For some Gen Z backpackers like me, the Australian dream can become a nightmare

“Like many others before leaving France, I scrolled through Instagram videos about working holiday visas in Australia,” said Elisa Vincent, a 22-year-old university graduate who arrived in Sydney 10 months ago. “Obviously, this fuelled my curiosity and my dream of a new life. I think you must stay realistic and prepare yourself psychologically to deal with disappointment.”

French travel influencer Noemie Demiselle, 27, said it was difficult to balance the optimism of a new adventure with the realities of living in a new country.

“I am committed to sharing positive experiences on social media,” said Noemie, who has 135,700 followers on TikTok and Instagram. “I don’t romanticise Australia, but everyone has to go through their own struggles and learn from them.”

Sadly, some unscrupulous employers have tarnished the Australian dream, creating a harsh reality for young foreigners and exploiting working holidaymakers, giving them feelings of isolation and a sense of discrimination.

Baptiste Richaudeau, 25, worked 10-hour nights in a Queensland mine without being paid. “After three weeks, I realised I would never see my wages. Exhausted and sleeping in a freezing prefab, I felt exploited,” he said.

Cases such as his prompted the hashtag #88daysaslave, which flood Instagram with stories of abuse and unfair labour practices. In 2018, the Fair Work Ombudsman warned foreign workers had been “virtually bonded like a slave” to some operators, which remain heavily reliant on foreign labour to staff regional areas.

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Despite the warnings, the positive messages still far outweigh the negative experiences on social media, driving a record 200,000 working holidaymakers to Australia in 2023/24.

Many are working on farms, in mines and in construction across the country.

So far, the Australian government has shown little appetite for greater protection for travellers who might have dreams of one day living in Australia, but who don’t now have a right to vote.

“That doesn’t mean the experience isn’t worth it,” said Noemie Demiselle. “Even if it’s fraught with pitfalls.”

Clemence Sauvaget is a French journalist living and working in Sydney.

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