Fruit picking seasons in Australia

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Are you dreaming of the perfect, sun-soaked, unequivocally Australian working experience? Something where you’re outdoors, working hard, and working with other young people from all over the world? Then you needn’t look any further than fruit picking.  

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Every year, some 65,000 young people head out to Australia’s farms to pick fruit and vegetables across all four seasons. With opportunities for harvesting all over the country, all throughout the year, and for varying lengths of time, fruit picking is an amazing opportunity for some short-term employment and a change of pace. Farms in every corner of Australia require workers at different times throughout the year, but there is luckily no stage of the year where there are no fruit-picking jobs available. Be it picking macadamias in Byron Bay, or bananas in Cairns, there is always fruit-picking work available. All you’ll need is some sturdy workwear, a can-do attitude, and a nice broad hat, then you’ll be working on the picturesque Australian landscape and making lifelong memories with mates. 

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Given the enormity of fruit-picking jobs that are available, we can’t really explain all picking opportunities, seasons, and the harvest calendar. If you want to check out the quick run-down on every harvest season and location, check out our infographic below for an in-depth view of everything available across Australia by location and time of year. Instead, we will give you the skinny on the most in-demand fruit-picking jobs by state, which will help you get a rough idea of what jobs are available and when/where they are available.

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Queensland produces the majority of Australia’s bananas and is consistently warm and sunny. Home to some of Australia’s best beaches and tropical getaways, work in Queensland is as close to working in paradise as it gets. With working opportunities all along the coast, there is definitely work for any soon-to-be fruit picker. The most popular work in Queensland is:

Banana picking in Innisfail: all year round

Tomato picking in Bowen: May-November

Vegetable picking in Laidley: all year round

Pineapple picking in Caboolture: March-June

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With the most diverse farmlands in Australia, NSW produces a massive range of fruit and vegetables each year, with working opportunities all over the state. With work located within 50 minutes drive of popular spots like Sydney, Newcastle and Byron Bay, something is sure to suit your plans. The most popular work in New South Wales is:

Vegetable picking in Hay: March-December

Avocado picking in Lismore: June-October

Flower picking in The Sydney Basin: all year round

Citrus picking in Narromine: May-October

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It’ll be no surprise that there is an abundance of fruit-picking work available in WA, the world’s second-largest state. With work within 45 minutes drive of Perth, or 3 hours flight from Perth, we’re sure you’ll find something that catches your attention. The most popular work in WA is: 

Tomato picking in Carnarvon: May-December

Strawberry picking in Albany: November-February

Grape picking in Margaret River: February-April

Vegetable picking in Manjimup: December-March

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Home to some of Australia’s best wine country, SA has plenty of work available all-year-round picking grapes for world-renowned wineries like Penfolds. As well as grapes, SA produces a sizeable chunk of Australia’s stone fruits and oranges, so needless to say, there is loads of work available in the festival state. The most popular work in SA is:

Grape picking in Coonawarra: February-September

Citrus picking in Loxton: June-November

Vegetable picking in Penola: December-June

Stone fruit picking in Berri: November-February

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Home to the country’s cultural hub, Melbourne, Victoria is often overlooked by hopeful fruit pickers on a false belief in an absence of work. However, this is certainly not the case! Koo Wee Rup, the nation’s asparagus capital, which lies just 60km south-east of Melbourne, needs workers every harvest. There are also plenty of jobs in apple and stone fruit picking available within 2 hours of Melbourne. The most popular work in Victoria is: 

Asparagus picking in Koo Wee Rup: September-December

Vegetable picking in Bairnsdale: October-March

Stone fruit picking in Cobram: January-April

Apple picking in The Yarra Valley: February-May

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The NT is home to some of the most spectacular natural sights in Australia and several of the biggest cattle stations in the world. Given the extremes in weather that the NT experiences, it is a little bit difficult to reliably grow a lot of fruit and veg. However, the NT produces some of the most spectacular mangoes known to man in the Australian summer. The most popular work in NT is:

Mango picking in Darwin: September-February

Mango picking in Katherine: October-January

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Tasmania is a beautiful part of the world, there are incredible sights wherever you look, and plenty of adventurous/outdoors focused things to do. Its chilly climate makes for bountiful berry and vegetable farming, and being a small island, you are never any more than an hour or so from a major city by car. The most popular work in Tasmania is:

Strawberry picking in Huonville: November-May

Berry picking in Ulverstone: December-May

Vegetable picking in Scottsdale: January-June

Berry picking in Burnie: December-May

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