It’s mulberry season, and this year the trees are laden with the gorgeous plump fruit, hanging low for easy picking! There’s plenty of spots around the North Shore for plucking juicy berries, but we armed ourselves with pots buckets and bags to stock up at this one well-hidden secret spot in Wahroonga!
There’s a hidden gem of a park hidden in the back part of Wahroonga (down near the SAN Hospital, past Fox Valley shops and down Lenuna Ave). It’s dog-friendly (with an off-leash area), has play equipment, tennis courts, toilets, it’s flat and accessible for the elderly, the very young, prams and wheelchairs, plus features a huge bushland area with walking tracks galore…but the biggest drawcard in September and October is its massive mulberry trees with their gorgeous shiny fruits ready to pick!
- Two tennis courts
- Play equipment in fenced area (slide, swings and more)
- Accessible toilets in brick block
- Water taps for filling dog bowls and water bottles
- Large, flat green ares for running
- Dog friendly, with an off-leash area
- Walking tracks branching off from each end
- Parking, including accessible spots
- Gazebo with overhead cover and shade
We stopped for coffee at the nearest caffeine top-up spot, which is Fox Valley Cafe at Fox Valley Shops (on the way if you’re coming from the SAN Hospital or The Comenara). We then headed to the park, nabbed a spot right outside in one of the handful of spots, and wandered inside.
Walking in the first tree is directly ahead of you
This tree is low and perfect for little ones to reach
Relaxing in the shade of the mulberry tree
Some berries ripening on the vine
Directly in front of you (well, slightly to your left) is the first mulberry tree, which is a medium size and great for those with limited access, who don’t want to walk far (or can’t!) or who simply can’t wait to snack on some berries! We easily filled three bags here before heading deeper into the park to the off-lead dog area so our pup could run around.
At the far end of the off-leash area is the start of a walking track, and a HUGE mulberry tree. This one is absolutely laden with fruit and it’s great fun clambering through the low branches finding ripe fruit, eating a few handfuls as you go! We were looking for around a kilo of the fruit for our pie recipe, and we had no trouble filling our quota.
Plenty of places to stop and play in the park on the way to the next tree!
One of the two full-size tennis courts (and the picnic gazebo in the background)
There’s a large area for pups to roam freely
Our corgi taking in the green surrounds
The jewel in the mulberry crown- a HUGE tree!
Loads of ripe fruit attracts the birds
We picked a kilo without any trouble!
So much fruit, ready for harvest!
Once we’d stocked up on fruit, we had a great time exploring the park equipment in the fenced area, where there’s a tap, slides, swings and more. Then it was time to head home to bake the pie!
Where to find more Mulberry Trees:
- Foxglove Oval, Mt Colah
- James Park (close to Hornsby Hospital)
- Tambourine Bay Reserve
- St Ives Playground, Carcoola
At home we washed the fruit gently in cold water
Ready for cooking, the washed fruit being prepped
First, add the fruit to the pot and heat
The sugar mixture covering the berries
The delicious finished product!
Cheat’s Mulberry Pie (or try this fancy version)
Ingredients
- 2 Shortcrust Pastry sheets (store-bought)
- 5 cups mulberries, hulled (remove the small green stem with your fingernails or clippers)
- 2 tablespoons cornflour (mixed to a slurry with 1/2 cup water)
- 2 cups sugar
Method
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees
- Remove shortcrust pastry from freezer and allow to soften at room temperature
- Line a pie tin with baking paper and when pastry is soft enough, press one sheet into tin and prick with fork. This will be the base of your pie.
- Cover pastry with baking paper and weight with baking weights, beans or rice; bake for 15 minutes or until beginning to turn golden; remove from oven and rest
- Meanwhile, set the five cups of mulberries in saucepan over low heat; cover the two cups of white sugar
- Heat at low-to-medium heat until the fruits release their juices and soften; add cornflour slurry
- Simmer over low heat another five minutes, then removed from heat and cool
- When cooled, fill pie tin pastry with fruit filling and cover top with second sheet of pastry
- Return to oven and cook 20-30 minutes or until top is puffed and golden
Essential Details
- Address: Leuna Ave Wahroonga
- Parking: Six allocated spots (including disabled parking), plus nearby free street parking
- Facilities: Toilets, shaded picnic tables, taps, tennis courts, play equipment, off-leash dog park, mulberry trees, but BYO coffee (no kiosk!)
More Outdoor Play around the North Shore
- Eight spots to find ducks around Sydney’s North Shore
- A riding adventure at Jubes Mountain Bike Park in Wahroonga
- Splashing fun at Sydney’s best Water Playgrounds
- A water wonderland at Balmoral Beach
- How’s the serenity? Waverton Park and Merrett Playground
