I lived and worked in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia for 2 months. One job was a work exchange for accommodation and the other was a fully paid position. Port Macquarie is a small beach town that I fully enjoyed but, if I’m being honest, definitely stayed too long in. Read further for a day in my life living and working in Port Macquarie!
Check out my Port Macquarie travel itineraries HERE
Find Work Exchange resources HERE
On an average day I would wake up around 9:00 am in my shared staff dorm at Port Macquarie Backpackers Hostel. I would make myself a quick breakfast before starting on my housekeeping duties. We normally worked 9:30-11:30 am cleaning the kitchen, bathrooms, and common areas as well as changing all the used bedding and doing the laundry. This was a great way to save money as I only needed to work 2 hours each morning in exchange for completely free accommodation (in the end saving me around $2,000).
Once all of our tasks were complete, my coworkers and I would either think of an activity to do together or tag along with different guests on their daily excursions. We would usually just end up at the beach!
By 5:00 pm I would start getting ready for work at my other job, Pinot and Picasso Port Macquarie. I would change from my swim wear to my painting frock and head into town to teach a 3-4 hour adult painting class. These were so fun to host and I often got to bring home some leftover snacks and wine for my friends back at the hostel!
Following my shift I would sometimes meet my friends at the grocery store if we all needed to do our weekly errands, otherwise I would simply head back to the hostel to cook up some dinner. After dinner the hostel staff and whatever guests we had made friends with would often play some drinking cards games or watch Netflix together. Evenings were normally pretty chill with a few late and hectic nights thrown in there.
My expenses while in Port Macquarie (in AUD):
PER WEEK
Budget: $180
Groceries: $60-70
Activities: $15-40
Eating Out: $30
PER MONTH
Budget: $1,000
Phone Plan: $50
Gym Membership: $60
OVERALL (2 months)
Overall: $1,900
Activities: $250
Eating Out: $270
Sylvia's Gap Year 