minimum financial requirements?

Does anyone have any insight as to how firm australian customs is on this subject? I've read that they require a minimum of 5000 aussie dollars before they will grant you access to the country. I have also heard that they may or may not check this and depending on your situation might and might tend to be more lenient if your not planning on staying for very long. Any input is muuuch appreciated!

It completely depends on what visa you're entering on, whether you have a return ticket, how you present yourself and a bunch of other things. There are literally hundreds of threads on this topic on Travbuddy, so I encourage you to have a look there.

What if I where to arrive at customs with little to no money, and a working holiday visa? I'm a relatively novice traveller, and am sorta worried about whether or not they let me in

From the Australian immigration page on working holiday visas:
"You must have access to sufficient funds to support yourself for the initial stage of your holiday. Generally, AUD5000 may be regarded as sufficient, but the amount may vary depending on your length of stay and the extent of your travel. You should also have a return or onward ticket or the funds for a fare to depart Australia.

You may be asked to provide evidence. Evidence may include a certified copy of a bank statement and an air ticket out of Australia."

Now, you should realise that these are the requirements of the visa. However, I know of exactly no one who has has their bank statements checked. And also, no one who has been asked to show evidence of a return ticket. I myself entered Australia twice while on a WHV without any return/onward flights, and did not have my bank balance checked.


So, really, as long as you approach the border looking respectable and with an good idea of what your plan is, you should be fine getting in with very little money....

that being said.... Australia is an EXPENSIVE country. Food (even in the form of groceries), drinks, accommodation, travel, activities, etc. I would strongly advise against showing up with no money and expecting to get a job right away and make enough to live and travel off of. I can tell you many stories of people who have done this, and had to go home after only a month or so because they ran out of money. It can be difficult to get a job right away, and it can be very easy to blow through all your money and then some very quickly. Also, what will you do if you don't even make enough money to buy a return ticket home, and you run out of money to live off of, and still haven't found a job? Having done it myself, I tend to agree with the Australian immigration department that $5000 is a good amount of money to be starting out with.