In harvest areas, people mostly sleep in caravan parks and backpacker hostels, and sometimes on the farm itself. According to the National Harvest Guide, published in 2018 by a service set up on behalf of the federal government, finding work is easier with your own transport and accommodation. This guide explains how it works. It does not rate particular places to stay.
What types of accommodation are there?
There are three main types, with differences between areas:
- In town: the 2018 guide cites caravan parks or hostels in most areas. Some offer transport to work.
- On the farm: some have a bed and a kitchen, and you may need to bring your own bedding. On orchards in Shepparton, the guide describes everything from bunkhouses to spaces for a caravan or tent. Fruit Growers Victoria, a growers' association, refers you to the employer to find out whether there are charges.
- Your own caravan or tent: the guide says many farms allow them. In Richmond, Tasmania, it says camping on the farm is often not allowed.
Can you sleep in your car or camp anywhere?
Not in many places. The 2018 guide warns that camping outside designated areas is illegal in many towns. That includes sleeping in your car, and it can lead to a fine. The rules are local, and the guide refers you to the tourist office of each place.
What is a working hostel?
It is a hostel that, as well as a bed, helps you find farm work. We have not opened any rule that defines it. A 2015 Fair Work Ombudsman report talks about workers hostels that help backpackers find work near Griffith. According to the Bundaberg council directory, the local Harvest Trail service works with hostels.
A hostel offering contacts says nothing about whether the work is legal or about your visa. For that, see farm work and the official postcode list.
What rules do these places have to follow?
Rules change from place to place. These are the examples we were able to read:
| Place | What the source says |
|---|---|
| Mildura, Victoria | Hostels register with the council. So does accommodation for 4 or more workers from a labour hire company, since February 2023. One toilet, one shower or bath and one basin are required for every 10 people |
| Bundaberg, Queensland | Two backpackers or temporary workers are no longer counted as a household. In most cases, housing them in houses or flats needs council approval. With six or more occupants there may be fire safety requirements |
| Stanthorpe, Queensland | Cites as legal options hostels, houses with a short-term stay licence, caravan parks, hotels and motels. If six or more unrelated people share a bathroom, a fire safety plan is needed |
Bundaberg points out that Queensland law changed after a hostel fire in Childers in 2000.
What signs of abuse do the official sources cite?
They mostly cite payment in advance, deductions that were not agreed and overcrowded houses. Southern Downs council considers the following unacceptable:
- Keeping your passport. They can look at it or copy it to check that your visa allows you to work.
- Asking for more than one week's rent in advance.
- Charging a fee for finding you work.
- Not paying after a week of work.
- Not giving you a payslip if you ask for one.
- Deducting amounts that were not agreed, apart from tax.
- Overcrowding.
The Fair Work Ombudsman, the public body for workplace rights, described in 2015 a case of chicken processing in New South Wales, not harvest work:
- Workers said they would have no job if they did not rent the contractor's accommodation, and that the rent came out of their pay.
- Inspectors found overcrowded houses, one with beds for 21 people.
- The report cites employment law: an employer cannot require you to spend part of your pay if that requirement is not reasonable.
Two other sources add:
- Payments in advance: the 2018 guide warns of common scams when paying to get work, and also about paying for a long stay without having a job in the area.
- Paying with the bed: Study Australia, a federal government website, says it is illegal to be paid in food or accommodation instead of money.
The most serious signs and the ways to report them are in the farm work guide.
Who do you tell if the accommodation is not safe?
It depends on the place. These contacts come from the two councils cited:
- Southern Downs: the council, or Queensland Fire (13 74 68), with the address and the number of occupants.
- Mildura: the council's Environmental Health team, 03 5018 8216.
Does accommodation fill up in the season?
Yes, in some places. The 2018 guide says that in Mundubbera it is often full during the citrus harvest, and that in Renmark there is very little on the farms. The New South Wales Government (2023) asks you to look for work before you travel and to check the accommodation and its cost. The dates for each area are in harvest seasons.
Does accommodation say anything about the ABN or the second visa?
No. For that, see how to check a farm's ABN, what an ABN is and second and third visa, with the announced ballot, which is not yet law.
This guide gives general information. It is not legal or visa advice.
What could we not confirm?
- Fair Work Ombudsman: we could not check its website, nor its page on deductions for accommodation and transport. Its information comes from the 2015 report. We do not know which deductions are valid today or which signs it cites now.
- Other areas: we could not check the Shire of Manjimup. We have not looked at rules in other states.
- Home Affairs: we could not check its website.
Sources
Seen on 5 November 2026.
- National Harvest Guide, revised in November 2018, official at source, copy on the Bundaberg Fruit & Vegetable Growers website.
- Baiada report, Fair Work Ombudsman, June 2015, official, copy on the Queensland Parliament website.
- Southern Downs Regional Council, official, undated.
- Bundaberg Regional Council: accommodation fact sheet, archive of October 2021 and directory, official.
- Mildura Rural City Council, official, undated.
- New South Wales Government, 16 January 2023, official.
- Study Australia, official.
- Fruit Growers Victoria, third party, undated.