When can you pick citrus in Australia (and how to spot a ripe one)?
Citrus is the crop that keeps Australian pick-your-own farms open through the year's quietest months. While summer orchards go dormant and berry patches sit bare, Navel oranges are hitting their stride from around May, Valencia oranges are settling in for a run into spring, and mandarins are filling kids' hands from the Hawkesbury to the Swan Valley. The catch is that citrus doesn't ripen the way most fruit does — colour is close to useless as a guide — so here's how the season actually works, real farms included.
When is citrus season in Australia?
If you've ever wondered what's in season in June, or gone looking for something to pick in July or August and come up empty, citrus is the answer. Most stone fruit and berries have finished for the year by the time the cold sets in, but citrus picking is only getting started. Navel oranges typically run from around May to September, and Valencia oranges pick up from August through to February, so between the two, citrus covers most of the calendar, with the coldest months forming its reliable core. Several Hawkesbury farms already had gates open by June this year. For a month-by-month view of everything else in season, see our fruit picking season calendar.
The colour myth: how to actually tell if citrus is ripe
Unlike an apple or a peach, an orange doesn't necessarily deepen in colour as it ripens, and it can genuinely turn the wrong way. Rind colour comes from cool nights breaking down the green chlorophyll in the skin, not from sugar developing inside the fruit. A run of warm winter days can let that chlorophyll rebuild, so a perfectly ripe, sweet orange can green back up on the tree — growers call it regreening — which makes judging ripeness by colour alone close to useless.
Weight is the better test: a ripe orange or mandarin feels heavy for its size because it's dense with juice. Taste one before committing to a full bag, and check how it releases from the branch — ripe citrus comes away with a gentle twist, stem included, rather than needing to be wrenched or cut free.
Navel vs Valencia: two windows, one long season
The two main orange types Australians pick don't ripen at the same time, which is why citrus farms can often offer fruit across most of the year rather than one tight window. Navel oranges — with the small second fruit visible at the base, easy to peel and seedless — are the classic winter orange, generally available May to September depending on the district. Valencia oranges, thinner-skinned and better suited to juicing, follow from around August through to February. Mandarins sit inside the same broad window, typically peaking May to October across the farms below.
Exact dates shift with rainfall and cold snaps every year, and neighbouring orchards can open weeks apart — treat the table as a normal-year guide and call ahead before you drive out, especially outside the June–August core.
| Region | Typical citrus season | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| NSW – Bilpin & the Hawkesbury | June to August | Anderson Farm's 2026 season opened 6 June |
| NSW – Sydney Basin (Hawkesbury river) | May to September, one orchard year-round | Ford's Farm and Watkins Family Farm are seasonal; Bilpin Springs Orchard picks citrus year-round |
| NSW – Central Coast | June to December, varies by farm | Peaks November–December and July–October at Dooralong |
| NSW – Hunter Valley | Varies by year | Call ahead to confirm opening days |
| NSW – Riverina | Not published | Guided tours only, booking recommended |
| VIC – Dandenong Ranges | Citrus available alongside other fruit | Part of a largely year-round mixed orchard |
| WA – Swan Valley | July to September, one orchard year-round | The Orchard Perth's oranges run year-round; mandarins May–October |
| WA – Perth Hills | Seasonal, varies by year | Citrus picking announced ad hoc alongside apples |
The Hawkesbury's winter citrus run
The Hawkesbury district northwest of Sydney, already known for the apple orchards around Bilpin, is also one of the state's most concentrated pockets of winter citrus. At Laughtondale, Ford's Farm runs May to July — its 2026 season opened 9 June — charging $5 a car plus $5/kg for mandarins, limes, lemons and oranges, and $12/kg for cumquats; booking is essential since car spots are limited. Nearby, Watkins Family Farm runs a longer window, May through September, on a minimum $12.50-a-bucket basis with no booking needed — gates open at 10am on weekends until the day's fruit sells out. Across the river at Sackville North, Anderson Farm sticks to the deep-winter pattern, open roughly June to August (2026 began 6 June), for a flat $5 entry fee for adults and children over ten. For something less tied to a short window, Bilpin Springs Orchard picks citrus alongside pears, peaches and persimmons year-round, for a minimum $5 per adult and no booking needed.
Central Coast and the Hunter Valley
North of Sydney, the Central Coast hinterland around Kulnura and Peats Ridge has become one of the state's better citrus clusters. Meliora Farm at Peats Ridge runs citrus June through December on selected weekends, alongside its avocados, with booking required. At Dooralong, Pick Your Own Oranges (Cedar Farm) keeps gates open July to December with peaks in November–December and July–October, on a straightforward pay-for-what-you-pick basis, dog-friendly with a café on site. Nearby at Kulnura, Wyuna Farms runs November through August, peaking December–February and January, at roughly $15 a bag. Further north in the Hunter Valley, Hillsdale Citrus Orchard at Milbrodale grows oranges, mandarins, grapefruit and lemons on a pay-per-bucket basis; recent visitors advise phoning ahead, since opening days aren't always posted online.
Riverina, the Dandenongs and Australia's citrus heartland
Move further inland and you're in genuine commercial citrus country. New South Wales' Riverina, home to the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, is one of the country's largest orange-growing districts; at Hanwood, Catania Fruit Salad Farm runs guided orange-picking tours Tuesday to Saturday at 1.30pm. The same irrigation-belt pattern continues further south and west: South Australia's Riverland and the Sunraysia district along the Murray are two of the country's biggest citrus regions, though we don't yet have a confirmed pick-your-own gate to list in either — check our South Australia page for what's verified so far. Queensland's own citrus heartland sits further north again, around Gayndah and Mundubbera in the Central Burnett, often billed as the state's citrus capital; start with our Queensland page for current listings. Closer to Melbourne, citrus is part of the mix at Rayner's Orchard in the Dandenong Ranges, where a guided tractor tour takes in citrus alongside apples, pears and stone fruit year-round.
Perth's citrus run: Swan Valley and the Hills
Western Australia's citrus picking clusters around two districts near Perth. In the Swan Valley, Swan Valley Sisters at Henley Brook runs July to September for oranges, lemons and mandarins, open Saturday and Sunday mornings only, 8am to 12.30pm, booking essential. At Lower Chittering, The Orchard Perth grows six navel varieties across some 10,000 trees, peaking winter and spring, with mandarins May to October; picking is bundled into a paid tractor-ride tour rather than open-gate access, and packing-shed fruit is capped at 5kg per person. In the Perth Hills, citrus is more of a side act to the apple season: The Fruit Corner at Pickering Brook includes oranges and mandarins in its per-kilo pricing for a $5 adult/$2 child entry fee, while Core Cider House, also at Pickering Brook, runs citrus picking on an ad hoc basis, paired with cider tastings and orchard tours. See our best fruit picking near Perth guide for more.
Mandarins: the easiest citrus for kids to pick
If you're taking children fruit picking for the first time, mandarins are close to the ideal crop. There's no reaching for high branches — most mandarin trees are low and multi-stemmed — the fruit twists off with almost no effort, and there's none of the sticky juice that comes with stone fruit or berries. Watkins Family Farm and Ford's Farm at Laughtondale both grow mandarins alongside their oranges, Goodmayes Orchard at Somersby runs a dedicated mandarin-picking Harvest Festival each June long weekend, and The Orchard Perth's May-to-October mandarin window overlaps neatly with school holidays. Our fruit picking with kids guide has more on choosing a farm your children will enjoy.
What citrus picking costs
Pricing follows a few models rather than one standard. Several Hawkesbury and Central Coast farms charge by weight — Ford's Farm asks $5/kg for most citrus and $12/kg for cumquats on top of a $5 car-entry fee, while Wyuna Farms sells oranges by the bag at roughly $15. Others set a minimum spend, like Watkins Family Farm's $12.50-a-bucket minimum, or fold picking into a paid experience, as at The Orchard Perth and Rayner's Orchard. Where a farm doesn't publish pricing, as with Hillsdale Citrus Orchard and Catania Fruit Salad Farm, ask when you call ahead. Our fruit picking cost guide covers pricing patterns across every crop on the site.
What to bring for a winter picking day
Citrus picking is a cold-weather outing, which changes the packing list from a summer berry trip. A warm jacket and closed shoes matter more than sun protection, since most of the season runs through the coldest months; Hawkesbury and Central Coast mornings can start well below 10°C. Bring cash as a backup — several smaller family farms, including Wyuna Farms and Hillsdale Citrus Orchard, don't reliably confirm card facilities online. A box or crate in the boot keeps fruit from bruising on the drive home, and gloves are worth packing for cumquats or other thorny varieties. Our general what to bring fruit picking guide covers the rest, and citrus keeps well afterwards — our guide to storing and freezing your pick covers juicing and freezing zest for later in the year.