To enter Australia a valid passport is required and, unless you are a New Zealander, you will need a visa. This can be obtained in advance from an Australian consular office abroad or, if you are an American travelling by Qantas, you can obtain one from the airline s offices in Los Angeles or San Francisco.
Extensions requested from within Australia can be costly.
Furthermore, the amount of time you plan to spend in the country is not entirely at your own discretion. Embassy officials might limit your time if you appear unsavoury in their eyes. A return ticket and sufficient funds are also required, although the meaning of the latter is clearly debatable. It permits casual rather than full-time employment, meaning that you are only supposed to work for three of the twelve months. Visa extensions can take a long time to obtain and may be surrounded by lengthy procedures so apply as early as possible.