Care packages

FIFO Care Package Ideas That Actually Work on Site

What fits a donga, how to get a parcel through camp admin, when it should land in the swing, what to skip, and ideas for R&R and the partner at home.

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Reading the card from a Same Skies gift box on the sofa

The short answer

FIFO Care Package Ideas That Actually Work on Site

The best FIFO care packages are small, shelf-stable and easy to use up in a donga: coffee that only needs hot water, snacks that survive the swing, something for sleeping after nights and a message from home. Skip candles, alcohol and anything perishable, and check the site takes parcels before you post a thing.

The 4am alarm on day nine. A crib room that smells like someone else's microwaved lunch. A room with one shelf, one chair and a window looking straight at the next donga. Build for that room and you can't go far wrong. Here's what works, what to leave at home, and how to get it through camp admin.

What to put in a FIFO care package

Ask your person what they run out of first. Then fill the gaps with things that get eaten, used or slept in. A few that earn their spot:

  • Coffee that only needs hot water. Pour-over drip bags are a big step up from the crib room tin, and if their room has a kettle they're set.
  • Shelf-stable snacks. Shortbread, popcorn, chocolate thins, jerky, nuts. They'll last the swing if rationed. They won't be.
  • Something to fix the mess food. A finishing salt or a hot sauce turns eggs or hot chips into something worth queuing for.
  • Sleep kit for nights. A sleep mask that properly blocks light, plus earplugs. Day sleep in a donga is loud and bright.
  • Noise-cancelling headphones, if the budget stretches. Good for camp noise and the flight home.
  • A decent water bottle, bamboo socks, a foot roller for end of shift. Boring, and used every single day.
  • Shows downloaded to a small hard drive, or a streaming gift card, if their camp internet is patchy.
  • Something daft. A small crocheted character on the desk is a ten-second grin every time they walk in.
  • Home, on their phone. A video from the kids, the dog, the footy club. That's the bit they'll replay on a long night.

If you'd rather it arrived ready to go, the For Him box is the one we'd point most people to for site. It has a Pour-Over Coffee Duo, Jalapeño & Lime Salt, Australian Shortbread, Honey-Glazed Popcorn (made in Australia), a Crochet Comfort Companion and an A3 Matte Art Print (unframed), with no candle. For a camp address, the room or block line matters more than anything else on the label, so double-check it at checkout. The honest trade-off is the print: it's A3 and unframed, so it either goes up with Blu Tack, if the room rules allow it, or rides home in the bag. The crochet character comes as an avocado, pear, pickle, potato, duck or axolotl, and picking one is half the fun.

The For Him gift box from Same Skies with coffee, shortbread, popcorn and jalapeño lime salt, suitable for a mine site
For Him: coffee, snacks and a salt for the mess food, with no candle. See the contents and options.

Want to choose every item? Build your own Twilight Box (6 gifts) or Midnight Box (8 gifts) and leave the candles out.

What fits in a donga, and the bag home

Camp rooms are compact: a bed, a desk, a wardrobe and not much else. Two questions to ask before you buy anything:

  • What's their bag limit on the flight home? On a small charter it can be tight, and everything you send has to be eaten, used up or carried out.
  • Do they keep the same room next swing? If not, nothing stays behind, so consumables beat keepsakes every time.

A box that sits on the desk beats a hamper that blocks the door. Flat things (a photo, a journal, a sleep mask) slide into a bag. A big framed photo or a wicker basket just becomes something to leave for the cleaners.

Can you send a parcel to a mine site?

Often, yes, but every site runs its own rules. Where a site takes personal parcels, they usually come through an admin office or reception, not straight to the room. Get your person to check first:

  • Does the site take personal parcels at all? Some don't. Get a clear yes before you order.
  • The address format. Full name, the site or camp name, and their room or block. Leave one off and the parcel can sit unclaimed.
  • What's banned. Many camps don't allow candles or alcohol, and some have more rules on top.
  • Who collects it. If it waits at admin, tell them it's coming so it isn't gathering red dust.

Tracking is emailed to the sender, so forward it on. No straight answer from the site? Don't gamble. Send it home and it becomes a welcome-home gift instead.

What not to send to camp

  • Candles. Many camps don't allow them, and the smoke detector is a metre from the bed anyway. Save them for the box that goes home.
  • Alcohol. Many mine camps ban it. Our optional Poco Vino Piccolo also needs someone 18 or over to sign at a street address, so it's a gift for home, and wine can't be delivered to the NT.
  • Perishables and home baking that won't survive several days in a van and a week on a shelf.
  • Bulky things and breakables. Parcels to site travel a long way. Keep the glass for home.

Build it for the room they're in, and save the rest for the house they come home to.

When should a FIFO care package arrive?

Aim for the middle of the swing, once the novelty of being back has worn off and the flight home still feels a long way away. Rosters vary a lot, so treat these as examples:

Roster (examples) Aim for it to land Watch out for
8/6 (8 days on, 6 off) Around day 3 to 5 A short swing leaves little room for a slow remote delivery
2/1 or 14/7 (two weeks on, one off) Around the end of the first week Admin pick-up times on weekends
Longer swings, like 4/1 Somewhere in the middle, when it starts to drag Room changes between swings, if their site does them

To work back from that date, count the transit. We pack in Sydney, Monday to Friday, and after dispatch Australia Post usually takes 2 business days within Sydney, 3 to Melbourne or Brisbane, 4 to Adelaide, 5 to Perth or Hobart and 6 to Darwin. Mine sites are often regional or remote, and those addresses can take longer. Australia Post doesn't promise delivery days, so add a buffer, and allow for a parcel that reaches admin on a Friday. If it's likely to land after they fly out, send it home.

Gifts for R&R, sent home

Days off go fast. A gift waiting at home sets the tone: this is time off, properly, and nobody mentions work. Think a booked breakfast, a beach day, a drive with no destination, and the blinds down for a sleep-in. This is also where the candle and the wine can go.

The Traveller Box leans into the days off: a Mulberry Silk Sleep Mask, Hardcover Travel Journal, Hardwood Pen & Bamboo Case, Honeycomb Chocolate Thins, a Cabana Beach Towel and a Passport Wallet & Tag Set for the trip they keep talking about. Or send the Hug Away From Home box home, where the Hand-Poured Soy Candle and Botanical Bath Soak can actually be used.

Don't forget the partner at home

Every swing has two people working it. While one's on site, the other is running the house solo: school runs, bins, sport pick-ups, and the washing machine that always picks that week to die. A care package for the partner at home is one of the best things a FIFO worker can send from site.

Make it about them. A night off arranged with a friend or a grandparent. Dinner delivered on the worst night of the week. A recorded bedtime story for the kids, so bedtime isn't a solo job. Something that's only theirs, like a bath soak or chocolate they don't have to share. Our For Her box covers the pampering side, and our long-distance couples page and guide to long-distance couple gift ideas have more.

How our boxes get to site

We pack every box ourselves in Sydney (Lewis and Jess) and send it with Australia Post. Order to door is 3 to 7 business days for most of Australia, longer for regional and remote addresses, and tracking is emailed to you. Your words live behind a QR code on a premium card inside the box: a message of up to 280 characters is free, and you can add a photo or a video that they open by pointing their phone camera at the code. It replays for around six months, which covers a lot of swings. There's no price in the box, delivery is free, and our FAQ covers PO Boxes, Parcel Lockers and the rest.

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Build your own

Start with an empty box. Fill it with them.

The real builder, exactly as you'll see it.

Choose every piece from the UK, pick a print that feels like them, then add your letter with a photo or video behind the QR card. We hand-pack it in Sydney and deliver it in Australia.

  • You choose every piece, and the print on the lid
  • Your letter, plus a free photo or video behind the QR card
  • Built from the UK, hand-packed in Sydney, delivered in Australia only
Build your own Or choose one of our five boxes

Questions people ask

What do you put in a FIFO care package?

Things that get used up on site: coffee that only needs hot water, shelf-stable snacks, a sleep mask and earplugs for nights, and a video or note from home. Keep it small enough to sit on a desk.

Can you send a parcel to a mine site?

Often, if the site takes personal parcels, so ask your person to check first. Address it with their full name, the site or camp name, and their room or block.

What isn't allowed in a FIFO camp?

Rules vary by site, but many camps don't allow candles or alcohol. Leave out perishables, bulky items and breakables too, and if you're unsure, send the parcel home for their days off.

When should a FIFO care package arrive?

Aim for the middle of the swing, after they've settled in and well before they fly out. Allow extra time for remote sites and for the parcel to get from admin to them.

What can a FIFO worker send their partner at home?

Something that's only for them, like a bath soak or chocolate they don't have to share, plus a night off arranged with a friend or a meal delivered on a hard night. A recorded video or bedtime story helps too.

Can I add wine to a FIFO care package?

Not for site. Many mine camps ban alcohol, and the optional Poco Vino Piccolo needs someone 18 or over to sign at a street address, so send it home instead. Wine can't be delivered to the NT.

Built for a camp room

Pick a box with no candle, add a video from home, and address it the way site admin asks.

Shop FIFO and working away gifts

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