Your Guide to Queensland Fruit Picking Jobs

For travellers on working holiday visas, fruit picking in Australia provides certain job opportunities and the chance to live and work in some of the most beautiful parts of the country, like Tropical North Queensland where agricultural and fruit picking jobs are available year-round. If you’re looking to travel and earn while you explore the beauty of the Great Southern Land, then fruit picking with its free or budget accommodation is ideal. Not only will you keep your expenses to a minimum as you earn, but you’ll have the opportunity to work with locals, gain new experiences, explore the sights and meet plenty of your fellow travellers along the way!

Accommodation

You’ll find fruit picking jobs with accommodation across the state but don’t feel like you need to limit yourself to job providers with on-site accommodation, especially if you have a van, prefer to camp or would rather stay in a hostel in a town nearby and travel to work. What’s more, many backpacker hostels in agricultural regions will take care of everything, from finding work for you through to arranging transport, meals and weekend trips. But while you may find that you only need to set your sights on a region with a harvest to pick and everything you need is good to go, it always pays to make sure the region you have in mind is harvesting during the time you plan to go and check ahead to see if there are jobs available.

Fruit picking and visas

To pick fruit in Australia you’ll need to meet the eligibility requirements for an Australian Working Holiday Visa Subclass 417 or Work and Holiday Subclass 462, depending on the country issuing your passport, and have the visa approved by the time you arrive in Australia. 

If you’re eligible and interested in getting a second-year visa (which extends your working visa by 12 months), fruit picking is certainly an option to consider — one of the most common ways to meet the eligibility requirements for a second-year visa is to complete three months (88 days) of specified work in a rural area, which includes fruit picking.

Many holidaymakers on working holiday visas find fruit picking jobs upon arrival to meet the requirements early on and enjoy greater flexibility across the remainder of their time in Australia.

Queensland fruit picking regions

Throughout most of the year you’ll find that there are fruit picking jobs available across Queensland including, but not limited to, the regions listed below. 

• Ayr – One of the largest mango-producing regions in Australia, Ayr also produces a range of other crops including capsicums, chillies, cucumbers, eggplants, pumpkins, tomatoes and melons. March to December is when workers are in the highest demand, enabling you to catch an FNQ summer! 

• Boonah – There’s work all year-round in Boonah, Gatton, Laidley and the surrounding areas of Queensland’s Scenic Rim, with workers in high demand from March to November. Most of the work opportunities are in-ground crops like beans, beetroot, garlic, onions, pumpkin, sweet potato and tomatoes in all seasons and carrot, cauliflower, celery and Chinese cabbage in the summer months. 

• Bundaberg – One of the leading produce-producing regions in Australia, there’s fruit and vegetable picking work available all year-round in Bundaberg (and nearby Gin Gin) and you’ll find plenty of backpacker hostels and fellow travellers in this bustling town. Along with plentiful work, Bundaberg offers exquisite scenery and there are stunning beaches just down the road at beautiful Bargara. 

• Caboolture – 45 kilometres north of the Queensland capital, Caboolture is a great base from which to explore the Sunshine Coast. One of Australia’s largest strawberry regions, there’s strawberry planting work from March to April and strawberry picking and packing jobs available from March through to November. There’s also work available on the local pineapple farms from February to November. 

• Childers – A historic town with many buildings along its high street dating back to the days of the pioneers, there’s fruit and vegetable picking work throughout the year with ample accommodation options available. Lychees and mangoes from January to March, citrus from March to July, tomatoes from April to September, avocados from July to April, and zucchinis from October to January. 

• Chinchilla – With around a quarter of Australia’s entire watermelon crop grown in Chinchilla, you’ll find no shortage of watermelon (and rockmelon) picking work here from December to April. There’s also onion picking work available in November if you’re thinking of arriving early, and with vast waterways offering plenty of canoeing and water skiing opportunities, that’s something to consider! 

• Cunnamulla – Yearning to experience something a little different? The Queensland Outback is vastly beautiful and Cunnamulla on the banks of the Warrego River could be the ideal destination if you’re looking for fruit picking work in Queensland. Grape picking work is available from December to January, vine pruning work from May to July and vine shoot thinning in September and October. 

• Dimbulah – Located 100 kilometres west of Cairns, Dimbulah offers fruit and vegetable picking work from November to March. The main fruits and vegetables the region is known for include avocados, longans, lychees, mangoes and pawpaws, so expect to eat well during your time here! Most of the accommodation is on-site, but there’s also several accommodation options available in town.

• Emerald – While better known as a cattle region, Emerald also offers fruit picking work (citrus, grapes and melons) from March to December, and cotton picking and ginning work from March to May. As a large Queensland town, there are ample accommodation options in town and on-site, and if you’re into outdoor pursuits like camping, canoeing or fishing, you’ll get even more from your time here! 

• Gayndah – The ‘’Orange capital of Queensland”, Gayndah is a small rural town about 4 hours drive west of Brisbane that offers citrus picking work from March to September and citrus pruning work from November to March. Accommodation for workers is largely on-site, but if you have camping gear or a van, you’ll have a wider range of work options to choose from. 

• Goondiwindi – If you’re looking for agricultural work in Queensland that doesn’t entail fruit or vegetable picking, then Goondiwindi with its high demand for workers during cotton picking and ginning season from March to May could be the destination for you. Farm stay accommodation is available with many job providers and there’s a backpacker hostel and other options in town.

• Innisfail – Like most of North Queensland with its tropical weather that lends itself perfectly to a wide range of crops, there’s fruit and vegetable picking work available year-round in Innisfail. Located 260 kilometres north of Townsville and 90 kilometres south of Cairns, there’s demand for workers on banana plantations throughout the year, along with pawpaw and sugar cane in the summer months. 

• Mackay – Most of the agricultural work around Mackay is in sugarcane planting and harvesting and there are more job opportunities available for workers with a heavy machinery licence. Mackay is an easily accessible modern city on the Great Barrier Reef with spectacular beaches (no less than 31 in total), a thriving backpacker scene, and a multitude of natural attractions to explore on your days off. 

• Mareeba – This North Queensland town is a fruit picking mecca and there’s year-round work across a range of tropical fruits, especially mangoes and pawpaw, but also avocados, bananas, cashews, citrus, longan, lychees and pineapples. There’s a few accommodation options in town but many workers look for job providers that offer on-site accommodation, which is handy if you have a van or a car or tent. 

• Mundubbera – Like most of North Queensland with its fertile soils and regular rainfall that makes the region so conducive to growing an extensive range of crops, there’s demand for fruit picking and agricultural workers pretty much all year-round in Mundubbera. However, as it isn’t as accessible by bus or public transport as other fruit picking areas in the region are, you’ll need your own transport. 

• Murgon – While a little off the regular backpacker trail, there’s plenty to see and do around Murgon – including the national parks at Jimna and the Bunya Mountains where you’ll find great camping and hiking trails, spectacular waterfalls and swimming holes. This makes it a great location to base yourself at for tomato picking and vine pruning season, which runs from December through to May. 

• St George – Demand for agricultural and fruit and vegetable picking workers runs from March through to December, which is fortunate as it can get quite warm working under the St George sun in January and February, the two hottest months of the year! Crops include cotton, grapes, melons and onions. 

• Stanthorpe – Queensland’s coldest region and a sure bet for holidaymakers looking for fruit and vegetable picking jobs, Stanthorpe also offers a wealth of attractions to explore on your days off. Starting with apples, capsicums, grapes, pears and tomatoes in January, there’s work all year-round in this picturesque part of Southern Queensland Country that offers plenty of outdoor adventures. 

• Sunshine Coast – There’s fruit picking work on the Sunshine Coast from February to November, starting with ginger picking from February through to May. Jobs are available right across the region, from Elimbah and Beerwah north of Caboolture all the way up to Gympie. Working on the Sunshine Coast puts world-class beaches a short drive away and makes for an amazing working holiday!

• Tully – If banana and sugarcane picking sound like something you’d like to do while travelling up the North Queensland coast, then Tully could be the perfect destination for you. Just 30 kilometres from Mission Beach with Cairns just under a 2-hour drive north, there’s plenty to explore around Tully and with year-round work available it’s understandably proven a popular destination among backpackers. 

• Yeppoon – With stunning beaches, spectacular natural attractions and a thriving backpacker scene, the bustling seaside town of Yeppoon on the Southern Great Barrier Reef is a popular destination for holidaymakers chasing fruit picking work, which is generally going from December to April. Custard apples, lychees, mangoes and pineapples are the core crops and ample accommodation is available. 

One of the best fruit picking resources for working holidaymakers is the Queensland Government’s ‘Harvest by month and location’ tool that enables you to search for seasonal jobs by time of year and region. You can also connect with job providers across the state and access information on any financial incentives available. 

Looking for more information on working holidays in Queensland and Australia? Check out these helpful links!

• Working Holiday Maker Information: Your one-stop shop providing key information for working holiday makers!
• Working Holiday Visas (WHV): How to apply and popular frequently asked questions!