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Living in Australia's biggest city for free and get all the extras: SYDNEY!
Hello People,
YES, in this blog post, we’re going to show you how to live in Sydney absolutely for free.
Whether you’re completely broke, can’t find a job, cannot speak English at all (like Jose in the beginning, the guy on the left), or just want to save as much money as you can while you’re on your on a Working Holiday, student or tourist visa in Australia.
We’ve got you covered!Â
Although if you follow me and my blog about finding jobs in Australia, it’s impossible that you cannot find a job 😉
And if we say free, we mean free:
Food (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), accommodation, laundry, clothes themselves, hygiene articles (toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, shampoo, etc.), working clothes, uniforms, and many more.
There was a time when I and Jose did all three options shown below together.
That is working (full-time), working after the job (or before) in the hostel, and also getting free food in the streets. But these are extremes.
Sometimes I worked up to 18 hours a day to save as much money as I could. Jose, even more for a much longer period of time!
Warning!
While working in a hostel and looking for a job does make sense, combining it with a full-time job in, e.g., construction and going through the streets for food is not for everyone.
You’re going to experience and smell things you’d rather not want to.
With that said, let’s dive right into it!
Overview of your working holiday journey
- Part 1 is all about visa requirements and eligibility for your working holiday in Australia (read before coming to Australia)
- >>Part 1.1 I lead you step-by-step with screenshots through the official working holiday visa application!
- Part 2 is all about relevant working terms to get started in your first days in Australia. I show you Australia’s minimum wage, what TFN, ABN, RSA, SUPER etc. is and where to apply in order to work legally in Australia.
- Part 3 is all about pay rates and work. I show you my payslips, what I earned, and you can too in 2024! I show you all special occasions where you can earn more money!
- Part 4 is all about finding typical backpacker jobs and pay rates. I show you all relevant ways, platforms, and websites where you can find jobs!Â
- Part 5Â is all about extending your working holiday visa in Australia and the required 88 days of specified work! (Farm work)
1. Free Accommodation and Other Bonuses Working in a Hostel
In Sydney, it’s pretty easy to find a job in a hostel in exchange for accommodation. For around 15 hours per week, you can stay one week for free in the hostel.
The jobs vary from receptionist, cleaner, and event planner to all-rounder. It’s also a great way to get work experience, get to know people, and improve your English, all while living for free!
Depending on what hostel you’re going to choose, you get free breakfast daily and can take advantage of organized free dinners 2–3 times per week as well.
Most of the hostels organize a weekly activity plan that includes having a barbecue or just eating and cooking together for free.
On top of that, laundry is usually also for free if you work in a hostel.
But this is not the only thing you get. Typically, people leave eventually and leave the hostel and put their food and all their stuff they don’t need in free boxes/areas in the hostels where you can find literally everything!
So watch out for the free box/stuff every day!
This is how I got a hardhat, high-visibility shirts, a bike helmet, sunscreen, clothes, food, shirts, working pants and shorts, and much other stuff absolutely for free.Â
So how to contact them and which hostels to look for staying or volunteering? You can start calling or, even better, show up personally, for example, in these hostels:
All hostels around CBD (Central Business District and Woolloomooloo), Red-light district (Kings Cross), and the Central Train Station.Â
Here are some budget options with good reviews I can recommend:Â Â
Summerhouse Backpackers, Nate’s Place Backpackers, Elephant Backpackers (doesn’t exist anymore as of 2026), YHA, Wake Up Hostel, etc.!Â
Just open Agoda or Hostelworld, put in “Sydney”, and filter on the districts mentioned above, and start to contact them or, even better, show up personally.
You can find all kinds of hostels: Luxury, middle-priced, or budget. Of course, the more expensive a hostel is, the higher the requirements to volunteer.
Summary: If you work in a hostel in Sydney, you’ll get:
- Free breakfast + eventually 2–3 times per week dinner/BBQ or other
- Free stuff (clothes, sports equipment you can borrow/take, and other)
- Free food once or twice per week (from leaving guests)
- Free events (entrance to bars, clubs, etc.)
- Free experience (reception, cleaning)
- Free contacts, contacts, contacts!
- Free laundry
- Free stay
2. Free Food and More on Sydney’s StreetsÂ
In Sydney there is free food everywhere at different spots and different times.
Volunteers working for Australia’s NPO’s serve free food from their food trucks or directly on the streets.Â
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, sandwiches, bread, coffee, tea, desserts, and fruits. Jose showed me all the places where you can get free food. You will meet there all different sorts of people:Â
Crazy people, mentally ill people, homeless people, broke people, normal workers, some backpackers, or just people passing by.
Some are less crazy than others, but one thing they have in common – they are very hungry and tend to be aggressive.Â
Fortunately, the food trucks are very well organized, and there is almost always more food than you can eat, so you can even get a second plate or save it for the next day.
Occasionally you will see trucks full of secondhand and new clothes and brand-new hygiene articles like shampoos, soaps, toothbrushes, etc.
So where are the places I’m talking about?Â
One bigger place for dinner (around 8 pm) is at Martin Place Station. Just go there and wait until you see the truck. You will find there are many people waiting and/or queuing already.Â
If you are keen to know more places, including when and where to go exactly, just leave a comment below or contact me, and I will come back to you. B
Because we don’t want to see hundreds of backpackers hanging around, 😀 I think you understand.Â
3. Free Restaurant (Update 2026: closed down)
In Melbourne and Sydney, there is one restaurant chain called Lentil as Anything, where the payment is based on donations.
But you don’t have to pay if you don’t want. They serve delicious vegetarian food (never meat) for free, two times a day! (Lunch and dinner).
Usually you have to queue for a few minutes to get in, so don’t be surprised 🙂
Everybody is volunteering there. So if you want to give something back, I highly recommend working there. It’s also good to get some work experience in the hospitality industry! They are always busy! And constantly looking for people!
Enjoy your time! Follow me on FB and IG for more tips & tricks!
Eduard from Clueless Travel
What’s next in your journey?
For working holiday starters:
- Apply for the working holiday maker visa subclass 417 (usual approval time 1 min – 14 days) or 462 (usual approval time at least 14 days due to further requirements)
- Provide further details if necessary to get the application going (health examination etc.) in your immigration account (immiAccount)
- Get credit cards, especially a WISE account (Australian bank account) and check passport validity! (min. 2 weeks – 1 month before you plan to flight)
- Book your flights (AFTER received approval letter from immigration)
- Packing list 2024 (Coming soon)
- Get travel insurance before you fly (SavetyWing or Heymondo)
- Get an Onward ticket ALWAYS! (24-48h before your flight, evidence of leaving the country you enter). For working holiday Australia visa holders, it’s NOT necessary.
- Book your accommodation via hostelworld to get to know people quickly. I recommend the first two weeks at the same spot
- Job hunting and other bureaucratic stuff (once in Australia)
- Open up your US LLC to get your Freelancer business started!
- Sign up to my Newsletter to get a smarter traveler and stay up-to-date
For digital nomad starters:
- Open up your US LLC to get your Freelancer business started! (4 weeks before your trip)
- Get credit cards and check passport validity! (min. 2 weeks – 1 month before you plan to flight)
- Apply for possible longer stays like digital nomad visa or extended visa (typically 2 months before your flight)
- Book your flights
- Packing list 2024 (Coming soon)
- Get travel insurance before you fly (SavetyWing or Heymondo)
- Get an Onward ticket 24-48h before your flight (evidence of leaving the country you enter, ALWAYS!). If you have a visa, it’s not necessary!
- Book your accommodation via hostelworld to get to know people quickly. I recommend the first week in one spot
- Sign up to my Newsletter to get a smarter traveler and stay up-to-date
Overview of your working holiday journey
- Part 1 is all about visa requirements and eligibility for your working holiday in Australia (read before coming to Australia)
- >>Part 1.1 I lead you step-by-step with screenshots through the official working holiday visa application!
- Part 2 is all about relevant working terms to get started in your first days in Australia. I show you Australia’s minimum wage, what TFN, ABN, RSA, SUPER etc. is and where to apply in order to work legally in Australia.
- Part 3 is all about pay rates and work. I show you my payslips, what I earned, and you can too in 2024! I show you all special occasions where you can earn more money!
- Part 4 is all about finding typical backpacker jobs and pay rates. I show you all relevant ways, platforms, and websites where you can find jobs and as well as typical pay rates!Â
- Part 5Â is all about extending your working holiday visa in Australia and the required 88 days of specified work! (Farm work)
