And so, finally, the big day arrives. We had decided to do some fruit picking in Shepparton to earn some travelling money and get acquainted with our new home. So , with our orientation booked on the Monday, we waved away family and friends just after lunch on Sunday 13th December 2020 and headed for Broken Creek Bush Camp, about 12klms west of Benalla.
It Begins
Broken Creek Camping Ground – WOW!
The worst thing we could have done was start our journey by staying at the best free camping site in Australia. Talk about setting the bar! Run by â€Doc†and Cathie on their family property, the only difference between this and a caravan park are the concrete slabs and power poles. Toilets, hot showers and an amazing camp kitchen make this place a free camping oasis. Doc has a more than passing resemblance in looks and manner to the late Sean Connery. Not the James Bond Connery and not the Red October Connery. More The Untouchables Connery. His has a two week stay policy. If he likes you after two weeks, you can stay longer. If not…..well….and he’s not a man to be trifled with. But more of Doc later.
It being daylight saving, we had plenty of daylight to find a good position, roll out the awning, set up the deckchairs, open the alcohol and toast our success while gazing across a tree studded field. We were Kings of the Road on day one. Aaah…the folly of over confidence. Yes, keep reading…you’ll have plenty to chuckle and hoot about later.
MADEC – ORIENTATION….MAYBE
We spent the first morning taking in our new status as caravaners. The term Grey Nomads has certain connotations that Tamika is not prepared to entertain, being only in her early forties, except for the grey part (sorry babe). Looking out for age defying hair solutions in small towns is a periodic “to-do†for both of us. It’s about 40 clicks to Shepparton and our appointment was with a company called Madec, that amongst other things, is a way station and training venue for the starry-eyed and the desperate looking to make their “fortunes†in the Agriculture Industry. (cue much hooting & guffawing).
There was the obligatory paperwork and the promise of a training video. I started to get this underwhelmed feeling when our Trainer prefaced by saying “Try not to fall asleep.†Still, our thirst for knowledge and possible employment kept us hyper-attentive. The video was about the apple industry. Now, the fact that apples weren’t due for another three months and we were theoretically starting work the next day, didn’t seem to raise any red flags for the Trainer. Sure, there were some general tips for safety and O.H & S (cue more guffawing) but nothing on how to actually pick fruit.
On the way out we received our Work Entitlement Cards and the name and phone number of a local grower Pinda, a grower of many fruits. It’s kinda ironic that we had to be “entitled†to work as fruit pickers. Because of Covid, growers were so desperate for workers, they were putting crocks like us up ladders, baying encouragement like football coaches, their eyes filled with both hope and despair at the same time.
THE HORROR..THE HORROR.
Let me set the scene for you. Pickers are supposed to be paid an hourly rate, yet almost all are paid a bin rate, that is, so much per bin. This rate is designed to reward “good†pickers and is determined by a calculation so intricate and so complex that a senior Union organiser confessed that the Union had no idea how it worked. But in reality, the on-the-ground calculation was really simple – what’s the least amount I can pay and still get workers.
So, our first day was terrible. Clearly our technique sucked. It was a really hot day. After eight hours work I think made $56 between us. Now you would think the average couple would just go “Nupâ€, but fortunately (or unfortunately), someone had said to give it at least a week. So, by the end of our first full week, we’d managed to double our output and we’re making nearly $100 between us. Now you would think…..anyway, we kept at it I think more out of a nascent sympathy and loyalty to our lovely but hapless Pinda and it was extra money after all.
Over the next few weeks, we got better at it. We were sub-contracted out to a fig grower for a few days. Now that’s a gig. Figs are delicate to pick and place, but the pay was much better and not hard work. The only down side is that there is no shade, so you start at the crack of dawn and usually finished by noon. Would happily do that picking again.
Despite the rules and regs, there were no toilets in the fields, all of the tractors should have been heritage listed and our picking bags looked like the horses had had a good feed from them for several years. Still we were keen. Life on the road stretched out to the horizon. We knew we would finish up at the end of January and then it would be off to explorer with a nice piggy bank for company.  The apricots came to an end and so to the pears. Pinda has many different varieties of fruit on his farms so is picking from November through to May.
Now it gets interesting. As well as picking, we actually got experience packing in the sheds after midday, which came as a relief from the hot January sun. It was relentless work and much easier than picking. It was not all work camp. Tamika and I spent a couple of wonderful nights at motels in Shepparton and we made sure we ate and drank well. We took some time off over Christmas, and spent a few hot afternoons down at the local billabong.
Now the location is a secret, according to Doc, but he will give you directions…..if he likes you