Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

Editor’s Note (16 April 2016): we have been informed that the owner of the Summertown apple orchard has retired, so sadly it is no longer open for apple picking until further notice.

See the Apple picking in Summertown Facebook page here for updates.

For an alternative, two apple orchards in the Lenswood area of the Adelaide Hills will be opening their gates for apple picking on the last weekend of the April school holidays, Saturday 30 April & Sunday 1 May 2016, only. See all the details here.

A perfect outdoor family outing for apple lovers, is picking your own juicy apples in the Adelaide Hills.

Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

The picturesque orchard is approximately 16kms and only about a 15-20 minute drive from Adelaide, all the way up Greenhill Road to Summertown.

Just turn into Hollidays Rd in Summertown and the orchard is at the end of that street – you can’t miss it. There is plenty of car parking available.

Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

Buckets for picking apples are supplied but you will need your own bags or baskets to take the apples home in.

There are many varieties available, including favourites like Golden Delicious, Granny Smiths, Fujis, Pink Lady and Jonathans, depending on when you visit.

At only around $1.40 per kg to $2.40 per kg (as of April 2015) it’s a bargain.

Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

Super fun for kids (and apple loving adults) as you can taste all the apples you want. Plus it is a real adventure wandering through the paths between the trees.

What a great way to show little ones where the fruit they eat comes from. Many of the trees are low so they can easily pick the fruit all by themselves. These kids loved it!

Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

You’ll find lots of teeny tiny apples that are perfect for little hands. They are super cute and just as ripe and delicious. Perfect for a little snack. They are the cutest little apples you’ll see. We loved looking for the most perfect tiniest apples we could find. We found ones that were about 2cm high.

Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

It’s a perfect setting to pack a picnic and eat it on the grass under one of the trees. The kids can run around to their heart’s content.

Also look out for some amazing birds while you are there… they may have their eyes on the apples too. We also spotted some kangaroos in the neighbouring fields.

Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

You can buy other fruit and vegetables (in season) there, out of the boxes, at a great price as well.

Also available to purchase are eggs, fresh apple juice, cider, and apple cider vinegar.

Payment is by CASH ONLY.

Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

Another bonus you’ll find is a rope swing at the bottom of the orchard. It’s old fashioned fun – just a basic rope tied to a tall tree. The kids loved having turns swinging as high as they could on this – it’s one you need to stand on and will need someone to push you.

TIP: There are twigs lying around which have sharp thorns. We recommend that you wear jeans or long pants. Otherwise there will be plenty of scratches on legs (we found out the hard way).  Also at the bottom of the orchard near the rope swing there are blackberry bushes, also with very sharp thorns. If you are considering picking blackberries, perhaps bring some gloves along.

Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

There is also a playground and toilets just around the corner at Tregarthen Reserve. Coming from the city, it’s on the corner of Greenhill Road & Tregarthen Rd just before Hollidays Rd. There are tennis courts there and a bbq with table & chairs. {Refer to map link below}

Dog friendly apple picking near adelaide sa

Apple picking is available on weekends only during apple season starting early to mid march and some public holidays (excluding Good Friday).

SUMMARY

  • Buckets are provided for picking but you will need your own bags to take your apples home.
  • Wear long pants/jeans to protect legs from sharp thorns on some bushes or twigs on the paths.
  • Take cash for payment as there are no Eftpos facilities.
  • There is no entry fee – you just pay the price per kg for the fruit you pick.
  • Open on Saturdays & Sundays plus most public holidays (except Good Friday) during the season.
  • Always check the Saturday Advertiser to check if they are open – see note below.

The owner always advertises in the ‘What’s On ‘ section of the Advertiser newspaper on Saturday mornings (look in the market section).  The season generally finishes in late May to early June but of course varies every year. No advertisement in the paper means the season has finished.

PLEASE NOTE:  We do not have any contact details for the orchard.

What:  Apple Picking at Summertown

When:  Apple Season – begins early/mid March  |  Open 11am to 5pm Saturday & Sundays

Where:  Hollidays Road, Summertown  | Map

Who:  All Ages

Thanks so much to the Wilczynska-Semets clan for providing some of the wonderful photos and information above for this family review.  And a big thank you to the Farrell-Billing crew who told us about this great outing. Thanks to Magda for some of the photos above, other photos are by Play & Go.

At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.