The best places for fruit picking near Melbourne

Come to Yarra Valley’s CherryHill Orchards from November through to early January to pick yourself a basket of ruby red cherries fresh off the trees. The orchard’s shop, open during the cherry season, stocks cherry beverages ranging from juice, sodas, and even beers. In spring, the orchard runs an annual cherry blossom festival, a great day out for the whole family when the orchard turns white with spring blossoms. To pick cherries, you must book ahead online. 

This family-run fruit orchard in the Yarra Valley grows more than 450 varieties of fruit including stone fruits, citruses, exotic fruit like feijoa and guava and more. Visitors can pick fruit for most of the year, though fewer varieties are available between September and October. In spring, look out for peaches, nectarines, oranges, lemons and rhubarb. Go on a tractor tour of the orchard with farmer Len or one of his sons ($38.50 for adults, $32.50 for kids) to sample some fruit and learn about your favourite healthy treats.

This organic berry farm in the Strzelecki Ranges lets you pick your own berries. The farm grows strawberries, loganberries, blackberries, boysenberries, gooseberries, currants, and around 40 types of raspberries as well as apples, feijoas, chestnuts and persimmons. It is open daily during the Victorian summer school holidays but outside that period you'll have to ring on the day to check if you can swing by for picking. Entry is $10 for adults and $8 for kids, pick-your-own berries go for $18 a kilo. The farm shop also sells a variety of jams and jellies (all organic, of course). 

Just outside Bacchus Marsh, this farm offers the chance to pick peaches, nectarines, cherries, strawberries or apples, depending on the season. It's very economical, with entry for everything except cherries being absolutely free (cherry picking is $7 for adults, $4 for kids). You weigh what you pick and pay for it at the end (prices for different fruits vary) then load up the car with your fresh fruit treats to take home. Fruits are available most of the year, from October to May. You can also buy strawberry jam, strawberry sauce and strawberry vinegar from the shop.

Beechworth Berries is a regular at regional Victorian farmers' markets, but you can pick strawberries fresh from the farm. The strawberries, grown waist-high for easy picking, are best between October and January and between April and May. Grab a bucket and pick a minimum of 500 grams of strawberries (250g for kids) at $14 a kilo to take home, and swing past the farm gate shop to pick up some homemade jams. 

Located in Wandin East, this farm offers more than 30 different varieties of cherries for you to choose from. Most of them are sweet, while some are white and sour cherries. During the season, which generally kicks off in November, you can rock up between 9am to 5pm to pick fruit. The entry fee is $15 for adults and $7 for children, and your cherries are weighed upon exit at $14 per kilo. 

This family-owned blueberry farm in Mt Dandenong offers pick-your-own every year between January and February. There's a mix of heritage, commercial and supermarket varieties, but across the board, no sprays or chemicals are used. The entry fee is $20 per adult, including your first kilo of berries, and $10 per child, including their first 500g of berries. 

From October to April, Jay Berries in the Yarra Valley is open from 8.30am to 4.30pm every day except for Saturdays. The farm offers pick-your-own blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and vegetables, and entry is $5 for those aged five and older. Once you've finished filling your containers, you'll be charged per kilogram – prices vary and can be found here. 

From March to April each year, you can visit this Yarra Valley farm to pick royal gala, kanzi, granny smith and pink lady apples. Entry is $13 per person and includes your first 2kg bag of apples, and you can add on additional bags for $10. While you're there, you can also embark on a scenic, 15-minute tractor ride for just $10.