The Granite Belt sits around Stanthorpe, about three hours' drive south-west of Brisbane, and its cool, high-altitude climate makes it a genuine outlier on the Queensland picking map. It's the state's only cherry-growing district, with a short Christmas-timed season, and the only place in QLD where you'll find pick-your-own apples and pears. Nicoletti Orchards at Pozieres runs a long apple season from February through to June alongside stone fruit, while Ashbern Farms at Stanthorpe grows strawberries through the warmer months from October to May — the reverse of the winter strawberry season further north around Bundaberg. Add apples and strawberries at Eastern Colour near Applethorpe and there's a fair spread of picking across most of the year. Because the region sits well above sea level, frosts and hail can shift ripening from year to year, so it pays to call ahead before you make the drive.
Around Stanthorpe, about 3 hours south-west of Brisbane
3 farms
Stanthorpe · Granite Belt
Applethorpe · Granite Belt
Pozieres · Granite Belt
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Ashbern Farms at Stanthorpe grows strawberries from October through to May, with punnets weighed and paid for at the farm shop. Eastern Colour, near Applethorpe, also runs a free-entry strawberry patch across the same season. Both are warm-season patches, unlike the winter strawberry farms further north, so check what's ripe before you drive out.
Nicoletti Orchards at Pozieres is the region's main pick-your-own apple orchard, open from February to June and priced per kilogram picked. Eastern Colour near Applethorpe also offers a shorter apple window from May to June. The Granite Belt is the only part of Queensland cool enough to grow apples commercially.
Yes — it's the only cherry-growing region in Queensland, with a short season typically running from November into December timed for Christmas. Stock usually sells out well before New Year, so call ahead and book early if cherries are the reason for your trip; this listing focuses on the region's confirmed apple and strawberry farms.
Strawberries run longest, from around October to May, with stone fruit and cherries peaking in the lead-up to Christmas and apples taking over from February through autumn. Because the Granite Belt sits at altitude, seasons can shift with frost or hail, so ring ahead to confirm a farm is picking before you make the drive from Brisbane.
Ashbern Farms charges by the weight of strawberries picked, with free entry. Eastern Colour sells strawberries by the tray and charges around $5 a car for apple entry. Nicoletti Orchards charges per kilogram for apples, with stone fruit priced for what you pick, and both cash and EFTPOS are accepted on site.