EXCLUSIVE: 'The best decision I’ve made'- Young Irish girl on moving to Australia

There is a growing trend in Ireland at the moment where a lot of young people are moving abroad to places like Australia to find a more affordable way of life.

In an exclusive interview with 21-year-old Kildare woman Vicky, she has shared her experience moving to the other side of the world in Australia and explains what life has been like since her move ten months ago.

“Travelling was always something I had wanted to do, and lots of my cousins and friends had left Ireland to go to Australia in recent years so it definitely intrigued me,” Vicky said.

For Vicky, the decision was easy. Having friends and family that had braved the move before, she had plenty of advice to help her along the way.

“The hardest thing to leave behind was most definitely family and friends. I think trying to navigate a whole new start in a country without your immediate family is always going to be a daunting experience.”

Vicky said that not having her family around to see her first apartment or to support her in her new job was definitely challenging.

Vicky was asked about the process of moving from Ireland to Australia and she said it was simple!

“I had family who helped with the websites for visas and flights….I applied for my working holiday visas on 14th June 2024 and it was accepted within minutes”.

“Once they got accepted we then booked the flights from Dublin to Dubai then Dubai to Sydney for August last year and that gave us enough time to do things with family and friends before we left".

“We didn’t have jobs set up but we found Facebook groups such as “Irish around Sydney” to be extremely helpful for accommodation and job opportunities.”

Vicky has been living in Australia for nearly ten months and said: “I can honestly say it was the best decision I’ve made. It’s an amazing country with so many opportunities for everyone and the weather is amazing all the time.”

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“The average wage in Australia is much higher than Ireland, which makes it affordable to be able to rent an apartment or a house and they also have a lower tax rate in Ireland which makes the cost of living more affordable.”

Some of Vicky’s best moments in Australia has been celebrating her 21st birthday in Sydney at a Dermot Kennedy concert.

“The weather was 38° surrounded by all the new friends I had made”.

Another special moment for Vicky was celebrating Christmas on the beach and waking up early to catch the sunrise on the beaches.

“I would definitely recommend it to other people my age…the working holiday visa is such a great opportunity to explore and experience new places while you’re young!”

Vicky’s three pieces of advice are as follows:

1. Don’t worry about the wildlife/insects: I’ve been here ten months and the only time I seen a spider was when I was in the outback and it was quite far away, cockroaches and other bugs are way more common but anyone staying in the cities it definitely rare to see big spiders.

2. Do a barista course before going over: Coffee is so so big in Australia and every second job opportunity is for a coffee shop or cafe and it’s more expensive to do the course in Australia than Ireland so be prepared

3. Just enjoy it: Grab every opportunity with both hands and step outside your comfort zone...you’ll never be this young again and the working holiday visa only lasts three years so just make the most of it.

Vicky said you can go solo or with a friend or partner.

“I know people who went in groups and relationships and also people that went solo….I think if you haven’t solo travelled before it can be harder for you but there’s so many in the same boat as you over there you won’t struggle to make friends!”.

When asked does she feel that young Irish people are being forced to move away Vicky said: “yes I definitely think most people feel as if they have no choice but to leave Ireland”.

“I got approved for a three bed apartment within four days in Sydney and I just feel like that’s something that I could never do back at home.”

“I moved to Maroubra in Sydney. I picked this location as it was close to friends and family that lived there.”

“I would definitely recommend it…there’s shopping centres, hospitals, cafes, restaurants, beaches, multiple bus routes and it’s about 20 mins from the city centre".

"Also every second person you pass on the street is Irish so it definitely felt a lot more settling for us.”

Vcky described a special moment whilst she was in Australia, her mum had surprised her by flying all the way to Australia to be there for her 21st birthday.

“My mam actually surprised me in March of this year just a few days before my 21st birthday…it was definitely the best present or thing anyone has ever done for me”.

We had the most amazing four weeks and celebrated such a big milestone together and having her get to also have that experience at 48 years of age was so surreal”.

“She couldn’t of been happier and it was always a regret of hers not travelling when she was younger so I was definitely grateful to have her there with me”.

“As much as I miss my family back home and the Irish food…nothing could change the last few months of my life out here.”