House Sitting For The Solo Traveller in Sydney

When I first heard of house sitting in Australia, I thought it was good for couples only. But when I started digging, I was surprised to read about the stories of many solo travellers housesitting around the world. As you may already know, housesitting is a great way to travel solo to Australia while taking care of a house and pets while the owners are away.

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It has been hard for me to get started with house-sitting in Sydney, Australia. I didn’t have any house sitting experience, no house sit references, or a police check. While there is a huge demand for house sitters in Australia, many people are willing to housesit, so competition is high.

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Housesitting in Australia – Taking care of homes and pets

Meet Thomas, the adorable cat, at my first housesitting assignment in Australia. But before I tell you about this fantastic experience, let me tell you about my housesitting saga!

How it all started with housesitting in Sydney

I started reading blog posts from fellow bloggers, funny and successful house sits stories, housesitting nightmares and many more stories. It sounded intriguing, and it sparked my curiosity to make us want to try out housesitting on my solo trips.

But I was not aware of many things. First, I had nil experience nor any clue how to get suitable housing assignments. While searching on the internet, I found out about housesitting websites where you can sign up for a fee ranging from 50-150 USD and search for suitable housesit assignments worldwide. After checking a few, I signed up for an Aussie housesitting site.

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The truth about Housesitting in Australia

After months of tiring searching, going through ads, sending off dozens of emails and hardly getting any replies, it felt as hard as looking for a job! I didn’t have any references, or a police check, so my chances of getting shortlisted were low, and my hope started to fade.

The reality is that so many people are looking for house sits in Australia, not only travellers. Many Aussies retired, moving around the country, looking for a new place, a new challenge. Homeowners prefer hiring people they know through friends, family, or simply word-of-mouth. Of course, anyone would like a house sitter referred by a trusted friend rather than a stranger.

Let the magic work for you – How my first housesit worked out.

While I was keen to try out housesitting in Australia, I wasn’t prepared to go through a stressful search, so I felt like throwing in the towel and letting it go. At the same time, I started to visualise my ideal housesit. It is a comfortable house, an excellent location, biking and walking trails, a lovely neighbourhood, one cat to look after, and lovely homeowners. After replying to many adverts, I stumbled upon a suitable advert, and within a few days, I got a reply.

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One day I opened my mailbox and read the notification of a new housesitting advert near Sydney. I clicked and read it through and thought: “This is mine“,…and tried my luck again.

The homeowners were looking for a single, mature, reliable house sitter and a cat lover. I was lucky enough to be at the right place and the right moment, and the perfect house sitter for them.

I replied to the advert, and I got a positive response within a short time. “How exciting”, I thought…My visualisation must have activated the “law of attraction“… I don’t know what happened, but the magic seemed to have worked for me.

A warm welcome is a good start for housesitting in Australia.

I couldn’t have found a better home for my first housesit. It had everything I was looking for to make me feel comfortable, have a pleasant stay, and at the same time feel confident in meeting all housesit requirements. These were, no doubt, my priorities!

I had arranged to meet up with the homeowners the day before. I was happy that Karen could pick me up and bring me home, where we spent the first evening together. Everything was perfect, from the warm welcome on the housedoor board to the vibrant atmosphere in the house.

Positive feelings, great music, a nice dinner with a lovely family of four plus one daughter’s friend, joined in their one-week holiday. I couldn’t have asked for more for my first house sit gig!

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Housesitting means feeling at home.

I spent a whole week on my own. The house was very comfortable and easy to run. Besides easy house chores like taking out the rubbish bins at night or collecting the post, I checked the pool was working fine, feeding Thomas, the lovely cat. I had plenty of time to look after my things, catch up with my writing, blogging and relax at the pool.

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Housesitting and cooking

Spending time in a real home is gold, as it is a rare occasion for preparing fresh food and keeping up with my healthy eating tips. I enjoyed my time housesitting, cooking my meals, and trying different things.

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Housesitting and meeting the neighbours

While I was housesitting in Mona Vale, north of Sydney, I was happy to catch up with the locals and get introduced to the lovely neighbourhood. I was invited over to meet their friends and cook dinner together. I was honoured to improvise a vegetarian and vegan salad for their guests.

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Housesitting in Australia while discovering Sydney’s surroundings

During my housesitting week, I went off exploring Mona Vale’s surroundings. I could borrow Pippa’s bike to cycle around the area, ride past the golf courses, and through green parks to Mona Vale beach and Bayview. Mona Vale is indeed a beautiful place in Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

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My housesits experience in Australia

In 2015 I had the opportunity to house-sit in Australia several times. In Perth’s surroundings and on the northern beaches, in a beautiful home overlooking the Indian ocean.

Overall, it has been a learning-by-doing-it experience. I have learnt many things crucial to getting suitable house sits in Australia.

These tips are for solo female travellers, especially for women travelling alone in Australia long-term and wanting to try something different in their solo trip.

Interested in housesitting? Check out the complete guide about housesitting in Australia.

I recommend signing up for the Aussie House Sitters Site.

Pin it for later!

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More Posts About Travelling to Australia on a budget:

Tips for Travelling Australia On A Budget

Tips for Solo Travel in Australia

How to Save Money on Accommodation

First published in 2014, last updated in Jan 2023

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