Fruit picking work is a great way for travellers to earn extra backpacking in more rural areas.
Once you are into the harvest season it is possible to move around with it finding fruit picking working along the way, as many backpackers do. You find quite often travellers using fruit picking as a way of funding there trip, will follow similar routes around Australia following the harvests.
Harvest Seasons, Fruit Picking In Australia
Any Backpacker thinking of using fruit picking to fund there travel will find the list below useful when looking for fruit picking work at different times of the year.
New South Wales
Seasonal work, from November to April is the busiest period, with the main harvest reaching a peak in February. Fruit picking work can be found around the central eastern district around Bathurst. Main produce includes orchard fruits, cotton, onions and asparagus.
All year round, around northern coastal areas of NSW, near Coffs Harbour bananas are grown all year.
Victoria
Seasonal work, from November to April peaking in February is the main season for fruit picking jobs in Victoria. Work is to found in central northern areas of Victoria around Shepparton, also a good area to look for work is along the Murray River, places such as Mildura and Swan Hill often required seasonal workers. Main harvests include orchard fruits, tomatoes, tobacco, grapes and soft fruits.
Queensland
Seasonal work, from December to March. Work is usually available around Warwick. Harvest includes stone and orchard fruits, grapes. May to December, on the Central Coast of Queensland near Bowen, lots of different fruit and vegetables grown, especially mangoes at the end of the year. May to November, the northern coast around Ayr and Ingham, usually work available picking sugar cane, bananas and tobacco. All year round, work is available on the southern central coast around Bundaberg and Childers, most types of fruit and vegetables are harvested.
Tasmania
Seasonal work, from December to March. Orchard and Soft fruits, grapes.
South Australia
Seasonal work, February to April work is usually available around The Barossa Valley picking grapes.
All year round, Around the Riverland area, picking citrus and soft fruits.
Western Australia
Seasonal work, October to June the southwest work available harvesting grapes and orchard fruits. March to November fishing and processing work available for crayfish, prawns and scallops available on the west coast between Fremantle and Carnarvon. May to October fruit and vegetable picking and packing jobs available in the northeast, around Kununurra.