When you arrive, you are going to be very busy, converting from your previous defence mentality and training to a new one. There are new digital systems, weapons, fleet, comms, processes and more to master. You will attend dozens of courses, likely in another state from where you’re based. There is annual mandatory online training, often done in your personal time. From the day you drive to the marksmanship range in February you won’t stop till the end of October. Manpower issues often mean you’re doing two jobs. Tasks and manning change last minute constantly. Every bit of white space in your diary will fill up with your ‘letter of offer’ courses.

For my first 2 years, I never made weekend plans with my family until Friday, I was still unsure if I would be working or on duty over Saturday and Sunday.

Please don’t over think all of that, it’s not doom and gloom, it’s a great learning curve and sets you up for a future in a well-paid force with excellent perks. Your work-life balance will improve in time.

What I do want you to take from it is, how little you will be using your Mercedes SLK, brand new campervan, motorbike, jet ski or other depreciative asset in your first few years. 

Talk with the people your finance plans or spending habits affect, work out what is sufficient to get to work, kids to school, get the shopping and mini break a few hours away using a bitumen highway. 

Note: Unless you’re an outback trucker, you’re not likely to drive on long red dirt roads to cattle ranches or mines. Even the roads to the National Park car parks are bitumen, roads have come a long way in the last decade. A 2WD SUV or small car is sufficient to get you most places.