Most people packing for a year in Australia make the same mistake. They pack for a year.
Then they spend week one at a post office in Sydney, sending half of it home.
Here's the thing: Australia has Kmart, Big W, Chemist Warehouse and a Woolworths or Coles in pretty much every decent-sized town. You can buy most things cheaply once you land. The job isn't to pack for every scenario. It's to bring the few things that are harder or pricier to get here, and leave space for the rest.
A year here can mean tropical humidity in Cairns, a Melbourne winter, farm work in the dirt and a lot of beach. This list covers what to bring, what to buy when you arrive, and the airport and phone rules that catch people out.
The short version
- Bring a 50 to 65 litre pack and a daypack, and arrive about 70% full.
- Pack a week of clothes. Hostels and laundromats do the rest.
- Bring a broad-brimmed hat and good sunglasses. Buy sunscreen here.
- Check your phone can call 000 on Australian networks before you fly.
- Declare food, used hiking boots and camping gear at the airport. Declaring is free.
Bags: get this one right
Your bag decides how the whole year feels. Get it wrong and you'll be dragging it through bus stations, up hostel stairs and across car parks in 35°C heat.
50 to 65 Lmain backpack
20 to 30 Ldaypack
70%full when you land
Main pack: 50 to 65 litres. Bigger isn't better, because you'll fill it. Try it on with weight in it before you buy: the load should sit on your hips, not your shoulders. Travel packs that unzip like a suitcase but carry like a backpack are worth the money if you can stretch to one.
Backpack wins if
- You're moving every few days by bus, train or campervan.
- You're heading regional for farm work, where roads and footpaths run out.
- Your hostels have stairs and no lift, which is most of them.
Suitcase only if
- You're flying into one city and staying put for months.
- You'll be in a share house from week one and rarely moving.
Daypack: 20 to 30 litres. You'll use this more than your big bag once you're settled. Beach days, waterfall walks, the commute to a job. Pick one that's comfy for a full day out but squashes flat into the main pack on travel days.
Arrive about 70% full. Everyone collects stuff: work boots, a doona for a share house, the hoodie you bought because Melbourne in July is properly cold. Arrive with a stuffed bag and you'll be buying a second one within weeks.
Clothes: pack for a week, not a year
You need about a week of clothes. Hostels have washing machines, every town has a laundromat, and you'll wash more often than you think.
- 5 to 7 tops (one or two nicer ones for nights out)
- 2 to 3 pairs of shorts
- 1 to 2 pairs of light trousers
- 1 pair of jeans
- Underwear and socks for a week
- 2 sets of swimmers, so one dries while you wear the other
- One tidy outfit for job interviews
- A light packable rain jacket
- One warm layer: a hoodie or fleece
Shoes: comfy trainers or walking shoes, plus thongs (flip-flops, for anyone new to Australian English) for hostel showers and the beach. Don't bring work boots. Buy them here once you know what the job needs.
The weather: Australia is massive, and it isn't hot everywhere all year. The tropical north stays warm and humid, but Melbourne and Hobart get genuinely cold winters, and inland nights drop fast even when the days are warm. If you're heading south between June and August, buy a proper jacket when you get there rather than carrying one around Queensland for six months.
Fabric: quick-dry beats cotton. It dries overnight in a dorm, packs smaller and copes with the humidity up north.
Sun protection: not optional
The Australian sun catches out nearly every new arrival. Cancer Council Australia says the country has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world, and it estimates two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by age 70.
The rule locals grow up with: protect yourself whenever the UV index is 3 or above. In summer that's most of the day, and cloud doesn't stop it. The free SunSmart app shows your local sun protection times each day.
Bring
- A broad-brimmed or bucket hat. A cap leaves your ears and neck exposed.
- Wrap-around sunglasses. In Australia, look for the AS/NZS 1067 label (the standard the SunSmart sunglasses guide points to).
Buy when you land
- Sunscreen. SPF 50+ is easy to find at any supermarket or chemist, and you'll get through a lot of it. Reapply every two hours, and after swimming.
For outdoor work: long-sleeve shirts (UPF 50+ if you can), light long pants and a neck buff. A ten-hour shift picking in the sun in a singlet is a mistake people only make once.
Top tip: Heading to the tropics between November and May? Pack or buy a full-body lycra "stinger suit". It protects you from the sun and from jellyfish, and Cairns Regional Council recommends one for swimming in stinger season, ideally inside the netted enclosures at patrolled beaches.
Phone and tech
You need less tech than you think, but what you bring has to work.
Check your phone works in Australia first. This is the big one that's changed. Australia switched off its 3G networks in 2024, and under ACMA rules telcos must not connect a phone that can't call Triple Zero (000) over the newer networks. Most recent phones are fine. Older or overseas models that rely on 3G for calls can be refused when you put a local SIM in. Search your exact model on your new provider's website before you fly, or before you buy a SIM at the airport.
Essentials:
- An unlocked smartphone (then buy a local SIM or eSIM when you land)
- A power bank for travel days, camping and long bus trips
- Australian plug adapters: Type I, the angled three-pin plug, different from UK, European and US ones. Bring two.
- Headphones, for long bus rides and dorm life
Nice to have: a laptop or tablet for job applications and staying in touch, and an e-reader.
SIM cards: Telstra has the widest coverage in regional and remote areas, so it's worth the extra if you're doing farm work or road trips. Optus and Vodafone are usually cheaper and fine in cities and along the main coastal routes. Prepaid plans are sold at airports, supermarkets and phone shops.
Heads up: Signal drops out in a lot of national parks, gorges and outback roads, whichever provider you're on. Before a day trip, save your route and download the area offline in Google Maps.
Sole Drift app
Get the app
Planning where to go once you're here? Sole Drift maps 1,100+ waterfalls, swim holes, rock pools and lookouts across Australia, with the exact location, walk time and parking for every one. Start your list before you land.
Documents: the boring stuff that matters most
Losing documents on the other side of the world is a nightmare. Carry the originals, and keep copies of everything somewhere else.
Bring:
- Your passport, valid for your whole stay
- Your visa grant notice (printed and saved on your phone)
- Travel insurance details: policy number and the emergency phone line
- Your driver's licence, plus an International Driving Permit if your licence isn't in English. Get the permit in your home country before you leave; you can't get one once you're here.
- Proof of funds. For a first Working Holiday visa, Home Affairs says this is usually about AUD 5,000, plus enough for your flight out.
- Certificates you'll use for work (RSA, White Card, forklift licence, first aid)
Back it all up: photograph or scan everything into cloud storage, email copies to yourself, and keep offline copies on your phone for when you've got no signal. Leave a set with someone at home too.
Top tip: Apply for your Tax File Number online as soon as you land. It's free, and the ATO says it arrives within 28 days, posted to the Australian address on your application. Your first hostel's address works if they'll hold mail for you, so ask at reception.
Medicines and first aid
Prescription medicines: the TGA lets you bring up to three months' supply for your own use. Keep it in the original packaging with the pharmacy label, and carry your prescription or a letter from your doctor saying what it is and how much you've got. Staying longer? You can have more sent over under the Personal Importation Scheme, or see a GP here for a local script. Some medicines need a permit to bring in at all, so check the Office of Drug Control rules for yours before you pack.
Bring: contraception if you use it (your brand may not be sold here), and enough of anything you rely on to cover the first few weeks.
Buy here: shampoo, body wash, insect repellent, paracetamol, ibuprofen and antihistamines. Chemists and supermarkets have the lot.
A small first aid kit: plasters, antiseptic cream, blister patches and rehydration sachets (for hot days, long walks and the odd big night).
What to declare at the airport
Australia is strict about what comes through the border, and this is where a lot of backpackers get stung for time.
You must declare certain food, plant material, wooden items and animal products on your Incoming Passenger Card. That includes some packaged food, like dried meat, nuts and seeds. The Department of Agriculture also asks you to declare used hiking boots, tents and camping gear, swimwear and water sports gear that's been in rivers or lakes, and anything holding soil or plant material.
The good news: declaring costs nothing. There's no penalty for declaring something, even if it isn't allowed in. Not declaring is where the trouble starts.
- Before you fly. Scrub the soil off your hiking boots and dry out your tent and swimmers. Clean gear gets through inspection faster.
- On the plane. Fill in your Incoming Passenger Card, and tick yes for anything you're unsure about.
- At the airport. Tell the biosecurity officer what you've declared and show them if they ask. Honest answers get you through fastest.
What to buy when you land
Save your bag space for the things that are hard to get here. These are cheaper or easier to pick up on arrival:
Kmart or Big W: towels (a quick-dry one is plenty), sheets for a share house, a cheap tent or sleeping bag for the occasional night out, thongs, hats and kitchen basics.
Outdoor and camping stores: proper work boots once you know the job, and better camping gear if you're planning a big trip or the outback. Ask about a swag, the Australian bedroll and canvas shelter in one, if you'll be sleeping out a lot.
Second-hand: Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree are full of gear from backpackers who are flying home and can't take it with them. Tents, camping kitchens, work gear, even cars. Check the "Backpackers in [city]" Facebook groups before buying anything new.
If you're planning farm work
Don't pack work gear until you know the job. Picking mangoes in the Northern Territory and pruning vines in South Australia need completely different kit.
Bring: old clothes you don't mind wrecking, and a pair of cheap gardening gloves.
Buy once you know the job:
- Steel-cap boots, if the farm needs them. Spend a bit more on a comfortable pair if you'll be on your feet all day.
- Hi-vis shirts or vests
- Gumboots for wet or muddy work
- Gaiters to keep dirt and grass seeds out of your boots
Lots of working hostels sell or lend gear, and some farms supply it. Ask first. Our 88 days farm work guide covers finding the work and getting your days signed off.
Your day bag for waterfalls and swim holes
This is the bit most packing lists skip, and it's where Australia is at its best. Half the reason to spend a year here is the waterfalls, rock pools and swim holes you can reach on a short walk from a car park. Keep these in your daypack:
- 2 litres of water per person (more in summer), because a lot of trailheads have no tap
- Swimmers, a quick-dry towel and a hat
- Sunscreen and insect repellent
- Shoes with grip. Wet rock is slippery, and thongs are how ankles get rolled.
- A small dry bag for your phone and keys
- Snacks, plus a bag to carry all your rubbish back out
- Your route saved offline, for when the signal drops
Heads up: Never jump or dive into a swim hole you haven't checked. Depths change after rain, and there can be rocks or logs under the surface. Our safety tips cover the basics, from flash flooding to stinger season.
Small things that make a big difference
- Packing cubes: keep your bag organised and squash your clothes down. Cheap ones work fine.
- A 10 litre dry bag: for documents and electronics in a downpour, on a boat trip or at a swim hole.
- Two combination padlocks: for hostel lockers. Combination beats keys, because you can't lose a code at the bottom of your bag.
- A carabiner or two: to clip a water bottle or wet shoes to the outside of your pack.
- Zip-lock bags in a few sizes: for documents, leaky toiletries and wet swimmers.
The golden rule: if you're not sure you need it, you probably don't. It's much easier to buy something here than to carry something you never use for twelve months.
Questions people ask
How big a backpack do I need for a year in Australia?
A 50 to 65 litre main pack plus a 20 to 30 litre daypack covers most people. Arrive about 70% full, because you'll pick things up along the way.
Can I bring my prescription medicine?
Yes, up to three months' supply for your own use, in the original packaging with your prescription or a letter from your doctor. Some medicines need a permit, so check yours with the TGA before you pack.
Do I have to declare food at the airport?
Some packaged food, like dried meat, nuts and seeds, has to be declared, along with used hiking boots, tents and camping gear. Declaring is free, even if the item isn't allowed in.
Will my phone work in Australia?
Most recent phones will. Older or overseas models that rely on 3G for calls can be refused on a local SIM, so check your exact model with the provider before you fly.
Ready to go?
Pack light. Buy the rest when you land. You'll work out what you actually need in the first week, everyone does.
The harder part is knowing where to go once you're here.
Wherever you end up, leave it as you found it. Take your rubbish home, stick to marked tracks and follow the Leave No Trace principles, so the best spots stay that way for the next person.
