Mining Jobs in Australia for Backpackers

Start here — how mining work is organised

“A mining job” is not one market. You might be employed by the mine owner, a mining contractor, a camp catering company or a labour-hire desk. The roster decides where you sleep.

FIFO — Fly-in fly-out

You usually live in a city (often Perth or Brisbane), fly to a remote site, work a block of days, then fly home. Typical rosters include 8 days on / 6 off, 2 weeks on / 1 off, or 2 weeks on / 2 off. While on site, rooms, meals and airport transfers are often provided.

FIFO ads from capital cities are competitive. It is not automatically the easiest backpacker path.

DIDO — Drive-in drive-out

You drive from a regional town to site for the roster. Common where mines sit within a few hours of Mackay, Kalgoorlie, Singleton or similar. A licence and a reliable vehicle matter more than a plane ticket.

Residential

You live in the mining town — Kalgoorlie, Mount Isa, Port Hedland, Newman, Mackay and others. Many first jobs come through being physically there, knocking on contractor yards and taking camp or labour-hire work.

Where are the mining jobs?

Select a state. Victoria is not a high-volume backpacker mining market, so it is shown muted on the map.

Western Australia

Australia’s largest mining employment market

WA dominates iron ore, gold and a large share of lithium and other minerals. Perth is the main FIFO airport and head-office city. Many backpackers underestimate how competitive metro FIFO applications are compared with being on the ground in Kalgoorlie or a Pilbara town.

FIFO hubs: Perth
Example employers: BHP · Rio Tinto · Fortescue · Roy Hill · Northern Star · Mineral Resources
Roles commonly advertised: Village / camp · Trades assistant · Process support · Haulage · Shutdown labour

Perth (hub)

Not a mine site — the place companies, agencies and FIFO flights are based.

Corporate, Recruitment, FIFO departures

Perth

Pilbara

Iron ore pits, rail and ports. Very remote, high heat, heavy FIFO culture.

Iron ore

Port Hedland · Karratha · Newman · Tom Price

Goldfields

Gold mining with a stronger residential/DIDO footprint than the Pilbara.

Gold, Nickel (varies by operation)

Kalgoorlie-Boulder · Leonora · Leinster · Laverton

Kalgoorlie-Boulder →Port Hedland →Newman →Karratha →Tom Price →

Western Australia mining guide

State	Major regions	Key towns	Commodities
Western Australia	Perth (hub); Pilbara; Goldfields	Perth, Port Hedland, Karratha, Newman, Tom Price	Corporate, Recruitment, FIFO departures, Iron ore
Queensland	Bowen Basin; North-west minerals	Mackay, Moranbah, Dysart, Emerald, Blackwater	Coal, Copper, Lead, Zinc
New South Wales	Hunter Valley; Central West & Far West	Singleton, Muswellbrook, Maitland, Orange, Broken Hill	Coal, Gold, Copper, Lead
South Australia	Far North; Eyre Peninsula / Whyalla	Roxby Downs, Whyalla	Copper, Uranium, Gold, Iron ore
Northern Territory	Top End & Barkly; Central Australia	Darwin, Katherine, Tennant Creek, Alice Springs	Gold, Manganese, Energy / resources support, Resources support
Tasmania	West Coast	Queenstown, Rosebery, Zeehan	Zinc, Copper, Tin, Other minerals

Mining jobs you can get without (much) experience

Ads that say “entry level” can still require a medical, drug and alcohol testing, a licence, or previous industrial work. Dump truck operator is listed so you can see why it is usually not a first job.

Mine site utility worker

Easy

Involves: General village and site support — cleaning, rubbish, laundry runs, basic labour around camp.
Experience: Little or no mining experience. Reliability and physical fitness matter more than tickets.
Useful certificates: White Card can help on some sites · Driver licence is a plus
Physical: On your feet, heat, early starts, repetitive cleaning/labour.
Pay (indicative): Usually closer to hospitality/cleaning rates plus a site or remote allowance — not operator money.
FIFO / DIDO / residential: FIFO camps, residential towns, some DIDO

Kitchen hand / catering

Easy

Involves: Prep, dishes, stores and service in a wet mess or camp kitchen, often 12-hour food-service shifts.
Experience: Hospitality helps a lot. Mining experience is not required.
Useful certificates: Food safety · RSA where alcohol is served
Physical: Hot kitchens, fast service windows, standing for a full shift.
Pay (indicative): Camp packages can beat city hospo because of hours and allowances, not because the role is “mining operator” pay.
FIFO / DIDO / residential: Very common on FIFO camps; also residential villages

Housekeeping / mine camp cleaner

Easy

Involves: Room turns, ablutions, laundry and camp presentation between swing changes.
Experience: Cleaning or hotel housekeeping transfers well.
Useful certificates: Usually none beyond site induction · Driver licence useful
Physical: Repetitive, fast room turns, heat in some regions.
Pay (indicative): Support-role pay plus site allowance. Confirm the rostered hours on the ad.
FIFO / DIDO / residential: FIFO villages and residential camps

Peggy / site support

Easy

Involves: Smoko runs, crib rooms, cleaning workshops, fetching gear — the person who keeps the crew moving.
Experience: No mining ticket required; being useful and safe-minded is the bar.
Useful certificates: White Card sometimes · Driver licence strongly preferred
Physical: Constant walking, lifting, weather exposure.
Pay (indicative): Entry industrial rate, not dump-truck money.
FIFO / DIDO / residential: Residential, DIDO and some FIFO

Labourer

Moderate

Involves: Civil works, shutdown labour, yard work, basic construction support on or around site.
Experience: Construction or farm labour helps. True “walk-up” roles still want a medical and often a White Card.
Useful certificates: White Card · Working at Heights / Confined Space on shutdowns
Physical: Heavy, noisy, long shifts.
Pay (indicative): Often above National Minimum Wage under site agreements — still verify the award/EBA.
FIFO / DIDO / residential: Shutdowns, construction phases, some standing crews

Trades assistant

Moderate

Involves: Helping fitters, boilermakers or electricians — tools, isolations support, grunt work under a trade.
Experience: Workshop, construction or farm mechanical work is a genuine advantage.
Useful certificates: White Card · Working at Heights · Confined Space
Physical: Lifting, awkward positions, shutdown intensity.
Pay (indicative): Typically above camp hospo; still well below ticketed operator packages.
FIFO / DIDO / residential: FIFO and residential maintenance crews

Driller’s offsider

Moderate

Involves: Helping a drill crew with rods, samples, fluids and camp-to-rig labour. A classic “get your foot in” role.
Experience: Fitness and attitude first. Exploration can be more accessible than production pits.
Useful certificates: Manual licence · First Aid useful · Site-specific induction
Physical: Very physical, weather, remote camps, night shifts possible.
Pay (indicative): Often advertised above labourer rates; varies wildly by contractor and roster.
FIFO / DIDO / residential: Exploration FIFO/DIDO; some production sites

Process plant operator / process worker

Moderate

Involves: Crushing, milling, flotation or washplant support — monitoring, sampling, hose-down, basic control-room pathway.
Experience: Factories, water treatment or any plant work helps. Pure entry roles exist but are competitive.
Useful certificates: Site induction · Confined Space / Heights on some plants
Physical: Noise, dust, 12-hour panels, night roster.
Pay (indicative): Once competent, often a step up from camp support. Exact figures are site-specific.
FIFO / DIDO / residential: Residential plants and FIFO process crews

Sample preparation / laboratory assistant

Moderate

Involves: Drying, crushing, splitting and logging drill or plant samples in a lab or core yard.
Experience: Careful, repetitive work. Science background is nice, not required.
Useful certificates: Usually site induction only
Physical: Dust, standing, repetitive lifting of sample bags.
Pay (indicative): Support/technical-assistant range. Confirm on each ad.
FIFO / DIDO / residential: Residential labs and some FIFO exploration

Stores / warehouse worker

Moderate

Involves: Receiving, picking and issuing parts to the pit or plant. Inventory discipline matters.
Experience: Warehouse, forklift or logistics experience transfers cleanly.
Useful certificates: Forklift (LF) is often the difference · Driver licence
Physical: Warehouse pace; some outdoor yards in heat.
Pay (indicative): Industrial stores rates plus site allowance where applicable.
FIFO / DIDO / residential: FIFO warehouses and town yards

Traffic controller

Moderate

Involves: Stop/slow, site access and light-vehicle movements around works or public-interface jobs.
Experience: Traffic tickets required. Mining-specific roles still want site medicals.
Useful certificates: State traffic control tickets · White Card often
Physical: On your feet, weather, night works.
Pay (indicative): Ticketed civil rates; not haul-truck operator pay.
FIFO / DIDO / residential: More common on construction/shutdown interfaces than in-pit

Bus driver

Moderate

Involves: Crew transport between camp, airport and site. Safety-critical driving, not a tourist coach gig.
Experience: Appropriate licence class and a clean record. Mining experience optional.
Useful certificates: LR / HR (check the ad) · Driver medical
Physical: Long days, night runs, fatigue management.
Pay (indicative): Driving rates plus site/remote allowance. Confirm licence class before applying.
FIFO / DIDO / residential: FIFO camps and residential shuttles

Dump truck operator

Difficult

Involves: Hauling ore or waste on a production roster. This is the role people imagine when they say “FIFO money”.
Experience: Usually previous dump truck, civil plant or pit experience. Rarely a true first job.
Useful certificates: Site competencies · Often prior plant tickets · HR sometimes listed
Physical: 12-hour seated shifts, night work, fatigue, high safety standard.
Pay (indicative): Among the higher advertised site rates — because the role is skilled, not entry-level.
FIFO / DIDO / residential: FIFO and residential production pits

Role	Experience	Typical work	Useful tickets	Entry
Mine site utility worker	Little or no mining experience. Reliability and physical fitness matter more than tickets.	General village and site support — cleaning, rubbish, laundry runs, basic labour around camp.	White Card can help on some sites	Easy
Kitchen hand / catering	Hospitality helps a lot. Mining experience is not required.	Prep, dishes, stores and service in a wet mess or camp kitchen, often 12-hour food-service shifts.	Food safety	Easy
Housekeeping / mine camp cleaner	Cleaning or hotel housekeeping transfers well.	Room turns, ablutions, laundry and camp presentation between swing changes.	Usually none beyond site induction	Easy
Peggy / site support	No mining ticket required; being useful and safe-minded is the bar.	Smoko runs, crib rooms, cleaning workshops, fetching gear — the person who keeps the crew moving.	White Card sometimes	Easy
Labourer	Construction or farm labour helps. True “walk-up” roles still want a medical and often a White Card.	Civil works, shutdown labour, yard work, basic construction support on or around site.	White Card	Moderate
Trades assistant	Workshop, construction or farm mechanical work is a genuine advantage.	Helping fitters, boilermakers or electricians — tools, isolations support, grunt work under a trade.	White Card	Moderate
Driller’s offsider	Fitness and attitude first. Exploration can be more accessible than production pits.	Helping a drill crew with rods, samples, fluids and camp-to-rig labour. A classic “get your foot in” role.	Manual licence	Moderate
Process plant operator / process worker	Factories, water treatment or any plant work helps. Pure entry roles exist but are competitive.	Crushing, milling, flotation or washplant support — monitoring, sampling, hose-down, basic control-room pathway.	Site induction	Moderate
Sample preparation / laboratory assistant	Careful, repetitive work. Science background is nice, not required.	Drying, crushing, splitting and logging drill or plant samples in a lab or core yard.	Usually site induction only	Moderate
Stores / warehouse worker	Warehouse, forklift or logistics experience transfers cleanly.	Receiving, picking and issuing parts to the pit or plant. Inventory discipline matters.	Forklift (LF) is often the difference	Moderate
Traffic controller	Traffic tickets required. Mining-specific roles still want site medicals.	Stop/slow, site access and light-vehicle movements around works or public-interface jobs.	State traffic control tickets	Moderate
Bus driver	Appropriate licence class and a clean record. Mining experience optional.	Crew transport between camp, airport and site. Safety-critical driving, not a tourist coach gig.	LR / HR (check the ad)	Moderate
Dump truck operator	Usually previous dump truck, civil plant or pit experience. Rarely a true first job.	Hauling ore or waste on a production roster. This is the role people imagine when they say “FIFO money”.	Site competencies	Difficult

Mining career paths

The first site swing is usually more valuable than holding out for the highest advertised package.

1
No mining experience — camp, utility, labour hire or trades assistant
2
6–12 months on a site — you are no longer “unproven”
3
Operator, processing or specialised support (if the site trains you)
4
Experienced operator / supervisor / specialist

What do I need before applying?

Do not randomly buy every ticket. Check the jobs you actually want before spending hundreds or thousands of dollars. Different sites require different qualifications. G’day is not a registered training organisation.

White CardCommonly useful+

General construction induction — required on many construction and some mine-adjacent sites.

Roles: Labourer, TA, shutdowns, some camp construction.

Required or useful: Required for construction; useful, not universal, for every mine job.

Time: Typically about one day with an approved provider.

Official / training information →

Australian driver licenceCommonly useful+

Light vehicle (and higher classes if you hold them) on and off site.

Roles: Peggy, stores, offsider, bus, almost any mobile role.

Required or useful: Often the single most useful document after your visa. Manual is an advantage.

Time: Conversion time depends on your home licence and state rules.

Official / training information →

First AidCommonly useful+

Provide basic first aid. Not a mining ticket, but recruiters like seeing it.

Roles: Remote camps, drill crews, any isolated work.

Required or useful: Useful, rarely the only requirement.

Time: Usually one day (HLTAID011 or current equivalent).

Official / training information →

Working at HeightsRole-specific+

Work where a fall hazard exists, under the unit the employer specifies.

Roles: Shutdowns, TA, maintenance, some plant work.

Required or useful: Required when the job says so — do not buy it “just in case” for camp hospo.

Time: Typically one day.

Official / training information →

Confined SpaceRole-specific+

Enter and work in confined spaces under a permit system.

Roles: Shutdowns, process plant, maintenance.

Required or useful: Job-specific. Check the ad.

Time: Typically one to two days.

Official / training information →

Forklift licence (LF)Role-specific+

High-risk work licence to operate a forklift (state-issued).

Roles: Stores, warehouse, some process yards.

Required or useful: Often required for stores roles; useless for kitchen-hand jobs.

Time: Training plus assessment; booking time varies.

Official / training information →

HR / HC licenceRole-specific+

Heavy Rigid or Heavy Combination vehicles.

Roles: Bus, road train/haulage (not the same as a pit dump truck).

Required or useful: Only if the ad asks for that class.

Time: Weeks of training and supervised hours, not a weekend course.

Official / training information →

Traffic controlRole-specific+

Control traffic under your state’s ticket system.

Roles: Traffic controller, some civil interfaces.

Required or useful: Required for traffic roles; irrelevant for process plant.

Time: Short accredited courses; states differ.

Official / training information →

Food safety / RSAVillage / catering+

Handle food, or serve alcohol where RSA applies.

Roles: Kitchen, wet mess, camp catering.

Required or useful: Often expected for catering. Not a mining operator ticket.

Time: Online or one-day courses depending on the unit.

Official / training information →

Machinery tickets (excavator, loader, skid steer, EWP)Plant tickets+

Operate that plant under the competency the site recognises.

Roles: Civil plant, some pit auxiliaries — not a shortcut to dump truck.

Required or useful: Only if you are targeting plant work. Sites still verify competency.

Time: Days per machine, plus logbook time some employers want.

Official / training information →

Requirements people often don’t expect

Pre-employment medical

Hearing, lung function, musculoskeletal and role-specific checks are common.

Drug & alcohol testing

Pre-employment and random. A failed test usually ends the offer.

Police checks

Some owners and contractors require them, especially around critical infrastructure.

Driver licence

Many mobile and camp roles quietly filter for a full Australian-recognised licence.

Fitness

12-hour shifts, heat, stairs, fire-and-emergency drills.

Long / night shifts

Fatigue management is a safety system, not a lifestyle preference.

Remote living

Limited shops, patchy phone coverage, expensive last-minute flights.

Heat & dust

Pilbara summers and Bowen Basin summers are operational facts.

Camp life

Shared rooms or dongas, wet-mess rules, no anonymity.

How to actually get a mining job

Most first jobs do not come from a single “apply” button on a mine owner’s homepage. You stack labour hire, contractors, being in the right town, and a short industrial CV.

Step 1 — Decide what you can realistically target
No experience → camp, utility, some labour hire. Hospitality → kitchen and housekeeping. Construction/trades → TA and shutdowns. Warehouse → stores. Truck → crew bus or road haul (not automatically a pit dump truck). Machinery/mining → operator pathways, still site-specific.
Step 2 — Choose a location strategy
Perth or Brisbane for FIFO applications. Kalgoorlie, Mackay or Mount Isa if you can sit in a mining town and walk into desks. Pilbara towns (Newman, Tom Price) are usually fly-in only — do not relocate on speculation.
Step 3 — Write a mining-style CV
Visa, licences, tickets, shift work, physical work, start date. One or two pages. No travel essay.
Step 4 — Register with labour hire, then walk in
Complete the online form first. Then visit the Perth, Mackay or Kalgoorlie office with a printed CV if you are in that city. Follow up once.
Step 5 — Apply to contractors as well as mine owners
Camp catering, drilling, shutdowns and load-and-haul firms employ a huge share of people who work “on a mine”.
Step 6 — Keep a volume pipeline
The first yes often takes many applications. Do not wait two weeks for one desk to call back.

Full mining CV guide

Where to look (job boards, desks, events)

Use all of these. G’day will not have every mining vacancy in Australia — company and contractor sites still do most of the hiring.

G’day Backpacker Jobs

Live ads on this site. Mining volume is smaller than farm/hospo — still check, then use the channels below.

Seek — mining

The main public board. Search the role (kitchen hand, trades assistant, offsider), not only “FIFO”.

Workforce Australia

Government vacancy feed. Useful for regional listings. Confirm visa fit yourself.

Company career pages

BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue, Northern Star and others hire on their own sites. Bookmark them.

Contractor career pages

Camp catering, drilling and shutdown contractors often hire faster than the mine owner.

Labour-hire desks

Walk in where you can. Register online first so the desk has your CV when you arrive.

Recruiting events

We do not publish a fake calendar. Dates move. Use the organiser’s site. Never pay a stranger a “placement fee” to get into mining.

Resources / mining career expos (Perth & Brisbane)

Large expos pop up in FIFO hub cities. Dates change every year. Search current listings rather than trusting an old Facebook post.

Google “Perth mining jobs expo” or “Brisbane resources career fair”, then confirm on the organiser’s site.

Labour-hire open days

WorkPac and similar firms sometimes run registration days in Perth, Mackay and Kalgoorlie. Bring a printed CV, licences and visa grant notice.

Watch the agency’s “events” or news page. Do not pay a “registration fee” to a random Facebook page.

Shutdown hiring spikes

Process plants and coal mines take extra labour for planned maintenance. These are short, intense, and often filled by contractors — not a standing FIFO ad.

Ask labour-hire desks “when is the next shutdown?” rather than only applying to ongoing operator roles.

Diggers & Dealers (Kalgoorlie)

A major Goldfields industry conference (usually August). It is not a backpacker job fair, but the town is full of operators and contractors that week.

Check diggersndealers.com.au for current dates. Treat it as networking context, not a guaranteed walk-up job.

Mining companies

Career pages change. Operators buy and sell assets. Use the official site, not a random Facebook ad.

BHP

Iron ore, copper, coal (via related operations) and Olympic Dam.

Rio Tinto

Pilbara iron ore and other minerals.

Fortescue

Pilbara iron ore.

Roy Hill / Hancock Prospecting

Pilbara iron ore.

South32

Diversified miner with Australian operations.

Newmont

Gold operations including Australia.

Northern Star

Australian gold miner, Kalgoorlie presence.

Evolution Mining

Australian gold.

Glencore

Coal and metals operations in Australia.

Whitehaven Coal

NSW/QLD coal operator.

Yancoal

Australian coal operations.

Mineral Resources

WA iron ore and mining services.

Contractors — where a lot of people actually work

If you only apply to BHP and Rio Tinto, you are searching a fraction of the market. Camp catering, drilling, shutdowns and load-and-haul contractors employ huge numbers of people who still work “on a mine”.

Mining services / load & haul

Thiess, MACA, NRW, Byrnecut, Barminco, Perenti

Drilling

Boart Longyear, Major Drilling, Ausdrill / Perenti drill businesses, smaller exploration contractors

Catering & village management

Compass Group / Eurest, Sodexo, ISS, Spotless and other camp operators

Maintenance & construction

Monadelphous, Civmec, Downer, Ventia, John Holland (project-dependent)

Logistics

Port, rail and road-haul contractors serving Pilbara and Bowen Basin supply chains

Shutdown work

Short, intense maintenance windows — often labour-hire and specialist contractors, not the mine owner’s permanent crew

Recruitment & labour hire

Listed for information only. G’day does not endorse these firms unless a separate commercial partnership is stated.

Company	Role types	Regions	Link
WorkPac	Labour hire, operators, trades, shutdowns	National — offices in Perth, Mackay, Kalgoorlie and other resources towns (check their site)	Careers
Chandler Macleod	Blue-collar and professional hire	National	Careers
Hays	Trades, engineering, some operations	Perth, Brisbane, regional desks	Careers
Programmed	Skilled workforce, maintenance, labour	National	Careers
Randstad	Industrial and professional	Major cities	Careers
PeopleIn / AWX	Industrial and labour hire	QLD and national industrial desks	Careers

Mining towns — where to sit

Open a town for how to job-hunt there: who hires, whether to fly or move, and which career pages to use. Kalgoorlie, Mackay and Mount Isa are the usual backpacker bases. Newman and Tom Price are usually FIFO from Perth — do not turn up without a start date.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder

Gold

Residential and DIDO; some FIFO into the wider Goldfields

How to find work here →

Port Hedland

Iron ore / port logistics

Residential plus FIFO into nearby sites

How to find work here →

Newman

Iron ore

Residential and FIFO

How to find work here →

Copper / lead / zinc

Strongly residential; some FIFO

How to find work here →

Roxby Downs

Copper / uranium (Olympic Dam)

Residential and FIFO

How to find work here →

NSW

Singleton

Hunter Valley coal

Residential and DIDO

How to find work here →

NSW

Muswellbrook

Coal

Residential and DIDO

How to find work here →

Where should I go?

Find your best mining location

Guidance only — this does not guarantee a job.

What experience do you have?What type of work are you looking for?Which state are you in?

Suggested regions

Western Australia — Australia’s largest mining employment market
Queensland — Coal in the Bowen Basin, metals in the north-west
New South Wales — Hunter Valley coal plus inland metals
South Australia — Olympic Dam, Whyalla and a smaller but specialised market
Northern Territory — Fewer jobs, more dispersed, often very remote
Tasmania — Smaller west-coast minerals sector

Stay flexible. Residential and contractor roles are often the realistic first step; FIFO can come later.

Towns to investigate

Kalgoorlie-Boulder Port Hedland Newman Karratha Tom Price Mackay

Roles that match

Mine site utility worker
Kitchen hand / catering
Housekeeping / mine camp cleaner
Peggy / site support
Labourer

Certificates that may help

Driver licence
White Card only if the jobs you want list it

Relevant jobs currently on G’day

No close matches listed right now. Search mining jobs

Learn about mining

A mining learning centre — each card is its own page you can expand later.

FIFO explained

What fly-in fly-out actually is — and what it is not.

How mining rosters work

8/6, 2/1, 2/2 and why the roster changes your life more than the job title.

How to write a mining CV

Visa, licences, shift work and a one-page industrial CV — with examples labour hire actually read.

Mining jobs without experience

Camp, labour hire and offsider pathways that are actually realistic.

Mining tickets & licences

What to get, what to skip, and where official rules live.

What is a driller’s offsider?

The physical entry role people talk about in exploration camps.

Mine camp jobs

Kitchen, housekeeping, utility — how village work actually functions.

Mining salaries

Why industry averages mislead backpackers, and how to read an ad.

Life in a mining camp

Rooms, wet mess, fatigue, heat and time off site.

Mining medical & drug tests

Pre-employment medicals, D&A and why offers fall over here.

Best mining towns in Australia

Where people actually live versus where they only fly.

Mining jobs on a Working Holiday visa

WHV holders can work in mining where visa conditions allow it.
Employer time limits and other conditions must be checked on current Home Affairs pages — they change.
Specified work / 88 days depends on visa subclass (417 vs 462), the industry, the location/postcode and the actual duties. Kitchen work on a mine site is not automatically “mining” for visa purposes.

Official rules: subclass 417 specified work · subclass 462 specified work

Check 88-day eligibility What are 88 days?

Mining isn’t necessarily an easy shortcut to high pay

Wages can be excellent. Applicants still face competitive recruitment, remote living, 12-hour and night shifts, physical work, medicals, drug and alcohol testing, licence barriers, limited true entry-level seats, and scarce housing in mining towns.

Industry-average earnings from the ABS Average Weekly Earnings include engineers and long-term operators. They are not what a camp kitchen hand or first-swing labourer should budget on.

Mining jobs available now

Listings on G’day that look mining-related or are in major mining towns. This guide still applies if the list is short — most hiring happens on company and contractor sites.

Entry-level titlesMarked 88-day potential

“88-day potential” only reflects how the employer tagged the ad. Confirm specified-work rules with Home Affairs. FIFO / DIDO / residential are rarely labelled consistently on ads — read the description.

No matching mining-related listings on G’day right now. Search the full job board

Browse all jobs mentioning mining

Frequently asked questions

Can backpackers work in mining in Australia?

Yes, if your visa allows work and the employer will hire you. Working Holiday makers can apply. Mining is not a casual walk-up industry: expect medicals, drug and alcohol testing, and formal onboarding. Always check current Department of Home Affairs visa conditions, including any employer time limits.

Do mining jobs count toward the 88 days?

Only if the work matches Home Affairs specified-work rules for your visa subclass (417 or 462), in an eligible location, and in an eligible mining activity. Camp hospitality is often not the same as “mining” for visa purposes. Never assume a mine-site job automatically counts. Verify with Home Affairs and keep evidence.

Can I get a mining job with no experience?

Sometimes — usually in village support, catering, housekeeping, labour hire or as a driller’s offsider. Production dump-truck and many process operator jobs are not realistic first roles. The first site swing is the hard part; progression comes after that.

Is FIFO the easiest way in for backpackers?

Usually not. Metro FIFO ads are competitive. Many people get a first start by living in a mining town, joining a contractor or labour-hire desk, or taking camp support work.

Which states have the most mining work?

Western Australia is the largest market (iron ore, gold and other minerals). Queensland is major for coal and north-west metals. NSW (Hunter Valley), South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania have smaller or more specialised markets.

Disclaimer: G’day Backpacker Jobs provides general information for Working Holiday makers. We are not a registered training organisation, immigration agent or employer. Confirm role requirements, pay, FIFO arrangements, visas and specified-work eligibility with the employer and the relevant government authority (Home Affairs, Fair Work, state WorkSafe / resources regulators). Operators, assets and hiring policies change.