When is harvest season in Australia? A month-by-month calendar

The question isn’t whether there’s harvest work, it’s where. Australia is big enough that something is being picked every month. This calendar is built from what the growers’ own industry bodies say about their seasons.

Crop by crop

Crop	Main regions	Typical months	Peak
Strawberries (Queensland)	Sunshine Coast, Caboolture, Bundaberg	June – October	mid-August to mid-September
Strawberries (Victoria)	Yarra Valley, Silvan, Mornington Peninsula	September/October – May	November
Cherries	Young and Orange (NSW), Victoria, SA, WA, Tasmania	November – late February	December – January
Mangoes (NT)	Darwin, Katherine	September – November	mid-October to mid-November
Mangoes (Queensland)	Bowen and Burdekin, then Mareeba and Dimbulah	November – March	Mareeba: late December – late January
Table grapes	Emerald (Qld), Ti Tree (NT), then Carnarvon (WA), then Sunraysia and the Murray Valley	October – April	Sunraysia: from January
Apples and pears	Batlow (NSW), Goulburn Valley (Vic), Stanthorpe (Qld), Manjimup (WA), Tasmania	January – May	Pears first, then apples
Citrus (navels, mandarins)	Riverland (SA), Sunraysia and Murray Valley, Riverina (NSW), Central Burnett (Qld)	May – October	July – August
Bananas	Tully, Innisfail (Far North Qld)	All year	Summer

What the industry bodies say:

• Cherries: Cherry Growers Australia says picking runs from October/November in the eastern states into late February, with most in December and January. Tasmania’s window is the shortest, about eight weeks.
• Apples and pears: APAL says the apple harvest starts in January with early varieties like Royal Gala and ends around May with late varieties like Cripps Pink, and pear picking starts in January.
• Citrus: Citrus Australia says navels are generally available in winter, June to October, mainly from the Murray Valley, the Riverina and the Riverland.
• Table grapes: the season starts in October in the north (Emerald, Ti Tree) and moves south, with Sunraysia, the biggest region, later in summer.
• Bananas: the Queensland primary industries department says bananas are harvested all year round, peaking in summer. Far North Queensland grows the large majority of Australia’s bananas.

Month by month: where the picking is

Month	Where to look
January	Cherries (Tasmania, Victoria); mangoes (Mareeba); table grapes (Sunraysia); pears and early apples; bananas
February	Apples and pears (Batlow, Goulburn Valley, Stanthorpe, Tasmania); table grapes (Sunraysia); last cherries; mangoes (Mareeba)
March	Apples and pears; table grapes (Sunraysia, Murray Valley); last mangoes; bananas
April	Late apples (Cripps Pink); last table grapes; Victorian strawberries; early mandarins (SA)
May	Last apples; citrus starts; Queensland vegetables start; bananas
June	Citrus (Riverland, Sunraysia, Riverina, Central Burnett); Queensland strawberries start; winter vegetables (Bowen, Bundaberg)
July	Citrus (peak); Queensland strawberries and vegetables; bananas
August	Citrus (peak); Queensland strawberries (peak from mid-August); vegetables
September	Queensland strawberries (peak to mid-September); last citrus; NT mangoes start; Victorian strawberries start
October	NT mangoes (peak from mid-October); table grapes start (Emerald, Ti Tree); last Queensland strawberries; Victorian strawberries
November	Cherries start; mangoes (NT, Bowen); table grapes (Carnarvon); Victorian strawberries (peak)
December	Cherries (peak); mangoes (Bowen, Mareeba); stone fruit; Victorian strawberries

Before you travel for a harvest

• Seasons move. Rain, heat and frost shift them by a few weeks. Contact farms or check job ads a few weeks ahead.
• Arrive a little early. Picking work fills fast at the start of a season.
• Check the postcode. The work has to be in a listed postcode for your visa to count. On a 462, farm work only counts in Northern Australia and the listed regional areas. Use the postcode checker.
• Plan for gaps. Between crops, and on rain days, there’s no pay and no days. Leave a buffer. See best time to go.
• Know your pay rights. Piece rates have a daily minimum guarantee: see farm pay and piece rates.

Questions people also ask

When is fruit picking season in Australia?

All year, in different places. Queensland's winter crops (strawberries, vegetables) run about June to October, and the southern summer fruit (cherries, stone fruit, grapes) runs about November to April.

Where can I find harvest work in winter?

Queensland: strawberries on the Sunshine Coast and around Bundaberg, winter vegetables around Bowen and Bundaberg. In the south, citrus in the Riverland, Sunraysia and Riverina runs through winter.

Is there year-round farm work?

Bananas in Far North Queensland (Tully, Innisfail) are picked all year, with less work in the cooler months.

Does harvest work count for my 88 days?

Picking and packing fruit and vegetables is farm work (plant and animal cultivation). It counts in listed postcodes: on a 417 across regional Australia, on a 462 in Northern Australia and the listed regional areas. Check the postcode first.

Sources

• Cherry Growers Australia: cherry seasons
• APAL (Apple and Pear Australia)
• Citrus Australia: season
• Australian Table Grape Association: growing regions
• Queensland Department of Primary Industries: subtropical banana growing guide
• Australian Banana Growers' Council: tropical bananas

General information, not immigration advice. Aussie Days is independent and not affiliated with the Australian Government. Always check the official Home Affairs pages before you rely on anything here.