Home Fruit Picking seasons Australia – Calendar 2024

Fruit Picking seasons Australia – Calendar 2024

If you want to find a fruit picking job in Australia, itโ€™s important to check the Australian fruit picking calendar and know the times of the year for different harvests. Australia is a huge country with very distinct climates and seasons. If you arrive in the South in the middle of winter, for example, you will find very few opportunities for harvesting. To give you a good overview of the fruit picking seasons in Australia, we have put together a harvest calendar, compiled state by state. The boxes in light pink indicate the months of the year when the demand for labour is “average”. The boxes in dark pink indicate the months when demand for labour is “high”. This makes it really convenient to plan your fruit picking adventure, whether you’re looking to complete your regional work for your Working Holiday Visa, hoping to fund a road trip, or just in need of a new job.

DEMAND FOR WORKERS: HIGH

DEMAND FOR WORKERS: AVERAGE

New South Wales

Busiest season

In New South Wales (NSW), the best time to find farm work is from November to April. The peak of the season is in February. NSW is a major fruit and vegetable producing region, and one of the best places in the country to find seasonal farm work!

Main harvests

The main products of New South Wales are orchard fruits, cherries, grapes, oranges and bananas (Coffs Harbour) but also asparagus, onions, corn, pulses, wheat and rice.
You will also find nut harvesting work as well as the cultivation of hay, wool and cotton. In addition, NSW has a large cattle industry and you can find work here on cattle and sheep ranches. The season starts from April.

Best areas to find a farm job

There are well-defined areas where you will find many farms and therefore more farm job opportunities. These include the east-central area, around Bathurst, as well as Griffith, which has the third largest population in the famous Riverina agricultural region.

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Northern Territory

Busiest season

The Northern Territory is very large, but there is a well-defined farming region in the state. There are two distinct seasons during the year.
May to October is melon growing and picking season, and October to November is the best time to pick mangoes, bananas and citrus fruits.

Best areas to find a farm job

You will find all the farms around the towns of Darwin and Katherine. Look no further!

Queensland

Busiest season

In Queensland, the harvest period is mostly from December to March, but you can also find farm work outside of these months in some areas. From May to December, many fruits and vegetables are grown in Bowen (south of Cairns), especially mangoes at the end of the year.

Main harvests

The main products harvested in Queensland are bananas, mangoes, sugar cane, orchard fruits and vegetables.

Best areas to find a farm job

Head to Bowen for mango harvesting. A few hundred kilometres to the north are Ayr and Ingham. There, you can find a job picking sugar cane, tobacco or bananas. If you go even further north, to Tully, many bananas are harvested there. Near Warwick, in the far south-east of Queensland, you will find orchard and stone fruits as well as grapes. On the south central coast (Bundaberg and Childers), many varieties of fruits and vegetables are also harvested. That being said, watch out for scams on this side of the state!

As you can see, a multitude of farmhouses dot the entire Queensland coast, from Stanthorpe in the south to the Atherton Tablelands in the north. More than 120 varieties of fruits and vegetables are picked and packaged each year. Beans, tomatoes, citrus fruits, bananas, mangoes, orchard fruits, cotton and wool share the stage.

South Australia

Busiest season

February to April is the busiest season for farm work in South Australia. You can find work throughout the year here but this period is really the best!

Best areas to find a farm job

Go to Barossa Valley (75km north of Adelaide), the oldest wine region in the country, for grape picking. Otherwise, it is easy to find farms in the Riverland area, on the banks of the Murray River. Citrus fruits (in winter) and red fruits (in summer) such as strawberries or raspberries are the flagship fruits of the region.

Tasmania

Busiest season

The harvest season extends from December to June.

Main harvests

Tasmania is all about apples. The island is full of orchards, which make it the main crop of this state. You will be surprised to learn that this small island produces nearly 1/5 of Australia’s apples, i.e. 55,000 tonnes/year. Amazing! These apples are used to make juice and cider. Many producers share the market. The main fruits for which labour is needed in Tasmania are: orchard fruits, berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries), grapes and also hops.

Best areas to find a farm job

The main agricultural region in Tasmania is the Huon region (Huon Valley, Huonville) located south of Hobart. Besides that, there is no real agricultural centre here – it is possible to find work all over Tasmania.

Victoria

Busiest season

In the state of Victoria, the high season is in full swing from November to April, peaking in February.

Main harvests

Orchard fruits, berries, grapes, tomatoes and tobacco are the main harvests here. There are also stone fruit harvests, and grapes!

Best areas to find a farm job

Although Victoria is smaller than some other states in Australia, that doesn’t mean that jobs are harder to find! On the contrary, several areas in Victoria bring together farms and fields each year in search of many workers. The Murray River region and the city of Shepparton, located in the north central part of the state, have farms as far as the eye can see. You will also find plenty of jobs in places like Mildura and Swan Hill.
Cobram is renowned for its stone fruit varieties. Finally, in the heart of the Yarra Valley (40km northeast of Melbourne), you will find more than 80 vineyards and wineries. Grape picking is king here! This is also the case in the Highlands, which are home to many vineyards.

Western Australia

Busiest season

In Western Australia, there are two very distinct harvesting seasons, spread out across two different areas. October to June is harvest time in the southwestern part of Western Australia, for picking apples, pears and grapes. From March to November, it is on the west coast or in the northeast (around Kununurra) that the majority of the harvest takes place.

Main harvests

Apples and pears are the main crops here, as well as lemons, soft fruits (strawberries, cherries and other berries), tomatoes, avocados, pumpkins and potatoes.

Best areas to find a farm job

Depending on the time of year, head to the South West of Western Australia, to the West Coast or the North East. On the coast, jobs in picking are becoming rarer than inland and are giving way to the fishing sector. Raising shrimps, crayfish, collecting scallops…These are other activities in which you may be interested. These breeding farms are located between Fremantle and Carnarvon.

Map of the best harvesting areas in Australia

Here is a map of Australia showing the best seasons for fruit picking. You can use it as a guide for your next road trip if you want to do some farm work.

Be aware that harvests may have been affected by recent climatic events (cyclones hit northern Queensland in early 2024).

Practical information

Necessary equipment

  • Clothes and shoes: Do not take belongings that are important to you to the farms, because they will most likely end up dirty, torn or covered in mud!
  • Long sleeved top and long pants
  • Waterproof clothing in case of rain
  • Suncream (apply several times per day)
  • Hat and Sunglasses: Ideally an old, inexpensive pair that you don’t really care about – they risk getting scratched.
  • Gloves: To avoid injury and protect you from various insects, animals (snakes, spiders, etc.) and thorns.
  • Bottles of water: Bring enough water to last you all day – it’s really important to stay hydrated!
  • Small snack: In addition to your lunch, it’s good to have a snack on hand just in case.

Finding a job in fruit picking – our tips

Here are some practical tips to help you get started:

To find potential employers, you can use job websites, social media groups, or visit farms directly. You can also use the farm contacts provided in our free PDF guide. Many farms prefer to hire workers in person. Visit local farms and inquire about available positions. Also, don’t hesitate to talk to other travellers or seasonal workers to get recommendations on where to find work and share useful information.

Be prepared to travel; if you land a job, you may need to travel a bit ๐Ÿ™‚. Having a vehicle will make your job search easier.

Be prepared for physical work. Fruit picking can be physically demanding, so be ready for long workdays and physical tasks.

Make sure you have the necessary equipment (mentioned above) to start any new job.

Finally, job hunting in fruit picking can take time. Be patient and persevere.

4.7/5 - (39 votes)

15 COMMENTS

  1. I’m interested to seasonal work in Australia,
    But I’m living in france would it be possible?
    I much of Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne because I was working with Signs Publishing Company in Warburton Melbourne,

    Thank you and hope to hear from you

    Peo Soma

  2. I’m so interested but it’s hard to apply because I’m from the philippines and can’t apply offshore..need a working visa but here in the Philippines we need to look for sponsorship farm work..but it’s that not easy..

  3. Hi Sir am looking for a fruit picking Jobs
    That will operate in November onwards this year to next year 2024
    I am a Pick for strawberry farm Hoticulture Strawberry in Bullsbrook WA
    Hoticulture Strawberry farmer will close on December so Visa is valid for 9months .
    I am checking on which farms I can work with for 3 remaining months thankyou and wait for your reply

  8. Hello, my partner and I are due to arrive in Perth WA in early Nov 2024. We have a WHV and wondering what is the best approach to land a harvesting job? Also, what harvest is the most prevalent during this time of year in Perth?

    Thank you in advance ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Hi Rose,
      Landing a harvesting job in Perth with a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) in early November is a great choice as you’ll be arriving just in time for several seasonal harvests (lychees, mangoes, loquats, avocados…) You can use resources like Workforce Australia’s Harvest Trail and job boards and also our Fruit picking map to find and secure a harvesting job in Perth. ๐Ÿ™‚

  9. Hello, I am an international student who has a non-study semester from November to April which i have full working rights. Currently in Melbourne. Kindly seeking assistance in finding work during that time.Please advise

    • Hi there, it depends on what kind of jobs you are looking for but I would advise you to check out Melbourne FB pages + Gumtree + Seek and Indeed. You can also ask your university if they don’t have any jobs or contacts for work ๐Ÿ™‚ Good luck

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