Where work counts: Australia's regional areas
Which postcodes count toward the 88 days, state by state, and why it is the workplace postcode that matters.
The rule in one line
Work only counts if it is done in a designated regional area. In practice: all of Australia except the big cities, with a few exceptions worth knowing before you sign anything.
It is not the industry that decides whether you are in a good area, and not the name of the town: it is the postcode.
The states that count entirely
Three states count everywhere: South Australia (postcodes 5000–5799), Tasmania (7000–7999) and the Northern Territory (0800–0899).
Work there and you have nothing to check: any postcode qualifies. That is worth weighing when you choose where to look.
The states where the city matters
In New South Wales everything counts except metropolitan Sydney. In Victoria everything except Melbourne. In Queensland everything except Brisbane and the Gold Coast. In Western Australia everything except metropolitan Perth.
The Australian Capital Territory — Canberra — is never regional.
Two that surprise people. Norfolk Island counts as regional New South Wales. And Rottnest Island, just 33 kilometres from Perth, is classified as remote: hotel and restaurant work there counts, while the same job in Margaret River, 270 kilometres away, does not. Distance from a city decides nothing; the classification does.
The mistake that voids everything
What counts is the postcode of the place you work, not the address of whoever pays you. If an agency based in Perth sends you to a farm in the Pilbara, the period is valid — but only if you can show where you actually worked.
The reverse is the dangerous case: a company registered in the country that has you working in the city earns you nothing.
That is why it helps when the workplace appears on the payslip, not just the company letterhead. If it does not, keep any other evidence: contract, rosters, messages.
Tourism and hospitality: a separate rule
The other industries count in any regional area. Tourism and hospitality do not: they count only in northern and remote Australia.
The same hotel job qualifies in Darwin or Broome and does not qualify in a regional Victorian town, however far from a city it is.
Check whether your area counts
Enter the workplace and the app tells you straight away whether that postcode counts toward the visa — before you travel there.
Check whether your area countsFAQ
How do I know whether a postcode is regional?
The official list is on the Department website, and the app checks it for you when you enter a workplace. The general rule is: everywhere except Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Perth and Canberra.
Does all of South Australia count?
Yes, all of it, Adelaide included. The same goes for Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
What if the company is in the city but I work in the country?
The period counts, because the workplace is what matters. You do need to be able to show it: try to get the work site on your payslip or contract.
Does hotel work in Cairns count?
Cairns is in tropical Queensland, inside northern Australia, so yes. The same job in a southern regional town would not.