What’s Picking Now: Farm Work in Australia, November 2026
November is a season-change month. Cherries are opening in the south, mangoes are at their peak in the north, and the last of the dry season melon and sugarcane work is running out before the wet.
That mix of endings and beginnings makes November one of the busier months for farm work in Australia. Here’s what’s picking, where, and what to do about it.
The quick answer: cherries and mangoes, with the north winding down
Five things are happening on Australian farms this November:
- Cherries are opening. Young in New South Wales, the Cherry Capital of Australia, is heading into peak picking. The Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Adelaide Hills and Orange are all starting their seasons too.
- Mangoes are at their peak. Carnarvon in Western Australia and Darwin and Humpty Doo in the Northern Territory are both at full volume, alongside Bundaberg and the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland.
- Blueberries are still running hard. Coffs Harbour and the North Coast of New South Wales are in their peak blueberry months.
- The north is winding down. Melons around Kununurra and Katherine, and sugarcane and melons around Ayr and Home Hill, are in their last weeks before the season ends.
- Stone fruit and berries are starting in the south. Shepparton, Swan Hill, Adelaide Hills and Devonport are all beginning their stone fruit and berry seasons.
If you’re chasing cherries or mangoes, this is the month to move. Both seasons are short and both are already underway.
What’s picking now, by region
| Region | What’s picking in November | Towns to aim for |
|---|---|---|
| Bundaberg & Wide Bay, QLD | Sweet potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, mangoes, avocados, citrus, macadamias | Bundaberg |
| Bowen & Whitsundays, QLD | Tomatoes, capsicums, melons, mangoes (last big month) | Bowen |
| Atherton Tablelands, QLD | Bananas, avocados, mangoes, sugarcane | Atherton Tablelands, Dimbulah |
| Stanthorpe & Granite Belt, QLD | Apples, stone fruit, grapes, strawberries (season starting) | Stanthorpe |
| Ayr & Home Hill, QLD | Sugarcane, melons (last month) | Ayr, Home Hill |
| Shepparton & Goulburn Valley, VIC | Apples, pears, stone fruit (season starting) | Shepparton |
| Swan Hill, VIC | Stone fruit, grapes, almonds (season starting) | Swan Hill |
| Yarra Valley, VIC | Cherries, berries, wine grapes (season starting) | Yarra Valley |
| Mornington Peninsula, VIC | Cherries, berries, wine grapes (season starting) | Mornington Peninsula |
| Gippsland, VIC | Dairy (year-round), vegetables | Gippsland |
| Orange & Central Tablelands, NSW | Cherries, apples, stone fruit (season starting) | Orange |
| Young, NSW | Cherries (Cherry Capital of Australia, peak picking) | Young |
| Coffs Harbour & North Coast, NSW | Blueberries (peak), bananas, macadamias | Coffs Harbour |
| Riverland, SA | Citrus, grapes, stone fruit, almonds | Renmark, Berri, Loxton |
| Adelaide Hills, SA | Cherries, apples, pears, berries (season starting) | Adelaide Hills |
| Virginia & Northern Adelaide Plains, SA | Vegetables, almonds | Virginia |
| Carnarvon, WA | Bananas, tomatoes, mangoes (peak), chillies | Carnarvon |
| Kununurra & Ord River, WA | Melons, mangoes, sandalwood (last month) | Kununurra |
| Gingin & Swan Valley, WA | Citrus, grapes, stone fruit (season starting) | Gingin |
| Devonport & North Coast, TAS | Vegetables, berries (season starting) | Devonport |
| Darwin & Humpty Doo, NT | Mangoes (peak), bananas, Asian vegetables | Darwin |
| Katherine, NT | Melons, mangoes, citrus (last month) | Katherine |
For the full year-round picture, see our Fruit Picking Seasons Australia guide. It maps every crop, every month, every region.
Cherries are opening
Young, in the south-west slopes of New South Wales, calls itself the Cherry Capital of Australia for good reason. Picking there runs from November through December, and this is the start of the busiest stretch.
The same story is playing out further south. The Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula in Victoria are starting their cherry, berry and wine grape seasons. So is Adelaide Hills in South Australia, and Orange and the Central Tablelands in New South Wales. Across Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and South Australia, cherry season runs from November through to January.
Cherry picking is fast, repetitive work. Crews move through orchards quickly, and the season doesn’t last long in any one place. If you want a run of days during this window, get in early. These or
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