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Tocumwal, NSW – January 2019

On a summer drive back to Sydney from Melbourne, I visited Coonara House—a working holiday residence in Tocumwal, where a Belgian friend, Emilie, was helping manage the flow of international workers. I arrived during a week of early mornings, searing heat, and communal life shaped by rural labour.

The residents—backpackers from across Europe—each had jobs in the surrounding area: potato farms, dairy farms, local pubs. Some started their shifts at 3am to avoid the 40-degree heat. I followed them as they moved through their routines: sorting potatoes under the light of the harvester’s lights, herding cattle on golf karts at dawn, and attaching milking pumps with practised care.

Initially curious about the visa-linked labour many foreigners must complete to extend their stay in Australia, I left Tocumwal with a more nuanced view. These jobs offered more than just a visa extension—they were a means of reflection, community, and a connection to parts of the country far from tourist trails.

This series is a quiet observation of that time, capturing the rhythms of rural work and the impermanent homes built by people in motion.