Plums are usually the earliest stone fruit into season, with some NSW Hawkesbury-Bilpin orchards picking blood plums from October, well ahead of peaches and nectarines at the same farms. Most regions follow from November: Queensland's Granite Belt and NSW's Illawarra and Southern Highlands run November to February, peaking around December. Victoria's Yarra Valley and Bacchus Marsh districts, along with Tasmania's small stone fruit growers, pick from December into February, peaking in January. The Perth Hills in WA have the longest window of any state, with plums available from December through to March across different orchards as varieties succeed one another. Canberra's Pialligo growers pick a short window in January and February. As with other stone fruit, picking is typically pay-for-what-you-pick by weight, sometimes with a small entry fee. Expect roughly $4.50 to $8 a kilogram for plums, with entry fees, where charged, usually $5 to $8 per adult.
Swipe to see all months. Peak and available windows are typical only and shift with the weather.
| State | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Peak | Available | Available | Peak | Peak | |||||||
| Victoria | Peak | Available | Available | |||||||||
| Queensland | Available | Available | Available | Peak | ||||||||
| Western Australia | Peak | Peak | Available | Available | ||||||||
| Tasmania | Peak | Available | Available | |||||||||
| Australian Capital Territory | Peak | Available |
Borenore · Orange & Central West
Bilpin · Bilpin & the Hawkesbury
Canoelands · Sydney Basin
Wallington · Geelong & the Bellarine
Woori Yallock · Dandenong Ranges
Harcourt · Grampians & Ballarat
Drysdale · Geelong & the Bellarine
Pozieres · Granite Belt
Pickering Brook · Perth Hills
Walliston · Perth Hills
Pickering Brook · Perth Hills
Carmel · Perth Hills
Sorell (Tasman Peninsula gateway) · Hobart & the Huon Valley
Ripe plums yield to gentle pressure and pull away from the branch with a slight twist rather than resistance; a plum that needs a hard tug isn't ready. Colour alone isn't reliable, since many varieties stay dark before they're fully ripe, so check for softness at the base near the stem. Handle plums gently, as the skin bruises easily and marks show quickly. They'll keep for a few days at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge, and continue to soften slightly once picked.
Choose a crop and location. We will email you when local farms begin opening.
Plum picking starts earlier than most other stone fruit, with some NSW Hawkesbury-Bilpin orchards beginning in October. Most regions run November to February, peaking around December, while Perth Hills orchards in WA have the longest spread, picking different varieties from December through to March. Tasmania and the ACT tend to pick later, into January and February. Always check with the farm, as an early or late crop can shift these dates.
Plums are usually priced by weight, commonly around $4.50 to $8 a kilogram depending on the orchard and how far into the season you're picking. Canoelands Orchard north of Sydney, for example, charges $6 a kilogram for pick-your-own on top of a small entry fee. Some farms add an entry or bucket-rental charge, typically $5 to $8 per adult, so it's worth asking when you book.
Yes. Canoelands Orchard, about an hour north of the CBD, picks blood plums from October into January, and Bilpin's orchards, including Pine Crest Orchard and 4 Winds Farm, grow plums alongside apples and peaches over a similar window. Hillside Harvest near Orange, a longer drive of around three hours, is another option later in the season. Call ahead, as the early plum window is short.
Yes, the Yarra Valley, under 90 minutes from the Melbourne CBD, has orchards picking plums from December into February alongside peaches, nectarines and apricots. Harcourt, near Bendigo and about an hour and a half out, runs a similar summer stone fruit season. Both are worth checking against the calendar since plums often finish before apples come on.
Yes, and Perth is arguably the best-served capital for plums. The Perth Hills, around 40 minutes to an hour from the city, has several orchards picking plums from December through to March as different varieties ripen in turn, including at Pickering Brook and Carmel. This makes plum picking near Perth one of the longer windows of any Australian capital.