A taste for something different

Rayners Orchard just outside of Melbourne is giving visitors the chance to pick fruits that are often only found in other parts of the world.

Inca berries, tamarillos, lemonades and tangelos. These exotic fruits aren’t usually found in your local supermarket, but an orchard just outside of Melbourne is giving visitors the chance to pick and try their own, every day of the year.

Rayners Orchard at Woori Yallock grows over 450 different types of fruits across about 10ha, with their unusual offerings all part of the charm.

“Come any day of the year and you can find 8-10 types of fruit, and that’s the beauty of our farm; that’s our strength,” managing director Veeresh Karvirmat said.

Nursery hand Brendan Graham at Rayners Orchard at Woori Yallock. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Mr Karvirmat said they had received more rain than expected this winter, but it hadn’t affected their crop, only causing a little inconvenience to their on-farm tours.

“Visitors can eat as many fruits as they wish during the tour … (and they) learn about different fruits, basic farming practices, and information on exotic fruits they might not have heard of before,” he said.

“Some people come here just to pick one particular fruit in the season, like donut peaches or sugar plums, (fruits) you won’t find at a supermarket at all … we’re constantly investigating what else we can grow.”

It’s blossom season. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Blossom season has also begun early at the fully-self sustainable enterprise, adding to the colours of the stunning orchard.

“We use rainwater for our irrigation system, use solar panels for electricity, and we don’t use any chemicals on our fruits at all,” Mr Karvirmat said.

“When visitors eat the fruit straight off the trees, it tastes 100 times better than what you get in the supermarket.”