Picking Cabbages
Location: Vinifera (10 mins Swan Hill, 15 mins Nyah West backpackers)
Pay Rate: $15.07ph inc tax
Employer likes backpackers (who get to work on time)
Hours: Winter 5-6 days per week
Pickers: 6+
Packers: 6+
Employer provides:
- machete (sharp knife with wide blade)
Bring:
- waterproof gloves (dishwashing gloves ok)
- thick socks
- rubber boots
- raincoat
Outdoors work:
- Required to turn up even when raining
- Cabbages are full of water and you can get covered with water as you're throwing them around
What to expect:
You start the day by cutting cabbages for about 20 minutes, one cabbage per plant. Depending on the sharpness of the blade you are given, sometimes you get it right from the start, other times, you may need to cut it 2-3 times to get the right cut.
You then remove the outside cabbage leaves that got cut, and, turn the cabbage upside down on the row to let the excess water drain out.
Each time you cut a cabbage and turn it over, you need to make a head-count of how many you've cut as each bin, when filled contains 50 or 100 cabbages.
After you have a fair amount of cabbages up the row, someone drives the tractor and the pickers pack the boxes. This requires someone to be standing up on the tractor catching them and counting them into the box, they have to be packed so that the required amount of cabbages all fit in the box, so it requires some logic as to how to place them. The pickers on the ground pick up each cabbage, throwing it to the next person closest to the tractor, and then throwing it up to the picker in the box.
I thought it was great working there because as I was female, I was given the job of tractor driver so my day was made much easier and it hardly felt like working at all, but if there was more than one female or if the boss was there, I'd say that the boss would probably get the cushy tractor job or the females may take turns or whoever is the sorest or sickest :)
Depending on what company you are cutting for, you either leave the greater outside leaves on, or strip them all off for a nice looking bare cabbage. (of course you'll be told prior to doing this which type they want).
If the cabbage has become rotten, then it gets slashed a few times with the machete and tossed into the tractors path.
Tips:
(1) Bend the cabbage plant over to view the root part of the plant, then slash as hard as you can with the machete at the base of the plant.
(2) Usually everyone swaps places each box or 2 to save back pain!
Accommodation:
- Grand Hotel Nyah West(cheapest option - $100pw inc transport)
- Nyah West Backpackers (right next door to Grand Hotel)
- Nyah Village Caravan Park
Pay Rate: $15.07ph inc tax
Employer likes backpackers (who get to work on time)
Hours: Winter 5-6 days per week
Pickers: 6+
Packers: 6+
Employer provides:
- machete (sharp knife with wide blade)
Bring:
- waterproof gloves (dishwashing gloves ok)
- thick socks
- rubber boots
- raincoat
Outdoors work:
- Required to turn up even when raining
- Cabbages are full of water and you can get covered with water as you're throwing them around
What to expect:
You start the day by cutting cabbages for about 20 minutes, one cabbage per plant. Depending on the sharpness of the blade you are given, sometimes you get it right from the start, other times, you may need to cut it 2-3 times to get the right cut.
You then remove the outside cabbage leaves that got cut, and, turn the cabbage upside down on the row to let the excess water drain out.
Each time you cut a cabbage and turn it over, you need to make a head-count of how many you've cut as each bin, when filled contains 50 or 100 cabbages.
After you have a fair amount of cabbages up the row, someone drives the tractor and the pickers pack the boxes. This requires someone to be standing up on the tractor catching them and counting them into the box, they have to be packed so that the required amount of cabbages all fit in the box, so it requires some logic as to how to place them. The pickers on the ground pick up each cabbage, throwing it to the next person closest to the tractor, and then throwing it up to the picker in the box.
I thought it was great working there because as I was female, I was given the job of tractor driver so my day was made much easier and it hardly felt like working at all, but if there was more than one female or if the boss was there, I'd say that the boss would probably get the cushy tractor job or the females may take turns or whoever is the sorest or sickest :)
Depending on what company you are cutting for, you either leave the greater outside leaves on, or strip them all off for a nice looking bare cabbage. (of course you'll be told prior to doing this which type they want).
If the cabbage has become rotten, then it gets slashed a few times with the machete and tossed into the tractors path.
Tips:
(1) Bend the cabbage plant over to view the root part of the plant, then slash as hard as you can with the machete at the base of the plant.
(2) Usually everyone swaps places each box or 2 to save back pain!
Accommodation:
- Grand Hotel Nyah West(cheapest option - $100pw inc transport)
- Nyah West Backpackers (right next door to Grand Hotel)
- Nyah Village Caravan Park
