Food & Wine

The best farms to go fruit picking in Victoria

Strawberry picking

Alice Piper and Jessica Taylor Yates

Posted November 09, 2022

They’re right before your berry eyes – from blueberries to cherries and other fruitful delights, these farms and orchards around Victoria are ripe for the picking.

The time is ripe for your fruity fix, thanks to the many open fruit picking farms around Victoria who invite visitors to pick their own fruit.

For most of these fruit farms, visitors are asked to pay a small entry fee to grab a bucket and trawl though the garden picking (and eating!) delicious berries, cherries, stone fruits and other delights. Some farms will then ask you to pay for your haul at the end.  

So, whether you’re peachy keen for a road trip to the country, or a fruitful adventure a little closer to home, we’ve rounded up the best places to go fruit picking in Victoria – just remember to check their websites for seasonal hours and availability.

If you’re heading to Victoria’s regions, you may want to consider turning your day-trip into a weekend of adventure and luxury at an RACV Resort.

Fruit picking in the Yarra Valley

CherryHill Orchards

Operating for over 80 years, ruby red cherries are aplenty when you visit the Yarra Valley from mid-November to early January. With over 40 varieties of cherries available, CherryHill Orchards are ripe for the picking. 

You can also indulge in a CherryHill experience, from a catered lunch to cherry picking with a sunrise hot air balloon ride, or even take in the delights of a nearby winery or brewery.

RACV Members save on tickets at both Coldstream and Wandin East. It really is the cherry on top!

Sanders Apples

Not a berry buff? During the apple season (around March – April), head to Sanders Apples in the Yarra Valley for your (literal) pick of the crop – with varieties such as the royal gala, pink lady, granny smith and kanzi on offer.

If the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, bring the kids, who can enjoy picking as well as a tractor ride or picnic in the scenic surrounds.

Jay Berries

During the strawberry season (October – April) Jay Berries operates Sunday – Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm. Planting the proverbial seed as a ‘u-pick berry and veggie farm,’ the team allow guests to come and pick their own strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and vegetables (season-dependant).

Tractor rides, berry-licious treats and coffee available on-site.

Entry is $5 for kids, $8 for those over 15, and free for those under the age of 4, with pickings priced per kilo.

Rayner’s Orchard

Running a little differently, Rayner’s Orchard offers guests a Fruit Adventure Tour, including fruit tasting with an expert guide, a trailer ride, and learning about their farming practices.

Visitors then can pick from 450 different varieties of fruit, from berries and stone fruits to the exotic Dutch medlar, pomegranates and feijoas at various points of the year.

Entry prices are age dependant, ranging from free - $38.50 with fruit sampling included.

 

Little girl picking blueberries at a farm

Let the kids take their own basket around the berry farm for a fun day out. Image: Getty

 

Fruit picking on the Mornington Penisula

Rocky Creek Strawberry Farm

(previously known as Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm.)

With sites in both the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula, Rocky Creek pride themselves on being 'berry good' at berry growing.

With new ownership from October 2022, the farm is home to range of berry picking delights, as well as an onsite café serving everything from fresh strawberry sundaes to a choc dip berry bar, wines and ciders.

Ripe ‘n’ Ready Cherry Farm

In the picturesque Red Hill region on the Mornington Peninsula, you’ll find the sweetest cherries and plums around.

Ripe ‘n’ Ready also commit to sustainable farming practises, where an assortment of berries, eggs, honey from the on-site bee farm and other goodies available at the farm gate.

From mid-November to January, stroll around the orchards all days of the week as you fill your punnets with fresh cherries.

Entry is $20 for adults and $10 for children over 3, with cherries costing around $13-$15 a kilo.

 

blueberries in bowl

Berries and strawberries are ready for picking during the Spring and Summer seasons. Image: Getty

 

Fruit picking in the Dandenongs

Blue Hills Berries & Cherries

As well as being home to beautiful gardens, the Dandenongs are home to Blue Hills Berries & Cherries, where as the name suggests, you can pick your own fruit, with cherries available from mid-November to early January, and berries available from mid-February.

Bookings are required, with various session times running through the week. Prices range from being free - $15.00 depending on age, with ‘all you can eat’ cherries when in the orchard, or $12 per kilo to take home.

Folly Farm

Located in Olinda in the fabulous Dandenong ranges, head to Folly Farm during January and February for a pick of ripened blueberries fresh on the farm. The nearby Olinda Village is a short walk away.

Bookings are essential, with entry set at $10 for children and $20 for adults, which includes the first 500g of blueberries to take home.

Fruit picking in Victoria's High Country

High Grove, Stanley

Just past Beechworth in Victoria’s High Country, High Grove are ripe for the picking from December through January for berry picking from 8:00am-4:00pm. Depending on the season, berries on offer include raspberries, blueberries, boysenberries, loganberries, waldo berries and brambleberries, with currants and cherries also availably seasonally.

Entry is free, with buckets starting at $2 and berries paid for by the kilo. Cash only facility.

Beechworth Berries, Beechworth

With fresh strawberries available most of the year, it’s the perfect weekend fun for the whole family in Beechworth, north-east of Melbourne. There’s vines as high as your waist, so kids won’t have to reach too high, and adults won’t be sore from bending over, win-win.

The farm shop also sells homemade jams, is home to a small sheep flock, and is close to a range of breweries in the region.

Berries are $14 a kilo, with adults picking a minimum 500g and children 250g.

 

father and son apples from tree

How'd you like them apples? Image: Getty

 

Fruit picking in regional Victoria

Sunny Creek Organic, Gippsland 

Sitting in the hills of the Strzelecki Ranges, this berry farm is what we call the ‘all-rounder’, because you can literally get every type of berry.

From 40 different varieties of raspberries to strawberries, and loganberries, blackberries, boysenberries, gooseberries, and currants, there’s no shortage of summer picking to be had at Sunny Creek. 

During the Victorian summer holidays, Sunny Creek Organic is open daily, with adult entry at $10, and children $8. You can also collect a pick-your-own berry bucket for $18.00 per kilo.

Lomas Orchards, Bellarine Peninsula 

Take a drive west of Melbourne to the Bellarine, where the Lomas family have been farming strawberries and blueberries for four generations just 30 minutes from the RACV Resort in Torquay. 

Available for picking on weekends from November – March, enjoy the rolling hills of the Orchards where you can pick strawberries, head to a workshop or tour, or indulge in one of the 33 different varieties of apple tastings.

See Facebook for updated dates and prices.

 

little girl picking peach off tree

Visiting a fruit orchard is a great way to introduce kids to sustainability, farming and healthy eating. Image: Getty

 

Naturipe Fruits, Bacchus Marsh

Just wait until you get a ‘peach’ of the fruits available at this farm!

At Naturipe Fruits, take your pick of the season, from cherries, peaches and nectarines to apples, strawberries, and a range of farm produce on offer.

Prices range depending on fruit, but patrons are usually charged per kilo of goods picked, with entry ranging from free to $7.

Paynes Orchards, Bacchus Marsh

The family-run orchard runs ‘pick your own’ tours, form cherries and berries to nectarines, peaches and apples from 10am – 3pm.

Fresh produce is also available on site, with the Werribee Gorge also close by to refresh with a swim after fruit picking in the summer!

Entry is $2 for children 3-11, and $5 for ages 12+. Bookings required.

The Big Strawberry, Murray River 

Just 10 minutes from the RACV Cobram Resort lies The Big Strawberry, where you pay for what you pick during the fruit season (usually October – January and April – July).

If your endeavours are fruitful, enjoy the activities on offer, including some strawberry delights at the café, taking in one of the Big Things, fun for the kids at the indoor playground or a stroll of the vintage cars and machinery.

 

Going fruit picking for the weekend?
Have a berry good time with a stay at an RACV Resort →