Heads up! This post may contain compensated links which means I get a small tip for telling you about awesome stuff I love!π€
After 26 years as an American expat living in Australia, I know ALL the downsides of this country…
And I have a better solution for Americans who are keen to escape the current chaos of the U.S.
Including what to do for work!
So if you’re an American eyeing this great country as a political refuge, but you have no idea how to make it happen or what you’d do for work, this is for you, fellow Yankee Doodle Dandy. π€
I’m going to share with you what I love – and hate – about Australia after living in Melbourne, Victoria, for the last 26 years.
And why you should reconsider moving here UNLESS you are willing to do one thing you may consider un-fn-thinkable.π₯
Continue reading, OR if you prefer listening because you’re busy constructing your next protest march sign, click below for the podcast version πͺ π§π«
In the podcast + video versions share many more personal details about WHY I left the U.S. 26 years ago. So if you’re interested in hearing more about my personal story, have a listen or watch that episode (#25).
Prefer to watch instead of read? Watch the YouTube version here (And hear my what a Southern drawl mixed with an Aussie accent sounds like!π)πͺ πΊπ«
How I was able to move and work in Australia as an American
There are a few different ways Americans can live in Australia, and I’m going to cover ALL of them for you.
But first, please don’t hate me because I have to confess that I didn’t need any of them. π€·ββοΈ
I won the birth lotto: my mother is Australian. She applied for Australian citizenship for me from my birth in Atlanta, Georgia.
So, this lucky bitch is DUAL. Yeah, I KNOW how fn lucky I am – but let’s talk about YOU. π
If I were NOT an Australian, I would have a few options:
Tourist Visa (ETA β Electronic Travel Authority): Americans need this to VISIT for up to 3 months. But if you want to stay longer, you can easily apply for 6 or even 12 months. This is great if you plan to live here on your savings or you already have remote work, but you cannot work like a normal Australian here. And you can’t get all the luscious Democratic socialist benefits we got. Boo!
Work Visa: This is a better way to live and get some benefits here. You get an Australian employer to sponsor you. This type of visa is good for 4 years (just long enough to see one orange tyrant’s passing before you return home, hey!).
You can get this visa if you have a skill we Aussie needs because we DO have a massive ‘brain drain’ issue here, and we are short of some critical skills. We also need volunteer labour fodder for our super remote, boring AF rural areas out in ‘the bush’. The bush is beautiful, though! As an American living in Australia, you’ll probably fn LOVE it!! So long as you also don’t mind the taste of the flies that regularly land on your face.π
Work and Holiday Visa: Now for the best option. If you’re still under 30, lucky you, boo! There’s a special 2-year working holiday visa for your lucky American ass waiting just for you if you’d like to study or work here part-time. Many students who come here end up staying longer if you study to become something Australia desprately NEEDS mor of, like doctors or pilots.
Get Married: Yep, this old cracker. a ‘Partner Visa.’ But I don’t advise marriage for anyone who loves their freedom! Getting married just to escape your home country would be pathetic, so don’t do that. There are better ways to work here, and I’m about to SHOW you the one I chose, even though I did not NEED it because I’m such a lucky-bitch with dual passports.
Read to the bottom – you do NOT want to miss hearing this killer work idea!
What I LOVE About Australia: All the things that made me stay so long here.
I never planned to move here. It just happened by accident, as over and over, I kept choosing the lifestyle here over what I saw my friends and family living back in Georgia.
I came over 26 years ago for a cousin’s wedding, intent on only staying a few months before heading back to live in Japan, where I’d been teaching English as a Second Language.
But the #1 reason Istayed here is…
I fell in love with Melbourne, Victoria.
Melbourne is just THE coolest city chock full of culture, art, and music south of the equator, IMHO.
After growing up in the suburbs of Atlanta, this amazing city was everything I had dreamt. It was WALKABLE. Safe, and not too big. It had clean, safe public transport. Beautiful, OLD Victorian architecture. Lots of nightlife and a music scene that rivaled Athens, where I’d attended UGA.
I loved that it was not as hot as HOTlanta, and when that even on the few warm days we had here, it wasn’t HUMID like it is in Georgia.
Coming here in the prime of my goth clubbing years, it was paradise. I clubbed 15 years in a row. The goth scene became my second family.
Then, after 16 years living within the city, I moved out to my favorite area: The Dandenong Ranges.
The Dandenong Ranges are emerald green, luscious, fern-tree gullies and hills about an hour east of Melbourne.
This is where I now live in a cute little A-frame cottage on the edge of the Dandenong Ranges National Forest.
The number of birds that land on my deck here every morning is insane. Cockatoos, Rainbow Lorikeets, King Parrots, Rosellas, magpies, currawongs, doves, and of course, the lovely, iconic Kookaburra. I regularly see echidnas, wombats, and wallabies when I take my dogs for walks around here.
It’s a prime tourist area, and I am extremely fortunate to be living here, up in ‘the hills’ as we call it.
I could list many generic AF things I love about Australia: the stunning wildlife and natural scenery, the laid-back culture, the fantastic wineries…
But lemme zoom in on a few things my American POV sees here..
What I love about Australia as an American. (That Australians will never understand)
First, here’s what I love about the place itself…
Everywhere here is a ‘Lego land.’
As in, the streets and towns here are TIDY AF.
Things are newer, nicer, cleaner, and there’s generally less decay and empty lots of garbage-strewn undeveloped land here than in the US. There’s also less poverty.
I grew up going to Florida beaches every summer, and I LOVE Florida, right? But when you visit even the smallest little seaside town here in Australia, it’s gorgeous. It’s clean, it’s nice. Bright and welcoming. There’s not a million run-down motels from the 1960’s here or shell-covered shacks full of junk souvenirs (not that I don’t LOVE those!)
It just feels a bit like a plastic play land here sometimes – a Lego land.
Australia makes the most of its natural beauty.
Australian natural scenery is its biggest global tourist draw, so they go all-out to make every beautiful natural place accommodating to tourists.
Just recently, a local lookout up the hill from my house got a new viewing deck, indigenous garden paths, and informational plaques installed. All because it’s a popular stopping spot for tourists on the Dandenong Tourist Road.
They don’t build on any beaches here, either. You cannot ”own” a beach in Australia!
The wineries. OH! The WINERIES!
If there is one thing I’ll wax lyrical about for the rest of my life, it’s the absolutely gorgeous Australian wineries.
Not just because the wine is fn fantastic (it is), but because they are such beautiful places to visit. You drive out past all the vineyards to a winery, and each one has its own unique character and style. Out here in the Yarra Valley, you’ve got fancy glam ones like Chandon, provincial ones like Yering Farm, or super modern minimalist ones like Oakridge.
At each one, you can learn about wine while enjoying an amazing meal, all with stunning views over the valleys.
Australia has 2,156 wineries across the country, and most of them make fantastic destination spots for visitors.
I’ve been fortunate to celebrate many birthdays and weddings at our local wineries here in the Yarra Valley.
Now, let’s finally get to why I would NOT recommend moving here, despite all these amazing things I just got you salivating over…
Reasons Why I Don’t Recommend Americans Come Live in Australia
Now for some of the bad news…
Americans Can’t Move Anywhere Without Paying DOUBLE Tax!
If this is news to you, I’m sorry to break it to you…
The US is the ONLY country in the world that forces you to lodge taxes each year no matter where you are living on the planet. Doesn’t matter if you never set foot in the US or if you have been living outside of it for 26 years, as I have. You HAVE to pay.
Now there is one way you can avoid paying it:
Relinquish your American citizenship for good!
That’s right, the only way you can get out of double taxation is to NOT be an American. Good luck getting back into the US with the current anti-immigration administration if you choose that route!
However.
There are a few caveats.
If you are earning under $130k USD, you probably won’t have to pay anything anywhere. Lodging is just a formality required. So that’s going to be a big relief for most Americans who want to live abroad anywhere.
But particularly for Americans living in Australia, this can be a pain-in-the-ass that you may need to consider if you decide to live here long-term. Especially if you start a business here or buy property.
For tax advice, I recommend this YouTube channel. He regularly covers tax issues for American expats and digital nomads. Be sure to stay up to date with changes so you remain in compliance!
Australia is an ISLAND. Are you willing to pay over $1,000 every time you want to leave?
The biggest bugbear I have as an American living in Australia is how bloody far away it is.
Every time I want to see friends and family back in Georgia, it costs me as much as buying a used car. And that’s one of the reasons why I have never HAD a car in Australia! π
I have worked out multiple routes there, and my favorite is: Fly to HAWAII and spend a few nights in Honolulu, because those flights are LONG.
As I get older, I can no longer handle how long they are. I HAVE to stop and have a few nights on the way. And Jetstar domestic flights to Hawaii are pretty cheap, so it saves some money if I plan them well. Luckily, there are now direct flights from Melbourne to Houston.
There didn’t used to be so many direct flights, but Melbourne has grown a LOT since I arrived 26 years ago.
Australia is EXPENSIVE AF.
Not at first, when you first arrive, and your American dollars buy around $.30 more per dollar.
But once all those greenbacks are gone and you are working for the Aussie dollar, you’ll soon get sticker shock seeing how much more things cost here compared to the US.
Major cities like Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth are among the more expensive cities in the world on various city cost-of-living lists.
An average cocktail price is $20. A single cup of coffee is $6 (I paid $6.50 for one just yesterday!) And a can of Coca-Cola is around $4.
Rent is skyrocketing due to property being viewed and used as a cash cow instead of just places where people can have shelter.
And it’s cheaper to travel to Bali for a vacation than spend it here in Australia!
But the upside is that even a full-time job at a bookstore or convenience store pays a living wage – there’s no peanuts or tip-slave wages here! You get paid well even for hospitality jobs at bars and restaurants. Professional employment pays very well in most industries, and typically comes with 4 weeks of annual vacation and benefits.
If you become Australian or get permanent residency here, you can also take advantage of our amazing healthcare, which is PRACTICALLY NOTHING compared to the private healthcare in the US.
And if you are Australian, don’t you DARE come in here and tell me, ”Yea narwww, we pay the LEVY, but what about the LEVVVVVY?”
BITCH! That levy is like pocket change compared to what Americans are paying for their health insurance.
You’ve got NO IDEA how lucky your little piss-changelevy is compared to what Americans are paying! Americans pay out the nose, and they often have to STRUGGLE to get coverage for basics even when they HAVE insurance.
Sorry, but any mention of the Aussie Medicare levy compared to what the US has just SHITS me to tears, there IS no comparison. I have never ONCE heard about an Australian going without care or going bankrupt because they cannot afford the ESSENTIAL medical help they require.
Working in Australia as an American: What I Recommend
If you do not have a professional skill that Australia needs, and you aren’t ever going to marry an Aussie, my best recommendation is you continue to KEEP your American, tax-paying status and work for yourself.
I know, I know, you’d rather not have your tax money go to bombing innocent children, but paying the American tax man is the price of keeping that American passport! Unless you are willing to relinquish your citizenship for good, you really do not have a choice.
The way that I got around living as an American in Australia, wanting to go to the US to see family as often as possible, was to start freelancing as a social media manager.
Freelance service providers that work online have the MOST freedom of any profession I have ever known in the 17 years I’ve worked online. It only took me 4 months to become fully self-employed as a social media manager.
You can read my full story here, here, and here.
In Short: Just ditch living in the US for NOW, but not FOREVER.
You don’t want to have to give up your citizenship just to avoid paying double taxes.
And you don’t want to live permanently on the other side of the planet if there are ANY people you know you’ll miss in the States!
Just don’t do it – the distance is my biggest regret. I often think of all the European vacations I DID NOT TAKE because I wanted to go home to see family and friends that year.
It’s not our poisonous spiders or the complete lack of houses to rent here atm that makes it so hard to live here either…
It’s that there is a whole world out there for you to explore and stay a few months in each country, IF you focus NOT on moving to Australia!
Focus on creating the type of work that you need to create true GLOBAL FREEDOM for yourself!
Start an online service business this year, and plan to be wherever the fuck you’d rather be than in the US within just a few months.
And THAT is something I can help you do!
Ready to GTFO of the US and live in Australia? (or anywhere TF else?)
If you’d like to learn what it takes to become a freelance service provider, including how to get and keep clients, how to write contracts, have good client communication, manage projects, and get PAID, my SWAN Transformation Marketing Strategy AGENCY is for you.
This is my 12-week high-touch mentoring program to help you become a self-employed freelancer.
It’s especially ideal if you want to become a freelance social media manager like I was for 9 years. OR, you can learn the freelance skills to do any other type of client-based work, such as content creation, copywriting, graphic design, or any other creative service you can sell online.
To get started asap, apply to work with me by filling out this form.
Not sure what work you’d like to do for freelance work?
Sign-up to my Hexotic AF Travel digital nomad newsletter for online freelance service IDEAS.
It’s a special 10-email sequence of 10 different ways you can get work as an online service provider to work anywhere in the world as a digital nomad.
Sign up for that below! π
