There’s something genuinely magical about picking fruit straight from the tree or vine with your kids. Whether it’s the excitement of filling a bucket with juicy strawberries, the novelty of reaching up to pluck an apple, or the satisfaction of finding a perfectly ripe nectarine — pick-your-own farms are one of the best family outings you can do in NSW.
The good news is there’s fruit in season almost year-round across the state, and plenty of farms within a few hours’ drive of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Sydney and the Central Coast. We’ve put together this guide covering everything from apple orchards in Bilpin and cherry farms near Mudgee to orange picking on the Central Coast and year-round strawberry picking at Port Macquarie.
Before you go: Always check the farm’s website, Facebook page or call ahead before visiting. Crops vary year to year, farms can sell out, and opening hours change based on weather and harvest conditions. Cash is often required for animal feed and some farms are cash only. Check what to bring — some farms supply bags and baskets, others ask you to bring your own.
Find a U-Pick Farm Near Me – Map
What Fruit is in Season in NSW?
Here’s a quick guide to when different fruits are available for picking in NSW. Note that harvest times vary year to year depending on weather — always confirm with the farm before heading out.
- Strawberries — year-round at hydroponic farms; best season October–February
- Apples — late January through to May/June, depending on variety
- Peaches & nectarines — October to December
- Cherries — late November to mid-December
- Blueberries — December to January
- Chestnuts & walnuts — March to April
- Navel oranges — July to August
- Valencia oranges — October to December
- Mandarins — May to October (varies by variety)
Apples | Blueberries | Cherries | Nuts | Oranges | Peaches | Strawberries
Apple Picking in NSW
Bilpin Fruit Bowl, Bilpin
The most iconic fruit picking farm in NSW, Bilpin Fruit Bowl has been family-owned since 1985 and is the standout destination for apple picking near Sydney. You can pick Royal Gala, Fuji, Red Delicious and Pink Lady apples in season — with different varieties ripening at different times from late January through to May. The $20 adult/$10 child entry fee lets you eat as much as you like on the farm, paying only for what you take home. Beyond apples, Bilpin Fruit Bowl also offers strawberry picking year-round and vegetable picking in season — one of the only farms in NSW where you can pick your own vegies.
Season: Apples late January–May | Strawberries year-round
Admission: Adults $20 | Children (3–12) $10 | Under 3 free
Bookings: Not required for general visiting
Address: 2093 Bells Line of Road, Bilpin
Website: Bilpin Fruit Bowl
Facebook: Bilpin Fruit Bowl
Tip: Follow their Facebook page for weekly updates on what’s available to pick each weekend.
Bilpin Springs Orchard, Bilpin
A small family orchard on Bells Line of Road, Bilpin Springs grows apples, pears, stone fruit and more using traditional methods. The season typically runs from late January to June. There’s no admission fee — just pay for what you pick, with a minimum $5 purchase per adult. Bring your own bags or use the provided baskets (around 10kg capacity). Open Saturdays and Sundays from around 8am–1pm, but hours vary so call ahead to confirm.
Season: Late January–June
Admission: Free — minimum $5 purchase per adult
Bookings: Not required (except for schools and groups)
Address: 2549 Bells Line of Road, Bilpin
Website: Bilpin Springs Orchard
Phone: (02) 4567 1294
Canoelands Orchard, Canoelands
About an hour north of Sydney’s CBD, Canoelands is one of the most family-friendly pick-your-own experiences in NSW. Beyond fruit picking, the 81-acre property offers tractor rides, farm animals to feed, a playground, a cafe serving pies, sandwiches and coffee, and a picnic area. Apples are available in season, but the main harvest season runs from mid-October to late December featuring nectarines, peaches, plums, blueberries and strawberries. They also grow tomatoes, oranges, mandarins, pomegranates and more throughout the year. Open daily with bookings required for weekends and public holidays.
Season: Something to pick almost year-round; peak season October–December
Admission: Adults from $8 | Children (3–15) $5 | Under 3 free | Check website for current pricing
Bookings: Required for weekends and public holidays
Address: 27 Canoelands Road, Canoelands
Website: Canoelands Orchard
Phone: 0419 688 039
Tip: Combine with a stop at the famous Glenorie Bakery on the way.
Pine Crest Orchard, Bilpin
Pine Crest Orchard has been a family-run business for over 40 years and grows a great range of apple varieties from Tydemans and Akane in January through to Granny Smith and Pink Lady in late April. There’s no admission fee — just pay for what you pick at a very reasonable $5 adult / $2 child rate. Dogs on leads are welcome. Even though their fruit is limited this year, they encourage you to come out and enjoy a day in the orchard, experience their new Interactive Self Tour and check out what they have been working on over winter.
Season: Late January–May (weather dependent)
Admission: Adults $5 | Children (3+) $2
Bookings: Not required
Address: 2549 Bells Line of Road, Bilpin
Website: Pine Crest Orchard
Facebook: Pine Crest Orchard
Blueberry Picking in NSW
Blueberry Hills on Comleroy
Each summer, families are invited to experience the simple joy of picking fresh blueberries straight from the bush at Blueberry Hills on Comleroy. The blueberries are grown with care and patience — organic, chemical-free and untreated, just as nature intended. The blueberry trees themselves are over 40 years old, and are part of a farm that has been lovingly nurtured for generations. Blueberries may not be eaten while picking. Once you’ve paid for the blueberries in your bucket, they’re all yours to enjoy.
Season: November to January
Admission: Adults: $15 per person, $10 per child, Session duration: 1 hour
Bookings: Blueberry picking is pre-booked tickets only.
Address: 464 Comleroy Rd, Kurrajong
Website: Blueberry Hills on Comleroy
Bucca Valley Blueberries, Bucca (near Coffs Harbour)
Pick your own chemical-free blueberries at Bucca Valley Blueberries north of Coffs Harbour. It operates on an honesty system — fill a bucket, weigh them on the scale and leave your money. Buckets are supplied. Bring cash (small bills and change preferred) and your own containers to take berries home. A bonus: kids can feed the turtles and pat the horses while you’re there.
Season: December until berries run out
Admission: Free entry | Blueberries $10/kg
Bookings: Not required
Address: 416 Bucca Road, Bucca
Facebook: Bucca Valley Blueberries
Tip: Honesty system — bring exact change.
Cherries
Roth Family Orchard
Season: Picking season to open 5 December 2025
Address: 108 Eurunderee Lane, Mudgee
Website: Roth Family Orchard
Facebook: Roth Family Orchard
Admission: From $5
Bookings required: Yes. Bookings open in mid-November
Feel like picking cherries? You can pick cherries during the summer at Roth Family Orchard in early December with bookings opening mid-November. 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: In previous years, it was $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 – Reopening March 2026
Season: March / April. It is a short season, usually only lasting for about 5-6 weeks. On track to open March 2026
Address: 247 Mt Irvine Rd, Mt Irvine
Website: Kookootonga Chestnut & Walnut Farm
Facebook: Kookootonga Chestnut & Walnut Farm
Admission: Free admission. In previous years, chestnuts were $10 per kilo and walnuts $12 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 – Reopening March 2026
Season: Closed for the 2025 season. The farm will not open again until March 2026.
Address: 22 Danes Way Mt Irvine
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 – Open November 2025 for Valencia
Ford’s Farm – Reopening end of May 2026
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.
Wyuna Farm – Reopening June 2026
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 – Reopening Winter 2026
Season: Open for visitors for Winter 2026
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 Winter 2026 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 2025, 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 & Nectarines
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: Entry $8 Adult, $5 for Seniors, $5 child (3-15), under 3 free or family 2 adults and 2 or more kids $25
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 – 2pm on weekends and public holidays (Hours may change). On arrival, you will be instructed where to go to the picking zone and given 1 bag (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 a picnic area, playground 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.
Pine Crest Orchard – Closed
Season: December to February each year. Due to a poor crop this year (2025) they are closed until further notice. There is a possibility they will be open between Christmas and New Year.
Address: 2549 Bells Line of Road, Bilpin
Website: Pine Crest Orchard
Facebook: Pine Crest Orchard
Admission: $2 per person
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. 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 and Sundays but check the Facebook page for confirmation.
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:Bookings limited to 200 people every 2 hours. Bookings are essential. Book early as these limited spots mean that they are taken early.
This is the largest Pick your own Strawberry farm in the Hawkesbury with just under 100,000 strawberry plants, and they are endeavouring to have it open every weekend all year round for strawberry picking. 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/kg. When you have finished picking your strawberries you must return to the shed to have your punnet weighed and pay the difference.
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.
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