What fruit is in season in January?

New South Wales

Summer berries continue in the Hawkesbury and around Orange, cherries wrap up their short season in Orange and the Riverina, and stone fruit, figs and citrus are ripe from the Central Coast to the Bilpin fruit district.

Victoria

Berry patches in the Yarra Valley and on the Mornington Peninsula are at their peak, cherries are finishing in the Dandenongs and Yarra Valley, and stone fruit is ripe from Bacchus Marsh to the Yarra Valley.

Queensland

The cooler Granite Belt around Stanthorpe is picking strawberries and stone fruit through January, while the mango and lychee season further north is winding down and passionfruit keeps going in the south-east.

South Australia

The Adelaide Hills are picking cherries, strawberries and blueberries through January, with sunflowers and lavender also open around Hahndorf and nearby.

Western Australia

Perth Hills orchards are picking stone fruit and early apples, while blueberries and raspberries continue in the South West around Manjimup and Pemberton.

Tasmania

Tasmania is at the peak of its statewide berry season in January, with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries ripe from Hobart and the Huon Valley to the north-west, alongside cherries and stone fruit.

Australian Capital Territory

Around Canberra, stone fruit and early apples are ripe at Pialligo, and cherries are still going in the nearby Young and Yass day-trip belt.

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory has little dedicated pick-your-own on offer in January; passionfruit is about the only crop listed, grown around the Top End and Katherine.

Fruit picking near Melbourne in January

East of Melbourne in the Dandenong Ranges, cherry season is running down through January — Blue Hills Berries and Cherries in Silvan and Lanidale 'The Cherry Well' in Wandin North both pick into the month, while Cherry Haven in Wandin East runs from mid-December through January. Blueberries take over from there at Folly Farm Blueberries in Olinda, picking on into February. On the Mornington Peninsula, Ripe 'N' Ready Cherry Farm in Red Hill carries cherries to around the middle of the month. In the Yarra Valley, Big Fella Cherries in Coldstream finishes its cherry season around the same time, Castella Blueberries in Castella keeps picking into February, and Rayner's Orchard in Woori Yallock moves into peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums, with plums running through to April.

Fruit picking near Sydney in January

In the Bilpin fruit district north-west of Sydney, Pine Crest Orchard and TNT Produce are both deep into their stone fruit and mixed-orchard season through January, with picking continuing into autumn. South-west of the city at Thirlmere, Cedar Creek Orchard is finishing its stone fruit around the start of January as its apple season gets underway, running through to May. At Canoelands, Canoelands Orchard's plums and nectarines wrap up in the first half of the month. On the Central Coast, Wyuna Farms in Kulnura has oranges at their best through December, January and February.

Fruit picking near Brisbane in January

Brisbane itself has little dedicated pick-your-own on offer in January, so the closest options are out in the Granite Belt around Stanthorpe. Ashbern Farms in Stanthorpe and Eastern Colour (Baronio Family Farm) in nearby Applethorpe both run strawberry seasons from October to May, so January picking is well within season at either.

Fruit picking near Perth in January

In the Perth Hills, The Fruit Corner is picking through January, and Core Cider House, also in Pickering Brook, moves into its apple and pear season, which runs to May. In the Swan Valley, H&N Strawberries in Gnangara is in the closing weeks of a strawberry season that runs from September to January, while table grapes are ready at Grapes on Swan in Henley Brook and Grumpy Grapes Vineyard in West Swan, and Kafarela's Vineyard in Herne Hill picks grapes and figs from January through March.

Fruit picking near Adelaide in January

The Adelaide Hills cherry season is running down through January at Harben Vale Cherries and Cherries at Verdun in Balhannah, Marble Hill Cherries in Ashton, Plummers Border Valley Orchards and Masons Orchards, both in Forest Range, and Jauma Organic in Lenswood — most of these finish by early-to-mid January, so this is the tail end of the season. Strawberries continue for longer at Beerenberg Farm in Hahndorf, and Atkins Farm in Meadows opens its sunflower fields through January and February.

Fruit picking near Hobart in January

Around Hobart, Sorell Fruit Farm in Sorell continues its mixed berry and cherry season through January. In the Huon Valley, Westerway Raspberry Farm keeps picking raspberries to around the end of January, and blueberries are ready at Something from the Ground in Grove and Old Beach Berries in Old Beach. Tasmania's cherry season also runs later than the mainland — Platinum Ridge Cherries in Glaziers Bay picks on into February.

Early January versus late January

Early January is the tail end of cherry season in the cool-climate regions — Orange, the Adelaide Hills, the Dandenongs and the Yarra Valley are usually finished, or close to it, by the second week of the month — and it coincides with school holidays, so weekend bookings at popular berry and cherry farms tend to fill up fast. By late January, cherries have generally finished everywhere except parts of Tasmania, and the season shifts towards stone fruit and berries running on: peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots stay widely available from the Hawkesbury to the Perth Hills, blueberries and raspberries continue in cooler pockets like the Dandenong Ranges, Tasmania and WA's South West, and early apple varieties begin appearing in a handful of districts ahead of the main autumn harvest.

Where January sits in the season

January follows December, when cherry season is at its peak and summer berries are just building, and leads into February, when cherries have finished almost everywhere and stone fruit and berries carry the season through to autumn. For the full year-round picture of what's ripe when, see the fruit picking season calendar.