Where to Pick Bayberries in Melbourne: What to Know Before Your First Visit

Fresh bayberries are hard to find in Melbourne. They have no skin, ripe ones drop at a touch, and they don't survive long trips. If you want to taste one straight from the tree, you have to come to an orchard.

Our bayberry orchard is in Silvan, in Melbourne's outer east, about an hour's drive from the city. As far as we know, it is the only place in Australia where you can pick bayberries straight from the tree. Last summer was our first season since we took over the orchard. This summer will be our second.

What is a bayberry?

Bayberries are a small, round fruit from southern China, where people have grown them for more than two thousand years. They have no skin. The surface is made of tiny, juicy beads, and when fully ripe the fruit turns from red to a deep purple-black. The taste is sweet with a little tartness, and very juicy. Because they are so delicate, they don't travel well, which is why you rarely see fresh ones in shops here.

When is the season?

Last December: most of our bayberries measure 2–3 cm across.

Most of our trees are a dark variety that ripens from mid-to-late December. Two lighter varieties follow, and the whole season lasts about a month. We can only set the opening date a week or two ahead, once we see the weather and the colour of the fruit.

Late last week it rained for three days straight in Silvan, close to 66 mm in total. This week has been clear, with mornings just above six degrees. The green fruit on the trees is growing now. The rain helps, but we keep a close eye on drainage, because bayberry roots don't like sitting in water.

What picking is like

Hold the branch with one hand, and give the fruit a gentle twist with your fingertips. If it comes off easily, it is ripe. If it doesn't, leave it a few more days. The branches are brittle, so please don't climb the trees.

On our first opening day last December, one young family brought their own ice packs and dipped the berries in iced water before eating them. One mum picked up fallen fruit and put it in her own basket. "The ripe ones drop at a touch," she told us. "It's such a waste." Our guests looked after the fruit as carefully as we do.

What to bring

Closed shoes, long pants, a hat and water. Darker clothes are better, as bayberry juice stains. We don't provide food at the farm. Berries you take home are weighed and priced by variety. Keep them cool on the way home, refrigerate them unwashed, and eat them within a day or two.

How to hear when picking opens

The season is short. When dates are set, we email the people on our list first. You can leave your email here.

We hope to see you under the trees this summer.

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