The Working-Holiday-Visa first-week checklist

You land in Australia. You have a 417 or 462 visa, a backpack, jet lag, and a list of vague things you've read you're supposed to do. Half the "first-week guides" on the internet are five years out of date and most of them try to sell you a $300 "arrival pack".

This is the sequenced version. Day-by-day, real cost. Built around landing in Byron Bay (it's what we know) but the steps work for any AU arrival — only the specific shop addresses change. Total non-accommodation cost over week one: under $80 if you do it right.

Day 0 — On the plane / before you land

• Have your visa grant PDF on your phone offline. Border Force don't need it (visa is electronic, linked to your passport) but employers and banks will ask for proof of work rights — the grant letter is the document.
• Screenshot or download your travel insurance policy + emergency number. If you haven't bought insurance yet, do it before you board — most policies don't cover claims made retrospectively.
• Book at least the first two nights of accommodation. Don't arrive without a bed on a Friday in summer — Byron, Cairns and Sydney all sell out. See our hostel directory if you're landing in Byron.

Day 1 — Arrive, sleep, do nothing official

You will be more jet-lagged than you think. Don't try to set up a bank account on Day 1. Get to your hostel, drop your bag, take a walk, eat something, sleep when it gets dark local time (resist napping at 3pm). Have an Australian local SIM by the end of the day so you can be reached.

SIM cards — what we'd actually buy:

• Boost Mobile prepaid 28-day plan ($25–35). Runs on the full Telstra network — the only network that works reliably in the Byron hinterland and most of regional Australia. Buy from Coles, Woolworths, IGA or 7-Eleven. Activate online with passport + AU address (your hostel address is fine).
• If you're staying in cities only: amaysim, Lebara or Felix on Optus network are cheaper. Don't buy these if you're going regional.
• Avoid Telstra and Optus contract plans — you don't need a contract on a 12-month visa, prepaid is the same network.

Cost: ~$30. Done.

Day 2 — TFN application + bank account

Tax File Number (TFN)

Your TFN is the single most important admin item. Without it, every employer is legally required to withhold 47% of your wage at the top marginal rate. With it, you're taxed at the WHV schedule (15% to $45k, 30% to $135k, no tax-free threshold for visa holders).

• Apply free at ato.gov.au — Apply for a TFN. Use the "foreign passport holders" pathway.
• You need: passport, AU address (your hostel is fine), AU phone number (you have one from Day 1).
• Number arrives by post or online within 10–28 days. You can start work before it arrives — give the employer a TFN Declaration Form noting you've applied.
• Never pay anyone to apply for your TFN. Sites that charge $30–50 for it are straight scams reposting the free ATO application.

Australian bank account

Open one online — you don't need to walk into a branch in Byron. The four good options for backpackers:

• Up Bank (up.com.au) — fully digital, fastest signup, best app, bilateral fee-free ATM withdrawals via PayID. Our pick for most WHV holders.
• ING Orange Everyday — fee-free internationally if you meet monthly conditions, good if you'll keep using overseas cards.
• Macquarie Transaction — premium feel, no monthly fees, decent rates.
• CommBank Smart Access — biggest bank, easiest if you want a physical branch. Slightly higher fees than Up.

You need: passport, visa grant letter, AU address, AU phone. All four banks let you open online with a passport-photo upload + selfie video. Card arrives in 5–10 days posted to your hostel.

Don't close your home-country card or cancel your Wise account yet — keep using them for a week while the AU card is in the post. Wise specifically gives you a virtual AUD account you can deposit into immediately, useful for receiving an early paycheck before the AU card arrives.

Day 3 — Choose a super fund

Every employer has to pay you superannuation (12% of ordinary earnings, rose from 11.5% on 1 July 2025). If you don't nominate a fund, the employer puts it in their default fund — fine, but you might end up with three different super funds across three jobs and pay three sets of fees.

• Open one fund and nominate it everywhere. AustralianSuper, Hostplus, Aware Super and Australian Retirement Trust are large industry funds with low fees and well-built apps.
• DASP (Departing Australia Superannuation Payment) — when you leave Australia permanently and your visa expires, you can claim your super. WHV holders pay 65% withholding tax on DASP (vs 35% for other temp residents — a deliberate disincentive). You'll get back roughly 35% of the contributed amount. Account for this — it means super isn't a savings plan for you, it's a small bonus.
• Choose investment option: most funds default you into "Balanced". For a 12-month stay, "Cash" or "Conservative" reduces volatility — it's your money short-term, not a 40-year retirement plan.

Day 4 — Medicare reciprocal (if eligible)

Australia has reciprocal Medicare agreements with: UK, Ireland, NZ, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Malta and Slovenia. If your passport is from one of these countries, you can register for limited Medicare cover within your first weeks here.

• Apply at any Services Australia (Centrelink) office — the closest to Byron is Mullumbimby Services Australia, 89 Stuart St, Mon–Fri 8:30am–4:30pm. Bring passport + visa grant + proof of national health entitlement from your home country (UK NHS card, EHIC, etc.).
• Cover is "medically necessary" only — emergency doctor visits, hospital care. Doesn't cover dental, optical, ambulance, physiotherapy.
• Travel insurance is still recommended even with reciprocal Medicare. Reciprocal covers GP and hospital, but ambulance in NSW is $400+ flagfall plus per-km, and that's on you without insurance. SafetyWing and World Nomads both cover backpackers in AU and are bookable from inside the country.

Day 5 — myGov + ATO online

Once your TFN comes through (might still be in the post — that's fine, do this when it arrives), link it to a myGov account. This becomes your one login for ATO (tax), Medicare (if you registered), and your future tax return.

• Sign up at my.gov.au with your AU phone number for verification.
• Link the ATO service — needs your TFN and answers to two of: bank account, super statement, Centrelink letter, payslip. (Catch-22 if you don't have any of these yet — wait until you do.)
• Tax year runs 1 July to 30 June. You lodge a return between 1 July and 31 October each year — most WHV holders get a small refund (employer over-withholds during the year).

Day 6 — Job hunt setup

Don't apply for jobs on Day 1 — your CV, location and contact details are in flux. By Day 6 you have an AU phone number, an AU bank account, and an AU address. Now you can credibly apply.

• Make a one-page AU-style CV. Brief, no photo, no DOB, no marital status. AU employers expect a short summary + recent jobs + key skills. Save as PDF.
• If you're going for hospitality work, get an RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) certificate — required to work in any venue serving alcohol in NSW. NSW Liquor & Gaming RSA — online course ~$30, takes a few hours, lasts 5 years.
• If you want farm work toward 88 days, see our deeper guide on finding work in the Northern Rivers.
• Generic boards: SEEK, Indeed, Backpacker Job Board. Specific to Byron: hostel reception noticeboards (Backpackers Inn, Arts Factory, Aquarius all have them).

Day 7 — Buy what you don't have, see something

Hostel kitchen culture is real — buy a small bag of basics from Woolworths or Coles on Jonson Street and you halve your food bill. Cooking even one meal a day at the hostel saves $15 versus the cheap cafe equivalent.

• Reef-safe sunscreen ($15) — the Australian sun is genuinely worse than wherever you came from.
• Refillable water bottle — Byron has free water refill stations along the foreshore.
• Cheap thongs from Kmart Ballina if you didn't bring any. You will.
• Take the lighthouse walk at sunset (free, 3.7km loop). It's genuinely worth it. Whales May–Nov.

What you don't need to do in week one

• Don't buy a car on Day 3 because someone offered you a Wicked van for $4k. Wait two weeks. Look up RWC (roadworthy certificate) requirements per state. Read the relevant state's rules on transferring rego to a foreign-resident name.
• Don't commit to a hostel beyond a week until you've seen which one fits you. We list all 10 hostels with honest reviews; the right one for Sunday isn't the right one for the next month.
• Don't commit to a job before your TFN arrives if you can avoid it. Some bosses quietly under-pay people whose paperwork isn't in order yet.
• Don't book a 6-month gym membership or anything with cancellation fees during jet lag. Byron has free outdoor gyms at the Lighthouse Road foreshore.

What this looks like done right

End of week one: you have a TFN application in flight, an AU bank card on the way, a Boost SIM that actually works in the hinterland, a super fund nominated, a Medicare card if you're eligible, a myGov login, a CV that's been read by recruiters, and a hostel that fits your trip. You've spent under $80 on admin and accommodation that wasn't already booked. You've seen the lighthouse at sunset and you know where the cheap kebab is.

Now you can go surf.