For reference only, not migration or legal advice. Specified work eligibility follows Home Affairs; job details follow each employer's ad.For reference only, not migration or legal advice. Home Affairs and employers have the final word.Full disclaimer
Posted directly on the employer's official site; ABN active
Many types of positions, including picking, packing, forklift and quality control
Postcode 7209 is eligible for specified work (plant and animal cultivation)
Watch out for
Pay, hours and closing date not stated on the official website
Posting date not stated on the official website (page last updated 2026-08-15)
Staff accommodation and transport not mentioned
+2 more
Ross is a small town, about 78 km from Launceston
Short season (December to February)
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
7209Regional Australia
Work category
Plant and animal cultivation
See full details
This location counts as specified work. Postcode 7209 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
9550 Midland Hwy, Ross TAS 7209 Postcode 7209・Central Tasmania · 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
Roles: 9
PickerPicker (Orchard Harvest)
Seasonal (temporary)Counts as specified workTo be confirmed
Able to do repetitive outdoor physical work
Available for early-morning starts
Able to communicate within a team
+1 more
Duties & requirements
Work duties
Hand-pick ripe cherries to quality and safety standards, handle fruit gently, work in assigned tree rows, keep equipment clean, and report fruit or tree issues.
Pay method
To be confirmed Pay not stated on the official website.
Hours
Must be available for early-morning starts and peak harvest periods
Requirements
Able to do repetitive outdoor physical work, Available for early-morning starts, Able to communicate within a team, Picking experience preferred (not essential)
Licences
Not required
Picking fruit is plant and animal cultivation work that counts as specified work; postcode 7209 is eligible for specified work. Source: https://www.somercotes.com/job-listing/orchard-harvest-roles/
Orchard Transport Operator
Seasonal (temporary)Counts as specified workTo be confirmed
Experience operating a ute and tractor
Awareness of orchard safety
Available for the whole season
+1 more
Duties & requirements
Work duties
Transport harvested cherries and equipment between orchard blocks and collection points, drive a ute and tractor on orchard roads, follow supervisors' dispatch instructions, carry out basic vehicle checks, and comply with traffic and load-restraint rules.
Pay method
To be confirmed Pay not stated on the official website.
Hours
Must be available for early-morning starts and peak harvest periods during the season
Requirements
Experience operating a ute and tractor, Awareness of orchard safety, Available for the whole season
Seasonal (temporary)Counts as specified workTo be confirmed
Good communication and people management skills
Able to make fair decisions under pressure
Supervisory
Duties & requirements
Work duties
Allocate trees and rows to picking teams, manage attendance and daily work priorities, monitor progress and quality, give performance feedback, and report labour and yield to management.
Pay method
To be confirmed Pay not stated on the official website.
Hours
Must be available for early-morning starts and peak harvest periods
Requirements
Good communication and people management skills, Able to make fair decisions under pressure, Supervisory or harvest experience preferred
Seasonal (temporary)Counts as specified workTo be confirmed
Good communication skills
Attention to detail and accurate record-keeping
Able to work outdoors with different picking teams
+1 more
Duties & requirements
Work duties
Check harvested cherries for ripeness, damage and stems, weigh and record picked volumes, give quality feedback to pickers, and report recurring issues to supervisors.
Pay method
To be confirmed Pay not stated on the official website.
Hours
Must be available for early-morning starts and peak harvest periods during the season
Requirements
Good communication skills, Attention to detail and accurate record-keeping, Able to work outdoors with different picking teams, Orchard, fresh produce or quality control experience preferred
Seasonal (temporary)Counts as specified workTo be confirmed
Attention to detail
Manual dexterity
Able to handle repetitive work
+1 more
Duties & requirements
Work duties
Pack graded cherries into cartons and check appearance, labels and pack weight.
Pay method
To be confirmed Pay not stated on the official website.
Hours
Must be available for early-morning starts and peak harvest periods during the season
Requirements
Attention to detail, Manual dexterity, Able to handle repetitive work, Able to work as part of a team
Licences
Not required
Packing fruit is plant and animal cultivation work that counts as specified work. Source: https://www.somercotes.com/?p=3361
Forklift driver
Seasonal (temporary)Counts as specified workTo be confirmed
Relevant experience preferred
Forklift licence
Duties & requirements
Work duties
Move fruit bins, pallets and finished goods in the packshed, and help with loading and dispatch.
Pay method
To be confirmed Pay not stated on the official website.
Hours
Must be available for early-morning starts and peak harvest periods during the season
Requirements
Relevant experience preferred
Licences
Forklift licence (LF)
Source: https://www.somercotes.com/?p=3361
Inventory Operator
Seasonal (temporary)Counts as specified workTo be confirmed
Organisational and record-keeping skills
Forklift licence an advantage
Duties & requirements
Work duties
Handle receiving, storage, stock rotation and temperature records in the cool storage facility.
Pay method
To be confirmed Pay not stated on the official website.
Hours
Must be available for early-morning starts and peak harvest periods during the season
Requirements
Organisational and record-keeping skills, Forklift licence an advantage
Licences
Not required
Source: https://www.somercotes.com/?p=3361
Fruit Tipping Operator
Seasonal (temporary)Counts as specified workTo be confirmed
Experience operating an electric walkie stacker
Able to do physical work
Duties & requirements
Work duties
Place fruit bins onto the packing line and monitor fruit flow.
Pay method
To be confirmed Pay not stated on the official website.
Hours
Must be available for early-morning starts and peak harvest periods during the season
Requirements
Experience operating an electric walkie stacker, Able to do physical work
Licences
Not required
Source: https://www.somercotes.com/?p=3361
Packshed QAQuality Control Officer (Packshed)
Seasonal (temporary)Counts as specified workTo be confirmed
Good written and verbal communication skills
Food safety knowledge preferred
Duties & requirements
Work duties
Check fruit size, colour, firmness and quality, and check finished product against specifications.
Pay method
To be confirmed Pay not stated on the official website.
Hours
Must be available for early-morning starts and peak harvest periods during the season
Requirements
Good written and verbal communication skills, Food safety knowledge preferred
Licences
Not required
Source: https://www.somercotes.com/?p=3361
Work & environment
Work duties
Pick cherries, transport fruit bins, supervise and carry out quality control in the orchard, or pack, operate forklifts, manage cool-store inventory, tip fruit onto the line and check quality in the packshed.
Work environment
Outdoor orchard and packshed (including cool storage); early-morning starts during harvest.
Products & services
Cherries
9 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
Pay not stated on the official 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
Weather-dependent?
Yes, work may stop
When they need workersHiring now
123456789101112
See full details
Usual hours
Must be available for early-morning starts and peak harvest periods during the season
Shifts
To be confirmed
Weather-dependent?
Yes. Work may stop if it rains or is too hot, and there is no income that day.
Additional notes
The official website does not state daily or weekly hours; please confirm when applying.
Peak season
The official website says the cherry season runs from around Christmas to mid-February; the positions are seasonal casual from December to February.
Hiring
Hiring now: the careers page on the Somercotes Cherries official website is open for "Cherry Season" expressions of interest, and both orchard harvest and packshed roles are listed as seasonal casual (Seasonal Casual, December to February). The official website does not state a posting date or closing date; the page was last updated on 2026-08-15. Cherry Season expression of interest: orchard harvest roles (picker, orchard transport operator, orchard supervisor, orchard QC officer) and packshed roles (packer, forklift driver, inventory operator, fruit tipping operator, QA); seasonal casual, December to February; no closing date stated Hiring status is checked automatically every day; last checked: 2026-10-12.See the job ad
To be confirmed The careers page does not mention staff accommodation (the accommodation mentioned on the official website is guest rooms open to the public).
Transport
To be confirmed The official website does not describe transport; the orchard transport operator role requires a driver's licence.
Getting there without a car
To be confirmed: the official website does not describe transport for staff.
Public transport
To be confirmed: Wikipedia does not record any coach services for Ross.
Nearest airport
To be confirmed (Wikipedia only records the distances to Launceston and Hobart).
Nearest town
The orchard is beside the Midland Highway in Ross; Ross is about 78 km from Launceston and about 117 km from Hobart (Wikipedia).
Amenities
Ross is a small historic town with a population of 404 (2016 Census), about 78 km from Launceston and about 117 km from Hobart.
Grocery shopping
To be confirmed: Wikipedia only records that the town has a bakery, the Man O' Ross Hotel and the Tasmanian Wool Centre; no supermarket is recorded.
Medical
To be confirmed: no information on medical facilities was found.
Other
The orchard has been run continuously by the same family since 1823, and a farm shop is open during the season (daily 9:00–18:00).
My application statusSaved only in this device's browser
You will need
Available during the cherry season (December to February)
Able to do repetitive physical work outdoors or in the packshed
Some positions require a driver's licence or forklift licence
Restrictions
Seasonal casual, cherry season only (December to February)
The application form asks whether you can work the whole season
The official website does not say whether Working Holiday visas are accepted; the application form asks for your visa type
See full details
Before you apply
Fill in the online expression of interest form on the careers page of the official website (it asks for your visa type, health status, whether you can work the whole season, relevant licences and your available start date between December and February), or email info@somercotes.com stating the position you are applying for, your availability, experience and licences. Submitting the form does not guarantee a job.
Licences required
Valid Australian driver's licence
Forklift licence (LF)
Each role needs different licences — see the role descriptions above.
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
Make sure it is a registered company that gives payslips and pays super, so your specified work days will hold up.
Company registration
ABN 60 161 422 046・Somercotes Cherries Pty Ltd・Active View on ABN Lookup
Employment arrangement
Employed directly by the company
Notes
ABN 60 161 422 046 (Somercotes Cherries Pty Ltd, an Australian private company) has been active since 2012-12-03 and registered for GST since 2012-12-05, with its main business location in TAS 7209 (ABR, checked 2026-10-12). The official website's copyright notice reads SOMERCOTES CHERRIES PTY LTD; the careers page is posted directly on the employer's official site. The website also mentions that the orchard holds a quality assurance certification covering production, harvesting and packing, but does not name the certification.
Last checked: 2026-10-12. If you see outdated or incorrect information, let us know.
Not yet confirmed (5)
Posting date: not stated on the official website; the page metadata only shows a last update of 2026-08-15.
Working Holiday visas accepted: not stated on the official website; the application form asks for your visa type.
Pay, hours, accommodation and transport: none stated on the official website.
The coordinates are an approximate location for the centre of Ross.
Packshed jobs page URL: the official website links to https://www.somercotes.com/job-listing/packshed-key-roles/; this check read the same page via its short URL https://www.somercotes.com/?p=3361.