Cherries. Small, soft round stone fruit that is typically bright or dark red. That’s good enough a definition for Joseph and I to make a road trip down to Young, known as the Cherry Capital of Australia!
Markets, pick-your-own cherry orchards and car shows were on our itinerary as we headed to the countryside on a Saturday morning. The sun was shining in all its glory and I could feel the heat burn across my knuckles as we drove down long stretches of road.
Golden grass on either side of the road glimmered in the distance. The sky was bright blue without a cloud in sight. I even experienced my first highway mirage in which shimmering pools of water seemed to cover the roadway far ahead.
Two hours later, we were in the heart of Young. There were people everywhere and getting a spot to park was difficult. By good fortune, we were lucky to find one under a tree near the markets.
We had a wonderful time albeit feeling slightly drained as we picked a really hot day to cherry pick. You can either visit the orchards on your own or buy a ticket from the Tourism Office and have transport to the orchard taken care off. We did not stay for the parade, but that’s just another awesome reason to return next year!
Here are some tips we will surely utilize in our next visit:
- Pick a cooler day to go cherry picking
- Select the early morning slot to go cherry picking
- Carry extra bottles of water with you at all times to keep hydrated
- Wear long sleeves with a high neckline if you don’t like getting sun burned
- Bring the sunscreen along. One application isn’t enough on an extremely hot day
- Carry an umbrella, hats didn’t cut it for us
- If you bought 2kgs of cherries for yourself, double or triple it as you return home regretting not purchasing more
The National Cherry Festival took place from 4 to 6 December 2015. Visit the Visit Young website to find out more.
Always a sucker for markets! @visityoung_nsw #visityoung #youngnsw #canberraregion #CBRregion #VisitCanberra #seeaustralia #exploreaustralia #travel #travelblog #wanderlust #mytravelgram #all_shots #australia #CBR #igers #igdaily #igaddict #instalike #instatravel #traveling A photo posted by Rosemarie and Joseph (@travelnbeyond) on
Fresh #cherries @visityoung_nsw markets! #visityoung #youngnsw #canberraregion #CBRregion #VisitCanberra #seeaustralia #exploreaustralia #travel #travelblog #wanderlust #mytravelgram #all_shots #australia #CBR #igers #igdaily #igaddict #instalike #instatravel #traveling A photo posted by Rosemarie and Joseph (@travelnbeyond) on
Joseph was pulled to this almost immediately! 😁 @visityoung_nsw #visityoung #youngnsw #canberraregion #CBRregion #VisitCanberra #seeaustralia #exploreaustralia #travel #travelblog #wanderlust #mytravelgram #all_shots #australia #CBR #igers #igdaily #igaddict #instalike #instatravel #traveling A photo posted by Rosemarie and Joseph (@travelnbeyond) on
My bag of delicious fresh #cherries @visityoung_nsw #visityoung #youngnsw #canberraregion #CBRregion #VisitCanberra #seeaustralia #exploreaustralia #travel #travelblog #wanderlust #mytravelgram #all_shots #australia #CBR #igers #igdaily #igaddict #instalike #instatravel #traveling #cherryfestival #cherry A photo posted by Rosemarie and Joseph (@travelnbeyond) on
8 seconds of awesome before my ears hurt! @visityoung_nsw #visityoung #youngnsw #canberraregion #CBRregion #VisitCanberra #seeaustralia #exploreaustralia #travel #travelblog #wanderlust #mytravelgram #all_shots #australia #CBR #igers #igdaily #igaddict #instalike #instatravel #traveling #cars A video posted by Rosemarie and Joseph (@travelnbeyond) on
Like just out of the movies! @visityoung_nsw #visityoung #youngnsw #canberraregion #CBRregion #VisitCanberra #seeaustralia #exploreaustralia #travel #travelblog #wanderlust #mytravelgram #all_shots #australia #CBR #igers #igdaily #igaddict #instalike #instatravel #traveling #visitnsw #coolrides #sportscar #cars A photo posted by Rosemarie and Joseph (@travelnbeyond) on
Could I have one of these please!?!? @visityoung_nsw #visityoung #youngnsw #canberraregion #CBRregion #VisitCanberra #seeaustralia #exploreaustralia #travel #travelblog #wanderlust #mytravelgram #all_shots #australia #CBR #igers #igdaily #igaddict #instalike #instatravel #traveling #cars #coolrides #sportscar #visitnsw A photo posted by Rosemarie and Joseph (@travelnbeyond) on
The long road before us on the drive back from @visityoung_nsw #visityoung #youngnsw #canberraregion #CBRregion #VisitCanberra #seeaustralia #exploreaustralia #travel #travelblog #wanderlust #mytravelgram #all_shots #australia #CBR #igers #igdaily #igaddict #instalike #instatravel #traveling #visitnsw #cherryfestival #sky #road #drive A photo posted by Rosemarie and Joseph (@travelnbeyond) on
The National Cherry Festival took place from 4 to 6 December 2015. Visit the Visit Young website to find out more.
What a great experience. Cherries always mean Christmas to me. A special treat at this time of year. Now I have to go out and buy myself some 😍
We missed it last year, Julie. But we told ourselves, not this time round. We do regret buying only 2 kgs! 🙁 I like how you now have craving for cherries, cause I do too after writing this post! 🙂
Young is a beautiful country town, isn’t it… we thought about buying a home there once… love the cherry festival… just delicious.
It is very beautiful, Liz! I would have loved to have seen the parade… 🙂
From the cars to the cherries, how much fun is a cherry festival in December? 2 kg would never be enough.
Lesley, we went through 2 kgs just like that! Now we know better! 🙂
Mmmm…. I love cherries! I like your photo of the railway station. The platform and buildings are pretty much exactly the same as the one in my town. 🙂
I love rustic buildings too! They have so much character!
How freakin amazing are cherries?! I didnt get to go to the festival in Young, but loved that a bunch of friends got there to report on all the happenings. Love your description of driving into a mirage, I had forgotten how special that feeling is. 🙂
This looks like a fun – and delicious – festival! We don’t have cherries in the US until June and I always look forward to that first pie!
Cherries are the best fruit ever … looks like you had fun at the festival!