With the rising cost of living, most people are all in to find ways of earning extra money to pay their bills on time. However, finding a side hustle that suits you can be a hassle in many countries.
Luckily, Aussies have many side hustles and investment opportunities that could help them earn good money, even from the comfort of their home.
Blogging and YouTubing are some of Australia’s most lucrative side hustles. While these examples may need more time to pick up, they should be easy after a while.
Other options like freelance consulting and teaching soft skills at which you excel are more accessible alternatives and rewarding side business opportunities.
This post is for people looking for a side hustle that will not interfere with their traditional 9-to-5 job. The article has compiled a list of over 20 clever and lucrative ideas (online and offline) for making extra cash in Australia.
Why One Might Need a Side Hustle
People are increasingly exploring side hustle alternatives to supplement their income. According to reports, over 56% of all Americans were involved in supplemental income activity in 2021 alone.
And thanks to resourceful websites and educative YouTube channels, these figures are expected to shoot higher in the coming years.
There are thousands of reasons one could look for a side hustle that suits them—making extra money taking the first spot, of course. Here are the five main reasons you should try out one side hustle.
1. Gain Financial Freedom
An additional source of income, like a side hustle, can help you feel more secure financially. You can also bring in significantly more money each month, eliminating financial stressors like debt and saving some for emergencies. You can also save enough to invest in other lucrative income-earning opportunities like real estate.
2. Improve your Passion
Most people don’t realise how they can benefit financially from offering services on what they are good at. Today, small businesses pay good money to learn from people’s hobbies.
If you enjoy a significant following on platforms like Facebook and Tik Tok, you can also become an influencer and charge brands for endorsements.
3. Build a Portfolio
Side hustling might be a great way to gain experience in your field if you’re just starting. This is also true if you seek to break into a particular area but still need an appealing portfolio to demonstrate your abilities.
4. Utilise Free Time to Improve Your Skills
There could be more productive things to do with your spare time than sitting on the couch and staring at a screen. You may spend more time each week and make extra money by working on a side project.
You can use this time to acquire new knowledge, increase your earning potential, and fortify your self-assurance to become your best self.
5. Connect With New People
Finding a side gig that requires you to interact with others might be a great way to combat feelings of isolation.
You can increase the number of people you mingle with outside work by taking up a variety of side gigs. Sharing rides, walking dogs, doing odd jobs, and other similar activities are easy ways to meet new people and expand your social circle.
Australia’s Top 25 Side Hustles
Using the ideas below, along with some extreme thrift, you could pocket extra cash that could help you. This section is divided into lists, one for making money online and another for making money offline.
Top 15 Online Side Hustles in Australia
Australia is a great place to start looking for ways to earn money online. Here are the top 15 ways you could try!
1. Virtual Assistant
Working as a VA (virtual assistant) allows you to work from the comfort of your home while earning a competitive return.
You may get started immediately if you have the necessary skills, a computer, and strong internet. You can sign up on platforms like upwork and other reliable websites that connect you with clients from all over the globe.
2. Participate in Online Surveys
There are many excellent survey websites in Australia that you can participate in. However, you should do thorough homework and identify websites that pay good money for your survey services. Opinion World, Pureprofile, and the Octopus Group are some of the most reputable survey sites that pay visitors to participate in survey programs.
The three Australian survey websites pay regularly and in cash—through your bank accounts or PayPal address.
3. Try Swagbucks Videos
Swagbucks is a website that offers a variety of rewards in exchange for users engaging in activities on their site. You earn points by viewing clips and using their search engine (SE).
Besides introducing friends, completing surveys, and purchasing using their cashback incentives, there are many additional methods to earn on Swagbucks.
You will also receive $5 upon registration. It’s not a lot, but you can do it while relaxing at home.
4. Participate in Polls and Discussions With Toluna
The Toluna platform offers Aussies an excellent opportunity to make additional money. This site allows you can participate in polls and battle other users on different topics.
Traditional internet survey options are also available on Toluna. Users can cash out their reward points via PayPal, and there are also other voucher options.
However, Toluna users will have to wait longer to get their cash because there is often a lag before their points are credited to their accounts. Besides, you’ll only receive the points you earned after completing and evaluating the survey.
5. Offer Social Media Management Services
Social media managers, like VAs, handle various day-to-day operations of a company’s many social media accounts.
SMM jobs will help you generate extra cash from the comfort of your home. If you know how to rock on popular social platforms like Insta, many companies in and out of Australia are ready to pay handsomely for your services.
6. Look for Transcription Jobs
Aussies can make good extra money through transcribing audio files for companies. The beauty of transcription is you can complete the job from any location, provided you have a strong internet connection. Also, payments are made weekly, and you set your schedule.
You’ll need a quiet workplace and the ability to type quickly and precisely in the company’s prefered English (American, British, etc.). Transcription can be a breeze and a rewarding career if you meet those requirements.
You can utilise some online tools for transcribing. Some of the software can help you convert sound clips to text quickly. Australian transcriptionists typically earn anything from $0.36 to $0.47 per minute.
7. Tutor English Online
Tutoring English is growing in Australian freelancing. And it can be a good side hustle, thanks to the time difference between Australia and Asian countries like China.
With this job, you can set your hours and earn $30 for a 40-minute session.
Most of the classes happen in the evenings on weekdays. If you’re willing to put in the effort, you can make a significant amount of money on the weekends in addition to what you make during the week.
It’s preferred that you have a degree and teaching experience in addition to your native language proficiency. This will make you look more professional, earning you the trust of your clients.
8. Download and Install Money-Making Applications
Aussies have access to many legit money-making applications.
You can earn money by participating in various activities, including grocery scanning (with iRi Shopper or Homescan), taking part in online surveys, playing games, becoming a mystery shopper using iShop, and more.
9. Participate in Focus Groups (Online)
Respondent and User Interviews companies pay Aussies to participate in online focus groups. Both sites pay well in exchange for your ideas.
They are constantly recruiting people from all walks of life to participate in focus groups and make payments through PayPal.
While contributing to focus groups often takes more time than filling out a standard online survey, their compensation is much higher.
You’ll need to fill out a profile with information about your career and personal life. This will attract relevant offers. You can receive a bid of $65 per 45 minutes upon logging in.
Signing up doesn’t take much time or effort; you’ll need a PayPal email and the standard details, but that’s about it. The number of invitations you receive is proportional to how accurately you describe your work.
10. Start Your Blog
Aussies have a lot to gain from the thriving blogging industry, which offers a promising income opportunity for Internet enthusiasts.
For many people, blogging is the ideal job. Making money out of your passion for writing is a great way to do something you already enjoy doing. You have the option of working remotely and setting your hours.
However, making a breakthrough may be more complex than it is made to seem. The need for commercial skills of pro bloggers is often hidden from view.
But who said you have to be perfect from the start?
The practice of blogging can be beneficial to your life and job and also earn you extra cash. Also, you need almost any capital to get going.
11. Write Articles on Websites
If you can come up with a coherent phrase and are interested in working from home, try out writing for businesses.
Thousands of Australians, especially the younger population, earn good cash for their freelance writing services for online and print media. The ability to write persuasively is, in fact, among the most lucrative professions out there.
This niche allows you to make arrangements with your client and complete tasks in your free time. If you’re good enough, you can earn more than $10000 a month by crafting article pieces for businesses.
12. Start an eCommerce Website
Creating an eCommerce website can help you earn money online. Today, virtually anyone can launch an online store and immediately begin making a passive income.
Follow these steps to start a profitable eCommerce site:
- Find your target market, and then register a domain name.
- Search for the best hosting platform and pay for a subscription
- Launch your website
- Make a list of everything you’re selling
- Utilise Keyword Planner (from Google) to discover what is booming in the market
- Create engaging blog posts
- After getting a decent amount of organic traffic, register for affiliate programs.
Website builders like Shopify make it simple to launch an online store and begin making a profit from your online sales right now.
13. Sell Your Creations on Etsy
Etsy is ideal for individuals to display their handcrafted or antique items and creative materials. The site is a virtual mall where you can shop for anything, including handbags, clothes, jewellery, decorations, and furnishings!
Etsy could be a fantastic venue for you to sell your wares if you’re the artistic style. Aussies now have more opportunities to earn extra cash using this platform.
14. Launch your YouTube channel
Image Source- Instagram
Over two billion individuals use YouTube monthly, making it an excellent venue to monetise your talent. Ads on YouTube become profitable once you’ve already built up a sizable viewership, so finding another way to monetise your content while you wait is wiser. YouTube offers a plethora of revenue-generating opportunities beyond merely displaying advertisements.
Alongside your regular employment, a YouTube channel is an excellent option for those who want to try their hands at something new, exciting, and imaginative in their spare time. You can generate extra cash on YouTube in various ways other than just using Adsense.
15. Start a Podcast
Online podcasting may be a fun and lucrative way to share your love of conversation and storytelling with the world. Making money while simultaneously providing joy for people in Australia or elsewhere is a no-brainer. You can charge listeners to subscribe to your podcast channel if you have a large following.
Getting noticed among the sea of podcasts that now dominate platforms like Spotify, SoundCloud, and iTunes can take time and effort. That being said, all it takes is a dash of creativity to see that this isn’t rocket science – just consider how popular memes have become.
16. Become an Online Consultant
Online consulting is a great way to make extra money and work from home. You would be shocked to learn how many individuals are ready to pay for your expert advice. Many think that their knowledge is insufficient, but they’re often wrong as they could make a massive difference to someone else.
An online consulting job occasionally pays more than writing papers or sitting in conferences, so don’t limit yourself to only those activities.
You can find a wide variety of internet venues where you can promote your offerings. The business-oriented communities on social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook are only two examples.
Top offline Side Hustles in Australia
Now that you know the best ways to make extra cash online, it’s time to learn how to make money offline. This may be hard because some may need your physical presence to succeed. But with continuously advancing technologies, almost everything can be made a bit easier.
16. Sign Up for Amazon Flex
Amazon Flex is offering Aussies a new way of making extra cash. You’ll fill out an application form and get approved on this platform before becoming a Delivery Partner.
Once hired, you’ll have four hours to pick up products from the store and transport them to their designated area. However, you must meet a few thresholds: be at least 20 years, have a clean criminal record check, have a four-door vehicle, and have a smartphone.
As a subcontractor, you’ll need to get an ABN because you’ll be handling your taxes. The system is quite open and honest, even though payment rates change depending on variables like time and the day.
The Amazon Flex application will notify you how long a block will take and how much it will cost before accepting it, and the fees are reasonable, though they vary by region and demand.
17. Register for Focus Groups and Market Research
Participating in focus groups across Australia might be an excellent way to earn extra money. These meetings are popular in Australia’s central business district (CBD) and elsewhere.
Simply search the internet for “focus groups and the local city” to find out how to sign up. Some people have been paid more than a hundred dollars for an afternoon of sharing their ideas.
18. Become an Airbnb Host
You can always turn your house into a hotel regardless of its location. Today, Airbnb is among the most well-liked alternatives to having a memorable holiday.
When you’re not using your property personally, you can earn money by renting it out to visitors through the Airbnb program. There is potential for significant gains. Renting out a few rooms or even your entire home through an online platform is a great way to make extra money and introduce yourself to a wide range of people and civilisations.
19. Sell Items You No-Longe Use
One approach to alleviating stress is to declutter your home. Plus, it might be an excellent supplement to your income if you can sell products online. According to data compiled by one study, an average Australian home could gain $5,800 by selling just 19 used household items, such as furniture, appliances, clothing, and technology.
Listing an item for auction on eBay is free unless you select a subscription upgrade, such as listing in additional categories. For each item sold on eBay, you’re charged a final value fee equal to a proportion of the product’s final price (including shipping and handling costs) and $0.30 per order.
After signing up for eBay and going through the verification process, you can post an ad immediately.
20. Rent Out Your Car
Many car hire websites offer Aussies in Melbourne, Sydney, or Brisbane a great way to make extra money by renting their cars.
This will be ideal if you rarely use your car, say you can only drive it on weekends. Many car hiring applications in Australia can help you find people who need cars. Car Next Doo, for example, is currently offering a terrific deal where they promise you will make $2,000 under one year if you adhere to their guidelines.
However, some platforms will need you and your car to meet some standards. For example, your vehicle must be in good shape and have a mileage of fewer than 150,000 kilometres.
21. Rent Out Your Car
Do you have an extra space in your parking space? If so, use some apps like Parkable to rent out your parking spot and make some additional cash.
Compensation is highest in prime downtown areas, but outskirts and regions close to significant events or commercial hubs can still be lucrative.
22. Rent Out Your Car
There is a market for handmade goods; if you have artistic abilities, you may make a living by producing and selling them.
You can sell your handcrafted wares at your local market or deliver them to buyers you meet online.
23. Distribute Posters and Flyers
There are always organisations and functions looking for volunteers to distribute fliers at popular locations or to take them out at residents’ doorways. You get to pick and select the jobs that work for you because the hours are flexible and rely on what you’re pushing.
If you’re going to be handing out flyers in person, you should have some basic understanding of the company or product you’re marketing so you can field inquiries from the general public. You will get paid by the number of flyers delivered or hourly. While it may not be the most exciting employment, it is a simple way to earn extra cash over the weekends.
Jobs distributing flyers are often posted on sites such as Gumtree, Seek, and Airtasker, or you may sign up with a firm like Salmat.
Walk some pooches
24. Walking Dogs
Walking dogs is a fun and rewarding way to make extra money and stay in shape. The bonus is adorable canine companions. Place an ad on Gumtree or MadPaws. Fees start at about $20 for a dog every hour.
25. Become a Photographer
You can make a little extra cash by charging people for photography services. You can sell work in online image galleries and personal portfolios. This will be a great side hustle because you can do it on weekends or schedule the perfect time with your clients.
Is Side Hustle Profitable?
A successful side business can provide a six-figure income and transform your career and life.
And generally, all that is needed is the same amount of time you would otherwise spend watching TV or scrolling through media sites like Insta, Twitter, WhatsApp, or Facebook. There is more than one technique to make extra money; instead, you can choose based on your availability, comfort level with risk, and financial goals.
In addition, exploring one topic can pave the way for others. Many folks get their feet wet with one thing, only to discover an even better chance elsewhere and switch gears.
Because of these benefits, it’s clear that having a side gig is a good idea.
