How to Find Farm Work in WA

Western Australia covers the entire West Coast of Australia and is made up mostly of the outback. The South West of the region is where the population is most concentrated and where most of the agricultural work is found. With a host of wineries in this region, it is the perfect place for wine-loving backpackers to undertake their 88 days of agricultural work.

Finding the Best Area to do your Farm Work:

To obtain your second-year visa you have to complete your 88 days agricultural work in a rural area. Here are some of the areas Western Australia has to offer.  

Margaret River –  A quiet little surfing town, the gorgeous setting of this place is well worth a visit and has certainly wooed more than few people into staying and looking for work! Margaret River is one of the world’s great wine growing regions. Several labor-hire companies to have offices in the Margaret River townsite specializing in the recruitment of casual workers principally for vineyard work. Casual vineyard workers are required throughout the year with the busiest time being pruning (June-September) and grape picking (February-April). 

Kununurra – Located in the far Northern side of Western Australia the town borders the Northern Territory. July – August is banana season here, October – January is mango season, and from May – September is Zucchini and Rock Melon season.

Facebook:
Once you have some idea of where you would like to call home for the next few months, your next task will be finding a farm to employ you. This can be a daunting task but also one that can be done while doing something you love, scrolling down Facebook! Western Australia has a host of great backpacker groups that employers post jobs on, or you can post your own advert that highlights yourself and your availability. Some of the best Facebook groups in Western Australia for finding agricultural work are:

https://www.facebook.com/JobsInWesternAustralia/
https://www.facebook.com/PerthWesternAustraliaJobs/
https://www.facebook.com/Mining-Jobs-Western-Australia-573936302684181/

Working Hostels

Often regarded as the easiest way to find farm work when speaking to people who have done it, Working Hostels are a great way to get a job and transport to work sorted. There is certainly no shortage of working hostels in Western Australia. Simply Google working hostel in whichever town takes your pick and give them a call to see if they have any space.  This can often be a more expensive option, but when getting your work found for you and your transport to the farm provided, it can work out to be a small price to pay.

Gumtree

Forever Australia’s go-to site for finding casual work, Gumtree is also a leader in advertising for farm work.  It is especially popular with the smaller farms that are looking to recruit people for picking jobs. Although, we must warn you to always be wary when searching through Gumtree, as anyone can post on Gumtree and scams are not exactly uncommon.

Gumtree allows you to search for current job vacancies in any area, or let you post your own availability advertisement to attract prospective farmers. On here you can post your availability, contact details, current location, experience and any other relevant information you feel would attract farmers to hiring you.
By Paraic Walker