What fruit is in season in March?

New South Wales

Apples and pears are at their peak from Bilpin to Orange and the Illawarra, late-season strawberries and figs continue in the Hawkesbury and Orange, and chestnuts start in the Blue Mountains.

Victoria

Apples and pears are in full swing in the Yarra Valley and Dandenongs, grapes continue at Yarra Valley wineries, sunflowers are winding down, and the first pumpkin patches open around Ballarat and Bendigo.

Queensland

The Granite Belt around Stanthorpe remains the state's main picking region, with strawberries, apples, pears and table grapes all ripe, plus olives further south-east in the Scenic Rim.

South Australia

Apples, pears and figs are at their best in the Adelaide Hills, with the last of the strawberries still available and lavender continuing.

Western Australia

Apples are ripe in both the Perth Hills and the South West around Donnybrook and Manjimup, persimmons appear in the Perth Hills, and grapes and figs continue in the Swan Valley.

Tasmania

Apples and pears take over statewide as the berry season tails off, with new-season hazelnuts starting around the Tamar Valley and Launceston.

Australian Capital Territory

Apples and pears are ripe around Pialligo, and sunflowers are still open in the Majura Valley as the warmer season winds down.

Northern Territory

Picking options stay minimal in March; passionfruit and citrus are the main crops listed, both grown around the Top End and Katherine.

In season in March near the major cities

Melbourne — Berries are still going in the Dandenong Ranges: Fielderberry Farm in Cockatoo picks blueberries and blackberries through to the end of March. Nearby at Wandin North, Kookaberry Strawberry Farm keeps its strawberries going into April, and in the Yarra Valley, Rayner's Orchard in Woori Yallock moves into pears, apples, figs and persimmons on its guided tractor-tour u-pick as the last peaches and nectarines finish.

Sydney — March is an orchard month around Sydney. At Thirlmere in the Southern Highlands, Cedar Creek Orchard has apples running from January right through to May, and north-west at Bilpin, Bilpin Botanic Orchard is picking apples too, variety dependent. Further into the Blue Mountains at Mount Tomah, Tomah Farm opens on autumn weekends from March for pick-your-own chestnuts and walnuts, priced by the kilo.

Perth — The Perth Hills are busy through March. The Fruit Corner in Pickering Brook has plums finishing and apples coming on, and next door Core Cider House combines pick-your-own apples and pears with orchard tours and cider tastings. Down in the Swan Valley, Grapes on Swan in Henley Brook has red seedless grapes ready to pick by the kilo.

Brisbane — Options close to Brisbane itself are genuinely thin in March; most of the region's strawberry and sunflower farms don't reopen until later in the year. Forest Dragon Fruit Farm at Forestdale, about 30-40 minutes south of the CBD, is the standout, with dragon fruit picking sitting inside its February-to-May peak. Beyond that, the Granite Belt around Stanthorpe remains Queensland's main picking region through the month.

Early March vs late March

Early March still carries summer's momentum: blueberries and blackberries at Fielderberry Farm in Cockatoo run only to the end of the month, and grapes at Swan Valley vineyards such as Grumpy Grapes Vineyard in West Swan are close to finishing their January-to-March season. By late March, the picking mix turns firmly toward autumn — pears, figs, persimmons and apples move into their main March-to-May window at orchards like Rayner's Orchard in Woori Yallock, and proper chestnut season gets underway at Tomah Farm in the Blue Mountains. Apple orchards such as Shields Orchard in Bilpin and Cedar Creek Orchard in Thirlmere run steadily across the whole month regardless, making apples the most reliable single crop from the first week of March to the last.

For what came before and what follows, see what's in season in February and what's in season in April, or check the full fruit picking season calendar for Australia for a year-round view of every crop and region.