Traditions are passed on from generation to generation helping us to link back to our history and keep the threads of lives before us alive. Without even realising it, T and I seem to be creating new traditions that we’re passing on to our children without much conscience effort. This includes our annual trip to Mt Irvine to collect chestnuts and walnuts.
It was back in 2011 that we made our first trip up the Bells Line of Road to the Mt Wilson turnoff, and then through to Mt Irvine to find a farm that offered visitors the opportunity to walk through the paddocks and collect chestnuts and walnuts from the mature trees planted decades in the past. We’ve returned every year since, even in the rain, to collect buckets full to roast at home. Our adventures featured in one of our earliest blog posts way back in 2014.
This year we decided to expand the tradition and invited our cousins along for the drive. This added a whole new level of excitement for our children who couldn’t wait to show their cousins how to pop open chestnut pods without getting spiked to reveal the goodies inside.
The drive takes just over two hours from Sydney via Richmond. It is a picturesque drive, winding you through orchards along the way. You’ll even find produce stands at fame gates all the way along. This year we were keen to get to our favourite chestnut farm before everyone else arrived.
Kookootonga Nut Farm isn’t the first Chestnut Farm you’ll spot on the way to Mt Irvine but, in our opinion, it is the best one to visit. The Scrivener’s planted their first chestnuts over a century ago and the same family still owns the farm. We love the idea that we are supporting a few generations of chestnut farmers.
On our first visit, we were given a little tip that led us to a particular Chestnut Tree that bares possibly the biggest chestnuts on the property. It’s rarely found by other visitors who just don’t seem to ever head its way. We have continued to visit this particular tree on each of our visits, discovering that its ability to produce the biggest chestnuts on the property continue year after year. I’m not going to reveal exactly where it is…….maybe you can find it yourself.
This weather was perfect for our visit and we had buckets of chestnuts in no time. Walnut picking was not so easy – we were a little too early this year. To mark our fifth year visiting Kookootonga Nut Farm we’ve created our first ever YouTube clip! Yay.
You will find Kookootonga Nut Farm at 247 Mount Irvine Rd, Mt Irvine. Make sure to check their website to make sure the nuts are ready to be picked.
Hi . Just wondering do you sell WALNUT SEED for planting ? Thank you
Hi Rima, you need to contact Kootootonga directly