Australia Harvest Work

[kickthatshit]

Hey there,

In the past couple of years I've spent hoboing around the states, I've realized that most harvest and seasonal work here pays shit for wages. And since I've seen most of the U.S. already anyway, I've decided to do the Aussie hobo thing and save up some money to get over to Australia. Once I get there, I'll be looking for harvest work and all sorts of odd jobs, hitching and train riding to get around.

So, my question for the Aussies on here, as well as anyone who's done the working holiday visa thing before, is what sorts of harvest work would you recommend? Which sorts of jobs or regions should I avoid? (I've already gathered that it's good to avoid the tourist ghettos of the popular beach towns, which I'm not too interested in anyhow.) Which jobs pay the best, and which pay the least? Is the north coast of NSW essentially the Humboldt County of Australia, and can one get some scissor work there at the right time of year?

Of course, I'll also be looking for train-riding buddies, hitchhiking companions, friends to stay with, bands to check out & roadie with, and squats & political projects to get involved with. So hit me up if this describes you or the sort of stuff you plan on doing next year in Australia! Private message me, or just post something up on here.

Cheers,

Mark

 

[Rolling Blackouts]

Myself and a road dawg are looking to do the same thing come late December, assuming we get the cash together.
It's like $300 for the WHV and $1200 for a roundtrip via a New Zealand airline.
I ran across a PDF file put out by the Auss Gov't that essentially reads like a crew change for the harvest.
Here's the link: http://jobsearch.gov.au/HarvestTrail/Documents/NationalHarvestGuide.pdf
Pay attention to the section on filing an Aus Tax File Number. They'll tax you 50% if you don't file one.
It seems you've gotta be fairly legit with this work.
I'm still trying to figure out how to transfer funds from an Aus to US bank account without massive taxation/fines.
I've had friends run the circuit before - it can be year round if you hustle it, but you'll need a vehicle.
You can pick up an international driver's license thru AAA in the states for $15.

 

[kickthatshit]

Ah shit, you're in Portland as well. I've looked at the harvest guide, though the sheer number of choices it offers are overwhelming, like a 200 page menu full of mysterious food items in a restaurant I've never been to. I probably will not have a vehicle, though one could just fall out of the sky for me. (Yah, and monkeys will fly out of my ass.) It'll probably be freights and hitchhiking for me, which is kind of how I prefer things, anyhow. My understanding of the banking is that when you leave, you can just withdraw all your money & close your account, taking cash with you on your person - assuming it's under ten grand - but this I haven't really looked into. Is this assumption wrong?

I'm currently doing all sorts of research into Australia: the history of colonization, the Eucalyt plant family, the history of Aussie punk rock, anarchy & resistance in Australia, Australian railroads, and all sorts of other nerdy shit that I enjoy reading about before heading off somewhere. If you want to meet up for a beer sometime before you leave, I have Wednesdays & Thursdays off of work, so hit me up. And thanks for the info.

 

[Rolling Blackouts]

I'm currently in the Bay, but will be riding North in a week or so, just a short tour to see some friends.
Will PM ya when I make town.
I believe if you're carrying under $10K you don't have to declare it, but it could be $5K. Definitely something to clarify.

How are the Aussie railroads? Haven't heard of many riders, but I know lines do exist, and were mostly established for exporting cash crops.

 

[kickthatshit]

I haven't found much on the railroads, but there's some Aussie train riders on STP to talk to. My understanding is that many short train lines, like you said, are for transporting extracted resources or cash crops; they don't run trains very often, and may be comprised of only one type of train car that is pretty much unrideable. Between major cities, west to Perth, north to Darwin, and north up the east coast, there seems to be regular freight service with a variety of cars. Security doesn't seem to be too tight, since not many people ride, and it seems like big yards are often located very close to main passenger train stations (as in Europe). As I said, none of this is from firsthand experience, I'm just making some educated guesses, so don't quote me...

 

[Rancho]

Interesting

 

[Rolling Blackouts]

Sounds realistic enough.

Google Earth (the master's tools) may prove valuable.

 

[makan kotoran]

finding harvest work here is easy, there is a guide that is udated annually that tells you what areas and farms are looking for worker and when.
you definaitly won't need a car, hitching is real easy and all of the lines are rideable, doublestack well cars and oped air autoracks are used only between adelaide perth and darwin. but well cars are used all over australia, copius amounts of grainers, mineral cars, steel are also everywhere, there is definatly no shortage of trains in australia, you just need to knopw where to look, I've compiled a zine similar (i guess) to the ccg, for australia. If you do end up coming to australia hit me up.

 

[kickthatshit]

Thanks, Makan. I'll hit you up when / if I make it over there. (I'm thinking February.)

 

[Matt Derrick]

I'm currently doing all sorts of research into Australia: the history of colonization, the Eucalyt plant family, the history of Aussie punk rock, anarchy & resistance in Australia, Australian railroads, and all sorts of other nerdy shit that I enjoy reading about before heading off somewhere. If you want to meet up for a beer sometime before you leave, I have Wednesdays & Thursdays off of work, so hit me up. And thanks for the info.

you should read "In a Sunburned Country" by Bill Bryson. Excellent book about Australia, but also fucking hilarious.