Does Mitolo Family Farms (Virginia packing facility) count as specified work?

Yes. The work location's postcode 5120 is on the Department of Home Affairs Regional Australia list, and Plant and animal cultivation work can count towards your specified work days.

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Farms and orchards・Potato and onion packing facility

Mitolo Family Farms (Virginia packing facility)

Q: Do I need a car for Mitolo Family Farms (Virginia packing facility)?

To be confirmed. The ad does not say whether you need your own car; both packing sites are in the farming area north of Adelaide (Virginia, Penfield Gardens).

Virginia, SA 5120・Adelaide Plains

Hiring now・Closes 1 Nov Hiring started: 2026-09-19 ✓ Counts as specified work・Plant and animal cultivation

Large potato and onion packing facility at Virginia on the plains north of Adelaide, hiring casual/temp production workers and machine operators

Apply via online form

Last checked: 2026-10-09Before you apply

At a glance

PayFrom $32.18Legal minimum hourly rate Peak seasonYear-roundCloses 1 Nov HoursPackers about 10 hours a dayNot much affected by weather AccommodationTo be confirmed TransportTo be confirmed LicencesNone requiredRequirements: 2 ReviewsNo reviews yet LegitimacyABN activeDirect employer

Key points

Pros

Posted on the company's official careers site with clear posting dates
Full training provided; no experience needed for packers
Free produce every Friday

+1 more

Postcode 5120 is eligible for specified work (plant and animal cultivation)

Watch out for

The ad does not state pay
Packers stand for about 10 hours a day and lift goods of up to 15 kg
Pre-employment functional assessment and drug and alcohol test required

+1 more

The advertisement does not say whether the Working Holiday visa is accepted

Compiled from job ads, official sources and public reviews. This is not a score or ranking; see “Sources” on this page, and confirm with the employer before you apply.

Specified work eligibility

✓ Counts as specified work

Postcode: 5120Regional Australia
Work category: Plant and animal cultivation

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This location counts as specified work. Postcode 5120 is on the Department of Home Affairs "Regional Australia" list, and the work type is "Plant and animal cultivation".

Use the postcode of the work location — not the company's head office, and not where you live.

Work address

1304 Angle Vale Road, Virginia SA 5120 (company address; the ad lists packing sites at Angle Vale Road, Virginia and Taylors Road, Penfield Gardens SA 5121)
Postcode 5120・Adelaide Plains (Virginia, Two Wells) · Map location is approximate
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Work category

Plant and animal cultivation
Harvesting and packing fruit and vegetables, pruning trees and vines, livestock work, and primary meat processing such as slaughtering, cutting and packing. Secondary processing such as winemaking or processed meats does not count.

Within one employer, not every role counts as specified work (for example office admin or cleaning depends on Home Affairs' current temporary concession). Check the label on each role below, and keep every payslip.How specified work days are counted

Note: on 17 September 2026 the government announced second and third visas will move to a ballot. Completing specified work makes you eligible to enter, but it no longer guarantees a visa (start date not yet announced).Details

Jobs

Roles: 2

Production WorkerProduction Workers

CasualCounts as specified workTo be confirmed

Able to stand for long periods
Hard-working and reliable
Good communication and teamwork
+2 more

Duties & requirements

Production Worker (potatoes and onions)

Work duties

Packing and stacking packaged potatoes and onions in the packing facility; lifting bags and crates of up to 15 kg, with twisting, bending, pushing and pulling; full training provided.

Pay method

To be confirmed
The advertisement does not state pay.

Hours

About 10 hours a day on your feet

Requirements

Able to stand for long periods, Hard-working and reliable, Good communication and teamwork, Comfortable with repetitive tasks and attentive to detail, Pre-employment functional assessment and drug and alcohol test required

Licences

Not required

Packing vegetables such as potatoes and onions is "packing fruit and vegetable crops" under plant and animal cultivation; postcode 5120 is eligible. The ad is marked Casual / Temp and listed under Positions Vacant/Expression of Interest. Source: https://mitologroup.expr3ss.com/jobDetailsModern?selectJob=601&ppt=08a2261c&modern=1

Packing machine operator

CasualCounts as specified workTo be confirmed

Experience operating machinery in manufacturing or food processing preferred
Attention to quality and detail
Able to work in a fast-paced
+3 more

Duties & requirements

Packing machine operator (Machine Operator)

Work duties

Setting up, operating and monitoring automated packing machinery for potatoes and onions; checking products meet quality and weight specifications; routine equipment checks and minor maintenance; reporting faults; completing production and quality paperwork; moving materials as required.

Pay method

To be confirmed
The advertisement does not state pay.

Hours

Day and night shifts; weekends or overtime when needed

Requirements

Experience operating machinery in manufacturing or food processing preferred (not required), Attention to quality and detail, Able to work in a fast-paced, physically demanding environment, Basic mechanical aptitude, Able to work flexible shifts (including weekends or overtime), Pre-employment functional assessment and drug and alcohol test required

Licences

Not required

Operating a vegetable packing line is packing fruit and vegetable crops; the ad says both full-time and casual roles are available, and the careers system marks it Casual / Temp. If most of your time is spent on non-packing work such as machine maintenance, keep a record of your duties. Source: https://mitologroup.expr3ss.com/jobDetailsModern?selectJob=632&ppt=3d487a46&modern=1

Work & environment

Work duties

Packing and stacking potatoes and onions in the packing facility, or operating automated packing machines and checking quality and weight.

Work environment

Indoor packing facility; fast-paced, with long periods of standing and lifting; machine operators work day and night shifts.

Products & services

Potatoes, Onions

2 casual / seasonal roles. Duties, requirements and required licences are listed separately.

Pay and superannuation

To be confirmed

Advertised pay: Not published
Legal minimum hourly rate: $32.18Horticulture Award
Superannuation: 12%Paid on top by the employer
How often you are paid: To be confirmed

See full details

Pay: Neither ad states pay or the applicable Award or enterprise agreement; vegetable packing is generally covered by the Horticulture Award.
Applicable Award: Horticulture Award (MA000028)
Legal minimum hourly rate: Level 1 (new starter, up to 3 months): $32.18/hour
Level 2: $33.05/hour
Level 3: $33.55/hour
Casual (including the 25% casual loading), effective from 1 July 2026.Fair Work pay guide
Piece-rate guarantee: Piece rates have a floor: each day you must get at least the hourly rate × hours worked that day (casual Level 1 $32.18 an hour). The piece rate must let an average worker earn at least 15% more than the hourly rate (about $37.01). Before you start, the employer must give you a written piece-rate record signed by both of you.
How you are paid: To be confirmed
By law wages must be paid in money (cash, cheque or bank transfer) at least monthly; whichever method is used, the employer must give you a payslip within 1 working day of paying you.
How often you are paid: To be confirmed
Under the Award: Paid weekly or fortnightly
Superannuation: Yes. Your employer must also pay 12% of your wages into your super account — this applies to working holiday makers too, however much you earn. From 1 July 2026 it must be paid within 7 working days of each pay day. You can claim it back after leaving Australia (taxed at 65% for working holiday makers).
Tax: If the employer is registered as a Working Holiday employer, 15% is withheld on the first $45,000 of income. Being taxed 30% suggests the employer may not be registered; without a tax file number (TFN), 45% is withheld.

Statutory figures last checked: 2026-10-05. Your actual pay is what your employer's contract and payslips show.

Hours

Usual hours: Packers about 10 hours a day
Weather-dependent?: Not much

When they need workersHiring now (ad closes 2026-11-01)・Hiring started: 2026-09-19

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Usual hours: Packers about 10 hours a day; machine operators on day and night shifts
Shifts: Day / night shifts (machine operators)
Weather-dependent?: Not much affected by weather.
Additional notes: The packer ad says about 10 hours a day on your feet; the machine operator ad lists day and night shifts, with weekends or overtime when needed. Neither ad states the number of days per week.
Peak season: The ad does not state the length of employment; the facility supplies major supermarket chains nationally.
Hiring: Hiring now: Mitolo Family Farms has two casual/temp vacancies on its official careers site (Expr3ss): Production Workers (posted 2026-09-19) and Machine Operator (posted 2026-10-02), based in Virginia.
Production Workers (packers, casual/temp, posted 2026-09-19; the careers system data gives a closing date of 19 Oct); Machine Operator (casual/temp, posted 2026-10-02; the careers system data gives a closing date of 1 Nov; the ad says both full-time and casual roles are available)
Hiring started: 2026-09-19
Hiring status is checked automatically every day; last checked: 2026-10-09. See the job ad

Accommodation & transport

Accommodation: To be confirmed
Transport: To be confirmed
Amenities: Good amenitiesGood local amenities
Nearest town: Elizabeth

View this company on Google MapsVirginia, SA 5120

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Accommodation

To be confirmed
The ad does not mention accommodation.

Transport

To be confirmed
The ad does not say whether you need your own car; both packing sites are in the farming area north of Adelaide (Virginia, Penfield Gardens).

Getting there without a car: No public transport information to the packing facility was found.
Public transport: Wikipedia: Elizabeth has a station on the Gawler railway line, which is also a major bus interchange; the Virginia page does not describe current bus or train services.
Nearest airport: Adelaide Airport (distance not stated in the ad or sources).
Nearest town: Elizabeth (commercial centre of northern Adelaide; Wikipedia says Virginia is about 15 km north-west of Elizabeth)

Amenities

Virginia is a vegetable-growing town north of Adelaide (2,759 people at the 2021 Census); Elizabeth, about 15 km away, is the commercial centre of northern Adelaide.

Grocery shopping: Wikipedia: central Elizabeth has the Elizabeth Shopping Centre (supermarket brands not listed).
Medical: No hospital information found.
Other: Wikipedia: market gardening is the main activity in Virginia.

Online reviews

No verifiable reviews yet

How to apply

Online form on the official website

Apply via online form Phone +61 8 8282 9000

My application status Saved only in this device's browser

You will need

Able to stand for long periods and do physical work
Pre-employment functional assessment and drug and alcohol test required

Restrictions

The advertisement does not say whether the Working Holiday visa is accepted
Packers stand for about 10 hours a day

See full details

Before you apply

Apply online by clicking "Apply Now" on the Expr3ss job page. The phone number is the company switchboard (website footer), not a recruitment line.

Licences required

No licence is needed for general roles.

Only apply through the channels listed on this page or published on the employer's official website. Legitimate employers never ask you to pay for a job; for look-alike job sites or people who message you privately, check the official website first.Avoiding illegal work

Official website: mitolofamilyfarms.com.au
Careers page: Go to the careers page

Legitimacy

Company registration: ABN activeABN 58 076 809 982
Employment arrangement: Direct employer

See full details

Make sure it is a registered company that gives payslips and pays super, so your specified work days will hold up.

Company registration: ABN 58 076 809 982・MITOLO GROUP PTY LTD・Active
View on ABN Lookup
Employment arrangement: Employed directly by the company
Notes: ABN 58 076 809 982 (MITOLO GROUP PTY LTD, Australian private company), active since 2000-03-11, main business location SA 5120; the business name "Mitolo Family Farms" has been registered to this ABN since 2023-01-17. The employer named in the ad is Mitolo Family Farms, the company careers page links to the same Expr3ss careers site, and the website footer gives The Mitolo Group, 1304 Angle Vale Road, Virginia SA 5120. A June 2026 media release on the website says Canada's Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan will acquire full ownership and the business will continue to operate under the Mitolo Family Farms brand.

How to avoid illegal work

Sources

Last checked: 2026-10-09. If you see outdated or incorrect information, let us know.

Not yet confirmed (5)

Whether Working Holiday visa holders are accepted: not stated in the ad.
Closing dates: not shown on the page; 19 Oct (packers) and 1 Nov (machine operators) come from the data embedded in the careers web pages (validThrough). The same embedded data lists the employment type as FULL_TIME, which conflicts with the Casual / Temp label on the page; this listing follows the page label.
The actual worksite may be the packing facility at Virginia (5120) or Penfield Gardens (5121); both postcodes are in South Australia and both are eligible for specified work. Coordinates use the Virginia locality centre point.
ABN Lookup also lists THE TRUSTEE FOR MITOLO FAMILY FARMS UNIT TRUST (SA 5069); this listing uses MITOLO GROUP PTY LTD as the registered holder of the "Mitolo Family Farms" business name. Check your payslip for the entity that actually pays you.
Pay and the applicable Award or enterprise agreement are not stated in the ads; the Horticulture Award is shown based on the type of work.

See all sources (9)

From $32.18Hiring now・Closes 1 Nov

Apply online