Crops

They say there’s nothing like mediterranean olive oil but the Australian farmers sure have something to say about that. Olive picking is a great way to complete your harvest work and a fun and challenging way to see parts of rural Australia while earning a quid.    Olive Picking Tips Olive picking can involve long days picking olives off trees while on ladders or reaching in awkward places. It can get quite challenging reaching to the top of trees picking the olives and loading them into a container. The key is maintain your balance pick fast but also smart.    Read more

Tree planting is a not as well know way to get your second year visa but is slowly becoming a more popular method and way to follow the harvest trail and work around Australia. Tree planters will typically carry several hindered seedlings at a time, this will be with specific tree planting bags. Workers will also be responsible for clearing the debris off site so trees can be planted.    Tree Planting Tips Tree planting is a physically exhausting job which requires endurance, stamina over a long and exhausting day. Make sure you a fit and ready to the task, Read more

The juicy lychee fruit is a member of the soapberry family. You will find lychee fruits in loose clusters ranging from 4-40 fruits that will grow on a tree. Lychee fruit is grown in many sub-tropical areas such as Indonesia, Israel, Madagascar, Southeast China, India, and many more including Australia.    Lychee Picking Tips Ripper lychees will typically have be bright in colour and balanced in shape. Ripe lychee fruits will have a bright red, pebbly textured rind, which means they have the correct sugar-to-acid ratio. Once the lychees are identified as ready to harvest snip the main stem for Read more

Pumpkins are not only purchased for halloween they are consumed year round and are a vigorous, prostrate, annual vine with an extensive root system. In Australia New South Wales has the second largest pumpkin crop with Queensland home to the largest. Temperatures of 20-35 degrees celsius are ideal for maximum production downunder.    Pumpkin Picking Tips The most important indication to look for, is that the shell has begun to harden. You don’t want to be able to easily indent the pumpkin skin using your fingernail, this means the fruit is still to immature / not ready for harvest. You Read more

Stones Fruits are Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Apricots, and Cherries are commonly harvested in various locations across Australia. Work is mainly completed from October through to April across the locations listed below. This is a great way to work and get your second year visa.    Stone Fruit Picking Tips Each stone fruit will have a different picking technique but will generally involve climbing ladders and be repetitive and tiring.    Stone Fruit Picking Locations Berri, Cadell, Devonport, Perth Hills, Cobram, Huonville Loxton, Swan Hill, Leeton, Echuca, Swan Valley, Renmark Shepparton Hillston Paringa Richmond, Manjimup Bowen Nyah Young Sydney Basin, Murgon, Read more

Berries are best eaten fresh picked, so it’s the job of the picker to ensure they are picking the berries at the right time. Some berries will not ripen after being picked ( strawberries) while others will like blueberries so its essential to get the right training and understand how and when to pick your berries.    Berry Picking Tips Firstly grasp the berry with your thumb and fingers – in a gentle manner and give it a light tug. Dependant on which berry you are picking each will come off at a different stage. ( Check out our blueberry, Read more

Raspberries are best eaten fresh picked, so it’s the job of the picker to ensure they are picking the raspberries at the right time. Raspberries are low in calories and saturated fats and are a great source of dietary fibre and antioxidants. Furthermore raspberries do not store well and spoil quickly after being picked so it’s fresh picking and selling and transport of raspberries is essential. It will be all systems go on the farm.    Raspberry Picking Tips Firstly grasp the raspberry with your thumb and fingers – in a gentle manner and give it a light tug. The Read more

Another one in the berry family, blueberries are a popular fruit choice. If you haven’t picked blueberries before it can takes 6-9 days to get your speed and quality to a level where your are picking productively. New blueberry pickers should give themselves at least a week or so to really work there way into their technique and surroundings please don’t give up in the first few days.The majority of blueberry picking work is done by hand given the delicate nature and the softness of the blueberries.    Blueberry Picking Tips Always select plump, full blueberries that have a light Read more

The majority of strawberry picking work is done by hand given the delicate nature and the softness of the strawberries. It is extremely important to choose the plump and firm strawberries and to ensure they are completely red as well. Strawberries stop ripening the moment they are picked unless other fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes. Strawberry harvest work can be very tiring and extremely strenuous as it can involve a lot of bending    Strawberry Picking Tips Grab the stem just above the strawberry between your forefinger and the nail of your thumb. Pull with a steady twisting motion. Now the Read more

The majority of work with flowers is done by hand due to costs of the equipment that can effectively pick and cut flowers. Bigger growers that can afford the machines will use them but there will still be positions available for grading and sorting. Flower Pickers will find themselves planting, removing buds, pruning and picking flowers. Work can be very tiring and extremely strenuous as it can involve a lot of bending. Approximately two thirds of flowers are grown in greenhouses which means conditions may not be as extreme as picking outdoors.    Flower Picking Tips Different flowers will require a different technique for picking, cutting Read more