Fruit picking in the Adelaide Hills

Beerenberg Farm at Hahndorf is the Hills' flagship pick-your-own strawberry patch, typically open from November through to April. Entry is $5 a person, with children 12 and under free, and picked strawberries cost $13.50 a kilogram. It's the region's main strawberry destination, so it can get busy on weekends in peak season.

Cherries are the Hills' biggest picking crop, with orchards clustered around Forest Range, Balhannah, Ashton, Birdwood and Charleston. Harben Vale Cherries at Balhannah is a well-known stop, charging $8 for adults and $4 for children entry plus per-kilo fruit pricing. The collective season runs roughly mid-November to mid-January, though most individual farms are only open for around six weeks within that window.

@Lenswood Pick Your Own and nearby Harrisville Orchards, both at Lenswood, are the main apple orchards, with fruit ripening in sequence from late February through to May as different varieties come on. Pricing is per kilogram picked, though the exact rate isn't published, so ask when you arrive.

Prices vary by farm and crop: Beerenberg charges $5 entry plus $13.50/kg for strawberries, Harben Vale Cherries is $8 adult/$4 child entry plus per-kilo cherries, and Glen Ewin Estate charges $5 entry (including a picking box) plus $15/kg for figs. Many smaller cherry orchards don't publish pricing online, so it's worth calling ahead to confirm on the day.

It depends on the farm. Harben Vale Cherries and Glen Ewin Estate recommend booking, and Hahndorf's flower and lavender experiences are ticketed online through Rezdy. Most of the smaller cherry orchards and the Lenswood apple farms don't require bookings, but calling ahead is still sensible given how quickly a good cherry season can sell out.