More Grapes and Working as a Bucket Boy

On Sunday I had a day off, so naturally Saturday night was another day of drinking at the Fruitshack.  By Monday the grapes were ready and we were back in the fields.  These grapes were for white wine (as opposed to last week's red grapes), and were considerably larger than the red.  Downside is they paid less - only 75 cents a bucket!  A lot also depends on the particular vine you get; some have big bunches of grapes and your buckets fill up quickly, while other vines are less plentiful.  The vine I was on in the morning was the former - nice, big bunches - but in the afternoon they weren't as good.  Overall I still did above average compared to the other pickers and finished with 94 buckets, which adds up to around 70 dollars.

All the grape pickers ready to go (I'm top right in the red)

Picking speed depends on the vines; if you get nice, big bunches
the buckets fill up fast; with small bunches or little grapes,
it can take twice as long (or even longer).

Tuesday was more of the same, but my vines weren't as good.  I'm not even sure how many I picked - one of the backpackers is in charge of counting - but I'd guess I got between 80 and 90.  In addition to the counter, two backpackers are responsible for collecting the full buckets and dumping them into Michael's tractor bin, which he then unloads into a truck bound for the winery.  One of the "bucket boys," as we call them, hurt his knee on Tuesday and it didn't seem like he would be able to work on Wednesday.  It rained over Tuesday night, so the talk was that we'd get the day off.  Picking ended up being delayed until 10:30 instead.  At 10:15 I had a knock on my door and Adam, the injured bucket boy, informed me that I was to be his replacement for the day.

Man is the work of a bucket boy hard!  It was especially difficult on Wednesday morning because the rain had muddied the rows and Michael couldn't drive his tractor through them.  That meant the other bucket boy (also named Ben, from Germany) and I had to use wheelbarrows within the rows.  We would dump the buckets into the wheelbarrow - it only took four or five buckets to fill a wheelbarrow - and wheel the grapes out of the row, then dump the grapes into Michael's tractor.  We were constantly working, even running through the rows to collect the grapes.  We also had to through the empty buckets forward or into the new rows so the pickers could keep going.

Michael (pictured) usually drives through the rows, and the bucket boys can dump the buckets of grapes 
directly into the tractor.  On wet days, however, we have to use wheelbarrows in the rows.

Dumping grapes into the tractor

Those first two hours were intense!  In the afternoon we switched to a different paddock of grape vines, one that was drier.  Michael could drive the tractor in part way, which made it easier.  The work was still demanding, and by the end of the day I was spent.  We also finished after the pickers, since we had to empty all of the buckets once they were done.  The bucket boys earn 75 dollars a day - more than the average picker but less than the fastest ones - and I can definitely say their work is much harder than picking.

By Thursday Adam was still hurting, so Michael asked me to be a stand in bucket boy again.  Fortunately it was dry enough to take the tractor through the rows, so we didn't need wheelbarrows; we could simply dump the full buckets directly into the tractor.  The work was still difficult, but much better than Wednesday.  When Michael was dumping the grapes from the tractor to the truck we could take a short break.  Plus the grapes were a bit smaller, so the buckets didn't fill up as quickly.  At the end of each day the bucket boys get a free beer from Michael.  He'll also give you a beer if he asks you do to a small job around the farm; nothing big but you don't get paid for it.  Sure a beer's a gesture of appreciation, but I'd rather get paid!

We finished up the white grapes by Thursday, and the next (and last) batch of reds would not be ready until Monday or Tuesday.  I had already decided to leave the Fruitshack on Saturday.  Two of my friends from Ohio State, Michael and Sam, had already arrived in Sydney on Thursday for a two week holiday.  The plan was to spend a few days in Sydney and then travel up to Queensland.  On Friday I picked oranges for half a day and set up the grape buckets in the new field for an hour or so after lunch (and got a whole beer for it, whoohoo).

Posing atop the grape truck.  I'm on the right, and Ben, the other
bucket boy, is second from the left.

Throwing grape buckets out to the new rows.

With the other Ben atop the truck.

My last party at the Fruitshack (maybe)

Most people were picking oranges on Saturday, so things were quiet Friday night.  On Friday afternoon Michael drove me to the bank to deposit a check and to the supermarket.  He said he appreciated having me at the Fruitshack and would like it if I came back after traveling with my friends.  I had told him it was a possibility, although it is doubtful.  If I can get a job driving a tractor for $20-25 an hour I'd go back, but I wouldn't be guaranteed anything before I went.

Michael seemed appreciative and actually sad to see me go, which was nice.  Even though some of the jobs are shitty pay, he does care about the backpackers as long as they want to work hard and treat him well.  Overall I'd say the Fruitshack was a good experience; I met lots of nice people, and if you want to go just to get your 88 days of farm work and your second year visa, it'd be a good time.  If your primary goal is to save up a lot of money, don't count on it.  But an eventful month nonetheless.