Cattle mustering. Roadhouse assistance. Pub work. Fruit picking. The outback has plenty to offer those working holiday-makers who want to desert the big cities and seek out an authentic outback adventure - and some dinky-di paychecks. Sure, you’ve got to be willing to roll up your sleeves and break a sweat, but you’ll be rewarded by being able to experience real life in the outback. You’ll also meet the kind of true-blue local characters who make remote Australia so colourful and unique.

Roadhouse Rookies
Set on the Oodnadatta Track and located 200km north-east of Coober Pedy, the Pink Roadhouse in South Australia is exactly what it claims to be: a roadhouse. And yes, it’s pink. This place is a hub for fuel, hot food, groceries, breakdown assistance, mail and tourist information. Swanny, Lynnie and Adam run the place and their motto is ‘We master no trade, Jack!’ The Pink Roadhouse accepts roving backpackers who want to experience work in the outback and score some extra cash. However, such visits must always be pre-arranged and confirmed. Those who do work at the Pink Roadhouse will learn to do a little bit of everything. Oodnadatta is also a fascinating place to explore. There’s camels, cattle and even an underground sea.
Website: www.pinkroadhouse.com.au

Jackaroos & Jillaroos
You’ve got to really know what you’re doing if you intend to muster cattle or shear sheep for cash. If you attend a five-day Leconfield jackaroo and jillaroo course ($490, including accommodation) in Kootingal near Tamworth and prove yourself to be a worthy student, this school will help you find a job at one of many stations in outback NSW. The course covers calf wrestling, herd mustering, horse riding, sheep shearing, fence building and whip cracking.
Website: www.leconfield.com

Harvest Workers
Get a tan and make some working-class dosh picking melons. Alternatively, take a shed-based position packing vegies into boxes. Kununarra in Western Australia has plenty of ever-changing seasonal harvest employment opportunities for those travellers who are willing to stay put for four weeks and work hard. Cheap accommodation and transport are the fringe benefits.
Website: www.thejobshop.com.au

Barmaids
Beer and the outback go hand in hand. The good old pub is the focal point of many remote Aussie communities, so it makes sense to get a job behind the bar – and right in the middle of all the local action. Workstay’s Country Pub Barmaids Program matches female travellers with job opportunities at watering holes in red-and-dusty areas all over Western Australia. Interviews are held in Perth and the minimum pay rate is $350 per week. Previous bar experience is not essential.
Website: www.workstay.com.au

Homestead Cooks
Mustering crew members on cattle stations work hard and eat big. And somebody’s got to feed them! If you know how to fry up hearty dinners and create large blokey desserts, then you could be the person to get these workers fuelled up. Various kitchen positions are available in remote parts of Western Australia. These roles would suit experienced cooks who are searching for an authentic taste of the outback.
Website: www.thejobshop.com.au