When & Where to Go Fruit Picking around Newcastle, Central Coast & Sydney

One of the questions we often get asked is where to go fruit picking with kids. Who doesn’t love a day out with kids picking your own fruit, fresh from a farm? Plus, it’s a great opportunity to show kids where fruit comes from.

In terms of family fruit picking close to Newcastle, some farms are closer than others while some destinations require a weekend away. Below, you’ll find helpful advice on Pick Your Own farms near Newcastle and Lake Macquarie as well as spots near the Central Coast, Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains, Sydney and then some on the North Coast.

Things to Know Before You Go

Before you set out for fruit picking, always confirm that they are open for picking. Check their website or social media or even give them a call to make sure they’re open, haven’t run out of fruit, etc. Check also to see what you need to bring. Some farms only accept cash or require you to bring your own bags or might require a reservation.

Find a U-Pick Farm Near Me – Map

What Fruit is in Season?

Wondering what fruits can be picked throughout the year? Here’s a list of all the fruit seasons in New South Wales.

• Strawberries are grown year-round in hydroponic conditions
• Apple picking season usually begins at the January and goes until end of May with different varieties available to pick
• Pick chestnuts and walnuts in March / April
• Citrus, like oranges are usually in season from July – August (navel oranges) or October – December (Valencia)
• Peaches ripen for picking in October and November
• Cherry picking season is late November to mid-December

Apples | Blueberries | Cherries | Nuts | Oranges | Peaches | Strawberries

Apples

Bilpin Fruit Bowl

Season: End Jan – End March. Harvest times are only a rough indication of when the fruit will be ready.
Address: 2093 Bells Line of Road, Bilpin
Website: Bilpin Fruit Bowl
Facebook: Bilpin Fruit Bowl
Admission: $20 for adults, $10 for children aged between 3 and 12. Free for children under 3 years of age. This entry fee allows you to eat whatever you want while on the farm and then only paying for what you take home with you.
Bookings required: Yes. Bookings limited to 200 people every 2 hours. Bookings are essential.

If you want to pick your own apples, head to Bilpin Fruit Bowl. Here you can pick a variety of apples including Royal Gala, Fuji, Red Delicious and Pink Lady in season. Be aware that different apples are harvested at different times so check before you go. For apples, the season is between the end of January to end of May / June. They have strawberry picking year round.

The farm is open on weekends only and public holidays strictly between the hours of 10am and 4pm. Hours do change though so check the Facebook page.

Follow the Facebook page to be kept up to date each week with a complete list of what is available for picking each weekend. Check for admission specials and changes to operating hours.

Bilpin Springs Orchard

Season: February – June. Harvest times are only a rough indication of when the fruit will be ready.
Address: 2549 Bells Line of Road, Bilpin
Website: Bilpin Springs Orchard
Phone: (02) 4567-1294
Admission: There is no admission fee, just pay for what you pick. A minimum purchase of $5 per adult is assumed.
Bookings required: Only for schools and community groups.

Head to Bilpin Springs Orchard to enjoy some fruit picking. This small orchard in the Blue Mountains grows fruit you can pick in season like apples, pears, stone fruit and more. The season kicks off with Royal Gala apples, followed by Jonathon and Red and Golden Delicious apples. They also offer picking of Braeburn, Red Fuji, Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples later in the season. The orchard relies on fruit sales for its income.

Please respect it by only picking only what you are prepared to buy, and only picking fruit marked for public picking with a √. Fruit not ticked is not available to you. Always ask if you are uncertain about the best picking techniques for particular fruits.

The orchard is usually open from 8am to 1pm  on Saturdays and Sundays but call first to confirm. They provide baskets holding approximately 10 kg, but you are encouraged to use your own bags. Fruit is charged per kilogram at the prices marked on the board at the entrance. A minimum purchase of $5 per adult is assumed.

Canoelands

Season: mid-February – mid-April. Harvest times are only a rough indication of when the fruit will be ready.
Address: 27 Canoelands Road, Canoelands
Website: Canoelands Orchard
Phone: 0419688039
Admission: There is no admission fee, just pay for what you pick.
Bookings required: Yes on weekends and public holidays

Canoelands is a pick your own orchard. You book your session online and pay your entry. They are open from 10am -2pm on weekdays and by booking from 10am – 4pm on weekends and public holidays. On arrival, you will be instructed where to go to the picking zone and given bags (or you can BYO). You will then be required to return to their shop and purchase what you have picked.

In addition to fruitpicking, there is an animal farm, picnic area, playground and tractor rides as well as a coffee shack offering cakes, pies, sandwiches and coffee. As well as apples, they also grow blueberries, strawberries, oranges, mandarins, tomatoes, peaches, plums and pomegranates which are available for harvest at different times of the year.

January 2023 Update: We will be open in our shop/cafe 9am-2pm daily from 5/1/23. We will not have fruit available for harvest every day during January but we will be offering sessions as it becomes available. Please see the book now button to check if there is a session open. We will have strawberries ($15/kg), blueberries ($20/kg) and Peaches ($6/kg) to pick.

Pine Crest Orchard

Season: Late January – April. Harvest times are only a rough indication of when the fruit will be ready. The orchard is usually open from 10am to 3pm  on Saturdays, Sundays and some public holidays but check the Facebook page for confirmation.
Address: 2549 Bells Line of Road, Bilpin
Website: Pine Crest Orchard
Facebook: Pine Crest Orchard
Admission: There is no admission fee, just pay for what you pick.
Bookings required: No

Everyone is welcome to Pick Your Own fruit at Pine Crest Orchard in Bilpin. Apples are available from late January to May. The season starts each year with Tydemans early followed by Akane in January, Gala from early February and then Jonathon, Delicious and Golden Delicious. Fujis are from late March, and Granny Smith and Pink Lady finish off the apple season. They usually continue selling until late May. The orchard is usually open from 10am to 3pm  on Saturdays and Sundays but check the Facebook page for confirmation.

January 2023 Pine Crest Update: Due to the cold wet weather of 2022 we have no cherries or apricots this season and very few peaches. We hope to open at a date soon after Christmas for some peaches and plums but until the apples ripen in late Jan/early Feb we cannot be sure of opening times. Follow our face book page for more up to date information.

Blueberries

Brackenridge Berries – Not opening until December 2023

Season: Usually open mid-December to end of January, Wednesday to Sunday.
Address:  355 Waitui Road, Waitui
Website: Brackenridge Berries
Admission: $2.50 per person including children 3 years old and over. Blueberries cost is calculated at $10 per kilo.
Bookings required: No

Head to Brackenridge Berries in Waitui located about 20 kilometres west off the highway midway between Taree and Port Macquarie. Blueberries are available to pick from mid-December to the end of January. At Brackenridge Berries, one of their friendly staff will be there to greet you and will give you containers to pick your own blueberry feast. A 10-litre bucket is supplied for picking— something that two people would normally take an hour to fill.

January 2023 Update: Sad News… We will be closed for the 2022–23 season. Heavy rains have played havoc with the development of the crop. The 2023-24 season will open Dec.ember ’23.

Bucca Valley Blueberries

Season: Usually open mid-December to end of January, 7 days a week
Address: 416 Bucca Road, Bucca
Facebook: Bucca Valley Blueberries
Admission: Free
Bookings required: No

Pick your own chemical-free blueberries at Bucca Valley Blueberries north of Coffs Harbour. It works on the honesty system and they charge $10/kg. They supply buckets that you can use to pick your own blueberries. Simply fill up the bucket and weigh them on the scale and leave your money. Bring cash (small bills and change). They encourage you to bring your own containers to take berries home. While you’re there, the kids can feed the turtles & pat the horses.

Cherries

Roth Family Orchard

Season: Late November to mid-December
Address: 108 Eurunderee Lane, Mudgee
Website: Roth Family Orchard
Facebook: Roth Family Orchard
Admission: From $5
Bookings required: Yes. Bookings open in October.

Feel like picking cherries? You can pick cherries during the summer at Roth Family Orchard from late November until mid-December. They are open for pick-your-own cherries most mornings in season and recommend coming early in the morning before the heat sets in. You’ll need to make a booking. There are different varieties of cherries to choose from. You can pick the Merchants cherries early in the season while Simone cherries are the main crop.

George and Sue’s Cherry Farm & Produce

Season: Late November to December
Address: 7 Melrose Drive, Raglan
Facebook: George and Sue’s Cherry Farm & Produce

Admission: $5 each for adults and children (all ages). Cost to pick your own is $10 per kilo. Each adult must pick a minimum of 2kg or more.
Bookings required: Yes. Bookings are limited to one hour slots.

Head to Bathurst and book in to pick cherries at George and Sue’s Cherry Farm in December. You’ll need to book ahead for a specific date via their Facebook page. Watch their Facebook page for updates in late November to see when they will start accepting bookings. It’s cash only and you’ll need to commit to picking a minimum of 2kgs. But it’s a perfect opportunity for you and your family to pick a big basket of cherries just in time for Christmas.

If you don’t mind a drive, head to Young, the cherry capital of Australia. It’s the home of the National Cherry Festival, held in early December. There are more than a dozen orchards in which you can pick your own cherries from mid-November onward until late December (weather dependent). Some of the orchards require bookings while others you can wander straight in and start picking or just buy a box of cherries. Check out the Young Visitor Information Centre for more details on individual orchards.

Nuts

Kookootonga Chestnut & Walnut Farm

Season: March / April. It is a short season, usually only lasting for about 5-6 weeks. On track to open in March 2023.
Address: 247 Mt Irvine Rd, Mt Irvine
Website: Kookootonga Chestnut & Walnut Farm
Facebook: Kookootonga Chestnut & Walnut Farm
Admission: Free admission. Both chestnuts and walnuts are $10 per kilo pick your own.
Bookings required: If you are arriving by car there is no need to make a booking.

If you want to pick nuts, head to Kookootonga Chestnut & Walnut Farm in Mt Irvine in the Blue Mountains. Kookootonga is open 7 days a week 9am-4pm with weekdays being less busy than weekends.

During the season, they will likely be open 7 days a week from 9am – 4pm including every day of the Easter holidays. You’ll be provided with buckets to pick up nuts. As the nuts ripen they fall to the ground and are gathered from the ground. Wear sturdy shoes and it’s recommended that you bring good quality gloves to protect you from chestnut burrs and other hazards.

Nutwood Farm

Season: Open on weekends from March 2023
Address: 22 Danes Way Mt Irvine
Website: Nutwood Farm
Facebook: Nutwood Farm
Admission: Free admission.
Bookings required: No

Pick your own nuts at Nutwood Farm also in Mt Irvine. Nutwood Farm is open to the public for five to six weekends each year (March to April) during nut harvest season for fresh chestnuts and walnuts with no chemicals or fertilisers. They are open from 9am to 4pm on these weekends.

The orchard is filled with more than 200 trees which are mainly chestnut trees and some walnut trees. They supply buckets but please bring your own gloves and tongs.

Oranges & Mandarins

Cedar Farm

Season: July – August (navel oranges) or October – December (Valencia)
Address: 48 Dittons Road, Dooralong
Facebook: Pick Your Own Oranges Dooralong
Admission: Free
Bookings required: No

For a fun family day out, take the kids orange picking. It’s such a fun day picking your own oranges at Cedar Farm on the Central Coast. (It’s just an hour south of Newcastle, less from Lake Macquarie). You don’t have to venture far to go orange picking but you have to time it right.

There are only certain times of year you can pick oranges at Cedar Farm. Navel oranges are a winter fruit and are ripe for picking from July until the end of August, depending on the weather and number of visitors. Then you have to wait until the end of October to pick Valencia oranges. The season for Valencia oranges runs from end of October to beginning of December.

You get to wander through the orchards of Cedar Farm and pick your own oranges. There are fifteen acres of orchards to explore. There’s no entry fee or booking required and in past years, oranges have cost $1.50 per kilogram. Bring your own bag. For more details, read our review of orange picking at Cedar Farm.

Ford’s Farm

Season: June to July (Mandarins)
Address: 1275 Singleton Rd Laughtondale 
Website: Ford’s Farm
Admission: They charge an entry fee of $10 per car (this covers up to 6 people in your car), thereafter you only pay for the fruit you pick at $3 per kg. Cumquats are $10.00 per kg
Bookings required: Weekends by booking only.

Ford’s Farm is a Pick Your Own citrus orchard specialising in Mandarins. Their first mandarin of the season is the Satsuma, a seedless variety, easy to peel, full of juice and very popular with children. Ford’s Farm is nestled on the banks of the Hawkesbury River, 15 minutes from Wiseman’s Ferry.

Established over 50 years ago by the Ford family, Ford’s Farm look forward to welcoming visitors in June each year to pick mandarins, oranges, lemons, limes. They close once all mandarins have been picked and re-open in July for cumquats. Bring scissors to cut fruit off the trees, gloves and bags to take your fruit away.

January 2023 Update: See you next year in May/June 2023. Unfortunately this year has been very difficult, first with the floods and our losing half our crop and then incredible rain events through the growing season.  The lack of sunshine has also affected the fruit that remained and although there are Imperial mandarins on the trees they are of poor quality and we feel they are not good enough for your consumption so have made the decision not to open again this year.  We hope next year will be better and we can see all our customers again.

Wyuna Farm

Season: May – October (navel oranges) or November to January (Valencia)
Address: 982-988 George Downs Drive, Kulnura
Website: Wyuna Farm
Admission: Free
Bookings required: No

For a fun family day out, take the kids orange picking in Kulnara. Visit Wilson’s Wyuna Farms to experience the history of this fourth generational farm. This is a family-run farm, part of the Central Coast Plateau Harvest Trail and is regularly open for Pick Your Own oranges. Check first to see if they are open.

Watkins Family Farm

Season: Open for visitors in June 2023
Address: 1006 Singleton Road, Laughtondale via Wisemans Ferry
Website: Watkins Family Farm
Facebook: Watkins Family Farm
Admission: Free but minimum purchase required
Bookings required: No

You can pick your own mandarin oranges at Watkins Family Farm which features over 2000 fruit trees. It’s a scenic spot located in an enchanting valley near the Hawkesbury River. The farm will reopen for visitors in June 2023 and is open only during winter. As well as fruit to pick, kids can get up close to farm animals. There are chickens, sheep and lambs to pat and feed.

In 2022, there was no entry charge. However, there was a minimum purchase of one bucket of fruit for adults $20 large bucket or little buckets $10 which included the fruit. Cash only.

As well as mandarins, there’s also Ruby Red Grapefruit, Lemonades, Cumquats, Finger Limes, Kaffir Limes, Eureka Lemons, Tahitian Limes in season subject to availability. From Newcastle, you can go via Mangrove Mountain and use the vehicular ferry to cross at Wisemans Ferry. From Sydney, it’s a 90-minute drive northwest.

Peaches

Canoelands

Season: October and November. Harvest times are only a rough indication of when the fruit will be ready.
Address: 27 Canoelands Road, Canoelands
Website: Canoelands Orchard
Phone: 0419688039
Admission: There is no admission fee, just pay for what you pick.
Bookings required: Yes on weekends and public holidays

Peaches are available from October to November depending on the weather. You can also pick nectarines from October to December. Canoelands is a pick your own orchard. You book your session online and pay your entry. They are open from 10am -2pm on weekdays and by booking from 10am – 4pm on weekends and public holidays. On arrival, you will be instructed where to go to the picking zone and given bags (or you can BYO). You will then be required to return to their shop and purchase what you have picked.

In addition to fruitpicking, there is an animal farm, picnic area, playground and tractor rides as well as a coffee shack offering cakes, pies, sandwiches and coffee. As well as peaches, they also grow blueberries, strawberries, oranges, mandarins, tomatoes, peaches, plums and pomegranates which are available for harvest at different times of the year.

January 2023 Canoelands Update: We will be open in our shop/cafe 9am-2pm daily from 5/1/23. We will not have fruit available for harvest every day during January but we will be offering sessions as it becomes available. Please see the book now button to check if there is a session open. We will have strawberries ($15/kg), blueberries ($20/kg) and Peaches ($6/kg) to pick.

Pine Crest Orchard

Season: December to February each year. Harvest times are only a rough indication of when the fruit will be ready. The orchard is usually open from 10am to 3pm  on Saturdays, Sundays and some public holidays but check the Facebook page for confirmation.
Address: 2549 Bells Line of Road, Bilpin
Website: Pine Crest Orchard
Facebook: Pine Crest Orchard
Admission: There is no admission fee, just pay for what you pick.
Bookings required: No

Everyone is welcome to Pick Your Own fruit at Pine Crest Orchard in Bilpin. Pine Crest Orchard grows delicious peaches, both white and yellow-fleshed varieties, which are available from December to February each year. The orchard is usually open from 10am to 3pm  on Saturdays and Sundays but check the Facebook page for confirmation.

January 2023 Pine Crest Update: Due to the cold wet weather of 2022 we have no cherries or apricots this season and very few peaches. We hope to open at a date soon after Christmas for some peaches and plums but until the apples ripen in late Jan/early Feb we cannot be sure of opening times. Follow our face book page for more up to date information.

Strawberries

Ricardoes

Season: All year round
Address: 221 Blackmans Point Rd, Blackmans Point
Phone: (02) 6585 0663
Website: Ricardoes
Admission: Free
Bookings required: No

Head to Ricardoes, ten minutes north of Port Macquarie to visit a U-Pick strawberry farm. This iconic spot in Port Macquarie is a producer of hydrophonic tomatoes and strawberries. Five yummy varieties of hydroponic strawberries are grown at Ricardoes with over 30,000 plants growing in their greenhouse.

It’s easy for the whole family to get involved in picking strawberries. Like the tomatoes, these are cultivated off the ground and are grown in vertical PVC pipes with drip feeders supplying water and fertiliser to each individual plant. Bucket and scissors are provided and you’re encouraged to pick your own strawberries.

Top tip for family strawberry picking? Get parents to pick the berries at the top of the vines while kids search for berries to pick lower at their height. It’s free to visit Ricardoes. You just pay by kilo for the strawberries you pick. It’s a wonderful experience to illustrate to kids how strawberries and tomatoes grow. If you visit in on weekday mornings, join the free guided farm tours at 11am.

Bilpin Fruit Bowl

Season: Varies
Address: 2093 Bells Line of Road, Bilpin
Website: Bilpin Fruit Bowl
Facebook: Bilpin Fruit Bowl
Admission: $20 for adults, $10 for children aged between 3 and 12. Free for children under 3 years of age. This entry fee allows you to eat whatever you want while on the farm and then only paying for what you take home with you.
Bookings required: Yes. Bookings limited to 200 people every 2 hours. Bookings are essential.

Bilpin Fruit Bowl has pick your own strawberries at certain times of the year. The strawberries are grown in a hothouse so it is an all-weather activity. BYO bags and scissors for strawberry picking. Strawberry punnets will be paid for prior to entering the hothouse for picking. Cost will be $20 per kg. When you have finished picking your strawberries, you return to the shed to have your punnet weighed

The farm is open on weekends only and public holidays strictly between the hours of 10am and 4pm. Hours vary during the school holidays.

Follow the Facebook page to be kept up to date each week with a complete list of what is available for picking each weekend. Check for admission specials and changes to operating hours.