brian.w

I am here on a working holiday visa and i am looking for fruit picking work, where do i find such jobs?

And is there somewhere i put my name down as available when they come up.

I am in victoria,geelong

bondipom

You have to find out what areas have the demand. When I went in Batlow we met someone on the way who pointed us in the right direction. There are normally hostels or campsites in the areas where people will also help you out. I posted you that nomads link on another thread.

PeteY

Don't know of anything around Geelong...but the south east of SA has just started its fruit picking season...

In about 2 weeks the vinyards will start in the Coonawarra, and around Mount Gambier, should be similar for Vics wine growing regions around north melb.

Apples are also going to be on the go in the Mount within the next few days.

The local employment agency will steer you in the right directions.

This area is also looking for casual Nursury workers for the forestry industry. Hard work planting pinus radiata seedlings, but pays more than twice as much as being a vinyard hand.,..

HiddenPaw

They are picking now up in Sunraysia - try places like Mildura and Robinvale - big on grapes and citrus up there. You need to contact the MEDOC farm labour office for work - try the one in Mildura.

migrantoz

Are you sure you want to be putting your hands into Australian foliage for long periods of time? What about the spiders?

Williem

Took myself off to Mildura a few years back, pitched my tent and had a couple of offers of work before I could get the first VB down my neck.
Its a bit of a risk, but a lot of fruit picking employers drive round camp sites looking for short term workers.
Maybe I got lucky as i fell into job after job.

Good luck, and if a red back should crawl off the grapes on to your hand, slowly lower your hand to the ground and wait for it to crawl back off again.
Yeah right.
They do give you some great advice whilst picking, but that wasn't one of them.

Will

HiddenPaw

You do have to watch out for the red backs in the vines!! They hide in the bunches. (But my sis has been growing/picking for 10 years now and never had a bite)

If you don't want to work outdoors you could always ask if there are any jobs in the packing sheds. Altho they generally won't pick if temps are above 40.
Some growers as well will provide you with accommodation. You might earn 10-12 an hr but get accom in with that (altho don't expect much more than a hut with a bed!)
Wear your oldest grottiest clothes for picking/packing!!

Muddywaters

Fruit picking ,cotton picking its all the same thing slave labour .
Terrible back breaking work, filthy dickensian living ,and as many insects and flies round your sweaty head as you like .Stick to bar work it is more fun and less tireing

HiddenPaw

so the HSBC has the rudest employess, fruit picking in Oz is slave labour, and all WA drivers are usually drunk and unlicenced!!!

Can you tell us something good that happened today!!!!??

Muddywaters

Today ive had a day off and ive discovered this amazing website where people have intelligent (?) and meaningful conversations about oz .Ive been here all this time and didnt know it existed .

bondipom

If you are lucky the fruit picking can be great. hard work but a good laugh. At its worst the piece rates can be awful and you can be assigned the worst trees. Hours were 6:30 to 3 and work only stopped if it rained hard or thundered. We were working high up in trees.

The problem was the apple harvest was awful. The orchard knew this and dropped the piece rates because it had enough labour. After a day where I earned $50 I told the supervisor where to go stick his apples and I duly hit the road.

Basically you have to get into the scene and use word of mouth.

wizzywozza

Here is the link to the government harvest trail page - you should find some information on here that would be helpful.

http://jobsearch.gov.au/HarvestTrail...e=0&TextOnly=0