Sheep on a regional Victoria farm at golden hour

WHV jobs in Victoria: 88-day regions, seasons & work types

Melbourne's café culture, regional wine country and some of Australia's best seasonal harvests

Victoria might be Australia's second-smallest mainland state, but it packs in an enormous amount of opportunity for working holiday travellers. Melbourne is the country's food, coffee and arts capital and constantly employs hospitality workers. Head north-west to Mildura and Sunraysia for stone fruit, grapes and citrus; east to the Goulburn Valley for peaches, pears and tomatoes; or south to Gippsland for dairy and vegetable work. The Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Rutherglen wine regions also run harvest seasons that attract seasonal workers. Victoria's agricultural regions along the Murray River border with NSW produce some of Australia's most valuable fruit and vegetable crops and are well-established for 88-day purposes.

Current jobs in Victoria

Dairy Cattle Farm Operator

Global Skilled Employment Services

CORUNNUN, VictoriaLivestock Farm Workers3 September 2026

Dairy Cattle Farm Operator

Global Skilled Employment Services

CRANBOURNE, VictoriaLivestock Farm Workers4 September 2026

Senior Dairy Cattle Farm Worker and Dairy Cattle Farm Operators

1. Senior Dairy Cattle Farm Worker – Key Duties

ALLANS FLAT, VictoriaLivestock Farmers4 September 2026

Dairy Farm Positions

3. Senior Dairy Farm Operator

SCOTTS CREEK, VictoriaLivestock Farmers2 September 2026

Dairy Cattle Farm Operator

Global Skilled Employment Services

SEASPRAY, VictoriaLivestock Farm Workers4 September 2026

Orchard Farm Hand

Employer name- Priest Bros Orchards Pty Ltd

HARCOURT NORTH, VictoriaCrop Farm Workers4 September 2026

Popular regions and cities in Victoria

Table grapes, dried fruit, citrus and stone fruit. One of Victoria's most important regional work hubs.

Pears, peaches, tomatoes, cherries. The Goulburn Valley fruit industry centres on Shepparton.

Stone fruit, grapes, citrus along the Murray. Good combination of fruit and mixed farming work.

Hospitality, retail, events, construction. Australia's café capital — RSA certificate strongly recommended.

Table grapes and winemaking grapes in early autumn. Close to Mildura on the Murray.

Stone fruit and tomatoes in the northern Goulburn Valley, near the NSW border.

Mixed farming, agribusiness and some tourism work in north-east Victoria.

Dairy, aquaculture and some hospitality on Victoria's south-west coast.

Main industries hiring backpackers in Victoria

Agriculture & Farm Work

Stone fruit, grapes, citrus, tomatoes and mixed cropping in the Murray–Murrumbidgee corridor.

Fruit Picking

Stone fruit (Shepparton, Cobram), table grapes (Mildura), cherries (Harcourt area), citrus (Sunraysia).

Hospitality

Melbourne is Australia's hospitality and café capital. Also strong demand in Geelong and the Yarra Valley.

Construction

Ongoing work in metropolitan Melbourne. Trades, labouring and traffic control roles are particularly available.

Tourism

Yarra Valley wine tours, Great Ocean Road operators, Mornington Peninsula and alpine resorts.

Dairy & Livestock

Victoria is Australia's dairy heartland. Farm hand and dairy milking roles are available in Gippsland and the south-west.

Seasonal work calendar — Victoria

Approximate seasonal patterns. Actual harvest dates vary each year depending on weather and growing conditions.

Period	Typical work available
Dec–Feb	✓Cherries (Harcourt, Wandin) ✓Stone fruit begins (Shepparton) ✓Tomatoes (Echuca area)
Feb–Mar	✓Stone fruit peak (Shepparton, Cobram) ✓Table grapes (Mildura) ✓Wine harvest (Yarra Valley, Mornington)
Mar–Apr	✓Grapes continue ✓Pears & apples (Shepparton) ✓Citrus begins (Sunraysia)
May–Jun	✓Citrus (Mildura, Robinvale, Swan Hill) ✓Vegetable planting (Gippsland)
Jul–Aug	✓Citrus continues ✓Pruning (orchards and vineyards) ✓Mushrooms (year-round, Dandenong Ranges)
Sep–Nov	✓Pruning finishes ✓Vegetable picking (Gippsland) ✓Spring planting across Goulburn Valley

88-day and specified work in Victoria

Victoria has many approved regional postcodes. The Sunraysia region (Mildura, Robinvale, Swan Hill), the Goulburn Valley (Shepparton, Cobram, Kyabram), north-east Victoria and Gippsland all fall within approved areas for many seasonal farm and agricultural roles. Check the Department of Home Affairs postcode list to confirm your specific location is eligible.

Check the official approved postcodes list →

Accommodation and housing in Victoria

Backpacker hostels operate in Mildura, Shepparton, Swan Hill and other fruit regions. Many farms and labour hire companies arrange on-site accommodation in caravans or basic facilities — costs vary significantly, so ask before you accept a job. In Melbourne, backpacker accommodation is available throughout the inner suburbs. St Kilda, Fitzroy and the CBD are popular with working travellers.

Getting around Victoria

V/Line trains and coaches connect Melbourne to Mildura, Shepparton, Swan Hill and other regional cities. A car is very helpful in fruit-growing areas where farms are outside town centres. Mildura is about 540 km from Melbourne by road. Within Melbourne, the Myki public transport card covers trams, trains and buses.

Practical tips for working in Victoria

Get your RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) certificate before arriving in Melbourne — it's required for most bar and restaurant work.
Mildura's grape harvest can be piece-rate. Ask at the labour hire office what pickers are averaging per day.
Pack warm clothes for Victoria — even in summer, nights in regional areas get cold.
Melbourne's hospitality industry is large but competitive. Having a reference from a previous job helps enormously.
The Goulburn Valley is extremely hot in summer. Stay hydrated and apply for early-morning shifts when possible.

Frequently asked questions

Does fruit picking in Mildura count toward the 88 days?

Mildura is in a designated regional area and agricultural work there generally counts toward the 88-day specified work requirement. Always check the exact postcode of your employer against the Department of Home Affairs approved list and ensure your employer provides proper payslips.

When does the grape harvest happen in Victoria?

The main wine and table grape harvest in the Mildura/Sunraysia region runs from approximately February to April. In the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula, the boutique wine harvest runs from late February through March. Timing can vary by a few weeks depending on weather and variety.

Is Melbourne easy to find work in as a backpacker?

Melbourne is one of Australia's easiest cities to find casual hospitality and retail work. The café and restaurant scene is large, and there is also consistent demand in construction and events. However, most of metropolitan Melbourne does not count as a regional area for 88-day visa purposes.

Start your Victoria job search today

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