Travel Info

Working Holiday Visa

Germans apply for the Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417) online with the Australian immigration authorities. It lets you travel and work for a year.

• You can apply up to the day before your 36th birthday.
• For a second year you need 88 days of “specified work” in certain regions, usually farm work. Only work with payslips and a valid employer ABN counts.
• Fees change regularly — check the Home Affairs fee calculator before you apply.

Source: Department of Home Affairs — Working Holiday Maker program, as of September 2026.

Driving in Australia

• Drive on the left, steering wheel on the right. For the first few days, take intersections and roundabouts (clockwise) deliberately slowly.
• Driving licence: Always carry your German driving licence, plus an International Driving Permit or an official English translation. How long you can drive on it depends on the state — around six months in New South Wales and Victoria, three in the Northern Territory.
• Road trains: Trucks with several trailers, up to more than 50 m long. Only overtake with a very long, clear view ahead.

• Avoid dusk: In the morning, evening and at night, kangaroos, emus and cattle are on the road. That's when the risk of hitting wildlife is highest — in the outback, drive in daylight only whenever possible.
• Outback: There can be hundreds of kilometres between petrol stations. Fill up before every leg and carry water for several days and offline maps. If you break down, stay with the car.
• Mobile coverage: Telstra has by far the largest network coverage. Away from the coast there are still big dead zones.
• Rental cars and vans: Many contracts ban gravel roads. If you want to drive the Gibb River Road or K'gari, you need a provider that expressly allows it.

Sources: Austroads — Visiting Drivers, Australian Embassy Berlin.

Climate and when to travel

Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere: summer runs from December to February, winter from June to August. But where you are matters more than the season — pick a month and the map shows which region suits it.

Zones simplified by latitude, coastline: Natural Earth (public domain). Map tiles © Esri.

On the Spotkarte you can filter every single spot by month.

Animals and water

Rips

Only swim between the red and yellow flags. Lifeguards put them where they expect the least current. Rip currents are the biggest danger on Australian beaches.

Crocodiles

In the tropical north, saltwater crocodiles live in rivers, estuaries, lakes and the sea. The yellow warning signs mean it — only swim at approved spots.

Jellyfish

Roughly from November to May, box jellyfish and Irukandji drift in northern Queensland waters, in the south down to about Gladstone. Only go in the sea inside a stinger net or wearing a stinger suit.

• Snakes and spiders: There are venomous species, but deaths are very rare. Don't touch them, wear sturdy shoes in the bush. If bitten, stay calm, apply a pressure bandage and call 000.
• Wildlife: Don't feed or touch dingoes, kangaroos, quokkas or koalas. On K'gari and Rottnest this can mean hefty fines.
• Sun: UV radiation is much stronger than in Europe. Getting sunburnt in 15 minutes is normal — hat, sunscreen, shade.

Remember: Accidents in the water — currents, rock platforms, waterholes — and on the road are far more common than animal attacks.

Aboriginal culture

• Many places are sacred sites of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Climbing Uluru has been banned since October 2019.
• In some places photography is prohibited for cultural reasons — follow the signs on site.
• Many national parks are owned by Traditional Owners or managed jointly with them. Park fees also go towards this partnership.
• It's best to buy art directly from community-owned art centres. That way the money reaches the artists.
• Guided tours with Aboriginal guides, for example at Mossman Gorge, Kakadu or Uluru, show these places from a perspective no sign can replace.

Money and work

Sort these out in this order:

Watch out for cash jobs: Cash in hand without a payslip doesn't count towards the second visa year and is often below minimum wage.

Bookings, roads, registration

Each state has its own portals for national park camping, road closures and vehicle registration. Here they all are in one place.

• Book camping early: Popular sites are often booked out months ahead — Queensland requires a permit for every national park campground, Victoria and NSW release sites in fixed booking windows.
• Roads in the north: In the wet season, check road conditions before every trip — closures can last for days.

Emergency

• The free Emergency+ app shows your GPS coordinates and calls emergency services directly — important if you don't know exactly where you are.
• Weather warnings, cyclones and bushfires: the Bureau of Meteorology app and each state's warning apps.
• The German Embassy is in Canberra, the Consulate-General in Sydney.
• Travel health insurance covering your entire stay is strongly recommended for Work & Travel.