fruit picking in Australia

irishboyuk

Does anyone have any experience of fruit picking in Oz??
Im thinking of going to Oz this summer but i know my funds will be low so was thinking of working on fruit picking for about 6 weeks and then travelling for another
What i really want to know is if the pay is worth it or not??

Our man in Havana

You do realise that the seasons are reversed in Australia. In the summer here it is winter there and there won't be any fruit picking to be done.

In Australia, the fruit/produce picking season, also known as harvest, peaks during summer. Between the months of December and May, the majority of fruit across Australia, such as grapes, stone fruit (plums, peaches, apricots) and mangoes come into season, but there are many expections to this rule.

For instance, in different states and territories, the weather patterns and temperatures can change year in and year out, so the picking season can often differ. In Western Australia, for example, they get more days of sunshine on average than any other state.

As a result, regions such as Manjimup, Pemberton, and Bunbury in Western Australia hold their apple harvest between March and May.

trevorhay

In the summer here it is winter there and there won't be any fruit picking to be done.

Thats not quite true. Fruit picking is done right throughout the year in Australia, just in different locations.
Check this website out:
http://www.webwombat.com.au/careers_ed/careers/fruitpic.htm

It details which fruits are picked in which months and in what locations.

As for whether its actually worth it, everyone who has done fruit picking will have a different opinion. On the plus side, most of the locations where you will do the fruit picking are pretty remote so its easy enough to save, as you've nothing to spend it on. On the negative side, you're in the middle of nowhere with nothing to spend your money on.
Generally the money isnt exceptionally good, not terrible either.
If you have any sort of office experience I'd recommend registering with temp agencies and going temping. This is easier to come by in the winter months in the southern cities (Sydney, Melb) as the weather isnt all that great so there isn't as much competition from other travellers. The "Con" with this, however, is that the weather isn't great, which probably isnt what you want when you go to Australia.

And just so you know, Sydney and Melbourne get COLD in the winter, down in low single digits, so further up the coast would probably be more attractive weather wise during the Australian winter months. Cairns and Darwin have their dry season during this time.

Keano

irishboyuk wrote: »

Does anyone have any experience of fruit picking in Oz??
Im thinking of going to Oz this summer but i know my funds will be low so was thinking of working on fruit picking for about 6 weeks and then travelling for another
What i really want to know is if the pay is worth it or not??

The pay is not great and you get stuck in a rural place working 8-10 hour days

John Mason

i picked peppers and courgettes. Dont do it.

the pay is terrible, the living places are worse and you have to work 10 hours a day in the heat with a half hour break and you have a guy shouting at you the whole time. you are in a field with no toilets and most likely no hot water in the showers

i never lasted more then two weeks and i tried it a few times. mind you, i made some great friends but i wouldnt be doing it to grand any money

Jugs82

It can be soul destroying stuff, so beware
I picked Courgettes for close on 2 months in Bundaberg last year

Needed the cash and was toying with the idea of doing 3 months to get a 2nd year visa but couldnt take any more

Great craic in the hostel though, got to know everybody very well, was like a real community in the evenings

Pay varies - first farm was by the bucket picked which was a disaster - farmers aint afraid to rip you off either - second place was also by the bucket most of the time but was an ok place to work - €2 a bucket and on average picked 70-80 buckets a day

GF got paid by the hour on a really nice farm where she and a few others washed & packed the produce - she was the breadwinner for the 2 months

Girls tend to get 'shed' jobs while the lads get thrown into the fields :rolleyes:

Bundaberg was OK and reports were that in terms of fruit picking areas, it was one of the best. Ayr, up further north in Queensland is meant to be great but if its further south your looking - Victoria around Mildura is good for apple picking and full of Irish - Bev & Micks hostels in Melbourne also have a place in Mildura for workers

Getting the right Hostel is of huge importance in terms of getting work and also getting good and regular work, so do some research online on hostelword before heading off

Its certainly an experience but i never regretted it tbh

rediguana

There are sometimes large spiders hidden away in the bunches of fruit / veg.

damnyanks

And they eat people