Very few, if not none, of vineyards have housing for their agency workers, the picking being very irregular, from a day to a few days, which can be renewed from one week to the next, or not. The backpackers so overwhelmingly opt for camping.
A free campground is located northwest of Launceston, and another around Hobart. For a complete review I invite you to visit the website Traveling Two .
The hostels are another option, but present only in major cities like Devonport or Launceston. Forget those of Hobart, the capital of Tasmania being quite far from the first farms. Finally, as mentioned above, the HelpX can also be a means of housing.
It’s up to you to see the offers, and to expose your project to your future guests, to find out if a compromise can be found between your hours of fruit picking and your hours of help in their property.
What salary do you expect?
Farm work is very much supervised in Tasmania, and the pay generally good, especially if you go through agencies. My hourly rate was $ 21.61. This very correct hourly rate is to be counterbalanced by the fact that the work is very irregular. You will rarely have complete weeks, and work hours are usually between 4 and 7 hours a day. Hence the utility of being in the listing of several agencies, to work as many days as possible each week.
What does a typical day of a grape picker look like ?
Meetings are usually around 7 am in the morning.
You must report your presence to the person of the agency, who will then lend you for the day the necessary equipment: safety vest, safety glasses and secateurs. It’s up to you to bring a hat or cap.
Bringing sunscreen is also a good idea, as you will spend your day outside, as well as what to eat for the lunch break, and a gourd. Drinking water is present on the farms to supply you during the day.
You and the dozen or thirty pickers for the big days, then take the road to the vineyard. On site, the person from the agency passes the baton to the permanent employees of the site. The work is then done in pairs. Indeed, 2 people, on each side of the vine, pick the bunches of grapes, and go up the row together.