Does Todd River Pastoral Co - cattle station near Alice Springs count as specified work?

Yes. The work location's postcode 0872 is on the Department of Home Affairs Regional Australia list, and Plant and animal cultivation work can count towards your specified work days.

Job library › Northern Territory › Near Alice Springs (station name and address not published)

Station・Beef cattle station

Todd River Pastoral Co - cattle station near Alice Springs

Beef cattle station near Alice Springs, hiring a short-term station hand (4–6 weeks only)
Near Alice Springs (station name and address not published), Northern Territory 0872

Beef cattle

Specified work✓ Eligible

PayHourly rate

TransportTo be confirmed

AccommodationAccommodation provided

Overall score7.8・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 0872 is on the Department of Home Affairs "Regional Australia" list, and the work type is "Plant and animal cultivation".

Work address

Cattle station near Alice Springs NT 0872 (station name and address not published)

Postcode 0872・Alice Springs · 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.

Station hand (cattle)Station Hand

Seasonal (temporary) Counts as specified work

Drafting cattle in a trap yard — no mustering needed; helping care for poddy calves, chickens, dogs and horses; homestead maintenance, gardening and cleaning, and possibly helping with cooking.

Pay method

Hourly rate
Per the employer's job ad: 38 hours a week per person, $978 before tax plus superannuation; accommodation, three meals and high-speed internet provided. (The Pastoral Award farm and livestock hand Level 1 full-time rate is $978.10 a week; the employer says pay is above Award.)

Hours

38 hours a week

Requirements

Calm and confident around large animals, Genuine care for animals, Clear spoken English (for safety), Australian referees needed for any work done in Australia, Preference for applicants with outdoor work experience in Australia

Licences

Not required

Feeding and moving cattle on a farm are examples listed by Home Affairs. 4–6 weeks only.

Work duties

Yard work (drafting cattle with a trap yard, not mustering) and general station and homestead jobs; also caring for calves, chickens, dogs and horses.

Work environment

Small, remote family-run station; besides the animals you also do odd jobs around the homestead.

Pay and superannuation

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

Pay: Per the employer's job ad: 38 hours a week, $978 before tax plus superannuation; accommodation, three meals and internet free. Pastoral Award farm and livestock hand Level 1: full-time $978.10 a week ($25.74/hour), casual $32.18/hour; when food and accommodation are provided the employer may deduct up to $165.86 a week, but this employer provides them free.
Applicable Award: Pastoral Award (MA000035)
Legal minimum hourly rate: FLH1 (new starter, less than 6 months' experience): $32.18/hour
FLH2: $33.05/hour
FLH3: $33.11/hour
Casual (including the 25% casual loading), effective from 1 July 2026.Fair Work pay guide
Piece-rate guarantee: Shearing and similar piece work have separate rules; general farm hand piece rates have no daily minimum guarantee. If the employer provides food and accommodation, up to $165.86 a week can be deducted.
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; casuals may be paid at the end of each engagement, or weekly / fortnightly as agreed
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).
The employer states pay is plus superannuation.
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: 38 hours a week
Shifts: Daytime work
Weather-dependent?: Not much affected by weather.
Additional notes: From 2 November 2026, for 4–6 weeks.

When they need workers

123456789101112

This job starts on 2 November 2026 and lasts 4–6 weeks.

Posted on Backpacker Job Board on 27 September 2026; starts 2 November 2026, for only 4–6 weeks

Hiring now (ad closes 2026-11-01)

Station hand (starts 2 November, 4–6 weeks)

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

How to apply

Online form on the official website

Apply via online form

Before you apply

Apply through Backpacker Job Board (login / registration required). Australian referees are needed for any work done in Australia. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Posted 27 September 2026.

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

You must arrive at the station on Sunday 1 November 2026 and start work on Monday 2 November
Clear spoken English
Australian referees required

Restrictions

Short-term job: suitable candidates work 4–6 weeks. This job alone is not enough for 88 days — you will need other specified work to make up the rest

Licences required

No licence is needed for general roles.

Official website: To be confirmed
Careers page: Go to the careers page

Legitimacy

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

Company registration: ABN 28 009 606 928・TODD RIVER PASTORAL COMPANY PTY. LTD.・Active
View on ABN Lookup
Employment arrangement: Employed directly by the company
Notes: Australian private company, Active since 21 March 2000, registered for GST, main business location NT 0870. Backpacker Job Board member since March 2019.

How to spot illegal work

Transport

To be confirmed. Does not explain how to get to the station.

Getting there without a car

Not explained; Greyhound buses run from Darwin to Alice Springs (Bus Zone stop on Leichhardt Terrace).

Public transport

Not stated.

Nearest airport

Alice Springs Airport

Nearest town: Alice Springs

Accommodation and local amenities

Remote station; high-speed internet provided.

Accommodation

Accommodation provided

Accommodation, three meals and high-speed internet provided; bring only personal items.

Grocery shopping

Alice Springs (distance not published)

Medical

The station's name and location are not published, so distances cannot be estimated. The nearest major hospital is Alice Springs Hospital in town; remote stations are often hours' drive away — call 000 in an emergency (OpenStreetMap).

Other

To be confirmed

Weather

Average highs of 33.8°C in November and 35.6°C in December; July average low of only 3.9°C in winter; no wet season, annual rainfall 284 mm.

Average maximum temperatureAverage minimum temperatureAverage monthly rainfallUnits: °C / mm (months 1–12)

See monthly figures

Months	Average high	Average low	Rainfall	Days above 35°C	Days below 0°C
Jan	36.5°C	23.8°C	60 mm	22.1	0
Feb	35.9°C	22.5°C	15 mm	20.1	0
Mar	33.7°C	20.9°C	48 mm	16.1	0
Apr	28.9°C	15.3°C	7 mm	1.7	0
May	23°C	10.1°C	21 mm	0	0
Jun	19.8°C	7.1°C	10 mm	0	0.2
Jul	20.7°C	6.8°C	3 mm	0	0.3
Aug	23.7°C	9.1°C	5 mm	0.1	0
Sep	27.6°C	12.9°C	14 mm	1.4	0
Oct	32.1°C	17.3°C	13 mm	9	0
Nov	33.4°C	19.6°C	41 mm	12.8	0
Dec	35.9°C	22.4°C	38 mm	19.3	0

Data: Open-Meteo historical weather (ERA5 reanalysis), 2016–2025 average, coordinates -23.698, 133.881. Farms in the same area may differ by 1–2°C.

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.

7.8out of 10
Worth considering

Specified work eligibility

10.0Postcode 0872 is on the official "Regional Australia" list

Legal and transparent

8.0ABN active, Employed directly by the company

Pay transparency

9.0Some hourly-paid roles with steadier income

Transport

5.0To be confirmed

Accommodation

10.0Accommodation provided

Amenities

4.0Remote; shopping is inconvenient

Weather

4.9about 103 days a year above 35°C, Almost no frost

Pros

Pay, hours, and free food and accommodation are all published
No mustering experience needed; mainly yard work
Free accommodation, meals and internet; good for saving

Watch out for

Only 4–6 weeks of work, so this job alone is not enough for 88 days
Station name and location not published; no information on how to get there
Very hot in November–December (Alice Springs November average high 33.8°C)

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.

No online reviews or past workers' accounts could be found for this station (nothing on Indeed, Glassdoor or Chinese-language forums). This is common for small family stations; before applying you can ask the employer for contact details of previous workers, or ask in working holiday Facebook groups.

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…

Sources

Last checked: 2026-10-05. If you see outdated or incorrect information, let us know.

Not yet confirmed: The station's name, exact location and coordinates are not published; the address is a description based on the postcode 0872 in the ad (the ABN's main business location is NT 0870); Does not explain how staff get to the station; The employer says $978 a week; the Pastoral Award Level 1 full-time rate is $978.10 a week, and the employer says pay is above Award — rely on your contract and payslips for the actual amount; Station name and location not published; the map uses central Alice Springs for now.