Nov 13, 2025
From October 2023-2025 I lived two years down under. Since I was little, I’ve always just known travelling was something I was going to do at some point in my life. Mum had travelled at my age, and I’d heard so many different stories, it just became something subconsciously ingrained into me. Funnily enough, she’d also written about her travels, so I guess this is inspired by her too. After hearing some friends and my brother raving about their time there, Australia became the first destination. My best friend and I flew to Cairns in October 2023, travelling down the East Coast towards Sydney, settling there for 6 months. The excitement of a new chapter, and Australia offering similarity to cities at home is what made me love Sydney and stay for so long. It was for me – at the time- the best of both worlds. I could lead a similar life to that I had at home, whilst having amazing weather and beaches on my doorstep. But after 6 months, I realised there was a lot more I wanted to see, and at the time thought I would only stay for a single-year visa. So, I packed up, ready to make Cairns my home for the next 6 months. Cairns offers a different experience from the busy life of Sydney. The easiest way to describe it is a small city in the tropics, with its beauty and uniqueness, found largely in its surrounding nature. You’re immersed in it, in the best way- whether that be amongst the oldest rainforest in the world, or swimming alongside the Great-Barrier-Reef (and I can’t forget the yoghurt shops). If you pass quickly through Cairns, it can be easy to overlook all it has to offer. As the locals say, ‘it’s not what’s in Cairns, but what’s around it.’ So, if you do go, spend some time discovering the natural and cultural attractions you’ll find woven into every corner. It’s hard not to fall in love with this place, and it soon became one of my favourite locations in Australia.
Before I knew it, my first-year visa was up. But with the West still unexplored, I didn’t hesitate to apply for a second-year visa. I managed to join a month-long road trip from Perth to Melbourne with one of my friends from Cairns. Aside from the ungodly number of flies and mistaking Koala growls for werewolves at night, it was the most amazing month, filled with incredible landscapes, beaches and sunsets. It was just a constant kaleidoscope of natural beauty. There were 4 of us, with everything we owned, crammed into a Ford Futura, for a month. We quickly mastered a Tetris-like method of organising our stuff every day, with everything having its specific places and luckily, everything fit. With 29/30 days complete, we decided to cut our trip short by one day after being met with stormy weather on the penultimate night, leaving our tent flooded. I spent Christmas in Melbourne with friends I had previously met in Cairns, embracing it in true Aussie style by having a BBQ, getting drunk and sitting by the ocean.
After the holidays, I flew back to Sydney for New Year’s Eve and decided to stay for 2 months to work and save money before moving on to the next destination. I worked in my second yoghurt shop, and the third dairy-dessert-related job I have worked in over in Aus (perhaps an addiction). I will say, Sydney felt different the second time around. I realised what I enjoyed and appreciated had fundamentally changed. I found myself craving a quieter, less busy living environment, away from the hustle and bustle. I’m sure I could have found that in Sydney if I’d truly looked, but I felt a strong urge toward committing to an entirely new experience. Before leaving, a few friends and I, who I had met in Sydney last time around- who I then met again in Cairns – and then met again in Sydney (an amazing coincidence), planned a Tasmanian road trip. I remember landing in Tasmania and feeling a strange sense of familiarity, despite not being there before. I realised it’s because it reminded me so much of the deep, rolling countrysides of Ireland, except just a little bit sunnier. It was strangely comforting to see those dark, rich colours of green again, as it’s something I hadn’t even realised I’d miss about home. Quick Tassie stats: Wombats seen- 1, Echidna- 1, Tasmanian devil- 0, penguins- surprisingly a lot, Tasmanian tiger – unsurprisingly 0 (though I’m slightly convinced there might be one or two hidden somewhere, I hope). Surrounded by rolling hills, vast forests, and national parks, its whimsical charm is unique to that of other Australian states. I often think it would be an incredible place to settle down, and if I return to Aus, I’d absolutely spend more time there.
March 2025, I moved to Broome, a small town on the West Coast. Few sights are as immediate and impactful upon arriving in Broome as the stunning contrast of its red land and its turquoise blue sea. I’d also argue that few feelings are as immediate and impactful upon arriving in Broome as the heavy-hitting humidity that punches you in the face. I’d arrived still technically in the wet season, and I remember my first night trying to sleep, thinking, What the hell am I doing here? This is going to be too much for me. But the five months I spent in Broome were quite the opposite. The humidity had died down, and I’d fallen madly in love with its smallness, its community, its remoteness. Broome’s population was only around 15,000, and living in such a tiny, close-knit place was entirely new to me. I loved that everywhere you went, whether it be Coles or the beach, you were guaranteed to see someone you knew or knew of. There was always someone you could smile at, and they’d smile back. I loved how I was constantly outside in its beauty. To be honest, you wouldn’t have wanted to ever be inside, out of fear of missing something- whether that be an amazing sunset on Cable Beach, or the most random one-off conversation happening on the benches in the hostel. I’d recommend Broome to anyone and everyone; the backpacking scene is thriving, you will meet the most interesting and incredible individuals, and explore a different, less conventional Australian experience. It definitely didn’t come without its challenges. Getting around without your own transport can be challenging, and adapting to a new way of living is required, but if you truly give it a go, you’ll leave Broome with a collection of the best memories (and plenty of mosquito bites!)
Next was a 2-week road trip to Perth, arguably my favourite stretch of Australia I’ve experienced. I’d often heard the phrase ‘West is best’ a lot during my time down under, and this trip, along with my time in Broome, absolutely solidified that claim. The whole coastline- especially Exmouth, and Karinjini national park- both striking highlights, were sites I just couldn’t quite believe were in front of me. What I love about Australia, and especially the West Coast, is its untamed nature. You can be driving for hundreds of kilometres without seeing another town- just vast expanses of desert and untouched landscape. There was a comfort in this quietness, and I always found driving along these stretches brought a calmness you can’t quite find in the hustle of the cities.
I decided to spend my last two months in Aus in Cairns (my third time visiting). Cairns has claimed a permanent, unique spot in my heart; there is something so special about it that those who spend time there truly understand. I had started my journey there, and in the two years following, I had lived and learned so many different experiences. Closing that chapter where it had first begun felt like the only natural way to say goodbye. My last few weeks were spent with adventures of the tropics, from the Daintree rainforest, the Tablelands, and one last snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef. There were, of course, lots of goodbyes, though I like to say these are more ‘see you laters’. I find that the hardest part of travelling, the goodbyes. You meet the most incredible people and build the most intense friendships; they become your family essentially. You experience some of your best memories with people you have known for weeks, sometimes days. Then there always comes a point where you have to part ways, not knowing when you will next see each other. In my first year, I found this really difficult, but what I learnt was, the goodbyes don’t mean you won’t see each other again—it just means you don’t know exactly when. There have been people I thought I wouldn’t see for so long, if not ever, only to bump into them in a cafe on the other side of Australia. It’s quite beautiful and special, really.
My journey back home was a clash of vast, conflicting emotions. There was the intense excitement of seeing family and friends after two years apart, but there was also a deep sense of sadness — a goodbye to a life I had fallen in love with, and one I was not sure when I’d return to. I’ve currently been home for a month, and the wanderlust definitely hasn’t settled; if anything, it has grown, so I’m assured my next adventure will be soon planned.
So that was the past two years in a nutshell. Of course, this is definitely a very brief overview of my life down under. I could fill pages and pages talking about the nuances, but I’m not sure how interesting a detailed tally of my caramel iced latte consumption, or how many times I stalled our van on our road trip would be. I do, however, hope to dive deeper into the core of my Australian experience, exploring the culture, history, and my general opinions of life down under.
Cora Frattasi