Something is being picked somewhere in Australia in every month of the year, which is what makes a whole year of harvest work possible. The tool below opens on the current month. Under it: what the Harvest Trail actually is, the year month by month and crop by crop, what the work pays, and how the days count toward a second-year visa.
Try it: what's picking, when and where
It opens on this month. Switch to a state to see its whole year at a glance.
What the Harvest Trail actually is
Two different things share the name, and only one of them is a government programme.
The Harvest Trail is a Commonwealth-funded programme run through Workforce Australia. It funds a network of Harvest Trail Services providers to connect growers who need pickers with people who want the work, and it publishes the National Harvest Guide, the reference most harvest calendars on the internet are quietly copied from. Using it costs you nothing.
The same phrase also gets used loosely for the route itself. Following the harvest means moving between regions as crops ripen, so you are never sitting out three months waiting for the next season. That informal meaning is the one you hear in a working hostel, and it is what this calendar is built around.
What it is not is a placement agency. Nobody will find you a job for a fee or guarantee you a set number of days, and anyone charging for placement is not part of it. How to check an employer or a labour-hire contractor is covered in our farm work & 88 days guide.
Full season-by-season table
All 28 regions in this calendar, at a glance. The same data powers the tool above.
| State | Crop | In season | Towns / region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Territory (NT) | Mangoes | Oct–Jan | Darwin, Katherine |
| Northern Territory (NT) | Melons | Jun–Sep | Katherine, Mataranka |
| Queensland (QLD) | Bananas (Tropical, effectively year-round) | Year-round | Tully, Innisfail |
| Queensland (QLD) | Strawberries | May–Oct | Caboolture, Wamuran, Bundaberg |
| Queensland (QLD) | Vegetables & tomatoes (North Queensland's winter crop; peaks September to October) | May–Nov | Bowen, Gumlu, Ayr |
| Queensland (QLD) | Stone fruit & apples | Dec–Mar | Stanthorpe, Granite Belt |
| New South Wales (NSW) | Cherries | Nov–Jan | Young, Orange |
| New South Wales (NSW) | Stone fruit | Dec–Mar | Griffith, Leeton, Young |
| New South Wales (NSW) | Blueberries (Australia's largest blueberry region, and one of the few winter picking options) | Jun–Feb | Coffs Harbour, Northern Rivers |
| New South Wales (NSW) | Citrus | May–Sep | Riverina, Sunraysia border (Wentworth/Buronga) |
| New South Wales (NSW) | Grapes (wine) | Feb–Apr | Riverina, Hunter Valley |
| Victoria (VIC) | Cherries | Nov–Jan | Yarra Valley, High Country (Ovens Valley), Grampians |
| Victoria (VIC) | Strawberries (Runs opposite Queensland's winter crop, so the two rarely overlap) | Oct–May | Yarra Valley, Silvan, Mornington Peninsula |
| Victoria (VIC) | Blueberries | Dec–Apr | Yarra Valley, Silvan |
| Victoria (VIC) | Stone fruit, pears & apples | Dec–May | Shepparton, Goulburn Valley |
| Victoria (VIC) | Table grapes (Peak is February and March) | Jan–May | Mildura, Robinvale, Swan Hill |
| Victoria (VIC) | Grapes & citrus | Jan–Apr | Mildura, Sunraysia, Rutherglen |
| South Australia (SA) | Cherries | Nov–Jan | Adelaide Hills, Lenswood |
| South Australia (SA) | Citrus (Navel oranges; the Riverland is Australia's third-largest citrus region) | Jun–Oct | Riverland (Renmark, Loxton, Waikerie) |
| South Australia (SA) | Grapes (wine) | Feb–Apr | Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Coonawarra |
| South Australia (SA) | Almonds (Mostly machine-harvested; some labouring roles) | Feb–Mar | Riverland |
| Western Australia (WA) | Mangoes, lychees, loquats, avocados | Oct–Dec | Perth surrounds, Carnarvon (earlier further north) |
| Western Australia (WA) | Melons & vegetables (Remote and very hot; peaks June to August and October to November) | May–Nov | Kununurra (Ord River) |
| Western Australia (WA) | Apples & pears | Mar–May | Manjimup, Donnybrook |
| Tasmania (TAS) | Cherries | Nov–Jan | Huon Valley, Coal River Valley |
| Tasmania (TAS) | Berries | Dec–Mar | Huon Valley, Devonport |
| Tasmania (TAS) | Apples & pears (Tasmania grows ~1/5 of Australia's apples) | Mar–May | Huon Valley |
| Tasmania (TAS) | Grapes & hops | Feb–Apr | Derwent Valley, Coal River Valley |
Every window here is a guide, not a guarantee. Some regions are dated more precisely in the sources than others, which is why each row carries its own confidence rating. Confirm locally before you travel.
Month by month: where the work moves
The shape of the Australian harvest year, and which regions open and close each month.
January
One of the two fullest months, 15 regions picking. Cherries finish early at Young, the Yarra Valley and the Huon Valley. Stone fruit runs hard at Griffith and Shepparton, and table grapes open at Mildura.
February
Vintage. Wine grapes start across the Riverina, Hunter Valley, Barossa, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra, with Tasmania's Derwent Valley behind them. Almonds come off in the Riverland and table grapes peak at Mildura.
March
Vintage carries on while the apple season opens at Manjimup, Donnybrook and the Huon Valley. Stone fruit in New South Wales and Queensland winds down. March ties with January as the busiest month here.
April
The first real narrowing. Wine grapes finish almost everywhere and the Sunraysia block closes. Apples and pears in the south west and Tasmania are the reliable work, and nearly all of it is in the far south.
May
The pivot, and the month worth planning around. Five southern regions close while four northern ones open: Queensland strawberries, Bowen's winter vegetables, Riverina citrus, melons at Kununurra. If you are going north, go now.
June
Winter, and the calendar thins to eight regions, every one of them warm or subtropical. Melons start at Katherine, blueberries open around Coffs Harbour, navels start in the Riverland. Victoria and Tasmania have nothing.
July
The thinnest stretch of the year, and it lasts four months. Nothing opens and nothing closes: the same eight regions carry July through September. Arriving with 88 days to find in July leaves you short of options.
August
Queensland strawberries are at full tilt, and the Northern Rivers blueberry crop is the biggest winter employer of backpackers on the east coast. Kununurra peaks between June and August, when the Kimberley is at its best.
September
Bowen's tomato and vegetable season peaks in September and October. Katherine melons and Riverina citrus finish at month's end. Southern growers are pruning and thinning rather than picking, which is paid work but less of it.
October
The south reopens. Mangoes start around Darwin and Katherine, Victorian strawberries begin a run lasting to May, and tropical fruit gets going near Perth and Carnarvon. Queensland strawberries and Riverland citrus close.
November
Cherry month. Young, the Yarra Valley, the Adelaide Hills and the Huon Valley all start within a fortnight of each other, and the season is short. Cherries reward fast pickers and punish slow ones.
December
The summer stone fruit block opens at Stanthorpe, Griffith and Shepparton, joined by Tasmanian berries. Fourteen regions in season. December to March holds the most jobs, and the fewest spare hostel beds.
Crop by crop: when each one is in season
The same calendar read the other way round, for when you know what you want to pick.
🍓 Strawberries
Two seasons that barely overlap. Queensland picks through winter, May to October, around Caboolture and Bundaberg. Victoria runs the other way, October to May. Squatting rather than ladders, and almost always a piece rate by the tray.
🫐 Blueberries and berries
Coffs Harbour and the Northern Rivers grow most of Australia's blueberries on a long window, June to February, which makes it one of very few options in the southern winter. Victoria and Tasmania run December to April instead.
🍒 Cherries
November to January, and nowhere for longer than six weeks. Young, the Yarra Valley, the Adelaide Hills, the Huon Valley. The good farms fill early with returning pickers, so apply in September.
🍌 Bananas
The only genuine year-round option, around Tully and Innisfail. Not really picking: bunch humping, shed work and field labouring, heavy, hot and wet. It does not stop, which matters if you are counting days.
🍎 Apples and pears
March to May at Manjimup, Donnybrook and the Huon Valley, which grows roughly a fifth of the national crop. Stanthorpe and the Goulburn Valley start in December. A ladder and a bag that gets heavy fast.
🍇 Grapes
Two different jobs. Wine grapes run February to April across the Riverina, Barossa and Coonawarra, much of it machine-harvested with people on pruning and trellis work. Table grapes at Mildura run January to May, picked by hand.
🍊 Citrus
Winter work, which is what makes it useful. Navels come off in the Riverland June to October, the Riverina May to September. Heavy ladder work, but inland winter weather is as good as picking weather gets.
🥭 Mangoes and tropical fruit
October to January, starting around Darwin and Katherine and reaching Carnarvon later. Top End mango season lands in the build-up, the humid stretch before the wet. Brutally hot, and it pays well because of it.
🍅 Vegetables and melons
Overlooked, and often the easiest work to walk into. Bowen, Gumlu and Ayr grow most of Australia's winter tomatoes May to November, and Kununurra runs melons over the same months. More often hourly than piece rate, which suits a first season.
State by state
Where each state sits in the year, and what it is good for.
Queensland
The closest thing to a year-round state. Bananas at Tully never stop, strawberries and Bowen vegetables carry the winter, Stanthorpe picks stone fruit over summer. Bundaberg and Childers have the most working hostels in the country.
New South Wales
The most evenly spread state, thanks to blueberries at Coffs Harbour running June to February. Cherries at Young, stone fruit at Griffith, the Riverina carrying winter citrus then autumn wine grapes. The easiest state for chaining seasons.
Victoria
Summer and autumn, concentrated in the north. Mildura, Robinvale and Swan Hill are the engine room from January to May, and Shepparton runs stone fruit from December. The Yarra Valley adds work within reach of Melbourne.
South Australia
Two clean seasons and little in between. The Riverland picks navels June to October and almonds in February; the wine regions run vintage February to April. All of it within a few hours of Adelaide.
Western Australia
Enormous distances and two separate harvest worlds. Manjimup and Donnybrook pick apples March to May. Two thousand kilometres north, Carnarvon does tropical fruit from October and Kununurra melons May to November. Pick one end and stay.
Tasmania
A tight season from November to May and nothing at all in winter. Cherries, berries, apples and hops, mostly within two hours of Hobart. Good wages and kinder weather than the mainland, but you need a plan for June to October.
Northern Territory
Two crops and two windows. Melons around Katherine June to September, mangoes around Darwin October to January. That is the whole calendar. The heat is what people underestimate, and why the Top End pays well.
Planning a route along the harvest trail
How to chain seasons together instead of chasing them.
The mistake almost everyone makes is arriving when a season is already in full swing. By then the farms have their crew and the hostels are full, so you spend a fortnight paying for a bed while you wait for someone to quit. Turn up two to three weeks before the dates on this calendar and growers are still hiring.
The second is underestimating the distances. Bundaberg to Coffs Harbour is around 900 kilometres. Mildura to Manjimup is closer to 3,000. A route that looks tidy on a map can be four days of driving and several hundred dollars of fuel, straight out of what you just earned. Chain regions that are genuinely near each other: Riverina citrus into Riverina wine grapes, or Bundaberg strawberries into Bowen tomatoes.
Public transport does not go where the fruit is. Some working hostels run a shuttle to the farms they supply, which is worth asking about before you book, because it decides whether you need a vehicle at all. Everywhere else you need your own wheels, and that cost is the biggest single variable in whether a season turns a profit. Whether buying beats renting for your dates is what the calculator in our buying a car guide works out.
Sponsored by DiscoverCars. For a single six-week season, hiring is often cheaper than buying a car you then have to sell in a country town. DiscoverCars puts the big rental firms and the local depots on one screen, which is the fastest way to price that up. If you book through this banner we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.
What harvest work actually pays
Piece rates, the minimum you are guaranteed, and where the money quietly goes.
Expect roughly AU$24 to AU$30 an hour, though the hourly figure is only half the story, because most picking is paid by the piece: per bin, per bucket, per tray. A fast picker on a good block clears well above the minimum. A first-week picker on a poor block does not.
Which is why the rule that protects you matters, and a surprising number of backpackers have never heard of it. Since 28 April 2022 the Horticulture Award has carried a minimum wage guarantee for pieceworkers. For each day you work on a piece rate you have to be paid at least your minimum hourly rate multiplied by the hours you worked that day, and for casuals that rate includes the 25% casual loading. Earn more on the piece rate and you keep the higher amount.
Two details are worth memorising. The piece rate has to be set so a competent picker at average productivity earns at least 15% more per hour than the minimum. And a good day cannot cancel out a bad one: Tuesday's surplus may not be offset against a Wednesday that fell short. Fair Work publishes the current rates, which change every 1 July.
Then there is what comes off the top. Get a TFN before your first shift or 45% is withheld until you sort it out. On-farm accommodation is often deducted from your pay, so get the weekly figure in writing before you accept the job rather than finding it on your first payslip. Super is paid on top and you can claim it back when you leave for good.
One last thing. You are paid in Australian dollars by an employer you have never met, and at some point you will want that money at home. Doing it through a high-street bank is where a decent season quietly loses a few hundred dollars.
Sponsored by Wise. A multi-currency account gives you an Australian account number for wages to land in, statements you can pull later, and a cheap way to send what you earn home. If you open an account through this banner we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.
How this fits your 88 days (and who's exempt)
The classic route to a second-year working holiday visa, but not everyone needs it.
Complete 88 days of eligible specified work in a regional area during your first Working Holiday visa and you can apply for a second-year visa; around six months (roughly 179 days) can unlock a third. That covers both subclass 417 and 462 holders. Fruit picking is one of the classic ways to bank those days, but the work has to be genuine, paid, and in an eligible industry and postcode. Our 88 days postcode checker tells you whether a region and job qualify, and the farm work & 88 days guide covers proof and scam warnings.
The calendar matters more here than people expect, because 88 days is longer than most single seasons. Cherries last six weeks. Vintage is rarely more than eight. Getting there takes two or three jobs, so line the second up before you finish the first.
It is physical work in a remote region, so check your travel insurance actually covers manual outdoor labour before your first shift. Our insurance guide breaks down which providers do. Phone signal thins out fast out there too, and the offline maps worth downloading first are in our apps & websites guide.
Leaving Australia for good once your harvest season is over? Don't forget to check our super & tax back guide for reclaiming what you've paid in.
FAQs
The questions we get asked most about Australia's harvest seasons.
What months is fruit picking available in Australia?
Somewhere in Australia, fruit picking is available every month of the year. Queensland's tropical banana harvest runs effectively year-round, while other crops cycle through the seasons state by state. December to March is the busiest stretch, July to September the thinnest.
What is the Harvest Trail?
A Commonwealth-funded programme run through Workforce Australia. It funds providers to connect growers with seasonal workers, runs a free job board, and publishes the National Harvest Guide. The phrase is also used informally for the route itself. It is not a placement agency, and nobody should charge you to use it.
When is strawberry season in Australia?
There are two, and they barely overlap. Queensland picks through winter, May to October, around Caboolture and Bundaberg. Victoria runs October to May in the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula. Between them, strawberries are picked in almost every month.
When are apples in season in Australia?
March to May, at Manjimup and Donnybrook in Western Australia and Tasmania's Huon Valley, which grows roughly a fifth of the national crop. Warmer regions start earlier: Stanthorpe and the Goulburn Valley pick from December.
When is berry season in Australia?
Blueberries around Coffs Harbour and the Northern Rivers run June to February, one of the few picking options in the southern winter. Victorian and Tasmanian berries run the other way, December to April. Between the two there is berry work for most of the year.
Which month is busiest for harvest work in Australia?
January and March are the fullest, with 15 of the 28 regions in season, and December to March is the busiest stretch. Busy cuts both ways. There are more jobs, but far more backpackers chasing them, and beds in harvest towns get scarce over summer.
Do I need a car to follow the harvest trail?
Usually, yes. Public transport does not reach most farms and the regions are hundreds of kilometres apart. The exception is a working hostel running its own shuttle, worth asking about before you book. For one short season, hiring can beat buying a car you then have to sell.
Do I need 88 days of farm work for a second-year working holiday visa?
Generally yes, if you're not exempt. 88 days of eligible specified regional work unlocks a second-year 417/462 visa, and around six months (179 days) a third. Because most seasons run six to eight weeks, getting there takes two or three jobs. The full rules are in our farm work & 88 days guide.
Are UK passport holders exempt from the 88-day rule?
Yes. Under the Australia–UK Free Trade Agreement, British citizens don't need 88 days of specified regional work to qualify for a second or third Working Holiday visa. Always confirm the current rules for your nationality before relying on this.
Which Australian state has fruit picking work all year round?
Queensland comes closest. The tropical banana harvest around Tully and Innisfail runs every month, and between strawberries, Bowen's winter vegetables and summer stone fruit at Stanthorpe, something is picking whenever you arrive.
Looking for the jobs themselves, not just the season? Our Australia jobs guide covers pay, sectors and how to find work fast. Already have a region in mind? The 88 days postcode checker tells you whether it counts before you drive there.