Where would be best to head to?
I have read the harvest trail and i feel Queensland should be paid most attention to, am i right in doing so?
Also does anyone know how strong the banana harvest in Queensland is in may?
Thanks
Reply to this For the information of others reading this thread, there is an Australian government
website that gives more information on "The Harvest Trail". The booklet that the government issues,
"The National Harvest Guide", (in PDF format on the Internet) is a truly superb initiative.
I am unsure of the strength of the banana harvest in Queensland at present. There have been no terrible storms in those areas (a good sign), but a lot of rain. There is still a bit of summer (and thus storm season) to go, and a few years ago (in 2006) a cyclone ripped through the banana growing areas in March and destoyed much of the crop. Thus, it still may be too early to tell how good the crop will be this year.
Reply to this I just read online that the best season is December - May for fruit picking.. but that as Australia is large there is work after May.. obviously in the warmer places like Queensland
How about this fruit picking guide.. If this linked gets sniped I will add what it says
http://www.stonedcrow.com/employment/fruit_picking.htm
All year Bananas & Sugar Tully
Dec-Mar Orchard fruits NSW Border area
Feb-Mar Fruits & Vegatables Childers & Bundaberg
Feb-Apr Ginger Sunshine Coast
Mar-Dec Wide range of vegetables Bundaberg
Apr-Oct Wide range of vegetables Lockyer Valley
Apr-Nov Beans Mary Valley
Apr-Dec Tomatoes, Other Vegetables & Mangoes
Bowen
z
May-Oct Broccoli Milmerran/Toowoomba
May-Dec Sugar Cane, Bananas& Tobacco Ayr/Ingham/Innisfail
Sep-Nov Tobacco Mareeba
Also I have had several exchange students who lived with us go off and do this type of work to pay for english courses.. some succeed at it.. others do not.. it is very very hard work and you have to be determined (ie desperate for money) to do it
One also worked at a fish or meat factory in Toowoomba.. she gave up picking as they lived in a shed, it was hard work and incredibly boring.. if you can pick and move on that might make it bareable 😊
Reply to this Hello Lanz & Ari, and welcome to the Forum!
I would suggest looking at the website and information linked in message two above, the 2011 publication of the Harvest Guide is now available.
The recent floods and cyclones in Queensland have devastated the crops in this part of the world, so picking opportunities in that part of Australia are limited at present. Victoria also suffered from floods, and they were impacted as well. Most of this should be back to normal by the time you visit, but not all.
If anyone who has updated information, could you please share it with the world.
Reply to this Its not an optimum time for Australian opportunities fruit picking or working on stations. We have had 5 our of 7 states flooded with the other 2 experiencing record dry spells and heat waves so on the east you have had floods and cyclones which has resulted in bananas being in such short demand they are $15 a kg here where I live in Western Australia. Crops havent had time to recover for a good harvest. We have been in drought so its only the south west corner that has any ag going on - margaret river to albany and a little around pickering brook or karagullen on a very short term.
Workers on cattle stations across the top of aus - Qld, NT and WA have just been hit by a ban on live trade export so there are no jobs, people have been saying while interviewed that they had backpackers coming to work from all over the world and had to tell them there is no work, it was stopped overnight.
Check the links above - and look at primary industries news
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