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Station Hand

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A Station Hand performs daily tasks on agricultural properties, which may include mustering livestock, fixing fences, and operating machinery.

  • This role has a low level of AI exposure. Core skills such as adaptability, social intelligence, and complex physical tasks remain beyond the capabilities of current AI.
AI exposure data adapted from Felten, Raj & Seamans (2021). Shortage data sourced from Jobs and Skills Australia (2024).

How do I become a station hand

Get qualified to work as a station hand with a course recognised across Australia. Speak to a training provider to learn more.

Related career opportunities

Browse occupations related to Station Hand.

Common questions

In Australia, a full time Station Hand generally earns $1,200 per week ($62,400 annual salary) before tax. This is a median figure for full-time employees and should be considered a guide only. As you gain more experience you can expect a potentially higher salary than people who are new to the industry.

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There are about 31,500 people working as livestock farm workers in Australia, but many of these will be working on smaller farms rather than large cattle or sheep stations. The number of people working in this industry is expected to increase slightly over the next five years. Station Hands will need to travel to remote areas of Australia to find work.

Source: The Labour Market Information Portal – 2019 Occupation Projections

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A Certificate II or III in Agriculture is a good qualification to consider if you’re thinking about becoming a Station Hand. You could also do a Certificate III in Rural Operations. The length of the course will vary, but will involve both theory and practical work.

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Related fields of study

Agriculture

Learn the basics of farm planning, operations, cropping and rural safety and progress to advanced agricultural training. Start your career in agriculture today.

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Livestock and Animal Production

Livestock and animal production training courses are designed to equip students with the right blend of agricultural, business and livestock skills for industry success.

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All station hand courses

Station Hand careers

A station hand is hired to help with the daily duties on a large agricultural property. Your work will depend a lot on the type of station you’re working on and the time of year. You’ll be busy though and a typical day may be spent mustering sheep, fixing fences or operating agricultural machinery. You might have to care for livestock, maintain equipment or work in the cattle yards. Every day will be different but if you enjoy getting your hands dirty, this could be the job for you.

Life on a station can be demanding so you’ll need to be ready to work hard. A Station Hand is required to do a lot of physical work, including heavy lifting so make sure you’re capable of manual labour. Your daily work will be varied so Station Hands need to be flexible. You’ll need to be good at working with animals and ready to use a range of equipment. You’ll usually be working as part of a larger group of Station Hands so teamwork skills are important.