What’s Picking Now: Farm Work in Australia, August 2026

August is the last month of winter, and it’s a better month for farm work than most people expect.

Citrus and strawberries are at their peak. Blueberries are running hard in northern New South Wales. The winter pruning work is in its final weeks. And behind all of that, the spring season is about to open up, which makes August one of the best months of the year to get yourself in position.

Here’s what’s being picked, where, and what to do about it.

The quick answer: pick now in the north and inland, plan for spring

Four things are happening on Australian farms in August:

1. Citrus is at its peak. Navel oranges and mandarins across the Riverina, Sunraysia and the SA Riverland. This is the busiest month.
2. Queensland strawberries are in full swing. Bundaberg, Caboolture and the Sunshine Coast are hiring hard.
3. Pruning is finishing. If you want winter pruning work in Mildura or Griffith, this is your last month to get it.
4. Spring roles are opening. Asparagus in Victoria, melons up north, and the first of the summer crops. Growers start hiring in August for work that begins in September.

If you only take one thing from this: apply for spring work now. The people who land the good September and October jobs are the ones who got in touch in August.

What’s picking now, by region

For the full year-round picture, see our Fruit Picking Seasons Australia 2026 guide. It maps every crop, every month, every region.

Citrus is the biggest job on the board

August is peak citrus. If you want steady work right now with the best chance of walking onto a farm and getting a start, this is it.

Navel oranges and mandarins are being picked across three big inland regions: Griffith and Leeton in the Riverina, Mildura and Robinvale in Sunraysia, and Renmark, Berri and Loxton in the SA Riverland.

Citrus is hard on your hands and your shoulders. The bags are heavy and the ladders are real. But the work is steady, it runs for months, and these towns are set up for travellers, so finding a bed and a lift to the farm is easier than in most places.

Check the citrus picking page for what’s live now.

Strawberries and blueberries are both firing

The berry season is the other big employer in August.

Strawberries around Bundaberg, Caboolture and the Sunshine Coast are at full pace and will run through to October. It’s clean, fast work, usually paid hourly or on piece rates. If you pick quickly you can do well on piece rates. If you don’t, the hourly minimum still applies, so ask which one you’re on before you start.

Blueberries around Coffs Harbour and Woolgoolga in northern New South Wales are in their strongest months. The Coffs region grows most of Australia’s blueberries and takes on a lot of casual pickers from July through to about November.

See what’s live on the strawberry picking page and the blueberry picking page, or read our Coffs Harbour farm work guide.

Last call for pruning

Winter pruning has been keeping the southern regions busy since June, and August is the last of it.

Vines and fruit trees get cut back while they’re dormant, and once they start budding the work stops. Mildura, Robinvale and Griffith have been running pruning crews all winter and most will wrap up over the next few weeks.

If you need days on the board and picking work is thin where you are, take a pruning job now. It counts toward your 88 days exactly the same as picking does. Just don’t count on it still being there in September.

Get in early for spring

This is the part most people miss.

September and October are big months. Asparagus starts around Koo Wee Rup in Victoria from late August. Melons and vegetables build up around Kununurra and Katherine. The Northern Territory and northern WA mango harvest gets going from September, and growers line up their crews well before the first fruit is ready.

Growers hire ahead. A farm that needs forty pickers in October is making calls in August. If you wait until the season is visibly underway, you’re applying alongside everyone else who waited.

So do both. Take the citrus or berry work that’s available now, and put your name in for spring at the same time.

Live roles are on the Western Australia page, the Northern Territory page and the Victoria page.

Planning your 88 days around the season change

August is a good month to bank specified work, as long as you’re in an eligible postcode.

Picking counts. Pruning counts. Packing counts. Planting counts. The type of work doesn’t matter for your visa, only that it’s the right kind of work in an approved area. So a few weeks of citrus in Renmark followed by asparagus in Koo Wee Rup is a perfectly good run of days.

Check your postcode before you commit to a job, not after. Our 88 days postcode checker tells you straight away whether an address counts.

If you’re new to all this, start with the 88 days farm work guide. It covers what counts, what doesn’t, and how to keep your payslips in order so the application doesn’t fall over later.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fruit is picking in August in Australia?

In August, citrus is at its peak across the Riverina, Sunraysia and the SA Riverland, with navel oranges and mandarins being picked around Griffith, Mildura and Renmark. Queensland strawberries are in full swing around Bundaberg, Caboolture and the Sunshine Coast. Blueberries are running hard around Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales. Bananas keep going year-round in Tully and Innisfail, and melons and vegetables are being picked in the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia.

Is August a good time to find farm work in Australia?

Yes. August is one of the better winter months because citrus and berries are both at their peak, and it’s also when growers start hiring for the spring season. Southern Victoria and Tasmania are still quiet for picking, so head north or inland for work you can start now.

Is it too late to get pruning work in August?

Not quite, but it’s close. Vine and orchard pruning runs from about June to August while the plants are dormant, and most crews around Mildura, Robinvale and Griffith finish up by the end of the month. If you want pruning work this winter, apply now rather than in September.

When does the mango season start in Australia?

The mango harvest starts in the Northern Territory around September and October, then moves south through Queensland into November and December. Growers around Darwin, Katherine and Kununurra recruit their picking and packing crews in August, so August is the month to apply, not September.

What farm work is available in Victoria in August?

Victoria is quiet for picking in August. The main work is the last of the vine and orchard pruning around Mildura and Robinvale in the north of the state, plus shed and packing work. Asparagus around Koo Wee Rup starts from late August and runs through spring, so it’s worth applying towards the end of the month.

Does pruning count toward my 88 days?

Yes. Pruning is specified work for the second-year working holiday visa, as long as it’s done in an eligible postcode. The type of farm work doesn’t matter for your visa, only the location and that it’s genuine agricultural work. Check the address with our postcode checker before you start.