Backpackers target Hedland

If you ever feel that hearing an Australian accent behind a bar in town is becoming a rarity, you are probably right.

Hedland has become a destination for backpackers looking to escape the cities and save a little money to continue their travels, according to a local bar manager.

The Walkabout Hotel Motel Port Hedland food and beverage manager Mike McGrath said about 40 per cent of the hotel’s staff were foreign backpackers, including a large portion of the bar staff.

“(The) majority of them come here because they want to work as hard as they can, as much as they can, to save up some money,” he said.

“They’re either trying to pay for the trip home or get up enough money to keep travelling for a few months.”

For 22-year-old Alyssa Moore, who hails from Arizona, Hedland is proving great for a working backpacker.

Ms Moore has been travelling Australia for six and a half months, working up the east coast before moving to Hedland two weeks ago and taking up employment at the Walkabout.

She said there weren’t many places in Australia where the wages were so high, you could get as many hours as you wanted, and the accommodation was subsidised.

“There isn’t a lot to tempt me around town so I’m taking a month off drinking and just trying to save as much money as I can,” she said.

“After this I want to keep travelling, so this is just a stop-over.”

Canadian David Brown, 24, who also works behind the bar at the Walkabout, said while it was not difficult to find work in the city, it was difficult to find good work.

“There’s so many backpackers that go to the cities and work commission jobs that aren’t appealing, it’s more competitive and hard to live off those amounts of money and still try to save,” he said.

“I’d like to see out my full six months of work that my visa allows here, then maybe go to Asia for a while.” However, for some backpackers, working in Hedland is not just about saving to keep the party going.

According to 25-year-old Italian Giuseppe Marcatti, there are two types of backpackers – those who want to travel, and those who are looking to start a new life.

He said he puts himself firmly in the second category.

“It was difficult when I first moved out because I didn’t speak English, but I’ve been here 14 months and I’ve picked it up.”

Mr Marcatti, who works maintenance at the Walkabout, said he wanted to find a sponsor so he could get a permanent job and visa. “It’s about building a future here in Australia, and I’ll work my hardest to do that.”