We love sourcing our produce right from the farm and are constantly on the hunt for places to pick fruit and vegetables as they come in season. A few weeks ago I discovered that mandarins are quite abundant in the Wisemans Ferry area and that there are a number of farms that allow you not only to purchase their fruit at the farm gate, but pick it yourself! We had to go!
Watkins Family Farm was our destination for this trip although we have since discovered that there are a number of orchards that you can choose from including Fords Farm a little further down Singleton Road. We took minimal supplies with us, just ourselves, cameras and some money for lunch.
We headed to Watkins Family Farm via Dural along the Old Northern Road which boasts over 2,000 Imperial Mandarin trees. It took us around 90 minutes to reach our destination without a pit stop. Part of that was without any mobile service – something that made me a little anxious as I hadn’t put our destination into my Google Maps! Luckily there is reception in Wiseman’s Ferry but be warned – it quickly fades as you drive along Singleton Road towards Watkins Family Farm so make sure you have some idea of where you’re going (think back to how we survived road trips a decade ago).
The road from Wisemans Ferry to the Watkins Family Farm is narrow. At times I felt like we were on a thrill ride although I wasn’t that thrilled to note that many drivers have no idea how to make way on the road so cars can travel in both direction. Be prepared for this as on busy days it can take a while to drive along Singleton Road if the person in front of you needs to come to a complete stop to let everyone pass from the opposite direction.
On arriving at Watkins Family Farm we drove along a long driveway to the car parking area. We had arrived quite early – before 10.30 am, so it was easy to find a park although the area was already filling. On our departure, later that afternoon, there was a line of vehicles waiting to enter as the paddock was already full. I highly recommend arriving early.
A quick stroll from the car, over a bridge and we found ourselves in a clearing where we found a chicken coop where you could collect eggs to our left; goats, happily being feed by other children, to the right; and the bucket collection point straight ahead. We were bursting to start picking mandarins so headed straight for the later.
To pick the mandarins you must buy a bucket first. We purchased two large buckets for $10.00 each. The rule is, pick as many mandarins as you can fill your bucket and they are yours. As we walked through the gate into the orchard we asked one of the Watkins Family Farm team where the best trees were. Apparently they’re all good but less people go the the furthest rows. We made a beeline for these.
There was an abundance of fruit. Every single tree was full of fruit. Some trees had small mandarins, some large. We tried to mix our collection up and spent over an hour moving from tree to tree to collect what we thought was the ‘best’ fruit on each tree. Finally we had two buckets overflowing and we made our way back to the clearing to pack them in bags and return the buckets. We were provided plastic garbage bags to put our mandarins in to take home (scented bags – ek!). I recommend taking your own bags reusable bags.
Before we left Watkins Family Farm we checked out the mushrooms ($10 for a very small bag) which the kids found incredibly interesting, although I refused to buy them on this trip. By this time the farm was becoming very busy so we headed off. We had decided not to pack lunch on this trip, deciding instead to eat in Wisemans Ferry.
Wiseman’s Ferry was extremely busy. We headed to Trip Advisors recommended cafe, took our seats and were then notified that there was a 45-60 minutes wait on food. There were lines at each food outlet including the pub, the bowls club and even the general store. Bedlam! I was told by one traveller that they had waited for over 30 minutes to use the public toilet! Next visit we are packing lunch!
Watkins Family Farm is open every weekend through winter. Head to 1006 Singleton Rd, Laughtondale to visit. Make sure you check their website for opening times – www.watkinsfarm.com.au
Don’t forget to check out our Chestnut picking adventures.
What’s available at this point for picking if we come tomorrow
Hi Nidhi, you need to check with Watkins Farm directly.
What’s the best month or season for picking own fruits?
Every month in Sydney offers an opportunity. It depends on what fruit you are after