OUTBACK
INTERNATIONAL
PO Box 1077, Rockhampton QLD 4700, Australia
admin@outbackinternational.com
Outback
International, one of Australia's leading rural
recruitment agencies, is currently offering
experienced and inexperienced agricultural workers
the opportunity to expand their skills and experience
by working in the agricultural industry in Australia.
Workers have the opportunity to experience the
Australian Outback whilst earning an excellent
wage and advancing their career.
Work
Because of the diversity of employers, Outback
International is able to offer a wide variety
of opportunities within the agricultural industry
with some of the world's largest private and
corporate farming companies. Positions may include:
Irrigation
and broadacre farming
Cotton
Grain
Viticulture
Horticulture
Beef Cattle
The
opportunities are endless with positions in
the following fields:
Trade
qualified workers (eg Mechanics, diesel fitters,
fabricators, heavy machinery operators: combines,
cotton pickers etc)
Truck Drivers
Sprayer operators/chemical experience
Plant operators
Tractor drivers
Irrigators
Agronomists
International
workers must enter Australia under the condition
of either a Holiday Work Visa or Sponsored Work
Visa.
By
working with Outback International, you have
access to a database of 5,500 employer / clients
in the Australian agricultural industry. Additionally,
Outback International can provide assistance
to workers in the areas of taxation, insurance,
banking and superannuation.
Seasonal
Opportunities
The diverse nature of farming in eastern Australia
opens opportunities for agricultural work most
of the year, with the exception of August to
September which is mid winter.
Winter
Crop Field Preparation (January to April)
Crops include cereals, canola and grain legumes
and are located in Victoria , western New South
Wales and southern and central Queensland. Most
farms are in excess of 5,000 acres and many
are over 20,000 acres. Duties may include operation
of tractors up to 400hp with discs and cultivators
up to 50 foot wide, and spray rig operators
for broadacre spraying with rigs up to 24 metres
wide.
Shifts
are typically 12 hours, 6-7 days per week. Some
very high tech equipment is used in some situations;
including satellite GSP based guidance systems.
Cotton
Harvest (March to June)
Cotton Harvest commences in late March and continues
to late May in most areas. Operators are required
for module presses, boll buggies and pickers.
The cotton harvest working hours are long often
16 hour days, 7 days per week. These conditions
are an excellent opportunity to earn good wages
in a short period of time.
Module
press operators do not require high skill levels
but the position is very demanding. Training
is provided for those with combine experience
to undertake the highly skilled operation of
a Cotton Picker. After brief instruction and
familiarisation, a tractor operator could successfully
operate a boll buggy.
Winter
Crop Seeding (April to June)
This work utilises equipment similar to the
cultivation gear used for ground preparation
of the crop. Operators of large 4WD tractors,
air-seeders and sprayers are usually required.
Shifts are typically 12 hours cultivating, spraying
and seeding.
Winter
Crop Harvest (October to January)
This is one of the busiest seasons in the Australian
agricultural industry. Experienced combine operators,
grain cart drivers, swather operators and semi-trailer
drivers are usually required. Positions are
available with farmers (harvesting for 4-6 weeks
then general farm work) and contractors (up
to 3 months). Contractors usually start the
harvest in Queensland in September / October
and follow the harvest south as the season progresses.
Harvest
positions during this time include:
Header
Operation
Mostly operating large US or European built
machines, i.e. John Deer, Case IH, New Holland,
Agco Gleaner etc. Usually there are 2 operators
per combine and most machines have 30' or larger
headers. All cereals and grain legumes are direct
cut except Canola (OSR) which is usually swathed.
Drivers are generally required to service the
machine and operate shifts varying from 8 to
16 hours/day. In most cases the owner or manager
will be responsible for setting up the machine
for different crops. Some highly experienced
operators are required to manage and maintain
machines.
Grain
Cart Driving
Operating large tractors with grain carts hauling
grain from the combines. Driving a large front
wheel assist or articulated 4WD tractor. Similar
hours and conditions to combine driving. Drivers
may also alternate between the Combine and grain
cart.
Swathing
Mainly working for contractors operating self
propelled windrowers in Canola, (OSR) some hay
and straw. Usually starts in Northern NSW and
moves south as the crops ripen. Operators may
be required to maintain and adjust the machine.
Usually 1 operator per machine and may be required
to work very long hours on occasions.
Trucking
Truck driving jobs are with both farmers and
contractors and usually involve hauling grain
to elevators or larger centralised storages.
Driving conditions are variable with field roads
and highway work. Most common configurations
are:
Tandem rigid trucks, some with dog trailer
6 axel semi-trailers
9 axel "B" trains
11 axel road trains
Truck drivers are typically expected to service
the vehicle and operate for long hours. A semi-trailer
or road train license is essential to drive
in Australia.
Summer
Crop Planting and Management (September to March)
Farmers require tractor drivers and irrigators
for crops including cotton, sorghum, sunflower,
soybean, maize and others. Equipment is typically
large John Deere, Case IH or New Holland Front
Wheel Assist tractors or CAT Challengers with
8 to 12 row cultivation and seeding gear. Typically
12 hour shifts.
Summer
Grain Crop Harvest (February to June)
Harvest of maize, sorghum, sunflowers, soybeans
and other summer crops commences in Queensland
in February and moves south. Harvesting of maize
concludes in some areas as late as June. Work
is similar to harvesting of Winter crops.
Hay
and Silage (September to May)
Machinery Operators are required for Lucerne
hay production farms, and with hay and silage
contractors. Operators would be required to
operate mowing, raking, bailing (small square,
big square and round) and silage wrapping equipment.
Some irrigation work may be involved.
Beef
Feedlot work
Beef feedlots are usually large scale operations
up to 20,000 head capacity. Work usually involves
operation of feeding and mixing equipment. Good
stock skills, and experience operating loaders
and mixers is needed.
Earthmoving
Positions are available most times of the year
for plant operators - dozers, excavators and
scrapers are most in demand. Top plant operators
can expect to earn excellent wages if working
in positions of responsibility.
Where
Australia Wide
Fees
Visa Charges
Wages
Varies between positions
Further
Information
Contact Outback International
admin@outbackinternational.com
