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Days
Everything we talked about on the call, in one place. Your visa, flights, getting the trade recognised, job leads, bank, phone and the lot. I'll keep adding to this as things land.
You and Richard fly out in September on Working Holiday visas, land in Brisbane, get set up, get the pipefitting tickets recognised, and get straight into work through my network of Irish tradies over here. Everything below breaks down exactly how.
Targeting the week of 21 September 2026. Flexible until flights are booked, so no stress on the exact day yet.
Tommy Flynn and Richard Murphy (24), both freshly qualified pipefitters. Possibly two more of the boys following next year.
Brisbane is the target, city if we can. We'll let the job offers pull you wherever the work is best, too.
Everything that needs doing, split into before you fly, when you land, and your first few weeks. Tap to tick — it saves on this device so you can come back to it.
Each thing we talked about, with a bit more context so you know what it is, roughly what it costs, and who's handling it. Anything marked Jack is on me to sort or help with.
You're both on the Working Holiday visa, subclass 417 — the standard route for young Irish coming to Australia (Ireland uses the 417, not the 462). Applications already lodged ✅. It gives you a 12-month stay with full work rights, and the real long-term plan is to stack the 2nd and 3rd year extensions to stay up to three years.
Both you and Richard need a CV to put in front of employers. Nothing fancy needed — get me an old one or just jot the details on paper and I'll build proper ones for the pair of you.
The timing on this couldn't be better. I've spent the last while building websites for a few Irish mates in Brisbane who run their own trade companies — one in steel fabrication, another doing flood walls, and a couple more. Between the three of them, they know everyone who's anyone in Brisbane for trades. And they owe me a favour.
Straight talk: Brisbane rentals are tight right now — vacancy is about 0.9% and it's normal to see 20–30 applications per place. Coming in with no Aussie rental history or payslips, going straight for your own lease in September will be hard. So the play is: land soft at mine, start in a sharehouse, then get your own place once you've a few payslips behind you.
You're grabbing a newer phone (thinking iPhone 14 or similar — the 11 wouldn't take the eSIM last time). I'll make sure you've got an Australian eSIM loaded before you take off, so you land with a local number in your name.
We'll sort this when you land — no need to fuss with it beforehand. Walk into a Commonwealth Bank (CommBank) branch with your passport and set it up on the spot. CommBank's the one to go with of the big banks here.
Ireland has a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia, so as an Irish citizen you can enrol in Medicare for medically necessary care while you're here. Not every backpacker gets this — you do.
Good news — you can just drive on your valid Irish licence the whole time you're on the Working Holiday visa. It's in English, so no international permit or translation needed. Nothing to do here unless you go permanent.
Your Australian tax ID. Without one, an employer has to withhold tax at the top 47% rate — with it, working-holiday makers pay 15% on the first $45,000. Get it in your first week.
Australia's pension system. On top of your wage, your employer must pay 12% (the current Super Guarantee rate) into a super fund in your name — it's extra money, not out of your pay.
The general construction induction card (unit CPCCWHS1001) — legally required before you set foot on any construction site in Australia. Essential for pipefitting work, so get it sorted in your first week.
You hold the Irish SOLAS apprenticeship / QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Craft – Pipefitting — a full four-year, time-served craft trade, not a short course. It broadly maps to an Australian Certificate III trade. Crucially it's a pipefitting trade (industrial/mechanical-services pipework), which is a different thing to plumbing here — and that actually works in your favour: pipefitting isn't a licensed trade in Queensland, so you can get straight to work.
Tommy Flynn is a fully qualified pipefitter, trade-certified in Ireland through a four-year SOLAS apprenticeship (QQI Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Craft – Pipefitting, broadly equivalent to an Australian Certificate III trade). His background is industrial and mechanical-services pipework — fabricating, welding, installing, bending, jointing, pressure-testing and maintaining piping systems from drawings, on sites such as construction, process/chemical plants, power generation and marine. He's arranging formal recognition through Trades Recognition Australia and will hold a Queensland White Card. He suits mechanical services pipefitter / pipe fabricator / pipe welder roles and works comfortably alongside boilermakers and fabricators.
Job titles he suits: Pipefitter · Mechanical Services Pipefitter · Industrial/Process Pipefitter · Pipe Fabricator · Industrial Pipe Welder (if welding tickets back it)
Sectors to target: mechanical services (HVAC/process) · mining & resources · oil, gas & LNG (Gladstone/Curtis Island) · pipe-spool fabrication shops · power & water treatment · food & beverage/breweries · marine
Here's the good bit — the trade pays well here, and it's in demand. Wages come in two tiers: solid money working around Brisbane, and a big step up in mining / FIFO / oil & gas. As a brand-new arrival you'll start in Brisbane and build toward the FIFO money once you've got Australian experience and welding tickets behind you.
| Brisbane / metro | Mining / FIFO / oil & gas | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical hourly | $45–$60/hr (casual $40–$52) | $60–$80/hr (coded welders $55–$71+) |
| Annual (realistic) | $90K–$135K+ with OT | $130K–$185K roster-dependent |
| New-arrival start | $85K–$115K casual + OT | Harder to land day one — needs tickets + local experience |
| Extras | Overtime, weekend penalties | Site/living-away allowances, camp + flights + meals covered, bonuses |
| Trade-offs | Home nightly, steadier | Remote, long swings, 12-hr shifts, time away |
There's no truly direct run from Ireland to Australia — every option is one stop through a hub. Book a return (cheaper than one-way, and usually required), set the return leg at the maximum ~12 months out, and put it on a changeable fare so you can move it later when you plan a trip home. The Emirates EK162 departing Dublin 14:20 that you spotted is the real, well-timed option.
| Routing | Journey | Return price (EUR)* |
|---|---|---|
| Emirates DUB–DXB–BNE | ~22–24h · Dubai stop · EK162 dep 14:20 | ~€1,300–1,600 |
| Qatar DUB–DOH–BNE | ~22–24h · Doha stop | ~€1,300–1,700 |
| Singapore Airlines DUB–SIN–BNE | ~24–26h · Singapore stop | ~€1,400–1,800 |
Because Ireland has that reciprocal deal, Medicare covers your big public-hospital risk — so you don't need expensive private hospital cover (OVHC). What you do want is a long-stay backpacker/working-holiday travel policy to plug the gaps Medicare leaves: repatriation, ambulance, dental, GP visits, baggage/gadgets and cancellation. The 417 visa doesn't legally require insurance, but going without would be daft.
| Provider | Best for | Rough price |
|---|---|---|
| True Traveller | Top pick — EU/Irish eligible, strong medical + repatriation, extend while abroad | ~£150–300 / 12 mths |
| BackpackerTravel Insurance.ie | Irish policy, bundles ambulance + repatriation, up to 2 years in one buy | from €257.50 / yr |
| SafetyWing | Budget, rolling monthly — good if the end date's unknown | ~US$45–60 / 4 wks |
| nib / Bupa (OVHC) | Mostly duplicates Medicare for you — skip it | ~AU$53–75 / mo |
Newly qualified pipefitter. Flying in from Ireland, up for wherever the work takes him.
Same qualification, travelling out with Tommy, looking for the same pipefitting work.
You focus on the visa, the flights and getting Richard's details to me. This lot is on my side — I've done the run before for the other lads and Dan, so it's a well-worn path.