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Specified Work Library
17 September 2026: the government announced second and third visas will move to a ballot. Specified work is still the threshold for entering the ballot; the start date has not been announced.Second and third visas will move to a ballot (start date not yet announced)Learn more ›
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Job library › New South Wales › Lismore (also farms at Tabulam, Fairy Hill and Tuckombil)

Farms and orchards・Berry farm (including packing shed)

Mountain Blue Farms (Northern Rivers)

A large blueberry/berry farm in the Northern Rivers region (around Lismore and Tabulam); the website says it employs a further 700–800 workers each harvest season
Lismore (also farms at Tabulam, Fairy Hill and Tuckombil), New South Wales 2480

BlueberriesRaspberriesBlackberriesStrawberries
Specified work✓ Eligible
PayTo be confirmed
TransportTo be confirmed
AccommodationTo be confirmed
Overall score7.2・Worth considering

Specified work eligibility

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

✓

This location counts as specified work

Postcode 2480 is on the Department of Home Affairs "Regional Australia" list, and the work type is "Plant and animal cultivation".

Work address

Lismore Pack Shed; River Run and Crystal Park farms (Tabulam); Swan Lake (Fairy Hill); Teven Road (Tuckombil) — the website lists no street addresses

Postcode 2480・Northern Rivers (Lismore) · Map location is approximate

Open in Google Maps

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

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

Harvest worker (casual / seasonal)Harvest worker (casual / seasonal)

Seasonal (temporary) Counts as specified work

The website says only “Harvest positions” and does not describe the work in detail; the company grows blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries.

Pay method

To be confirmed

Hours

To be confirmed

Requirements

The website says local residents, visa holders with unrestricted work rights and people who want to gain experience are welcome to register by filling in the form

Licences

Not required

The website says the company employs an additional 700–800 workers each harvest season and “employs permanent, casual and seasonal staff all year round”. Source: https://www.mountainblue.com.au/employment

Work duties

Harvest season work (the website gives no details); the company has a packing shed in Lismore, the Lismore Pack Shed.

Work environment

No description on the website.

Pay and superannuation

What the employer publishes and the legal minimum are shown separately.

Pay
Pay is not stated on the website.
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
To be confirmed
Shifts
To be confirmed
Weather-dependent?
To be confirmed
Additional notes
Working hours not stated on the website

When they need workers

123456789101112

Website: Harvest season typically commences around May/June at the earliest and continues through to approximately mid to late November.

The “Working for Mountain Blue” page on the website says Harvest 2026: the harvest season usually starts in May–June and runs to mid-to-late November, with an additional 700–800 workers needed; you can fill in a form to register your interest (EOI). The website does not give a posting date or closing date for specific jobs.

Hiring now

Harvest worker Expression of Interest on the website (Harvest 2026, casual/seasonal, no closing date); the website says the harvest season runs to about mid-to-late November

Hiring status is checked automatically every day; last checked: 2026-10-06.See the job ad

How to apply

My application status Saved only in this device's browser

Online form on the official website

Apply via online formPhone 02 6624 8258

Before you apply

The website has two Microsoft Forms: one to register interest in harvest work directly (EOI), and one to register for harvest-season update notifications (https://forms.office.com/r/tQfm8aLJHj). Professional positions are advertised separately on Seek; email HR (the website gives hr@mountainblue.com.au).

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

You will need

  • Unrestricted work rights required (the website says visa holders with unrestricted working rights)

Restrictions

  • The website says the harvest season runs from about May–June to mid-to-late November

Licences required

No licence is needed for general roles.

Official website
mountainblue.com.au
Careers page
Go to the careers page

Transport

To be confirmed. Not stated on the website

Getting there without a car

To be confirmed

Public transport

To be confirmed

Nearest airport

To be confirmed

Nearest town: To be confirmed

Accommodation and local amenities

Amenities around the work location were not verified

Accommodation

To be confirmed

The website has an “Accommodation & Community” page, but it was rate-limited (429) when we checked it, so we could not read the content; please check https://www.mountainblue.com.au/accommodation yourself.

Grocery shopping

To be confirmed

Medical

To be confirmed

Other

To be confirmed

Weather

Climate data to be added.

Next 7 days

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Overall score

Calculated from public information with a fixed formula — not a paid ranking. Ratings from past workers are shown separately in the reviews section.

7.2out of 10
Worth considering
Specified work eligibility
10.0Postcode 2480 is on the official "Regional Australia" list
Legal and transparent
8.0ABN active, Employed directly by the company
Pay transparency
5.0Pay method to be confirmed
Transport
5.0To be confirmed
Accommodation
5.0To be confirmed
Amenities
7.0Basic shopping in nearby small towns
Weather
6.0Climate data to be added

Pros

  • The website states directly that an additional 700–800 workers are needed for the harvest season
  • The website says visa holders with unrestricted work rights are welcome
  • Farm and livestock work; postcodes 2469 / 2470 / 2477 / 2480 are all eligible

Watch out for

  • Pay and accommodation details not stated on the website
  • The website does not give a posting date for the specific job; it is an ongoing registration of interest

Weights: specified work eligibility 25%, legal and transparent 20%, pay transparency 15%, transport 10%, accommodation 10%, amenities 10%, weather 10%.How it is calculated

Online reviews and past workers' experiences

Compiled from Indeed, Glassdoor, backpacker blogs and the news. Everything is a paraphrased summary — follow the links to read the originals.

4.3/5

Indeed・7 reviews
Mountain Blue Farms company-wide (most reviews are from Tabulam, from 2015 to July 2024)

See the original reviews

Common praise

  • Colleagues are easy to get along with and the atmosphere is good (culture rating 4.8/5)
  • Some workers are from Pacific Island countries, making the team diverse

Common complaints

  • Must start work very early
  • Piece-rate earnings are sometimes very low and sometimes decent
  • Hot weather and little shade, so the physical load is heavy
  • Lowest score for job stability and promotion prospects (3.2/5)

News and official records

  • A 2021 article saying the pandemic and fewer backpackers caused labour shortages and that mechanical harvesting is being researched; it is not a review or a record of violations. (2021-06-23・Source)
Indeed has only 7 reviews (covering 2015–2024). No record concerning Mountain Blue was found in Fair Work Ombudsman public data (the search only found a case involving another blueberry farm, K S Benning & Sons, which has nothing to do with Mountain Blue); no backpacker blog accounts were found.

Review summary last checked: 2026-10-06. Online reviews are personal experiences and may be out of date or not reflect the whole picture; ratings change over time, so the original sites prevail.

Reviews from past workers

Worked here? Your experience can help the next person avoid mistakes.

Loading reviews…

Reviews on other sites: Indeed

Sources

Last checked: 2026-10-06. If you see outdated or incorrect information, let us know.

Not yet confirmed: The website gives no posting date or closing date; judging from “Harvest 2026” and the harvest season running to mid-to-late November, recruiting appears to be ongoing, but please confirm before applying; The accommodation page on the website was rate-limited when accessed, so it could not be read; The coordinates are the centre of Lismore city; the exact addresses of the farms are not published; It is uncertain whether the harvest workers' employer is the Operations or the Labour Hire entity