A thrill-seeking woman has shared her experience of living for free on a paradise island off the coast of Australia, working just 24 hours a week.
Sirirat Nensewicz, 27, spent two months on the 18-acre Pumpkin Island in the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland’s coast. In exchange for free accommodation, she worked 24 hours a week, taking care of cleaning, gardening, and bar-tending duties at the island’s eco-resort.
Sirirat, a solo traveller from Hamburg, Germany, spent her time “laying in a hammock and swimming” on an island with pristine beaches and stunning marine wildlife. She managed to live on just AU$400 (£200) a month, covering only her groceries and phone bill.
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The content creator described the experience as “an unreal experience” adding: “I saved enough money just for a plane ticket to Australia. And I managed to live on a beautiful island, working only 24 hours a week for accommodation and additional pay of over $800 (£400) fortnightly.”
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This was Sirirat’s second visit to Australia, having previously travelled solo in 2017 for six weeks. She toured the East Coast from Brisbane to Cairns and “fell in love with the country.”
She said: “The people were so open-minded and they have a great work-life balance. Not to mention the hot weather and sandy beaches. I was just counting down the days when I’d be back.”
In February, after completing her fashion degree at The Hochschule Mittweida, Sirirat left Germany and flew to Brisbane, Australia. She travelled under a holiday working visa, valid for up to 12 months, and was seeking a visa extension.
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Sirirat explained: “As a first-time visa holder I had to find 88 days of specified work to be eligible for a visa extension if I wanted to stay in Australia longer. So in May, I started looking for jobs all around Queensland – as I wanted to be close to the sea. I would walk into places with my CV at the ready…I probably applied for over 100 places.”
While job hunting, Sirirat would often explore the smaller islands off Australia’s Southern Coast. It was during one of these trips that she stumbled upon Pumpkin Island on ‘Google Maps’.
“I saw Pumpkin Island for the first time. I was still on the job hunt for my visa extension, so when I found the Island, I looked it up online and I found they had an official page to apply for work.
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“I immediately applied online with my resume and contact form and two days later found out I got the job.”
In May, Sirirat relocated to the eco-resort and began her new role. “I remember arriving by a tiny boat shared with people visiting the Island on the first day and having to off-load their luggage,” she recalled.
“The Island was very small with only the managers living there full-time and the previous two workers.
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“The rest of the people were just guests who would arrive by boat a week at a time.”
In exchange for 24 hours of work over five days, Sirirat was given free accommodation on the island. She explained: “We would get up around 8am, check the common areas and clean the bathrooms, do some gardening and then the ‘sunset happy hours’, which was two hours of bar work in the evening.
“Some days we would work 10-hour shifts, some would only be four.”
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She added: “Most of my time on the island, I would just relax, lay in the hammock, swim and kayak.
“For the first week, I went snorkelling every day after work in the Southern Great Barrier Reef and managed.”
Sirirat’s digs were “a small room with a double bed and bathroom, located next to a shed,” all for free. She shared that her “room would face the sea” and she “often woke up to stunning sunrises”.
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During this period, she was raking in AU$800 (£400) every two weeks – plus extra pay and had minimal expenses. “I only shelled out AU$75-80 (£40) a week on groceries and AU$20 (£10) a month on phone data as the island lacked Wi-Fi,” she revealed.
“My groceries would arrive by boat once a week – the same boat that would ferry guests to the island.
“The rest of my cash was saved or spent on things I fancied.
“I could eat healthier and invest more in my travels. If anyone gets the opportunity to work here, grab it.
“You’ll see and experience things you never imagined possible. It made me value life and the little things much more as the island gave me space to reflect. ”
After wrapping up her work stint on July 12, Sirirat jetted off for “some much-needed time in Bali to reunite and travel with mates from home.
She continues to share her adventures on TikTok @siri. going.
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