By Zara Brown
For many backpackers, Port Douglas is a stop on an Australian adventure. But for the cafes, restaurants and dessert bars that line its streets, they can become much more than passing travellers.
They become familiar faces behind the counter, experienced members of a team and an important part of keeping local businesses running.
Now, as uncertainty surrounding visa arrangements raises questions about their future, businesses are left wondering what the town might look like without them.
For Origin Espresso owner Neo Yang, the uncertainty is already being felt.
“We are in a remote area so it’s very hard to find a workforce here,” Yang says.
With some of his overseas employees already considering leaving due to uncertainty surrounding their visas, Yang risks losing experienced staff in an industry where finding replacements can be difficult.
He says the uncertainty is already taking a toll on his small business, which he expects will be “highly impacted” by the potential changes.
“I’m already feeling a big change in my business,” Yang says.
In Port Douglas, where finding staff can be challenging, the contribution of backpackers becomes particularly noticeable during the busy tourist season.
At Capannina dessert bar, worker Tommaso Bolignano has seen firsthand how much businesses rely on them when visitor numbers rise.
“During the busy season…backpackers are vital,” Tommaso said.
“I’ve been working here since March last year, and I never saw a resume from a local besides from “the 14- to 16-year-old locals …..a huge amount of resumes were from the backpackers.”
By helping fill staffing gaps during the busy season, backpackers allow businesses such as Capannina to keep running while gaining work experience and exploring Australia themselves.
Paddy’s worker Sophie Byrne said changes to the visa system could deter young overseas working looking for a long-term stint in Port Douglas.
“I think it’s really going to impact places like here, because this place is run on backpackers. Everyone that serves everyone is backpackers,” she said.
Paddy’s HR/payroll manager Wayne Missingham said backpackers were “absolutely essential” to the local workforce.
“All of our businesses operate with networking holiday visas, so I think it’s obviously a hot topic at the moment,” Wayne said.
“They run our business effectively and without them we will be in a bit of trouble I think so I hope that the government do reconsider.”
And while the future of visa arrangements remains uncertain, the value of backpackers to Port Douglas is already clear.
They come for the adventure, but while they are here, they help make Port Douglas the kind of place people want to visit, work in and return to.
For a town built on welcoming people from near and far, backpackers are more than temporary workers. They are part of what makes Port Douglas special — and their contribution is worth celebrating.
