Pick your own oranges at Dooralong
Updated: Oct 12, 2022
Just came back from a quick trip to Dooralong, where we had a fantastic time picking delicious oranges.
The orchard is about an hour and a half drive from Sydney, or, if you’re based at the Central Coast, about 40 minutes from Gosford.
The drive through the countryside on the way to Dooralong is breathtaking. The road winds through rolling hills, past picturesque dams, and plenty of horses and cattle. We were also blessed with a cloudless azure blue winter sky.
On the way to the orchard you will come across a small roadside market called
Gloria’s Stall. It’s very colourful and is marked by bright signs before you reach it - you can’t miss it.
The fresh produce there is incredible. Lots of locally-grown citrus fruit, preserves and kombucha products. Gloria’s Stall has been a Dooralong Valley institution for over 30 years!
After chatting to Gloria, who is very friendly, and with little convincing, I bought the Royal Easter Show’s award-winning sweet chilli sauce. It’s good, really good! I had it on toast with some fresh avocados bought from the stall as well.
At the orange orchard we were welcomed by the farm owners, who were very friendly and informative. They shared how to pick the oranges, where to go and where to have them weighed and paid for. All very straightforward.
This day was a Sunday, at the end of the school holidays. There were quite a few people, perhaps a hundred or so. However, there’s plenty of parking, picnic tables and and free space to walk around and feel as if you’re on your own in this orchard.
It’s very picturesque, so make sure you bring a camera along.
The oranges are very easy to pick. The ripe ones that are ready for picking come right off the stems with little effort. It’s no problem picking a kilo of oranges in about 5 minutes.
Once you’ve picked as many oranges as you can carry (bring your own
carry bags), you head over to the farm owners and have your bags weighed.
We picked more than 12 kilograms, but at $2.00 a kilo, it’s not so much of a worry. The only concern is, what are we going to do with all of these delicious oranges now?
Pick Your Own Oranges Dooralong is an ideal afternoon out for families. You could easily do it all in an hour, but it’s in such a beautiful location, it’s the perfect spot for a picnic lunch.
Pick Your Own Oranges at Dooralong is located at: 48 Dittons Rd, Dooralong NSW 2259 Gloria's Stall is located in Jilliby, 3kms before you get to the orange orchard.
