Australia was the top choice of destination for British gap year travellers last year, according to an industry expert.

The Australian Visa Bureau reported that a record 37,400 working holiday visas were awarded to Brits aged between 18 and 30 last year, and that this year is set to be no different.

Australia’s popularity is hardly surprising, as a working holiday Down Under offers the best of all worlds: volunteer travel specialist i-to-i’s year-long working holidays combine experiencing life in Australia’s stunning outback, either on conservation projects or on a ranch, with expert help in a getting a job to fund even more adventures in this amazing country.

Guy Bradley, director of the Australian Visa Bureau, said: “The beauty of an Australian working holiday is that it is the true spirit of adventure, of freedom and an opportunity to make of it whatever you wish.”

Both i-to-i’s Working holiday and conservation volunteer experience and Working holiday and outback ranch experience epitomise this spirit of adventure. Both trips start in Sydney – a glamorous cocktail of legendary surf beaches, buzzing street cafes and hedonistic night-life. In between sightseeing, travellers get plenty of expert help in finding that all-important first job – they’re set up with a one-to-one meeting with a job specialist, given help with sorting out tax file numbers and bank accounts, and have 12 months’ access to a job placement service. There’s also a mail holding service, essential for getting that first pay cheque!

Depending on how travellers want to spend their year Down Under, they can head off to take part in their chosen project in the beautiful wilderness of the outback at any point during their trip – after their first week of getting settled in Sydney, as a break after a few months of working, or even right at the end of their year in Australia.

Those taking part in i-to-i’s outback ranch experience are given a unique chance to discover Australia’s outback lifestyle while training as a ranch hand on a busy cattle and sheep station near Bingara. Travellers live like Aussie cowboys (or cowgirls!) as they get involved in all kinds of wild activities, including horse riding, whip-cracking, sheep shearing and roping!

Meanwhile, those who want to help preserve Australia’s beautiful natural environment can choose to volunteer for a week at one of 20 conservation projects across Australia on the conservation volunteer experience. Not only will travellers be able to see some of Australia’s hidden natural beauties, they’ll be able to help conserve them too, as they get involved in anything from tree planting to habitat restoration.

On both trips, volunteers are not only given the chance to not only immerse themselves in the laid-back Aussie way of life, but also to fund further travel around Australia as they work: people often get jobs for five or six months to raise some cash, then spend the rest of their time in-country experiencing some of Australia’s highlights, including the mystical beauty of Uluru, Kakadu National Park, Fraser Island’s gorgeous white beaches and the incredible Great Barrier Reef.

Alison Doody, 24, who did just that, said: “I worked as a customer services officer in Sydney for 5 months, ensuring I had a good bit of money to do all the things I wanted up the coast, snorkelling, scuba diving, a sky dive, white water rafting, Fraser Island, sailing the Whitsundays etc…

“All in all I have to say that the lifestyle in Australia is so relaxed, the people are friendly, and there seems to be a genuine respect between backpackers and locals.”

Working holidays in Australia with i-to-i (excluding flights) start from just £595. Those who want more information about gap years in Australia should visit http://www.i-to-i.com/australia-and-new-zealand/ or call i-to-i’s travel experts on 0800 093 1505.

Have you been on a gap year in Australia - what did you think of it?

• australia
• travel
• Down Under
• Oz
• volunteer abroad
• career break
• conservation
• adventure