WHV – Halfway to Somewhere

Somewhere between the beaches, the new friends, and the life I’ve been building here, I started to feel a mix of gratitude and uncertainty I didn’t expect.

I know it’s been a while since I last posted, and I feel a bit bad about that. The blog has always been my outlet, a place where I can capture everything; the big moments, the small ones, and everything in between. So disappearing from it feels strange, especially because so much has been happening.

But I think that’s exactly why I stopped writing for a bit. I’ve been busy living it instead.

I’m now eight months into my time in Australia, and my current chapter in Noosa is coming to an end in a few weeks. That means moving on again; leaving behind the friends I’ve made here, the routines I’ve built, and the small roots that had just started to feel like they were growing.

Next up is completing my 88 days of regional work, which opens a whole new set of unknowns.

And I think that’s where my head has been lately, the unknown.

This is the longest I’ve ever been away from home. And in some ways, it feels like time has flown. In other ways, it feels like I’ve lived multiple lifetimes already. There are days where everything feels fast and exciting, and others where it feels long and heavy in a way that’s hard to explain.

Work has been great. I’ve grown so much more than I expected to; in confidence, independence, and just figuring things out as I go. Acquaintances have turned into friends, and some of those friends feel like they’ll stay for life. I’ve started building something here. And just as it starts to feel comfortable… it’s time to move again.

That’s the part about long-term travel no one really prepares you for.

Once you start, nothing stays the same for long.

I’ve seen people say online that when you travel and meet new people, you start leaving pieces of yourself in different places, and I didn’t fully believe that at first. But I think I understand it a little more now. It really does feel like parts of you get scattered across the world.

And in a few weeks, I’ll be leaving another place that has genuinely changed my life. (That sounds dramatic, I know, I’ve touched grass, I promise, but it’s true.)

What makes it harder is the emotional contradiction of it all. You can be living something you once dreamed of, surrounded by good food, friends, beaches, and new experiences… and still feel homesick. Still feel unsure. Still miss home.

You long for familiarity. For routine. For people who know you in a different version of your life. And then guilt sneaks in, because you’re aware of how lucky you are to even be here in the first place.

But both things can exist at the same time.

Sometimes you just need to call your mom and cry a little and “hug her through the phone” (which sounds weird, but honestly helps more than anything). Sometimes you miss your friends at home so much it physically hits you, because they are such a huge part of your life, even when you’re not there for all of it.

And that’s okay.

We are only human. And as someone once said: “How nice is it to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Being far from home and not knowing your next move is stressful. And there’s a part of me that tries to brush it off; like “touch some grass, you’re in paradise, relax”, but the truth is; it is scary, it is stressful, and that makes me sad. It is overwhelming. And it does make me miss home. My dogs. My best friends. The familiar version of my life.

But when I step back, I also see that all of this is part of the journey I chose. The peaks and the valleys.

And right now, I feel like I’m somewhere in between.

I think the overwhelming array of options is what gets me. Do my 88 days; be an oyster farmer, live on an island in the north, live on an island in the south, go out to the outback and live on a farm, pick fruit, work on a sailboat, work at a top 10 golf course in the world, the options are endless.

Don’t do my 88 days, move to a city of my choosing, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, or wherever the hell I want; find a job, finish my year in Australia, head home, and start planning the next big adventure.

But there is a big loud voice in my head always saying: don’t give up the opportunity because you’re in a “valley.” Keep your head high because this truly is what you dreamed of. And I want to prove to myself that I can do this, so future me can look back and think, wow, I really did that, what a life.

To finish, whether you are travelling or not, life really is just an endless dodgeball game of peaks and valleys. And if you are at a peak, enjoy the view, take it all in. If you are in a valley, you truly aren’t alone. Talk to your friends (new or old), write in your journal, start a blog and put it all out there (lol), call your mom. Express whatever you are feeling, make it into smaller pieces, and go from there. You are only human.

For now, I’m choosing to believe that all of it; the doubt, the joy, the smiles, the tears and everything in between, is exactly where I’m supposed to be. At the end of the day, I’m living the life I used to dream about.

In October, I packed up my life and made the move to Australia.

If you’ve been around here for a while, you probably noticed the blog went a little quiet. Not because I stopped travelling or writing, but because life down under happened fast. New cities, new friends, new routines, long drives, job applications, beach days that turned into weeks, and that feeling of constantly being in motion. I wanted to give myself time to actually live it before trying to put it into words.

Now that I’m starting to feel settle, currently soaking up sunshine on the Sunshine Coast it feels like the right time to hit pause, reflect, and properly share what this chapter has looked like so far.

Australia wasn’t just a quick trip for me. It was a move. A leap. A “let’s see what happens” kind of decision. I arrived on a Working Holiday Visa (subclass 417), with an overpacked broken suitcase (a story for another time), a loose plan with friends, and a whole lot of excitement mixed with nerves. Since then, I’ve learned even more about visas, job hunting, housing, transport, budgeting, and how quickly strangers can become friends when you’re all a little far from home and how important friendships are to create community.

I started this journey in Melbourne, a city I instantly loved for its creativity, food scene, and slightly chaotic charm. From there, we got a car (very, very interesting process) and made our way up the coast, chasing warmer weather and saying yes to places I’d never heard of before. Passed through Eden, explored Beowa National Park, and stood on the sand at Pinnacles Beach wondering how this was real life. We spent time in Narooma, watched the waves crash near the Kiama Blowhole ( a bit anticlimactic, but cool to see), and drove across the Sea Cliff Bridge with the windows down and music too loud.

Sydney was next; a mix of iconic and unexpected. Wandered around Newtown, went to comedy shows, stood in front of the Opera House like a wide-eyed tourist (because honestly, how could you not?), went from Bondi to Coogee, and spent a day at Taronga Zoo with views that felt unreal. From there, I continued north through Newcastle, stopped at Crowdy Head Lighthouse, and made my way to Coffs Harbour (yes, I saw the Big Banana, it had to be done).

Then came Byron Bay, the Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise, and Brisbane, each with their own energy, pace, and personality. Eventually, I landed on the Sunshine Coast, where things finally started to slow down in the best way. Days now include beach swims, work shifts, sunset walks, and that quiet realization that this place feels like home, or at least is starting to.

Along the way, I’ve had highs that felt euphoric and lows that felt heavy. There were moments of total freedom and moments of doubt. Times when everything clicked, and times when I questioned why I left comfort behind. That’s something I want to be honest about here, because travel isn’t just highlight reels and sunsets, even in places as beautiful as this.

Going forward, I want this blog to be a space where I share it all: the practical stuff (visas, jobs, housing, transport, getting a car), the fun stuff (food to eat, drinks to share with friends, places to stay, beaches to swim at), and the real stuff (what it’s actually like to build a life somewhere new).

I’ll be breaking down my experience on the 417 Working Holiday Visa, what job hunting really looked like, how I navigated accommodation, and what I wish I’d known before arriving. I’ll also be sharing my favourite spots; from Noosa and Rainbow Beach to Maroochydore, Tin Can Bay, Gympie, and everywhere in between.

If you’re dreaming about Australia, planning a similar move, or just curious about what life looks like on the other side of the world, I hope you’ll stick around. There’s so much more to come!