Landscaping & Gardening Jobs: Get Paid to Work Outdoors

If the thought of being stuck indoors all day makes your skin crawl, landscaping and gardening might be your perfect working-holiday gig. You're outside in the Aussie sun (slather on the sunscreen, it's no joke here), you're moving all day so you'll get fit without trying, and the pay is genuinely decent. Plenty of backpackers fall into this work and never look back.

It's physical, no question. But unlike a lot of outdoor jobs, much of it is steady rather than brutal, and the variety keeps it interesting. One day you're laying turf at a flash new house, the next you're whipper-snippering the edges of a council park. Here's the lay of the land.

The kinds of work on offer

"Landscaping and gardening" covers a broad church. Common roles for backpackers include:

• Landscaping labourer / offsider: assisting a qualified landscaper with paving, retaining walls, turf, decking, irrigation and planting
• Lawn-mowing and garden maintenance: the bread and butter of countless small operators servicing homes and businesses
• Council parks and gardens: mowing, weeding, mulching, planting and general upkeep of public spaces
• Nursery and propagation work: potting, watering and moving stock at plant nurseries
• Tree work offsider: dragging branches and feeding the chipper for arborist crews (well paid, harder yakka)

Most backpackers start as an offsider or in maintenance, where no formal qualifications are needed. You bring the muscle and the willingness to learn; the boss brings the know-how.

The pay

The 2026 minimum wage is $24.10 per hour, and outdoor labouring work typically pays above it because it's physical and skilled hands are in demand. As a rough guide:

• Landscaping labourer: around $26–$32 an hour, more with experience or specific skills
• Garden maintenance / mowing: often $27–$33 an hour for a reliable worker
• Council parks roles: award-based and stable, frequently with better conditions and predictable hours

Many small landscaping and mowing operators love a worker who turns up on time, works hard and doesn't need babysitting. Prove that in your first week and you'll have steady hours, often cash bonuses, and a glowing reference.

Watch out for cash-in-hand arrangements, which are everywhere in this trade. They can be fine short-term, but you forfeit your superannuation and you've got no record for tax or visa purposes. On-the-books work protects you and makes claiming your tax and super back painless. MyGig.com.au can sort your tax setup so you keep what you're owed.

Getting started with no experience

The beauty of this work is how low the barrier is. You don't need a landscaping ticket to be a labourer. What helps you stand out:

• A White Card (general construction induction). It's a cheap, one-day course and many landscaping sites require it. Get it early; it pays for itself fast.
• A manual driver's licence. Being able to drive the ute and tow a trailer makes you twice as useful.
• Basic fitness and a good attitude. Bosses can teach skills. They can't teach turning up keen.

Where to find the jobs

• Hit up local landscapers and mowing operators directly. A friendly call or a knock with your resume goes a long way. Small businesses often hire on the spot.
• Job boards and gig apps. Search "landscaping labourer", "garden maintenance" and "groundsperson".
• Council and contractor websites for parks and gardens roles, which are more formal but worth chasing for stability.
• The hostel noticeboard and word of mouth. Outdoor work circulates fast among backpackers.
• Labour-hire agencies. They place offsiders with landscaping and construction crews and can keep you in steady work.

Does it count toward your 88 days?

This is the question everyone asks. Some outdoor work in regional areas can count toward the 88 days of specified work for a second-year visa, particularly things like tree farming, plant nurseries and certain agricultural gardening in eligible postcodes. Standard suburban lawn-mowing and city council parks work generally does not qualify. The rules are specific and they change, so always check the current official criteria for your exact role and location before you count on it.

What it's really like

• You'll be knackered the first week. Then your body adapts and it becomes the best gym membership you never paid for.
• The sun is fierce. A wide-brim hat, long sleeves, sunscreen and plenty of water aren't optional. Australian UV is brutal.
• Weather rules your week. Rain can mean a day off (sometimes unpaid for casuals), so budget for the odd quiet stretch.
• The lifestyle is great. Finishing by mid-afternoon, tanned and tired, with cash in the bank and your evenings free, is a pretty good way to spend a working holiday.

Tips to thrive

• Bring your own gloves, sturdy boots and a good water bottle.
• Learn to identify common Aussie plants and weeds; it makes you more valuable quickly.
• Offer to learn the skilled tasks (paving, irrigation, mower servicing). That's how a labourer becomes a sought-after offsider.
• Stack references. In this trade, a recommendation from one boss is your ticket to the next gig.

Landscaping and gardening won't suit everyone, but if you'd rather sweat under a blue sky than stare at a screen, it's one of the most enjoyable and reliable ways to fund your Aussie adventure.