Berry Picking

Work conditions
Fruit picking work is gentle physical outdoor work. The area between the rows of blueberry bushes is mown grass. You walk along your allocated rows of blueberries selecting the ripe fruit and gently placing them in a small bucket belted to your waist. Blueberry bushes are kept pruned to about 1.5 metres high so there is little bending and no ladder work. However, it will often be hot and some people find it tedious.

Work Hours
Blueberries cannot be picked when they are wet. Therefore, picking does not begin until the morning dew has dried from the berries - usually about 8:30 or 9am. Picking continues until about 4pm or later in summer.

Picking is mostly done from Monday to Friday but occasionally you may be offered Saturday or Sunday picking, especially if wet weather has prevented picking during the week. There is no picking on wet or rainy days.

Pay Rates and Picking Quality
We pay on a piece rate per kg basis (the more berries you pick the more we pay you).

Picking quality is extremely important. You will be trained so that you know how to pick and sort quality fruit. The first quality berry rate is only paid for first quality picking.

If you haven't picked blueberries before it usually takes 7-10 days to get your quality and speed up. New pickers should be prepared to give themselves at least a week, and not give up in the first day or so. Pickers find that improving quality and speed is more mental than physical — they are surprised how easy it becomes.