The Maranoa Region and the Balonne Regions incorporates St George, Roma, Upper Dawson, Mitchell, Brindebango, Dirribandi.

These regional communities are lively places with St George and Roma being the two largest towns in this area. With many in between towns and regional communities.

These regions are renowned for cotton, sheep and wool.  With other broadacre crops, cattle and some mixed farming in-between seasons.  This region can be fairly dry but also relies heavily on massive irrigation schemes and water which is the bloodline of the community.  Worth a trip just for the experience!

Tour the region - find everything you need below!

Employer Directory

Get your FarmReady Card first - Start now

Please note that the availability of work may change.  Always apply for a job, before arriving on the farm.

Cotton & Grain farmwork in the St George area:

  • Cotton Siphoning (irrigation) – see work video:  November to February, pending harvest quantities
  • Broadacre tractor work:  Winter
  • Misc farm handwork:  Anytime

Email the local cotton farming community group and they will put you in touch with employers:

[email protected]

Harvest Trail

Is an Australian government service that connects job seekers to harvest and packing work.

Visit: Harvest Trail

Best Employment, St George & Roma

Is a government registered Job Active.

Can help with the general work and all types of employment.

Types of agriculture located in this region are:

Irrigation

Irrigation is a complex and scientific requirement critical to most other industries.  Apart from farming, other sectors include installers, contractors, farmers, local, state and federal government.

Training opportunities:  as irrigation is so important, it has it’s own nationally accredited Certificate III (AHC32419) and is now a ‘trade qualification’.  You can also complete around 11 skillsets (short courses) to make yourself even more attractive to employers.  Irrigation Australia is a registered training organisation (RTO), meaning they can conduct training to Australian standards and issue you a certificate that meets national guidelines.

Training search:

Job search:  

  • Get trained with Irrigation Australia, as they promote their graduates to industry members.
  • Look under the Employer’s Tab here at FarmReady

Cotton

Cotton Australia is the peak body for Australia’s cotton growers and has a team of staff located in major cotton regions to support farmers.  Cotton is a very important Australian industry and employs around 12,000 people.   Cotton is the fibre used in the majority of our fabrics and clothing like jeans and shirts – its a very sought after and versatile crop.

A career in cotton can involve machinery operation, bug checking, irrigation, farmhands, crop consultants, drone operators and scientists.  If you are after casual seasonal work, the cotton industry requires workers on a seasonal basis for jobs such as irrigating where the syphons are stated manually (see work videos). The availability of this work will depend on the amount of cotton being grown which fluctuates on an annual basis depending on the availability of water for irrigation.

Visit Cotton Australia to read more about the industry, markets, growers, news and events.

Training:  visit the Cotton Classroom to find out more about scholarships and educational opportunities:

Job Search:

  • Look under the Employer’s Tab here at FarmReady

Beef, sheep, wool & grains

Agforce is a peak organisation representing the Queensland broadacre industries of cattle, grain, sheep and wool.   Although all these types of farm exist all over Queensland, they are concentrated around the state as follows:

  • Sheep Meat & Wool – mainly produced in the Burdekin and Southern Downs areas across to Traprock and out to St George.  Also in the Longreach area including Blackall and Barcaldine.
  • Beef Cattle – is statewide, however, the larger stations are located in Queensland’s Central West and the Gulf Regions (north).
  • Grains (wheat, sorghum, barley etc) – usually grown away from the coastline in regions such as Darling Downs, Western Downs, Central Qld, South Burnett, Warwick, Dalby.  Grain crops are seasonal and are usually rotated throughout the seasons.  Wheat is usually followed by Barley and grown in winter.  With Sorghum in summer.  Other legumes and canola are also becoming popular.

Job Search:

  • Look under the Employer’s Tab here at FarmReady

For more statistics and info:

Work Videos

Check out what the work looks like!  New videos being uploaded continuously!

Cotton industry

Irrigation industry

Coming soon!

If you have a video to share, please get in contact.

Beef, sheep, wool & grains industry

Coming soon!

If you have a video to share, please get in contact.

Getting There

Enjoy a trip out past Toowoomba and beyond!

Fly to Wellcamp Airport in Toowoomba and drive.

Or fly to Brisbane and drive a little further!

  • 6 hour drive: Brisbane airport to St George
  • 4 hour drive: Toowoomba to St George
  • 4 hour drive: Toowoomba to Roma
  • 4 hour drive: Toowoomba to Dirranbandi

The Balonne Shire

The Maranoa

St George, Dirrinbandi, Thallon, Mungindi, Nindigully, Hebel, Bollon
Roma, Injune, Mitchell, Surat, Wallumbilla, Yuleba

Accommodation

Farming in this district consists of some very large stations, who often have accommodation available for their staff.  This is something you need to check when you apply for work.

Otherwise, check out the accommodation listings below.

The Balonne Shire

The Maranoa

St George, Dirrinbandi, Thallon, Mungindi, Nindigully, Hebel, Bollon
Roma, Injune, Mitchell, Surat, Wallumbilla, Yuleba

Be part of the community

The Balonne Shire

The Maranoa

St George, Dirrinbandi, Thallon, Mungindi, Nindigully, Hebel, Bollon
Roma, Injune, Mitchell, Surat, Wallumbilla, Yuleba