Pick, Taste & Explore: Australia’s Best Farm Experiences

By Adeline Soh

Farm tours in Australia offer a delightful experience for nature lovers and families with kids, combining fresh produce, scenic landscapes, and hands-on fun. From plucking juicy cherries to exploring exotic tropical fruits, farm tours provide an opportunity to connect with nature while enjoying farm-fresh produce. A must-try activity includes picking seasonal fruits and joining guided tractor tours to learn about sustainable farming practices. Whether you’re seeking a relaxing countryside escape or an engaging educational adventure for children, Australia’s farm tours promise a memorable experience for all ages.

Here are a few of the top orchards in Australia that offer a fun and interactive farm tours for everyone:

1. Rayners Orchard, Yarra Valley, Victoria 🍑🍐

A person wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a dark jacket sits on a blue tractor, giving two thumbs up to the camera. Behind them, a green, open-sided trailer filled with passengers is being pulled along a dirt path through an orchard. The tractor has

Photo credit: Rayners Orchard

Located in the picturesque Yarra Valley, Rayners Orchard is a family-run farm offering year-round fruit-picking experiences. With over 450 varieties of fruits, visitors can pick fresh peaches, plums, nectarines, and persimmons, depending on the season. The farm also offers guided tractor tours, where you can learn about different fruit varieties and taste them straight from the trees.

Exciting news at Rayners Orchard! Starting 1 April 2025, the orchard’s new U-Pick & Fruit Tasting Adventure Tractor Tour will offer even more interactive experiences. In addition, you can now enjoy feeding the friendly farm animals, cracking and tasting fresh macadamias or sampling Rayner’s house-made jams and sauces.

A group of people are scattered among orange trees laden with ripe fruit, each holding a clear plastic bag filled with oranges. The sky is bright blue and sunny, and some orange blossoms are visible in the foreground on the left.

Photo credit: Rayners Orchard

Best time to visit:

Summer (December – February): Peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums
Autumn (March – May): Plums, lemons, limes, pomegranate, persimmon
Winter & Spring (June – November): Tamarillos, oranges, mandarins, grapefruit, kiwi, gooseberries, cumquat

2. Tropical Fruit World, Duranbah, New South Wales 🥑🥭🍌

A wide aerial shot captures the lush expanse of Tropical Fruit World, showcasing a diverse array of fruit trees and meticulously arranged rows of crops. In the backdrop, undulating green hills and a tranquil pond are visible under a clear, bright sky.

Photo credit: Visit New South Wales

Tropical Fruit World sits in the lush Tweed Valley, just 15 – 20 minutes south of Gold Coast Airport. Tropical Fruit World boasts over 500 varieties of tropical fruits, including mangoes, bananas, dragon fruit, lychees, and even the rare black sapote (chocolate pudding fruit). Visitors can enjoy guided farm tours, taste unique fruits, and even take a boat ride through the property’s lush landscape. For the little ones, meet and feed friendly farm animals, including kangaroos, miniature horses, sheep, lambs, donkeys, goats, chickens, and ducks for a fun and interactive experience.

A group of people, including adults and children, are gathered around a wooden table laden with a vibrant display of tropical fruits. A woman in a light-colored uniform is serving fruit to a person, while others are holding plates and tasting different fruits.

Photo credit: Visit New South Wales

Best time to visit:

Summer (December – February): Mangoes, bananas, lychees
Autumn (March – May): Avocados, longans, soursop, mandarin
Winter (June – August): Citrus fruits
Spring (September – November): Star apples, passionfruit, reed avocado, tamarillo

3. AppleShack at Glenbernie Orchard, New South Wales 🍏🍎

A tractor with a large bin of freshly picked red and green apples in the foreground is positioned in an apple orchard with rows of apple trees laden with fruit stretching into the background.

Photo credit: Visit Wollongong

Situated in Darkes Forest, just an hour south of Sydney, AppleShack at Glenbernie Orchard is an ideal place for apple picking. Glenbernie Orchard spans 100 acres and is home to 22,500 fruit trees. The farm also produces Darkes Cider, crafted from homegrown apples, which visitors can enjoy through tastings at the farm shop. The farm can only be accessed by car and entry to the orchard is by booked experience only, no walk-in allowed.

A woman wearing a hat and a dark shirt stands in front of a group of people, gesturing towards apples on a tree branch with one hand while holding a small object to her mouth with the other, likely speaking to the group during an apple picking tour.

Photo credit: Visit Wollongong

Best time to visit:

Late Spring (October – December): Stone fruits
Early Summer (December – January): Stone fruits
Late Summer (February – March): Apples
Early Autumn (March – April): Apples
Late Autumn (May – June): Persimmons

4. Hillwood Berry Farm, Tamar Valley, Tasmania 🍓🫐

A close-up shot of a cluster of blueberries on a bush, with some berries fully ripe and blue, while others are still green and developing.

Photo credit: Hillwood Berry

Nestled along the Tamar River, Hillwood is a scenic horticultural hub, just 30 km (25 minutes) from Launceston. Hillwood Berry Farm is a berry lover’s paradise. Here, you can pick fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. The farm also offers delicious berry-inspired treats, including homemade jams, ice creams, and berry pancakes.

A woman in a black top and a patterned skirt kneels, holding a basket full of freshly picked red strawberries, as two young blonde children reach into the basket to look at the fruit.

Photo credit: Hillwood Berry

Best time to visit:

Summer (December –January ): strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries

5. CherryHill Orchards, Yarra Valley, Victoria 🍒

A smiling young girl wearing a straw hat and denim overalls stands in a cherry orchard, holding out a red bucket with a happy face drawn on it, appearing to offer a cherry to the viewer.

A red cardboard box with

Photo: Tourism Australia

For cherry lovers, CherryHill Orchards is a must-visit! Located in Yarra Valley, Victoria, Cherry Hills Orchards is just making it perfect for a day-trip. This family-owned orchard has been growing cherries since 1940. Every summer, CherryHill Orchards welcomes thousands of cherry enthusiasts for its Pick Your Own Cherries experience. Visitors can hand-pick ripe, juicy cherries straight from the trees while soaking in breathtaking views and sharing memorable moments with family and friends at this stunning location.

A family of four, including two adults and two children, stands in a grassy orchard, each holding a red bucket, facing away from the camera and listening to a woman in a red shirt who is gesturing towards the rows of fruit trees behind them. In the distance, rolling hills and more orchards are visible under a clear sky.

Photo: Tourism Australia

Best time to visit:

Mid-November to early January for the cherry-picking season.

Australia boasts a fantastic range of farm tours with fruit-picking experiences, ideal for nature lovers and those wanting to explore the countryside. From flourishing orchards to scenic berry farms, these tours offer a unique chance to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying fresh, locally grown produce. Make this unforgettable experience a part of your Australian adventure! Come and Say G’day by contacting our Premier Aussie Specialist today to customize the perfect farm tour for you. For ready-made Australia packages, check them out at https://cit.travel/australia/

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