Blueberry picking season in Australia

Blueberries have the widest self-pick window of any berry here. Somewhere in the country a blueberry patch is open from August through to April, because the crop is grown from subtropical Queensland to the cool hills of Victoria and Tasmania, and each climate ripens at a different time.

Where and when

The Dandenong Ranges and the Yarra Valley in Victoria hold the largest concentration of self-pick blueberry farms on this site, and they are a summer crop there: December through February, sometimes into March in a cool year. The Tamar Valley and northern Tasmania run later again, which is why Tasmanian farms are often the last ones open.

Warmer districts invert it. Around Brisbane and south-east Queensland and on the NSW Central Coast, blueberries come in from late winter, and a patch can be picking in August and September while Victoria is still bare. If you want blueberries out of the usual season, look north.

Ripe is about colour underneath, not size

A blueberry does not sweeten after it leaves the bush, so picking early is the one mistake that cannot be undone at home. Look at the spot where the berry meets the stem: if there is any red or green ring there, leave it, however blue the rest looks. A fully ripe berry is dusty blue all the way to the stem scar and comes away when you roll it with your thumb rather than pull.

Roll, do not pluck. Cup your hand under a cluster and tickle the ripe ones off with your thumb. The ripe berries drop, the unripe ones stay attached, and the bush is undamaged for the next picker.

Bring something rigid

Blueberries crush under their own weight faster than people expect. A bucket is better than a bag, and a shallow tray is better than a deep bucket if you are picking more than a couple of kilos.

What it costs

Blueberries are priced by the kilogram at most farms and sit at the higher end of self-pick berries, because the picking is slow and the fruit is fragile. Some farms sell a punnet or container that you fill, which changes the maths: with a fill-your-own container you are paying for volume, so pack gently but completely.

Before you drive

Blueberry farms open and close on the week, not the season. A hot spell can bring a whole block on at once and finish it in ten days. Check the farm’s own page or Facebook the morning you go, and if the listing here shows a phone number, a call settles it faster than anything else.

Updated 10 September 2026