Raspberry picking in Australia

Raspberry season in Australia — the short answer

Raspberry season in Australia runs from around November through to May across the country's main growing regions, but no single month is peak everywhere at once. The core of the summer crop — December and January — is the safest window to visit almost any region without phoning ahead. Tasmania sits a little later than the mainland, with peak picking from January to March in the cooler inland valleys. Victoria's Yarra Valley and Macedon Ranges add an autumn layer: some growers plant autumn-fruiting (primocane) varieties that yield a second, smaller flush from March or April into June after the summer canes have finished. NSW's Southern Highlands and Orange region tend to wrap up between February and May depending on elevation, while Western Australia's South West follows a similar November-to-February arc as the rest of coastal Australia. If you're visiting outside the peak window in December–January, call the farm before you go — raspberries ripen unevenly and a patch can be finished or not yet ready even when the calendar says it should be on.

Raspberry varieties grown in Australia

Most Australian pick-your-own farms don't advertise which variety they grow, but the variety shapes the season: summer-fruiting (floricane) types produce one crop from the previous year's canes, while autumn-fruiting (primocane) types crop again on the current year's growth, extending the season into March to June. The table below covers the varieties most commonly encountered by Australian growers.

Raspberry picking near your city

Melbourne

Melbourne has the strongest pick-your-own raspberry scene in Australia. See the full Melbourne raspberry picking guide for farm-by-farm detail, but in brief: Wandin Yallock Farms in the Yarra Valley runs soil-grown raspberries from roughly November to March or April, with adult entry at $18 and take-home fruit at $9.90 per half-kilo. Across in the Macedon Ranges, Hampton Ridge Raspberry Farm at Little Hampton opens late December to early February — entry is $10 for adults and $5 for children, with raspberries charged by weight at $30 per kilogram on the way out. Chapmans Berry and Fruit Farm (Chappies U-Pick) in Silvan also grows raspberries alongside cherries and boysenberries, picking mid-November through January. All three are day trips from the CBD, roughly 45 to 75 minutes each way.

Hobart

Tasmania's cooler climate suits raspberries well and Hobart visitors have solid options within an easy day's drive. Westerway Raspberry Farm in the Derwent Valley — about an hour from Hobart, near Mt Field National Park — picks raspberries from early December to late January, with berries at $18 per kilogram. Closer to the city, Sorell Fruit Farm at Sorell grows raspberries alongside cherries, stone fruit and a long list of other crops, about 30 minutes east of the CBD.

Sydney

Sydney is lightly served for raspberry picking. The nearest confirmed option is around the Illawarra and Southern Highlands — Fitzroy Falls is roughly 90 minutes from the CBD — though u-pick availability there has not been independently confirmed in recent seasons; call ahead before making the drive. For a wider berry day trip from Sydney, the Southern Highlands has stone fruit and mixed-berry farms worth checking at the same time.

Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia

Verified pick-your-own raspberry farms are rare outside Victoria and Tasmania. Queensland has one property near Toowoomba (Hampton Blue Organic Blueberries at Hampton) with raspberries growing on-farm, but u-pick availability for that crop has not been separately confirmed — blueberries are the reliable PYO option there. South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula and WA's South West both appear in the intro as having some raspberry growing history, but no farm in those regions currently has confirmed PYO raspberry picking on record. If you're in either state and keen on raspberries, call local berry farms directly to ask — the situation can change season to season.

After picking: storing and freezing your raspberries

Raspberries are among the most perishable fruits you can pick — they start to break down within 24 to 48 hours at room temperature. Keep them unwashed, spread in a single layer if you have space, and refrigerate as soon as you get home. For anything you can't eat within two days, freeze them straight from fresh: lay them out on a tray so they're not touching, freeze until solid (a few hours), then transfer to a bag or container. Frozen within hours of picking, they're far better than shop-bought frozen raspberries. The full storage and freezing guide covers every PYO fruit and is worth reading before your visit.