Sharing the road to adventure

Donneybrook area, multiple opportunities available (updated 31/3/21)

31st March 2021

Located in Donnybrook area: Over past decades, our family has employed backpackers from all over the world and grey nomads from all over Australia, from the ages of sixteen to mid sixties.

Perivale Orchards is located 15km South West of Donnybrook in South West WA, with Bunbury, Busselton and Margaret River within an hours drive.

General Information – Over past decades, our family has employed backpackers from all over the world and grey nomads from all over Australia, from the ages of sixteen to mid sixties.

You don’t need experience, and you don’t need to be an athlete. What you do need, is a can do attitude and a bit of grit. Couples need to be fit and healthy and able to withstand working in hot sunny weather in the summer months and cold sometimes wet weather in April and May.

We have powered caravan/camping sites plus limited accommodation available free of charge. In addition, there is a shared kitchen cooking unit plus laundry and male/female showers and toilets. We pay the Federal minimum award wage (Horticultural Award) for all work which is about $25 per hour. We are not a big corporate operation, but a genuine family farm where based on mutual respect and goodwill, you will be treated like family.

Our calendar and requirements for couples are as follows:

April 2021 – Six couples required for picking Granny Smith and Fuji apples. This work once again requires good hand eye coordination and fast nimble hands. Work is 8 hours a day, five days a week, usually starting at 8am and finishing at 4.30pm. The work requires the wearing of a picking bag over the shoulders which weighs approximately 16kg when full and 2kg empty. Predominantly all work off the ground but also use of light aluminium 4 step ladders.
May 2021 – Eight couples required for colour picking Pink Lady apples. This work once again requires good hand eye coordination and fast nimble hands plus the ability to distinguish colour variations and shades, so you will not be able to undertake this work if you are colour blind (sorry!). Work is 8 hours a day, and up to six days a week, starting at 8am and finishing at 4.30pm. The work requires the wearing of a picking bag over the shoulders which weighs approximately 16kg when full and 2kg empty. Predominantly all work off the ground but also some use of light aluminium 3 step ladders. This work is dependent on the colour development and maturity of the apples which is weather related. This is our most intense harvest hence period so we will sometimes work six days straight and sometimes on Sundays but only in lieu of days lost during the week due to wet weather.

If you are interested please email perivale@bigpond.com or call 97 316 321, or call Steve on 0428 316321, or call Quentin on 0428 316 294.

You can also find us on Facebook.