Pick your own fruit farms in Victoria

Through the year in Victoria

Spring (September–November): Cherry orchards across the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley come into blossom through October, and farms including CherryHill Orchards and Cherry Haven at Wandin East and Big Fella Cherries at Coldstream open bookings ahead of the harvest. Strawberries are the first fruit back on the Bellarine, with Surf Coast Strawberry Fields at Mount Duneed typically picking from October or November. By late November, cut-your-own Christmas tree farms such as Dandenong Christmas Tree Farm at Officer and the Christmas Tree Farm at Moorooduc also open, running into December. It's worth locking in cherry season plans early, as the window is short once picking starts.

Summer (December–February): Summer is Victoria's busiest picking season. Cherries peak through December at Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley orchards, and berries follow close behind — Hampton Ridge Raspberry Farm in the Macedon Ranges typically opens from late December to early February, and Summerberries Blueberry Farm at Glenburn in the Yarra Valley runs from mid-December to the end of February. Multi-crop orchards like Rayner's Orchard at Woori Yallock and Payne's Orchards at Bacchus Marsh move from cherries into peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums across January and February. Sunflower fields including Surf Coast Sunflowers on the Bellarine and Winnindoo Flowers in Gippsland bloom from mid-January.

Autumn (March–May): As berries and stone fruit finish, apple season takes over. Sherwood Park Orchard in Gippsland picks from February through to around the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June, while Sanders Apples in the Dandenong Ranges opens on selected ticketed dates from mid-February to early May. Rayner's Orchard adds pears, persimmons, figs and feijoas from March, and strawberries continue at The Berry Dairy in Gippsland and Surf Coast Strawberry Fields on the Bellarine into April. It's a quieter, cooler alternative to the summer rush with fewer crowds at the gate.

Winter (June–August): Winter is the quiet stretch across the state, with most Dandenong Ranges, Yarra Valley and Gippsland berry, cherry and stone-fruit farms closed until spring. Sherwood Park Orchard's late-season apples are about the only fresh picking still running into June. It's the best time to check farm pages and social accounts for booking announcements ahead of the spring cherry-season restart.

What Victoria is famous for picking

• Cherries — Victoria's signature summer crop, concentrated in the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley. CherryHill Orchards and Cherry Haven at Wandin East, Blue Hills Berries and Cherries at Silvan and Big Fella Cherries at Coldstream all pick from late November into January, with December the peak. See cherry-picking farms in Victoria.
• Berries — strawberries, raspberries and blueberries run from spring through autumn across the Dandenong Ranges, Yarra Valley and Macedon Ranges. Hampton Ridge Raspberry Farm at Little Hampton and Summerberries Blueberry Farm at Glenburn both pick over summer, while Surf Coast Strawberry Fields on the Bellarine and The Berry Dairy at Maffra in Gippsland keep strawberries going from October into autumn. Compare strawberry-picking, raspberry-picking and blueberry-picking farms in Victoria.
• Apples — Sherwood Park Orchard in Gippsland and Sanders Apples in the Dandenong Ranges carry the state's apple season from February through into autumn, with Sherwood Park's crop running latest, close to the June long weekend. Browse apple-picking farms in Victoria.
• Christmas trees — cut-your-own pine and fir growers including Dandenong Christmas Tree Farm at Officer and the Christmas Tree Farm at Moorooduc on the Mornington Peninsula open from late November into December. See Victorian Christmas tree farms.
• Sunflowers & flowers — Surf Coast Sunflowers near Geelong and Winnindoo Flowers in Gippsland run short, bloom-dependent sunflower seasons over January, while dahlia and peony growers in the Dandenong Ranges and Macedon Ranges extend the flower season across summer. See sunflower-picking farms and flower-picking farms in Victoria.

Fruit-picking jobs in Victoria

Victoria has some of the country's largest seasonal horticultural workforces. The Goulburn Valley around Shepparton and Ardmona is a major stone-fruit and pear growing and processing region, hiring pickers through the summer harvest, while Dandenong Ranges cherry orchards and Yarra Valley berry farms take on casual staff for the shorter November-to-February rush. Working Holiday visa holders (subclass 417/462) can count specified regional agricultural work in Victoria toward the 88-day requirement for a second or third-year visa. See the farm work in Australia guide for pay rates, visa conditions and how to approach farms directly.

What to bring

Pack sun protection, closed-toe shoes and your own reusable bags or containers — several Dandenong Ranges berry farms, including Avonsleigh Berries and Monbulk Blueberry Farm, are cash-only, so bring notes too. See the what to bring fruit picking guide for a full season-by-season checklist.