Fruit Picking inSydney

Shields Orchard has been family-run at Bilpin since 1955 and has offered pick-your-own since 1992, making it one of the longest-running picking orchards in the Blue Mountains. Entry is free: you simply pay by the kilogram for the apples you pick, with baskets provided and cards or PayID accepted at the shed. What You Can Pick Apples - February to May, across multiple varieties as they ripen Activities Quiet orchard rows - a working farm rather than a theme park Sustainable farming story - integrated pest management and a 15kW solar system power the operation Good to Know Open weekends 10am to 3pm during apple season, with bookings required (the farm asks for a name and the number of adults and children). Seasons follow the crop closely: 2026 was a difficult year, with pollination problems cutting the harvest to a fraction of normal and bookings closing once the fruit ran out. Check the website or Instagram for the current season's status before travelling. Pro tip: visit in February or March for the widest choice of varieties before the late season thins out.

Wyuna Farms at Kulnura has been in the Walpole family since 1935, now in its fourth generation, with more than 6,000 orange trees on the plateau above the Central Coast. Winter weekends bring the navel harvest, when visitors fill big bags straight from the trees at farm-gate prices. What You Can Pick Navel oranges - June to August, around $20 for a bag of roughly 14kg Activities Orchard wandering across nearly 50 acres of trees Kulnura plateau drive - the ridge road up from the coast is a scenic trip in itself Good to Know There is no entry fee; you pay per bag of oranges. Picking runs weekends through July and August until the harvest finishes, typically Saturday 10am to 1pm and Sunday 11am to 1pm, with each season's opening dates announced on the farm's Facebook page. The oranges have a local reputation for sweetness, and the short weekend windows mean the fruit never sits long. Pro tip: a 14kg bag goes further than you think; bring a boot liner and split it with another family.

Ford's Farm grows citrus beside the Hawkesbury River at Laughtondale, where the family has turned winter picking into a tidy, booked-in experience: $20 per car covers the whole family, then you pay about $5/kg for what you pick across mandarins, oranges, lemons and limes, with cumquats at $12/kg for the marmalade makers. What You Can Pick Mandarins, oranges, lemons and limes - late May to July, about $5/kg Cumquats - $12/kg Activities Coffee, hot chocolate and homemade cakes served on the farm Farm shop with honey, jams, oils, cordial and chutneys made on site Riverside picnic spots Good to Know Bookings are essential and are made per car spot online, closing 24 hours before each session; the farm refunds if it cancels a session for lack of fruit. The season runs strictly late May to around July, and the family has flagged that the 2027 season will run May to June only, so book early once dates open. Pro tip: cumquats make the marmalade; take a kilo home alongside the mandarins.

Hillsdale Orange Orchard sits off Thompsons Road at Milbrodale, in the Bulga country of the Hunter Valley about two and a half hours from Sydney via the Putty Road. It is old-school in the best way: no website, no socials, just a long-running family orchard where you phone ahead, drive up and pick oranges through the winter months. What You Can Pick Oranges - June to October Activities The Putty Road drive - one of NSW's great touring roads, a destination in itself Hunter Valley pairing - Broke and the southern Hunter cellar doors are minutes away Good to Know There is no published pricing or opening schedule, and no online presence at all, so ring the farm before making the trip. That inconvenience is also the charm: picking here feels like a tip passed between locals rather than an outing from a brochure, and the winter navel season lines up neatly with a Hunter weekend. Pro tip: combine the orchard with a Hunter Valley stay; picking plus cellar doors justifies the drive.

Blueberry Hills on Comleroy combines a pick-your-own blueberry orchard with farm-stay cottages on Comleroy Road at Kurrajong, in the foothills below Bilpin. Picking runs as pre-booked one-hour sessions through the summer months, and the farm animals and picnic lawns make it easy to stretch a session into a full morning. What You Can Pick Blueberries - November to January, weather dependent Activities Farm animals to meet around the property Farm-stay cottages - self-contained accommodation on the farm Picnic lawns for after the picking Good to Know Sessions are $15 for adults and $10 for children, booked ahead through the website, and the farm runs a pick, pay, eat policy: berries are weighed and paid for before the tasting starts. Picking is currently paused while the orchard recovers from bird damage, so confirm sessions are running before you travel. The cottages book out well ahead in season. Pro tip: the farm-stay cottages turn a picking session into a weekend; book both together.

Meliora Farm at Peats Ridge has been worked by the Kemp family since 1925, now in its third generation growing insecticide-free citrus and avocados on the ridge country north of Sydney. The farm opens its gates only on selected weekends from May to November, which keeps each open day feeling like an occasion. What You Can Pick Oranges - May through summer Lemons - June to November Limes - May to July Mandarins - June to August Hass avocados - from mid-July, $2 each Activities Guided farm tours - $25 per person, bookings essential, minimum 10 people Farm shop and picnic spots on open weekends Good to Know Entry is free; the guide price is $40 per family or group, which buys a farm picking bag holding about 10kg of mixed citrus, with extra bags $40. Gates open 10am to 3pm on advertised weekends (arrive by 2pm). Eftpos works but mobile reception is unreliable, so carry cash, and note the toilet is a basic portaloo. Open weekend dates are posted on the website. Pro tip: avocado season from mid-July is the sleeper hit; $2 Hass straight off the tree.

Pine Crest Orchard has grown apples on the Bells Line of Road at Bilpin for generations, and its pick-your-own weekends are one of the gentlest introductions to orchard life near Sydney. Entry is $5 for adults and $2 for children, the paths and toilets are wheelchair accessible, and dogs on leads are welcome among the trees. What You Can Pick Apples - February to April, weekends 10am to 3pm Strawberries - November to February, $20/kg Peaches - December to February, $8/kg Activities Famous apple pies - small $8, large $15, with pre-orders taken Farm shop selling jams, honey, cider, baked goods and ice cream Picnic areas among the trees Good to Know Picking bags are $2 or bring your own. Summer strawberry and peach picking runs limited hours (10am to 2pm), and apple sessions depend on fruit availability, so check the farm's Facebook page before travelling. The orchard's flat access and accessible toilet make it one of the few genuinely wheelchair-friendly picking farms in the district. Pro tip: pre-order an apple pie to collect with your picking session; they sell out by early afternoon.

Bilpin Fruit Bowl sits on the Bells Line of Road at Bilpin, the Blue Mountains village known across Sydney as the land of the mountain apple. The farm runs one of the district's most popular pick-your-own experiences, with entry that includes all the fruit you can eat while you wander, and a resident flock of more than 400 rescued chickens. What You Can Pick Strawberries - grown almost year-round Apples - February to May Stone fruit and blueberries - December to February Summer vegetables - zucchini, cucumber, capsicum and lettuce Activities Meet the rescue chickens - more than 400 of them call the farm home Farm shop open seven days, with strawberry soft-serve ice cream Good to Know Picking runs weekends and public holidays, 10am to 4pm, with entry at $20 for adults and $10 for children (3-12, under 3 free), including everything you eat on the farm; you pay only for produce taken home. Bookings are essential, with sessions capped at 200 people per two-hour slot. The farm shop trades daily from 8am to 5pm even outside picking hours. Pro tip: book the first morning slot; the rows are fullest and the chickens are at their liveliest.

Cedar Creek Orchard at Thirlmere has been in the same family since 1937, now fourth generation, with about 23,000 trees across 45 hectares. Its autumn persimmon season is the signature event, complete with the Persimmon Express tractor ride out to the orchard, and stone fruit picking returns each November. What You Can Pick Persimmons - April to May, around $10/kg Nectarines and peaches - November to January Activities The Persimmon Express - a tractor ride out to the picking rows Farm shed trading year-round with apples at $4.50/kg, plus the orchard's own juice and cider Good to Know Season entry runs about $12.50 for adults and $7.50 for children (3-15, under 3 free), with a $3 per person booking deposit; bookings are essential through the website, and weekday sessions need a minimum group of eight adults. Pick-your-own pauses between seasons while the shed keeps trading. Apple picking is not currently offered; shed apples cover the gap. No dogs. Pro tip: late April is peak persimmon; the orchard in full orange is worth the drive alone.

Canoelands Orchard spreads across 81 acres at Canoelands near Glenorie, barely an hour from Sydney, and is one of the few orchards in the district open nearly year-round. The calendar rolls from winter mandarins through spring strawberries and summer stone fruit into autumn apples, with a rustic cafe, tractor rides and high teas along the way. What You Can Pick Mandarins - June to September, $6/kg Strawberries - September to December Peaches and nectarines - November to February Plums - December to February Apples - February to May, $6/kg Activities Tractor rides on weekends and bee education sessions Rustic cafe with high teas Farm stays - 15 Hipcamp campsites, voted Best Farm Stay 2025 Good to Know Entry is $8 for adults, $5 for children (3-15) and seniors, $25 for families; one picking bag is supplied per two adults, with extras $2 or bring your own. Open Monday and Wednesday to Sunday, 9am to 2pm (Tuesdays too in school holidays); booked visitors get priority when the farm hits capacity. Dogs on lead are welcome if desexed and vaccinated. Pro tip: Emperor mandarins are picking right now; weekdays are gloriously quiet.

Berrylicious Strawberries grows its fruit in greenhouse tunnels at Buxton near Thirlmere, with the plants raised two metres off the ground: no bending, no mud, and picking that runs rain, hail or shine. Sessions open only when fruit is ready, are announced on social media, and book out almost immediately. What You Can Pick Strawberries - sessions run year-round whenever fruit is ready, announced per weekend Activities All-you-can-eat picking - entry includes unlimited tasting while you pick Undercover rows - the district's only wet-weather picking option Good to Know Recent sessions ran at $25 for adults and $15 for children under 10 (under 2 free), with take-home strawberries at $25/kg; each announcement carries its own booking link. Note the farm moved in 2026 to 115 Buxton Avenue, Buxton, so ignore older listings showing a Thirlmere or Couridjah address. Toilets are on site, and sessions cluster on weekends and school holidays. Pro tip: save this one for a rainy Saturday; the undercover rows make it the only picking in the district that never cancels.

Bilpin Springs Orchard is a small family orchard on the Bells Line of Road offering seasonal picking of apples, pears and stone fruit, along with school education programs. It is a quieter, simpler alternative to Bilpin's bigger farms: bring your own bags, wear covered shoes, and pick straight from the tree. What You Can Pick Apples - February to May Pears - February to April Stone fruit - December to February Activities School and group education programs by arrangement Bilpin farm loop - the district's other orchards and pie shops are minutes away Good to Know Fees are set each season rather than published, and the orchard's output follows the mountain weather closely: the farm announced in June that its 2026 season closed early after a near-total crop failure, thanking visitors and pointing to the next harvest. Check the website before visiting, wear covered shoes or boots, and note that dogs are discouraged. Pro tip: this is the classic roadside orchard stop; pair it with the neighbouring farms for a full Bilpin day.

Pick Your Own Oranges Dooralong is the last citrus orchard in the Dooralong Valley, with trees first planted in 1907 and about 3,000 in the ground today, never sprayed with chemicals. Jack and Kay Schlachter have run the farm since 2011 and opened it for picking in 2017, building a winter family tradition on the Central Coast. What You Can Pick Navel oranges - June to August, $2.50/kg Valencia oranges - a spring season in some years, announced separately Activities Tractor rides and pony rides (ponies rest on Mondays) Animal feeding around the farm Rotary sausage sizzle and a coffee and ice cream van on picking days Good to Know There is no entry fee and no booking needed; just turn up 10am to 4pm on published picking days, which run daily through the July school holidays and weekends either side. Dogs are welcome. Wet weather can close the paddocks, so check the farm's Facebook page on the morning of your visit. Pro tip: $2.50/kg is jam and juice territory; bring a crate and stock the freezer.

Glenbernie Orchard, home of the Darkes cider label, has farmed Darkes Forest above the Illawarra escarpment for generations, and runs picking as guided 90-minute experiences aboard the Orchard Explorer tractor train. The season rolls from stone fruit in November through apples from late January to April, finishing with persimmons in autumn. What You Can Pick Nectarines and peaches - mid-November to January Apples - late January to the end of April Persimmons - April to May Activities The Orchard Explorer - a tractor train ride to the picking rows on every experience The Apple Shack farm shop, with Darkes cider (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), honey and preserves Apple Pie Day and other seasonal events Good to Know Orchard entry is only via a pre-booked picking experience or tour, booked online; picked fruit is weighed and charged per kilogram at the current market rate, with picking bags $4 on the day or $3 pre-purchased. The farm shop welcomes walk-ins Thursday to Sunday, with daily trading in holidays. Not pet friendly. Pro tip: Apple Pie Day sells out every year; join the mailing list before autumn.

S and S Peruch Avocados is a second-generation working farm on the Somersby plateau, growing Hass avocados for nearly 30 years alongside citrus trees more than 45 years old. Most days in season the self-service roadside stall is stocked with avocados, oranges, honey, eggs and passionfruit; on announced picking days, visitors head into the orchard itself. What You Can Pick Hass avocados - July to December, on announced picking days Valencia oranges - November to February Activities Self-service farm stall open most days in season Farm tours and talks by phone appointment Seasonal sunflowers sold at the stall Good to Know Picking sessions are occasional and announced on the farm's Facebook page, historically about $15 per person for as much as you can carry, typically 8am to midday; confirm current details before visiting. The stall runs on trust, and the farm remains first and foremost a commercial grower, which is exactly why the fruit is good. Pro tip: follow the Facebook page; avocado picking days book themselves out within hours of being posted.

The Giving Farm is a small certified-organic family farm at Jilliby on the Central Coast, where blueberry picking runs as ticketed weekend sessions from October to mid-December. There is no entry fee; sessions are capacity-limited, everyone aged two and over needs a ticket, and you pay $12 per punnet for what you pick. What You Can Pick Blueberries - October to mid-December, $12 per punnet, certified organic Activities Farm animals to visit between rows School-holiday sessions and seasonal events through the year Good to Know Tickets are released a few days before each session: Wednesday evening for Saturday picking, Saturday afternoon for Sunday, and they go quickly. Cash and Eftpos are both accepted. Like every small grower, the farm's seasons follow the weather; the August 2025 floods washed away most of that season's flowers, so session availability tracks the health of each crop. Pro tip: set a reminder for the Wednesday evening ticket drop; weekend sessions disappear overnight.

TNT Produce farms Kurts Road at Bilpin, running seasonal pick-your-own from roughly November to June with a try-before-you-buy tasting policy while you pick. Alpacas, goats, sheep, ducks and chickens keep younger visitors busy, dogs are welcome on a leash, and the weekend cafe turns out burgers, scones and homemade apple pies. What You Can Pick Pink Lady apples - February to June, $6/kg Persimmons - April to June, $10/kg Strawberries - November to January Activities Farm animals - alpacas, goats, sheep, ducks and chickens Weekend cafe with burgers, apple pies and scones Farm shop stocking local jams, honey, cider and Bilpin apple juice Good to Know Entry is $10 for adults and $7.50 for children (3-12, under 3 free), booked online for weekends; weekday school-holiday sessions run as walk-ins. Entry fees are paid at booking with no refunds or date changes. The farm closes over winter and reopens around late October for the new season. Pro tip: the autumn persimmon weeks are the quiet secret; the orchard glows orange and the crowds are gone.

Watkins Family Farm sits on the Hawkesbury River flats at Laughtondale near Wisemans Ferry, and its winter mandarin season has become a Sydney family ritual. There is no entry fee: each adult buys at least one bucket, fills it from the trees, and kids pick free into their parents' buckets, with lambs, sheep and chickens to feed between the rows. What You Can Pick Mandarins - June to August Seedless lemons - through the winter season Activities Animal feeding - lambs, sheep and chickens Riverside picnics - bring a rug and make a day of it Good to Know Open weekends during the winter season, roughly June to August, with buckets and a reusable take-home bag supplied. Cash is preferred, and phone reception at the farm is patchy, so plan the trip before you leave home; contact is by text. The 2026 season has finished, with gates reopening for the next crop in June 2027. Pro tip: mandarin season peaks in July; go mid-season for heavy trees and easy picking.