FIFO in Australia: how Fly-In Fly-Out mining work works

Your roster is the on/off pattern. Common ones are written as ratios, for example 2/1 (two weeks on, one week off), 2/2, 8/6 or 4/3. Shifts on site are long, often around twelve hours, and usually run every day of the swing.

Rosters differ between companies and sites, and the roster you can get often depends on the role and the employer rather than your preference.

Western Australia is the largest and most accessible FIFO mining region in the country, and Perth is its base. It's the operational headquarters of most major WA mining companies, and recruiters and charter flights run from there. Queensland and South Australia also have FIFO work, but ticket requirements and contacts vary.

For someone arriving from overseas, Perth is the practical place to land and base yourself while you get set up.

On site you get a single room (often called a donga) with a bed, air conditioning and usually an ensuite. Meals are provided in the mess. Camps typically have a gym and a recreation area, and many sites are dry, with random drug and alcohol testing as standard.

The rhythm is work, eat, sleep, repeat, with limited privacy and the same faces for the whole swing. Some people settle into it quickly. Others find the first few rosters hard.

FIFO tends to work for people who are physically fit, comfortable being away from home for weeks, self-directed with their downtime, and clear about why they're doing it, usually to save hard during a defined period.

• It's demanding if you rely on a daily routine at home, a partner or family that needs you present, or a strong need for personal space.
• Isolation, monotony and the adjustment between "site mode" and "home mode" are real. The mining industry has historically been poor at talking about the mental-health side.
• Good, safety-focused English is essential. You have to understand instructions and raise concerns clearly.

The broad sequence from Europe is: confirm a visa that lets you work, budget for the flight and your first weeks, then arrive in Perth and work through the admin (SIM, bank account, Tax File Number, health cover).

After that come the mandatory site tickets, an Australian-format resume, and registering with recruitment agencies. The FIFO Jobs page covers that part, and the guide covers all of it in order.