Dural Christmas Tree Farm open for 2018 festive season
ONE whiff and you will be hooked. “Nothing beats the smell — it’s the smell of Christmas,” Leo Demasi said of the trees at Dural Christmas Tree Farm.
ONE whiff and you will be hooked. “Nothing beats the smell — it’s the smell of Christmas,” Leo Demasi said of the trees at Dural Christmas Tree Farm.
He and his wife Lynette Macri run the plantation which perfumes the 2ha block and is open to the public keen to adorn the needles with baubles and tinsel.
“People are changing and they want fresh, good quality trees and want to get them late November, early December,’’ Mr Demasi said.
“I’ve been selling trees for 15 years and I see the customers bringing their children and carrying on a family tradition.
“On the weekend it was amazing to see the parents, grandparents and the kids and that’s growing every year.”
The radiata pine plantation is brimming with at least 1500 trees and opened in 2000 after the death of Mr Demasi’s father, Michael, who ran a flower farm on the Old Northern Rd site.
Mr Demasi said customers were more aware of what the trees needed so they could grace their loungerooms for longer — especially the litres of water required.
Only a handful of staff is needed during the year but the numbers swell to 30 in December.
Each weekend during the festive season visitors are greeted with a sausage sizzle and animal patting farm.
“The more I do it, it’s harder because the thing is, we work 12 months to one month of the year,’’ Mr Demasi said.
“That time is compacted into one month of the year.”
Mr Demasi said the trees evoked many childhood memories.
“When I was growing up, because it was school holidays, I would go to the market with my dad,’’ he said.
“Christmas trees used to be sold at the market and sold to the fruit markets to be distributed through Sydney.
“I never imagined the farm would be where it is today because I’m a mechanic by trade and left there and got into an excavator business where I was for about five or six years while doing this on the side.
“I saw potential after six or seven years that it could be something.”
The company invested and started a delivery, collection and installation service which sees the magnificent trees form the centrepiece for corporate offices including the Macquarie Bank and households including Lachlan Murdoch’s Sydney abode.
Mr Demasi said the recent rain came too late for some of the trees. “The older trees didn’t have their growth, they’re a year behind because of the drought but if the rain keeps coming like it, is they’ll be even better next year,” he said.
Prices are from $80 to $800.
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