Are you one of those who long to go abroad and find a job? If you are not picky, you can try fruit-picking in Australia. You can actually travel around Australia and earn.

As we all know, Australia has a very small population, such that farm jobs are available all year round.

All six states of Australia abound with farms that grow fruits and vegetables. Take note that there are two kinds of fruits based on where they grow: there are the ground fruits which grow on or under the ground, and the tree fruits which grow on branches of trees.

Image Credit to the owner

Every harvest time, most farms in Australia require manpower since fruits are picked by hand, and should be done with care. There are also two modalities of wages. First, you can be paid by hour; in that case, you will be earning AUS$10 to AUS$15 per hour. Second, is by contract. Contract wage is paid based on the number of buckets you fill; which means that the faster you pick, the more you earn. Contract wage ranges from AUS$115 to AUS$125.

You can also be on the look-out for some perks and benefits. Some farm owners provide for your meals and accommodation. But do not presume that such benefits are automatically included. It does not hurt to make sure whether or not your employer does offer these additional perks.

To encourage tourists and foreigners to engage in fruit picking, the Australian government has devised a program where foreigners with holiday visas can extend their stay for another 12 months.

Here are some tips on where you can go on certain times of the year. You will note that you can actually work the whole year if you follow the year-round harvest schedule of the states.

The following are some tips on the year-round harvest schedule per state:

1. New South Wales

For New South Wale, you can start with picking grapes, pears, prunes, apples and blueberries from January to May. Then shift to cotton-picking which starts in March and normally ends in June, From September on to December, vegetables such as asparagus and onions, together with cherries and oranges are ripe for the picking

2. Queensland

Queensland’s harvest seasons can be categorized into 3: The months of December and January, bananas and sugar are readily available.  From February to April, there are pears, apples, rockmelon, ginger, mangoes, lychees and avocados. Then, from April to December, there are citrus, beans, tomatoes, broccoli, sugar cane, onions, peaches and cotton.

3. South Australia

In South Australia, there are roughly two harvest seasons. From January to April, there are apricots, apples, pears, grapes and peaches. Then, from June to December, oranges and strawberries.

4. Tasmania

Of the 6 states, Tasmania has the least opportunity for fruit-picking. Harvest seasons start during December and January for soft fruits, then February to May for apples and grapes.

5. Victoria

For the state of Victoria, the months of May to August are lean months for fruit-picking. You can stay there from January to April picking pears, peaches, apples, tomatoes and grapes. Then from September to December, for asparagus, strawberries and cherries.

6. Western Australia

If you like living in Western Australia, you can actually stay there the whole year since the harvesting for fruits go on from month to month. From January to May, there are grapes, apples, pears. This is followed by zucchini, rockmelons and melons; then, finally tomatoes, bananas and mangoes.

Just remember, fruit-picking is easy to learn, but requires hard work. And, make sure you have the necessary protective gears such as hat, gloves, boots, sunglasses, and the handy water bottle.