Frequently Asked Questions
General Information
What are your opening hours?
The Apple Shack Shop is open 7 days, 10:00am-4:30pm. For a full list of our holiday opening hours please visit our ‘Contact Us’ page.
Please note: to enter the orchard you MUST be on a pre-booked experience. We cannot take walk-ins. Please visit our ‘What’s On’ page to see if any experiences are available to book.
When is the best time to visit?
The orchard changes season to season. Throughout the year there are different things to experience. During the warmer months (November-April) we hold Pick Your Own experiences on some weekends. In the colder times (late July - September) there are opportunities to see the gorgeous blossoms. Throughout the year we have events such as our Cider Sundays or our Apple Pie Day. Please note that to enter the orchard you must be on a pre-booked experience, we cannot take walk-ins. To see what’s happening at the moment please visit our ‘What’s On’ page.
Can I walk through the orchard?
To enter our orchard grounds you must be on a booked experience. You can find available experiences by clicking here. You can however, visit our retail shop The Apple Shack without a booking 7 days a week between 10:00am and 4:30pm.
When is Apple season?
Apple picking season is between late January and late April. There are many apple varieties and they are picked in different months. Apples do however store very well, and we have them available in The Apple Shack from late January through to December.
When is peach/nectarine season?
Stone fruit season is between mid-November and mid-late January. We have many different varieties of both yellow and white stonefruit. Please send us an email or give us a call to see what’s available in the Apple Shack to buy. Please remember to enter our orchard you need to be on a booked experience - visit our ‘What’s On’ page to see what’s available.
When can I pick fruit?
Fruit picking is run only during harvest season between mid-November and April. To do fruit picking you must be pre-booked onto an experience. We cannot take walk-ins. To see if we have any experiences available for booking, please visit our ‘What’s On’ page and follow the links. A brief indication of our fruit season is below:
- Nectarines: usually begin mid-November and go through to mid-December.
- Peaches: usually begin with yellow peaches just after mid-November, and go through until mid-late December. White peaches usually begin late December and are harvested until mid-January.
- Apples: Usually begin late January and different varieties are harvested until late April.
Can I bring a group to pick fruit?
If you would like to bring a group of people to
Do you have a cafe?
Yes we do!
Our cafe is open Thursday to Sunday 10am - 4:30pm.
We ask that help support our family business by ordering from our cafe rather than bringing outside food on these days.
Can I book a table?
Our tables are mostly a first-in-best-dressed system. If you would like to ensure a table availability you can call The Apple Shack between 10am-4:00pm and reserve a table for a free here.
I visited before and want to buy something that’s not on your website ?
If you’d like to buy something we stock in the Apple Shack and it’s not on our website, please call The Apple Shack between 10:00am and 4:00pm and we can arrange for shipment.
(02) 4294 3421
How do I store my fruit?
Apples are best stored in the fridge as close to 1 degree celsius as possible! Keep them as cold as you can but DO NOT FREEZE THEM. You can however freeze them once they are cooked or juiced!
Peaches and nectarines can be either stored under 4 degrees in the fridge, or over 8 degrees. On the bench they will ripen faster than if stored cold.
Do you have any other fruits/vegetables?
We do grow some persimmons, which are usually ready in April. Providing the birds don’t eat the fruit before we can harvest, we do run Pick Your Own experiences for these as well. Please visit our ‘What’s On’ page to see what’s available.
Do you have accommodation?
We do not have any accommodation on site. There is a B&B located just up the road from us called The Glasshouse B&B (https://glasshousebnb.com.au/) which caters for a single couple, or in Stanwell Park there is Ocean Blue B&B (https://oceanbluebnb.com/) with three different accommodation options also catering for couples. Alternatively, check out Destination Wollongong’s accommodation page (www.visitwollongong.com.au/places-to-stay/) for a comprehensive list of both family and couple friendly accommodation options.
What else is there to do in the area?
There are many things to do around here such as:
- A short walk across the road to the beautiful Maddens Falls
- Other bushwalks in the area
- Symbio Wildlife Park
- Visit one (or many) of Wollongong’s gorgeous beaches
- Illawarra Fly Visit
- Local cafes
Do you have cherries? Can I pick cherries?
We do not grow cherries here, therefore you cannot pick cherries here.
Can I bring my special interest group e.g. photography group, Probus group, church group?
To bring your special interest group please send us an email on our contact us form.
Purchasing Product
What forms of payment are accepted online?
We accept APPLE PAY, GPAY, MASTERCARD, VISA, PAYPAL
What forms of payment are accepted at the Apple Shack?
If you visit the Apple Shack shop, we accept cash and EFTPOS payments.
Where can I purchase your cider?
You can purchase online direct from our online shop or from our local distributors.
You will need to check what products they have in stock. They may not carry all product lines.
South Coast Stockists:
Helensburgh Hotel
Coledale Fine Wines
Thirroul Cellars
Ryans Hotel
Resin Brewing
Crown West Bottl-O
Figtree Cellars
Charlies Liquor Barn Unanderra
Charlies Liquor Barn Warilla
Charlies Liquor Barn Tahmoor
CharliesLiquor Barn Albion Park
Manning St Cellars -Kiama
Jamberoo Hotel
Justin Lil Wines- Berry
Huskisson Drive Thru Bottleshop
Vincentia Cellars
Sutherland Shire:
Heathcote Cellabrations
Shark Island Brewing
Sunday Road Brewing
