section he explains what he does have to pay for.
“I pay rent, I pay electricity and gas, I have a car,” he wrote. “The fact is that I don’t spend my money on beer, cigarettes.”
The French said he has a ‘s****y job’ picking fruit and cutting down trees for 50 hours a week for minimum wage, but he still makes money
The video sparked backlash online, with some Aussies praising the man for his work ethic, while others thought he was ‘out of touch’.
“Well done, hope you make a lot of money, we need hard working people here,” one user wrote.
“If an Aussie didn’t try my best, this was a good kick in the ass. Appreciate hearing this,” wrote a second.
But others quickly pointed out the big difference between living and working on a farm and doing the same in a city.
“Come to Sydney, this (savings) will take a few weeks,” one user wrote.
“If you make $960 a week, rent $540, gas $80, food $200, electricity, etc. It’s not easy,” a second wrote.
“When you pay the rent/bills in full, you might realize why, mate. Good on you for working hard, but life on a farm is pretty cheap I’d say,” a third wrote.