I will probably stay only for one year, and keep my second year visa for later, if I want to come back in a few years. Even if I really enjoy Australia, there are so many other places I want to see. And the sooner the better.
Before my arrival, I saved up 3000€ for my trip, and after 3 months I still have around 1000€. But you can come with less than that if you look for a job sooner than me.
Opening a ban account in Australia is really easy, you don't have to do it from France imo. You just have to go to the bank and present your passport, ID, driver licence and an Australian phone number (I bought a Telstra prepaid sim card when I arrived), and boom, 5 days later, you can come back to the bank to receive your debit card.
For my backpack, I choose to travel light. Really light. My objective is to be able to travel on plane with only a carry-on luggage. So I bought
> this < (the 35L version, not even the big one !). Travelling so light requires some organisation and a few sacrifices, but I'm fine with it, and this backpack is really good.