Cherry Hill Orchards, Wandin East

Driving along Warburton Hwy, the lure of the many farmgate signs proved too strong to ignore, so we turned off at Wandin and headed for Cherry Hill.
It was around 2pm and the carpark was still packed when we arrived. We paid our entrance fee and was given a cherry red bucket in return.
The orchard alongside the entrance had already been picked over since the season began in November. We boarded a bus which took us up to the far fields at the top of the property and began the cherry hunt.

Our search of the first couple of rows proved fruit-less (see what I did there), but soon we could see the sparkling crimson cherries a little further over. Somewhere in the middle, we found trees dripping with fruit and looking like Christmas trees covered with red, shiny baubles.

The next 45 minutes went a little like this - 
One for me,
One for the bucket.
One for me,
One for the bucket.
After eating so many cherries under the blazing hot sun, I feared I would turn into a shiny red ball myself, so we jumped back on the bus  and headed for the kiosk to eat a refreshing cherry icecream in the picnic area.

Our bucket load was weighed at $12kg and we went home satisfied with our afternoon of hunting and gathering.
And eating. 

What: Cherry Hill Orchards

Where: 480 Queens Road, Wandin East

When: Daily 9-5pm Nov - Jan, until harvest complete                            

Why: pick your own
How much: $12 per kg, plus entrance fees.