[category]
[title]
Many Melburnians would agree that summer is the best season – when the days are made for exploring our coastline, spending balmy afternoons cheering at the tennis and sinking ice-cold schooners in sun-soaked beer gardens. But there’s another, often overlooked reason, to love the warmer months Down Under – it’s prime fruit-picking season, and cherries are the star of the show right now.
If you’re looking for a sweet trivia nugget, Australia produces more than 20,000 tonnes of cherries every year. These sweet, heart-shaped gems come in all shapes and sizes, with 80 varieties grown across the country – from the humid Granite Belt in Queensland to the sun-soaked orchards of Victoria’s Sunraysia and the cool, temperate climate of Tasmania.
We reckon nothing beats biting into a big, juicy cherry plucked straight from the tree – and this summer, you can experience the sweetness for yourself on a cherry-picking adventure. Handily, the nation’s fastest-growing automotive guide – Chery (yes, we see what they did there) – has put together a state-by-state guide to the best pick-your-own cherry spots in Australia.
For the ultimate experience, the experts recommend setting off in the morning when it’s cooler and quieter, as cherries stay fresher when picked earlier in the day. While frolicking through the orchards, look for firm, plump fruits with a deep red-purple colour, and pick them with the stem on to keep them fresher for longer.
Cherry season lasts all summer long in Australia, but make sure to check each orchard’s opening days and hours – some orchards are already starting to wrap up for the season, but we’re listing them here anyway so you can add them to your hit list for next year. Find your closest cherry farm using the list below, or plan a cherry-picking road trip with the Chery Cherry Trail here.
The best cherry picking spots in Victoria
Blue Hills Berries & Cherries – Approx one hour from Melbourne
At this family-run farm, you can gorge on sweet seasonal cherries straight from the tree (and sometimes berries, too) and set up a picnic in a scenic paddock with the Dandenong Ranges as your backdrop.
CherryHill Orchards - Wandin East – Approx one hour from Melbourne
At this iconic Yarra Valley orchard you can pick from dozens of cherry varieties, then get stuck into a cone of cherry ice cream and an afternoon of lawn games set against magical vineyard views.
CherryHill Orchards - Coldstream – Approx one hour from Melbourne
Just as beautiful as Wandin but with a bigger spread, this Coldstream orchard lets you harvest cherries straight from the branches before unwinding with boxed cherries, cherry ice cream, cherry-infused drinks and a classic Yarra Valley picnic vibe in the shade of cherry trees.
Big Fella Cherries – Approx one hour from Melbourne
At this charming Coldstream orchard, you can hand-pick your own succulent cherries at your leisure, enjoy the pastoral Yarra Valley setting and fill bags with farm-fresh fruit to snack on during your lazy summer drive back to the city.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Melbourne newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.