Upvote:1
In principle, you should apply in your country of residence. Coming to France to work can also be difficult. As far as I know, your future employer needs to make a special request to the authorities before applying for the visa. Just coming to France hoping to find work is not generally legally possible.
You said you are an Australian resident but wouldn't a UK youth mobility scheme visa for a year be enough to make you a UK resident for this purpose? That would enable you to apply at France's consulates in the UK. I would just stress the fact that my UK visa allows me to come back there, avoid presenting myself as an Australian resident and just see if the consulate is OK with it.
If you are an Australian citizen, you might also want to consider a βwork holiday visaβ. This would allow you to come to France and look for work but there are some conditions and I am not sure if you can apply for it from outside your country of origin.