By Eleanor Wilson
Orchards at the Montague Fruit Farm were bustling with families over the weekend, in celebration of its Apple Harvest Festival.
The festival was held over two days, filling the Narre Warren North orchard with family friendly activities including food stalls, live music, yoga and pilates, and of course fruit picking.
Montague marketing manager Angela Bracken called the festival “a celebration of the autumn season and the local community.”
“The apple harvest festival received an overwhelming positive response and was a huge success despite the wet weather conditions,” she said.
“It was fantastic to see the community enjoying the pick your own fruit tours, activities and sampling new season fruit.”
A third-generation family business founded locally in 1948, Montague exclusively produces some of Australia’s favourite apple varieties, including JAZZ and envy.
The harvest festival serves as a timely reminder that the apple picking period is upon us, with December to May marked as peak picking season.
Ms Bracken said Montague’s ‘pick your own tours’ are a great family activity for the autumn months.
“The tours are run at the Little Orchard which is home to 2000 trees, where people can learn about where their fruit comes from, how it is grown and of course take home hand-picked fruit to enjoy,” she said.
The festival was held at Montague’s Narre Warren North facility, which has undergone a $66 million development over the past five years to implement state of the art processes and consumer friendly services.
