Home Station Hand Salary
Station Hand salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a station hand is $49,300 per annum, before tax, up $10,300 since 2018.
Pay for station hands usually follows the Pastoral Award, and what a property offers on top of it varies. Larger and more remote stations often pay more or include accommodation and meals, while casual and seasonal mustering work can mean quieter months with fewer shifts. Experience with horses, machinery or stock handling is what moves you up the scale fastest.
Roles that pay more than station hand
The largest typical pay rise is $26,100 a year, moving into Agricultural Machinery Operator.
- Agricultural Machinery Operator+$26,100/yr
- Stock and Station Agent+$26,100/yr
- Shearer+$15,200/yr
How to negotiate a higher station hand salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time station hand salary is $49,300; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Use demand as leverage. Station Hands are on the skills shortage list for regional areas, so employers are more likely to move on price to keep or attract someone in a role they're struggling to fill.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Animal care and handling and Plant and equipment operation tend to command a premium over general station hand experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Agricultural Machinery Operator pays a typical $26,100 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Station Hand salary questions
How much do station hands earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a station hand is $49,300 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is station hand pay rising or falling?
The median station hand salary is up $10,300 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than station hand?
Agricultural Machinery Operator pays a typical $26,100 a year more and draws on similar skills to station hand.