Citrus picking in Australia: navels in winter, Valencias in summer
Ask when orange picking season is in Australia and you will get two answers that both sound wrong. They are both right, because citrus is two crops wearing one name.
The two seasons
Navel oranges are the winter crop. They come off from about June to September, which is why citrus picking is one of the few things you can do on a cold, clear Australian winter weekend. Navels are the sweet, seedless, easy-peeling orange most people picture, and they do not keep well on the tree once ripe.
Valencia oranges are the summer crop. They ripen from about October and hang on the tree into autumn, which is how Australia has orange juice all year. Valencias are juicier, thinner-skinned and hold on the tree for months, so a Valencia orchard can open for picking across a very long window.
A farm that tells you it picks oranges in November is not confused. It is growing Valencias.
Mandarins are more straightforwardly a winter crop, roughly April to September depending on variety, and are the easiest citrus to pick with children.
This caught our own quality checks out. We had set a June to September window for citrus, and a Central Coast orchard picking Valencias in November got flagged as an error until we looked properly.
Where to pick
Citrus picking is smaller than berry or cherry picking in Australia and clusters where the growing is: the Central Coast of New South Wales around Dooralong and Kulnura, the Riverina and Riverland irrigation districts, parts of the Hunter, and pockets in Queensland and Western Australia.
Because a citrus tree carries a heavy crop that holds well, citrus farms tend to be relaxed, cheap and uncrowded compared to a December cherry orchard. It is a good option for a family day when nothing else is on.
Picking citrus properly
Do not pull. Citrus fruit is attached firmly and the skin tears at the stem end if you yank it, which lets rot in within days. Twist gently until it releases, or better, use snips and cut the stem close to the fruit.
Take a bag or box rather than a bucket: citrus is heavy, and a full bucket of oranges is more than you think.
Keeping them
Oranges keep for weeks at room temperature and longer in the fridge, and unlike berries they do not need to be rushed home. Do not stack them deep enough to bruise, and pull out anything with broken skin.
If you have picked far more than you can eat, which is easy to do with citrus, juice and freeze it. Orange juice freezes well; whole oranges do not.
See citrus picking farms, or find one near you on the map.
Updated 27 August 2026