'It's quite similar here': Warrnambool seaside draws in French worker

She arrived in Australia in mid-November 2023, making Melbourne her first port of call.

"I was looking for a job there but it was busy and if you don't have a lot of experience it's quite hard," Ms Schmitt said.

"I looked on the internet at the cities three hours away from Melbourne, I found Warrnambool and I thought it was a nice place."

Ms Schmitt said living in Warrnambool was similar to being back home in La Londe-les-Maures, a commune an hour from Saint-Tropez.

"In the summer it's really busy there but in the winter it's completely dead, there's nothing much to do because it's on the coast," she said.

"We rely on the tourists, so I think it's quite similar to here."

Ms Schmitt is one of a number of international workers filling staff shortages in the south-west.

Within a week of arriving in Warrnambool she secured two jobs - one at Warrnambool's Images Restaurant and the other at Cafe Lava.

"I was really happy because I'd spent quite a lot of money in Melbourne when I wasn't working," Ms Schmitt said.

She said it was nice to help fill the gap in staff shortages.

"Because I work at the cafe and the restaurant there are a lot of locals," Ms Schmitt said.

"They come in quite a few times per week.

"It's really nice to meet them and learn from everyone.

"They're all curious about where I'm from, it's like a game 'where is your accent from?'."

Ms Schmitt came to Australia after five years of switching between living in England and France. During one of her stints back home she studied childcare.

She will remain in Warrnambool until January 30, 2024, when her family joins her in Australia for a holiday.