Opinion: For some Gen Z backpackers like me, the Australian dream can become a nightmare

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Immigration

Opinion

For some backpackers like me, the Australian dream can become a nightmare

Clémence Sauvaget Journalist October 6, 2025 — 7.30pm

For years, young French travellers like me moved to London to chase our dreams, or to the United States to get a taste of life on the other side of the Atlantic.

But with London’s sluggish economy fuelling anti-immigration sentiment, and the US increasingly isolating itself from the outside world, the “Australian dream” is rapidly capturing the attention of Gen Zs.

To many young Europeans, Australia looks like a sunny land of opportunity where prosperity and work-life balance seem achievable.

On Instagram and TikTok, there are countless posts praising life in Australia. They show a tight-knit community of backpackers, a d