Fruit picking jobs in Australia – What, where, how (and why!)

Chapter 8 of 11

Now that you know what fruit picking is all about, you’re probably wondering where to go for work opportunities.

Used the harvest charts for each state below to see how you could work your way around Australia, following fruit picking opportunities throughout the calendar year:

New South Wales

Time of year	Crop	Region
January to February	Grapes (wine harvest)	Hunter Valley
January to March	Stone fruits	Forbes
January to March	Berries	Tumbarumba
January to May	Melons	Bourke
February to March	Lychees	Byron Bay
February to March	Grapes (wine harvest)	Leeton
February to April	Grapes (wine harvest)	Euston / Gol Gol / Griffith / Orange / Tooleybuc / Tumbarumba
February to April	Berries	Young
February to April	Apples	Orange
February to April	Stone fruits	Young
February to May	Apples	Tumut
February to September	Grapes	Wenworth
March to April	Grapes (wine harvest)	Young
March to May	Apples	Batlow / Tumbarumba
April to May	Cotton	Bourke / Dubbo / Moree / Mungindi / Narrabri / Narromine / Warren / Wee Waa
April to June	Cotton	Hillston
April to December	Vegetables	Hay
May to June	Grapes (pruning)	Bourke
May to July	Nuts	Ballina / Byron Bay / Lismore
May to July	Olives	Moree
May to August	Citruses	Hillston / Tooleybuc / Wentworth
May to September	Citruses	Bourke
May to October	Citruses	Narromine
June to July	Avocados	Ballina / Byron Bay
June to July	Citruses	Gol Gol
June to August	Citruses	Griffith / Leeton
June to August	Grapes (pruning)	Griffith / Hunter Valley / Orange
June to September	Grapes (pruning)	Euston / Gol Gol / Tooleybuc / Young
June to October	Avocados	Lismore
July to August	Vegetables	Hillston
July to September	Avocados	Coffs Harbour
September to November	Berries	Ballina / Byron Bay / Coffs Harbour / Lismore
October to January	Citruses	Gol Gol / Tooleybuc / Wentworth
October to February	Citruses	Griffith / Hillston
October to March	Citruses	Leeton
October to November	Stone fruits	Lismore
October to December	Vegetables	Wentworth
November	Cherries	Hillston
November to December	Cherries	Young
November to December	Vegetables	Hillston
November to January	Grapes (wine harvest)	Bourke
December to February	Citruses	Bourke
December to February	Vegetables	Griffith
December to February	Stone fruits	Tooleybuc

Victoria

Time of the year	Crop	Region
January to April	Apples/Pears	Cobram
January to April	Stone fruits	Cobram
January to April	Grapes (wine harvest)	Robinvale
February to March	Tomatoes	Echuca / Shepparton
February to March	Stone fruits	Shepparton
February to March	Apples/Pears	Shepparton
February to April	Grapes (wine harvest)	Mildura / Nangiloc / Nyah / Swan Hill
February to May	Apples/Pears	Yarra Valley
March to April	Grapes (wine harvest)	Yarra Valley
March to April	Hops	Myrtleford
April to May	Nuts	Robinvale / Swan Hill
June to July	Citruses	Swan Hill
June to August	Grapes (pruning)	Mildura / Nangiloc / Nyah / Robinvale / Swan Hill
June to August	Citruses	Nangiloc / Nyah
July to August	Citruses	Mildura
September to December	Asparagus	Koo Wee Rup
October to March	Vegetables	Bairnsdale / Lindenow
October to November	Vegetables	Mildura / Nangiloc
October to December	Citruses	Swan Hill
November to December	Cherries	Beechworth / Cobram / Rutherglen
November to December	Citruses	Nangiloc / Nyah
November to January	Stone fruits	Yarra Valley
November to January	Cherries	Yarra Valley
November to February	Stone fruits	Swan Hill
November to April	Strawberries	Mornington Peninsula / Yarra Valley
December to January	Cherries	Mornington Peninsula
December to February	Stone fruits	Nyah

Queensland

Time of year	Crop	Region
January to December	Pineapples	Innisfail / Lakeland / Tully
January to December	Vegetables	Laidley
January	Grapes/Blueberries	Cunnamulla / Mundubbera
January to February	Mangoes	Bundaberg / Gin Gin
January to April	Tomatoes/Peppers	Stanthorpe
February	Mangoes	Childers
February to March	Avocados	Mareeba
February to April	Apples/Pears	Stanthorpe
February to April	Strawberries	Stanthorpe
March to May	Avocados	Atherton
March to May	Citruses	Gin Gin
March to June	Pineapples	Caboolture
April	Melons	Chinchilla
April to June	Custard apples	Atherton
April to August	Tomatoes	Bundaberg
April to August	Citruses	Gayndah
April to December	Vegetables	Bundaberg
May to June	Melons	Ayr
May to July	Citruses	Emerald / Mundubbera
May to July	Macadamia	Bundaberg
May to August	Raspberries	Caboolture
May to November	Vegetables	Ayr
May to November	Tomatoes	Bowen
June to August	Avocados	Gayndah
July to October	Strawberries	Caboolture
August to October	Strawberries	Sunshine Coast
September to October	Melons	Emerald
September to November	Melons	Bowen
September to December	Melons	Ayr
September to June	Vegetables	Gatton
October to December	Vegetables	Atherton / St George
October to December	Tomatoes	Bundaberg
October to December	Melons	Bundaberg
November to December	Mangoes	Ayr / Giru
November to December	Vegetables	Childers
November to December	Grapes (wine harvest)	Emerald
November to December	Stone fruits	Stanthorpe
November to December	Strawberries	Stanthorpe
November to March	Vegetables	Stanthorpe
November to April	Tomatoes	Boonah
December	Mangoes	Bowen
December	Grapes (wine harvest)	Mundubbera
December	Melons	Chinchilla / Gatton
December to January	Mangoes	Dimbulah / Mareeba
December to February	Melons	Boonah / Laidley
December to March	Grapes (wine harvest)	St George
December to March	Melons	St George

South Australia

Time of year	Crop	Region
January to March	Apples	Loxton
February to March	Grapes (wine harvest)	Angaston / Barmera / Berri / Cadell / Clare / Nuriootpa / Paringa / Renmark / Tanunda / Waikerie
February to April	Grapes (wine harvest)	Loxton / Lyndoch
February to August	Grapes	Langhorne Creek / Penola
Mars	Grapes (wine harvest)	McLaren Vale
April to May	Vegetables	Coonawarra
June to July	Grapes (pruning)	McLaren Vale / Paringa / Renmark / Waikerie
June to November	Citruses	Barmera / Berri / Cadell / Loxton / Paringa / Renmark / Waikerie
July to August	Grapes (pruning)	Angaston / Barmera / Berri / Cadell / Clare / Nuriootpa / Tanunda
October to November	Grapes	Angaston / Nuriootpa / Tanunda
October to November	Cherries	Barmera
November to February	Stone fruits	Barmera / Berri / Cadell / Paringa / Renmark / Waikerie
December to January	Cherries	Coonawarra / Penola
December to February	Vegetables	Coonawarra
December to June	Vegetables	Penola

 Tasmania

Time of year	Crop	Region
January to June	Vegetables	Burnie / Deloraine / Devonport / Richmond / Scottsdale / Ulverstone
March to April	Apples	Launceston
March to April	Hops	New Norfolk / Scottsdale
March to May	Apples	Huonville
April	Grapes (wine harvest)	Launceston
July to August	Grapes (pruning)	Launceston
September to November	Hops	Scottsdale
November to May	Strawberries	Huonville
December to January	Cherries	Huonville / Richmond
December to January	Apples	Richmond
December to January	Stone fruits	Richmond
December to February	Cherries	New Norfolk
December to April	Berries	Deloraine
December to May	Berries	Burnie / Ulverstone

Western Australia

Time of year	Crop	Region
January to February	Mangoes	Carnarvon
January to March	Melons	Carnarvon
February to April	Grapes (wine harvest)	Margaret River
March to April	Apples/Pears	Manjimup
June to July	Vegetables	Carnarvon
June to July	Grapes (pruning)	Carnarvon
July to August	Grapes (pruning)	Frankland / Mount Barker
July to October	Melons/Pumpkins	Kununurra
September to October	Avocados	Busselton
October to November	Mangoes	Kununurra
October to November	Citruses	Moora
October to December	Vegetables	Carnarvon
October to December	Grapes	Carnarvon
November to February	Strawberries	Albany / Mount Barker / Swan Valley
December	Stone fruits	Manjimup
December to March	Stone fruits	Donnybrook
December to March	Vegetables	Manjimup

 Northern Territory

Time of year	Crop	Region
September to November	Mangoes	Darwin
October to December	Mangoes	Katherine