Fruit Picking Fun with the Family at Watkins Farm

Escape the city for the fields and enjoy a fantastic day of fruit picking with the family. Just an hour’s drive north of Sydney, past beautiful Dural and Hawkins Lookout, down a windy unmade road and nestled next to The Hawkesbury River, you’ll find the hidden gem of Watkins Farm. Run by the lovely Mark and Anna Watkins, whose family have owned the business since 1836, Watkins Farm has introduced pick your own fruit.

Trees Laden with Fruit 

Winter is the mandarin season, and Watkins Farm has over 2000 trees laden with Hickson and Imperial varieties. The farm only uses organic sprays and absolutely no pesticides. The results are natural-looking fruit and superb flavour. You’ll also find cumquats, delightful buds of juiciness that you pop into your mouth, bite, chew and swallow. As well as mandarins and kumquats, the farm offers honey, homemade jams, chutney and cordials to take home, with plans to add more fruit trees in the future.

How it Works

On arrival, you’ll be greeted and advised which areas of the Orchard are best for picking. Each person gets a bucket and snips (a small bucket for $7.50 and a large bucket for $12.50). The kids can have a small bucket for $5, too, if they want. Then you roam the rows of trees to find the juiciest fruit. Don’t be fooled into thinking fruit with blemishes is no good – we found that they were often the best. Once finished, you return the buckets and put your fruit into the bags supplied (next time, we’ll take our own).

Fantastic Facilities & Plenty of Space

Pick your own fruit is becoming increasingly popular, and Watkins Farm is continually investing in more trees to cope with demand. 

They’ve added some additional facilities so you can make a real day of it. On offer is a picnic shelter, a refreshment stand and lots of open space to relax and enjoy. We indulged in bacon & egg rolls and cheese & ham toasties which were great value. It’s probably cheaper to buy your food here than bring a picnic, but if you want to take your own, the farm is more than happy for you to picnic.

What Makes it so Special?

We loved the tranquillity of Watkins Farm, the beautiful bird song, fresh air and the feeling of total relaxation. It felt like an oasis. I loved watching my daughter running and skipping through the rows of trees. She quickly got the hang of cutting the mandarins off the tree instead of just pulling them. She loved the animals too. There were sheep to feed, chickens and beehives to look at and a very friendly horse.

Ripe for the Picking

The fruit is ripe and ready for picking, with the season ending in September, so don’t miss out. Grab your buckets, and off you go!

ELLASLIST HOT TIPS

  • Getting there: your GPS may direct you down Laughtondale Gully Road. We don’t recommend you go that way as it’s very narrow. We suggest following Old Northern Road into Wisemans Ferry and turning into Singleton Road on the right just before the township. Follow Singleton Road until you come to the Watkins Farm sign.
  • Find the best fruit: venture a little further through the Orchard to find the most heavily-laden trees and choose the fruit higher up the tree as they get the most sun and are the tastiest.
  • Use the clippers to cut your fruit from the tree so that you do not break the peel.
  • Schedule in time to enjoy a coffee, drink or snack and really enjoy the tranquillity
  • Take a ball or some outdoor games...there’s plenty of space for the family to run about and enjoy themselves.
  • Take some hand sanitizer or wipes as they have drop toilets!

Add in some extra fun – head to Hawkins Lookout, visit the village of Dural, or take the Wisemans Ferry across the river to the hotel.

THE ESSENTIAL STUFF

Opening Hours: 10am -4pm, weekends only until September,

Prices - mandarins are $7.50 per small bucket and $12.50 per large bucket CASH ONLY

Telephone - 0418 233 466

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