Tourism Australia is giving two lucky winners aged between 18 and 30 the chance to live the Aussie lifestyle with the launch of a new working holiday competition on social networking sites MySpace (www.myspace.com/workinoz ) and Bebo (www.bebo.com/australia ).
One person from the MySpace community and one person from Bebo will win a working holiday to Australia – the prize includes return flights to Australia from London and the choice of one of six, month-long, paid placements from around the country.
The choice of work placements on offer are some of the most interesting backpacker jobs and in some of the most stunning Australian locations:
1. Becoming an event organiser to the stars at the famous Sydney Observatory;
2. Serving fine food and wine while the sun sets at Ayers Rock Resort in the Red Centre;
3. Making the ocean your office and dolphins your colleagues by becoming a dive guide near Perth;
4. Exploring the magical Whitsunday Islands as part of a tall ship crew;
5. Joining the team at the award-winning Prairie Hotel in the South Australia outback;
6. Working at a hip hostel in one of Melbourne’s trendiest beachside suburbs.
Entering the competition is easy – applicants just have to indicate which job they want and why they have chosen it. To find out more visit www.australia.com/workingholiday or enter online at www.myspace.com/workinoz or www.bebo.com/australia
Tourism Australia general manager UK/Europe, Rodney Harrex said the aim of the competition was to increase awareness of the Australian Working Holiday Visa which is available to Irish people aged between 18 and 30.
“This is a fantastic competition and really showcases the range of jobs in Australia as well as promoting the benefits of the Australia Working Holiday Visa,” he said.
“The current economic environment has seen many more young people escaping Ireland for a real Australian adventure. Many are backpacking and fruit picking in regional areas to give them the ability to live the Aussie lifestyle for up to two years.”
Working Holiday Visa applications to Australia have been on the increase, with 52 per cent more young Irish heading to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa than 12 months ago. Almost 13,000 Working Holiday Visas were granted between July and December 2008, compared to the 8,417 that were issued in the same six months in 2007.
