In October, strawberries, peaches and plums are picking in Hilltops. We list 12 farms across this region — browse the listings below and call ahead to confirm what's ripe before you travel.
The Hilltops is New South Wales cherry country. Young has called itself the Cherry Capital of Australia for the best part of a century, and the orchards spread south from town through Wombat and Kingsvale in a tight cluster you can drive across in twenty minutes. It is about ninety minutes north-west of Canberra and roughly four and a half hours from Sydney.
Cherries are the reason most people come, and the window is genuinely short — broadly November into early January, with December the peak. Ballinaclash Orchard & Cellar Door pairs picking with a cellar door and runs the district's best-known cherry blossom event in spring; Allambie Orchard at Wombat charges no entry and simply sells by the kilo; Lynton Orchards, Main Range Orchard, Stony Creek Orchard, Gleann Mohr Farm, Top of the Hill Orchard and Drive In Orchards all pick through the same weeks.
It is not only cherries. Hill-Lock Orchard at Wombat carries the season further with figs in February and persimmons in April, Ballinaclash adds apricots and strawberries, and several orchards run shed sales of pre-picked fruit, jams and honey once picking finishes.
Two practical things. Weekends in December book out, and some orchards sell picking sessions in advance rather than taking walk-ins — ring before you drive. And because ripening moves with the weather, the orchard that is open one weekend may be finished the next, so check the day before rather than the month before.
Around Young, Wombat and Kingsvale in the NSW Hilltops region, about 90 minutes north-west of Canberra
| Farm | Status | Typical season | Entry / price | Booking | Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballinaclash Orchard & Cellar Door | In season | Nov-Dec | Entry fee set annually - check the current rate with the farm; children under 6 free. | Booking recommended | Yes |
| Drive In Orchards | In season | approx. Nov-Dec (inferred from years of dated pick-your-own posts, e.g. 2 Dec, 5 Dec, 6 Dec, 25 Dec, 31 Dec 2025; not an explicit published date range) | — | Booking recommended | — |
| Eastlake's Family Tree (Fairfield's Orchard) | In season | Nov-Dec | — | — | — |
| Gleann Mohr Farm | In season | Dec-Jan | — | No booking needed | Yes |
| Hill-Lock Orchard | In season | Nov-Dec (peak December); Feb | Pay by the kilo for what you pick, with no entry fee. Persimmons have been listed around $8/kg. Check current prices with the orchard. | — | — |
| Lynton Orchards | In season | late Nov-Dec | — | No booking needed | Yes |
| Allambie Orchard | In season soon | Nov-Jan | No entry fee; $10 per kilogram picked; cardboard boxes 50c each | Booking required | Yes |
| Main Range Orchard | In season soon | mid Nov-late Dec | Priced by weight of cherries picked | No booking needed | Yes |
| Petal Falls Orchard | In season soon | Nov-Dec | — | No booking needed | — |
| Stony Creek Orchard | In season soon | mid Nov-mid Dec | — | — | Yes |
| Top of the Hill Orchard | In season soon | Nov-Dec (weather dependent) | $10 per adult entry to pick, payable on arrival at the orchard gate; children 16 and under free. Pre-packed cherries also available for those who don't want to pick. | Booking required | — |
| Hall Family Orchards | Unconfirmed · call ahead | select December weekends | Call ahead | — | — |
12 farms
Young · Hilltops
Young · Hilltops
Wombat · Hilltops
Young · Hilltops
Wombat · Hilltops
Young · Hilltops
Wombat · Hilltops
Wombat · Hilltops
Kingsvale · Hilltops
Young · Hilltops
Young · Hilltops
Wombat · Hilltops
Details may have changed. Call before travelling.
Choose a crop and location. We will email you when local farms begin opening.
Broadly November through to early January, with December the busiest month. The exact window shifts every year with the weather and it is short — an individual orchard may only pick for a couple of weeks. Ring the orchard a day or two before you travel rather than relying on last season's dates.
Ballinaclash Orchard & Cellar Door, Lynton Orchards, Stony Creek Orchard, Gleann Mohr Farm, Top of the Hill Orchard and Drive In Orchards around Young; Allambie Orchard, Main Range Orchard, Hill-Lock Orchard and Eastlake's Family Tree at Wombat; and Petal Falls Orchard at Kingsvale. Not every orchard opens for picking every season, so check first.
The two common models are a flat entry ticket or straight pay-by-weight. Ballinaclash charges entry per person plus a booking fee. Allambie Orchard has no entry fee at all and charges by the kilogram for what you pick. Hill-Lock is also pay-by-the-kilo with no entry. Prices move season to season, so confirm when you book.
Yes, though the choice narrows. Hill-Lock Orchard at Wombat picks figs in February and persimmons in April, and also grows strawberries and plums. Ballinaclash has apricots and strawberries alongside its cherries. Several orchards keep selling pre-picked fruit, honey and jams from the shed after picking ends.
No, and it is a common mix-up. Young, Wombat and Kingsvale sit in the Hilltops council area, which the district markets under its own name. The Riverina lies further west, around Wagga Wagga, Griffith and Leeton. If you are driving from Canberra, the Hilltops orchards are the closer of the two by a wide margin.
Young is roughly ninety minutes north-west of Canberra, which makes the Hilltops an easy day trip from the capital. From Sydney it is about four and a half hours, so most visitors make a weekend of it — and December weekends are the busiest of the year, so book accommodation and picking sessions ahead.
