Looking for farm work for your 88 days, or just to save some money? Here are the ways that really work in 2026, in the order we recommend them, plus how to avoid the bad jobs.
1. Contact farms directly
This is the most effective way. Many growers never post an ad: they hire the people who call them or knock on their door when they need hands. Call early in the morning, be short and clear (your name, your visa, your availability, if you have a car), and call back a week later if they say “not yet”.
The WikiFarms Australia app puts around 4,000 farms, working hostels and agencies on a map with their phone numbers and addresses, so you can contact them region by region.
2. Job boards
🌾 Harvest Trail
The free government service for harvest work: jobs board on harvesttrail.gov.au and an information line on 1800 062 332.
🔎 Seek and Indeed
The biggest job sites in Australia. Search “farm hand”, “fruit picker”, “packer” or “harvest” plus the region.
📋 Gumtree
Lots of small farms post here, often with a phone number. Be careful: it also has the most scams (see below).
🏛️ Workforce Australia
The government jobs site, with harvest jobs and the National Harvest Guide.
3. Facebook groups
Farmers and contractors post jobs in regional groups, and backpackers share tips, rides and rooms. Join the groups of the area where you are, or where you plan to go next: a job posted on the other side of the country is usually gone before you arrive.
| Region | Group |
|---|---|
| Cairns, Mareeba, Atherton, Tully | Cairns / Mareeba / Atherton Backpackers |
| Bowen, Whitsundays | Bowen Backpackers |
| Ayr, Home Hill, Burdekin | Ayr Backpackers |
| Bundaberg, Childers, Gayndah | Bundaberg Backpackers |
| Brisbane, Caboolture, Lockyer Valley | Brisbane / Caboolture Backpackers |
| Stanthorpe, Granite Belt | Stanthorpe Backpackers |
| Young, Orange, Batlow (NSW) | Sydney / Young / Orange Farm Work |
| Mildura, Robinvale | Mildura Backpackers |
| Shepparton, Goulburn Valley | Shepparton Backpackers |
| Victoria | Melbourne Backpackers |
| South Australia | Adelaide Backpackers |
| Western Australia | Perth Backpackers |
| Darwin, Katherine (NT) | Darwin Backpackers · Katherine Backpackers |
| All Australia | Farm Work Australia | 88 Days |
4. Working hostels
In farming towns, some hostels work with local growers and find jobs for their guests. It can be a quick way in when you don’t have a car, since transport to the farm is often organised. Before you book, ask how long the waiting list is, what transport costs, and read recent reviews. A good working hostel never makes a job conditional on staying for weeks without work.
5. Labour hire agencies
Agencies and contractors supply pickers and packers to many big farms. They should never charge you to find you a job. In Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and the ACT, they must hold a labour hire licence: check the state register before you sign up.
6. Follow the seasons
Work comes in waves: mangoes up north in spring, cherries and berries in the south in summer, apples and grapes in autumn, citrus and pruning in winter. Arrive two or three weeks before the peak, when farms are still hiring.
Check that the farm’s postcode is eligible for your visa before you start. Work in a non-eligible postcode doesn’t count, even if it is a real farm job.
Get hired faster
- A car opens far more jobs: many farms are 20–40 km out of town with no bus.
- A one-page CV in English with your visa, phone number and any physical work you have done.
- Your documents ready: tax file number (TFN), Australian bank account and super fund details.
- Answer the phone: farms call the next person on the list if you don’t pick up.
- Be flexible: packing shed, pruning or night shifts often lead to picking jobs later.
Avoid bad jobs
- Never pay to get a job. Asking for money upfront for a job is a red flag.
- Know your minimum pay. Even on piece rates, you must earn at least the minimum hourly rate for the hours you work ($32.18 an hour for casuals under the Horticulture Award from 1 July 2026).
- Get it in writing: a signed piece rate agreement, and a written agreement for any deduction (rent, transport).
- Payslips: you must receive one within one working day of being paid. Keep them all: you need them for your visa.
- Cash-only with no payslip usually means the days won’t count for your visa.
Sources: Fair Work Ombudsman (Horticulture Award pay rates from 1 July 2026), Harvest Trail and Workforce Australia, state labour hire licensing authorities, checked October 2026. WikiFarms is not a migration agent or an employment agency.