What To Bring To Fruit Picking (Fruit Picking Australia Essentials)

Whether you're on a working holiday picking fruits on a farm to obtain your second working holiday visa, or just in the mood to pick some fruits in your free time, it's in your best interest to be prepared by bringing these essential items.

Depending on what you're picking and the climate of your working area, these items may vary according.

        1. Sun Protection

A wide brimmed hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, long sleeves... you name it. These are all must-haves for any outdoor work or even any walking commute to your workplace - especially in Australia due to its Ozone depletion.

• Make sure your hat is wide enough to cover your entire face and neck. 
• A sunscreen with at least an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of 30+ is optimal; also remember to reapply sunscreen every three hours. 
• Choose sunglasses with a value of 3 or 4 high eye protection factor (EPF) to reduce most UV radiation from affecting your eyes. Polarised lenses are great at reducing sun glares. I bought a pair of polarised glasses for $37 during boxing day sales; its usefulness so far is immeasurable. 
• Long sleeves can also protect you from thorny fruit plants - be sure to do enough research beforehand. 

        2. Sufficient Water Supply

Water is your best friend when working outdoors. Or anytime. It prevents dehydration, heatstroke and heat exhaustion, lightheadedness... the list goes on and on. For me, bringing two water bottles is just right.

        3. Gloves and Shears 

Bring your own gloves and shears as many citrus and grape farms will not provide these for free. Getting them yourself can save the money you desperately need for that extra pack of crispy snacks you always crave!

        4. Sturdy Work Boots

Sneakers are also fine for most jobs. You should only take flip flops to pick fruits if you don't want to earn much; so it's in your best interest to invest in a long-lasting pair of sturdy shoes. 

        5. Insect Repellent

Depending on the area you're working in, the suitable insect repellent will help prevent those pesky little bugs from distracting you when picking. One thing people tend to forget to warn travellers about Australia is its amount of flies. Try typing in "Australia flies" into Google and the first search suggestion you'll see is "Australia flies everywhere". These flies are vicious and they will persistently pester your face, and so far are the bane of my life in Australia. If repellents are not your thing you can always try using fly net hats. 

        6. Music Device

Music has been my saviour from boredom for days of work. When you're a few weeks into your job, the monotony of picking or packing fruits will not be kind to your productiveness. Be sure to ask your supervisor for permission and download your favourite upbeat tracks to avoid the steady descent into insanity when picking. 

The Curious Incident Of The Stray Dog In The Working Holiday

On the fifth day of my fruit picking job in Mildura my roommates and I set out to replenish our food supply which was about to be depleted. 

Along the way to the nearest bus stop we discovered on the way back from our last trip, a stray dog unexpectedly ran up to us from behind and began to walk with us. It seemed to have came out of nowhere, so its home was not clear to us.

Startled and taken by surprised, we weren't sure what to do but continue walking. As we went on, this uninvited guest seemed content to accompany us. It had a chain collar around its neck but it did not disclose any information about our canine intruder. 

It followed us all the way to the bus stop after trailing us for 20 minutes. While we waited, the dog cleverly stayed under the shades of our umbrellas and stuck out its tongue to cool off from the scorching heat. 

Click on the photos to enlarge them!

After waiting for what seemed like an eon, a supervisor from the grape packing company we work for drove up to us to offer a ride. Thus we had to leave our peculiar interlude behind. We said our goodbyes reluctantly and hoped it is able to find its way back home. 

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Just when we thought the most surprising thing has had happened to us that day, a crude-looking van recklessly drove up dangerously close next to us against oncoming traffic and yelled at us to stop our vehicle. To avert any unnecessary disasters, we complied and pulled over to see what this ruckus was about. 

The man was all muscle and smelled of tobacco. He got out of the car and stood over the supervisor with his hands on the roof of the car and yelled obscenities about how we abandoned the dog on the side of the road. He also said something like: "you're lucky I don't hurt people because I will hurt you," and "If that dog got hit I would have rammed you off the road right there and then." 

Knowing we won't be able to talk sense into this madman, we tried our best to explain to him the situation - it was a stray dog that followed us along the walk - and waited for him to leave. When he had finally had enough he slammed the door into the supervisor's knees and stomped off back to his car. 

Signs of relieve left our mouths as we watched the van sped away, as we had never experienced this kind of encounters before. Next thing we know we all bursted out laughing, joking about what had seemed like fatal danger just a few seconds ago. 

What a thrilling and blood-pumping experience caused by a single stray dog!

Note: On the day that this blog is being written, I can confirm the dog was unharmed and had returned to its rightful owner. When it saw us again, it seemed overjoyed and greeted us with many salivary licks. 

Martha and Stacy Trailer - A Short Film

When I mentioned being a movie enthusiast in my introduction on the sidebar, I meant it. Here's a little trailer for our student short film I'd like to share. Enjoy.

     Role: Cinematographer 
     Location: Hong Kong

"Martha and Stacy"

Mildura Fruit Picking

Arrived in Mildura for my grape picking job. Northwest of Victoria, Mildura is famous for its large production of grapes - providing 80% of Victoria's grapes - and a major producer of citrus fruits.

Our dorm room on the grape farm. 

On our first break day my roommates and I went to the supermarket for some groceries for the rest of the week. Since between us and the backpackers in the other room there is only one car for us to drive, we were forced to take a two-hour walk to town as the other group had taken the car.

As soon as we reached the bifurcation point at the end of the pathway of our dormitory, one of my roommates said, "maybe we should turn back; it's not too late".

Maybe we should go back and call for a taxi, I pondered.

"What other options are there? Taxi is way too expensive for us." Another backpacker read my mind.

I had no idea what had taken over us when we decided to take a two-hour walk in a 35°C day; though at that time we didn't really have a choice.

During the walk we had plenty of time to get to know each other better, as this was still the second day of our jobs. I learned about each of their places of origin and the local culture. Three of my roommates are from Taiwan, while the other is from Hong Kong. One of them - 右右 is from Taiwan I-Lan (宜蘭). Their local culture involves an annual festival called International Children's Folklore and Folkgame Festival (宜蘭國際童玩藝術節), in which children from various places of the world gather together and perform their individual cultural dances. "It is fantastic to see a variety of different cultures gathered together to perform. It's also a great chance to do many water activities you otherwise couldn't."

I explained to him traditional Hong Kong festivals such as the annual Cheung Chau Bun Festival (包山節), in which contestants have to climb a mountain of buns to collect buns for points.

We bought simple ingredients for the following week. These included cabbage, rice, eggs, carrots, chicken drumsticks, green beans and a bag of frozen veggies; which encompasses all six essential nutrients of a meal - carbohydrates, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins and water.

Our dinner for the first night. 

Cooking for yourself when traveling is the easiest way to save money and eat according to your own flavour palette. For the second night we made use of our drumsticks by slow cooking it in a pan with sweet garlic sauce with soy sauce and two packs of instant soups plus some green beans and carrots.

We shared travel stories over the dinner table (or coffee table) and had a great time making new friends. Working together with these irreplaceable people will surely make this an enjoyable experience.