If you’re looking for a unique family experience, nut picking makes the perfect day trip. Most farms let you graze as you go, while they teach you the tricks of the trade from shaking those nut trees to cracking the nuts open. Read on to find the best places to go nut picking near Sydney.
Whether you are after some weekend entertainment, or looking to make a weekday trip, nut picking makes the perfect alternative to fruit picking. Some of the farms are two to three hours away, so it might be worth looking at turning it into a weekend trip for the whole family.
Of course, if you are interested in fruit picking, you can check out our post here. Take a look at the links below to check out some of the best places for nut picking near Sydney:
Nutwood Farm (Chestnuts and walnuts)
Nutwood Farm’s manager, Beverley Carruthers, began planting her magnificent orchard of more than 200 chestnuts and walnuts in the 1980s. Nutwood Farm consists of 20 hectares set on the edge of Wollangambee National Park. This established nut orchard has large, good quality, fresh chestnuts and walnuts. There is a special paddock for parking on the farm. Stroll across a mown pathway to the orchard. Buckets and bags are provided for you. Their chestnuts – grown under organic conditions with no fertiliser or chemicals – are nutritious and filling. They have a delicate flavour and are great fun to roast around an open fire. Walnuts of course are a real health food and it’s recommended to eat a few walnuts each day.
- Location: 22 Danes Way, Mt. Irvine
- Opening Times: Open from Saturday 19 March 2022: open Saturday and Sundays, 10am – 4pm, or weekdays by appointment
- Season: March & April
- Nuts: Chestnuts and walnuts
- Drive from Pymble: 2 hours (approx.)
- Website: nutwoodfarm.com.au
Kookootonga (Chestnuts and walnuts)
Kookootonga is one of the original farms to be established in the beautiful region of Mount Irvine in the Blue Mountains.
Kookootonga has been owned by the Scrivener family since 1897 and the first chestnuts and walnuts were planted over 100 years ago. Kookootonga has a long tradition of pick your own walnuts and chestnuts.
- Location: 247 Mount Irvine Rd, Mount Irvine
- Opening Times: Open from Saturday 19 March, 7 days a week, 9am-4pm
- Season: March & April
- Nuts: Chestnuts and walnuts
- Costs: $10 per kilo for ‘pick your own’
- Drive from Pymble: 2 hours (approx)
- Website: kookootonga.com.au
Artisan Estate (Pecans)
Artisan Estate has more than 400 pecan trees that you can pick from. Their distance makes them one of the best places for nut picking near Sydney. You can get a tour of the farm, you will be shown how to crack open a nut without a nut cracker, and you can enjoy tree shaking demonstrations!
- Location: 30 Ulinga Rd, Somersby
- Season: Saturday 11 & Sunday 12 June 2022 – visit over the June long weekend during the Harvest Festival to pick your own pecans.
- Nuts: Pecans
- Cost: Free entry. $12 per kilo.
- Drive from Pymble: about 40 minutes from Pymble
- Website: artisanestate.com.au
