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FRUIT PICKING OZ SEPTEMBER |
 Posted: Fri Aug 7, 2009 7:19 am |
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| Hi
Can anyone recommend the best places in Victoria to do fruit pinking at the beginning of September???? Thanks |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 25 Posts |
| Posted: Fri Aug 7, 2009 7:44 am |
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| Yeah.
Look for working hostels in towns like Mildura, Shepparton and Griffith. The latter is actually in NSW, and Mildura is right on the border too, but that whole area is easier accessed from Melbourne and it's farm-tastic. They call that region the bread basket of Australia. Other smaller townships are Robinvale, Swan Hill and Red Clliffs. There's loads of smaller towns around there that offer up work. Just over the border with SA, there's Renmark, Barmera and Berri - all good too, with some very good working hostels to look for. You can find some form of farm work pretty much all year round up in that part of Victoria, but August/September is right at the start of the main picking season down there, so it's a great time to go. There's normally about 6 or even 7 months worth of picking down there, as various crops come into season. The working hostels are generally pretty good at sorting you out, but you'll hear mixed reviews. My tip is to completely ignore any bad reviews you hear about working hostels (unless you can find nothing good about them whatsoever), because the majority of bad reviews (not all, but the majority) are written by backpackers with an unrealistic slant on how these things work. Basically, they rock up expecting to get work and then spit their dummies out when they find out that there's a lull in work, or that there's a pecking order based on first come first served, and they don't like being at the bottom of it. Anyways, these will get you started in and around Mildura if you want some ideas... http://www.milduracitybackpackers.com.au/ http://www.milduraoasisbackpackers.com.au/ http://www.mildurabackpackers.com.au There's also a mini-chain of basic-but-fun hostels run by an Irish couple called Bev and Mick. They started out with a hostel in the heart of Melbourne which I once stayed at back in the day, and these days they've got a handful of hostels in pubs in Melbourne and up-state in the farm areas around Mildura. Not sure if they still do it, but they used to provide a free minibus service up to their farm hostels from Melbourne once a week for anyone who wanted to stay with them up there. You'd need to ask them about that. This is their site: http://www.bevandmicks.com.au/main.htm Click on 'locations' and you'll see where they are. Their rates can be ridiculously cheap too, depending on what time of year you go - as low as 80 bucks a week. I paid that rate in one of their Melbourne hostel over Christmas and new year only a few years ago. Like I say, they're no YHA, but their hostels aren't foul either. The vast majority of working hostels are rough around the edges, but lots of them are really good fun. Wherever you go, be prepared to hang around for a few days if there's not work immediately available. It will come. Once you know the area, you could also just get out and arrange your own work and accommodation. Some of the bigger apple and pear orchards have their own dorm accommodation for when picking season comes, and some even give you a packed lunch in with the cost of your rent. Others can offer you subsidised rates for caravan rental at nearby caravan parks, or have camping facilities on-site. There's plenty of options, but to break yourself in it's well worth checking into a good working hostel. |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 6506 Posts |
| Posted: Fri Aug 7, 2009 9:35 am |
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| Thank you Tom,
Your advice is always so helpful! You have tought me so much, and I can't wait to get off to Oz now, so a huge thanks! |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 771 Posts |
| Posted: Fri Aug 7, 2009 10:40 am |
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| This is a very useful post - thank Tom! Just one question, I am thinking of trying to get work at Berri Backpackers because all the reviews sound fantastic. Do you know when their fruit picking season is?
Thanks  |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 9 Posts |
| Posted: Fri Aug 7, 2009 11:35 am |
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Tagged.  |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 1889 Posts |
| Posted: Fri Aug 7, 2009 12:28 pm |
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This is a very useful post - thank Tom! Just one question, I am thinking of trying to get work at Berri Backpackers because all the reviews sound fantastic. Do you know when their fruit picking season is?
Thanks Mate, Berri Backpackers is the best hostel I've ever stayed at by far. Work's not a massively consistent thing there, although there's definitely a peak period around the turn of the year, as well as about mid year. It's grown a bit over the years, so more people go there looking for work, which can be a bit of a pain. I'd say go there for sure and see what's on. If you can't get much work, then it's only a 40 minute Greyhound trip west to Nomads on Murray in Barmera, and they have work on pretty much all year round. But give Berri a go, because it really is something else. |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 6506 Posts |
| Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:51 am |
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Great, I think I will definitely try and get there, thanks!  |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 9 Posts |
| Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 12:24 am |
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| tagging for much needed valuable info ta | |
| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 39 Posts |
| Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2009 10:42 am |
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| tagged | |
| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 12 Posts |
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