Working or just holiday in Australia?

Hi All,

My girlfriend (29F) and I (31M) are planning to do some months of travelling in Australia next year. However, we can't seem to decide whether or not we want to make use of the working holiday visa or not. The main bottleneck currently, is the expiration date of my visa! I've already requested it before turning 31 and need to activate it (by visiting Australia) before sept. 2026. If not, my visa will expire and I'm not eligible to apply for another working holiday visa due to the age restriction. Getting a return flight from NLD to AUS before the deadline will cost me roughly 1,1k EUR.

Our current plan is to go to Australia around March/April 2027 which would leave a maximum of 5 months working before my visa expires. We're planning to travel for approx. 6/7 months so we'll probably won't be working the entire 5 months. Both of us have a decent job at home but we feel like we will suffer from FOMO if we skip the working in Australia part, as this has been on our mind for a long time.

What do you guys think, is it worth booking a return flight to "activate" my visa and then go there next year and work. Or, do you recommend to just work at home and take a holiday visa to travel through the country without working in Australia?

Really looking forward to opinions of you!