The much-loved Summer Fruit Tree Festival will return to Werribee Park on Sunday 1 March, bringing a full day of hands-on gardening advice, orchard tastings and family-friendly activities to Melbourne’s west.
The free community event celebrates fruit growing and the preservation of rare and heritage varieties, with demonstrations and workshops aimed at everyone from first-time gardeners to experienced backyard orchard growers.
Visitors will be able to sample fruit picked fresh from the orchard, while a range of rare and heritage fruiting trees and plants will also be available for purchase.
A packed speaker program will run throughout the day, headlined by well-known horticulturist Craig Castree, who will share his approach to backyard food growing, combining horticulture with regenerative agriculture principles.
Other sessions will cover topics including rose hips, citrus pests and diseases, indigenous revegetation project planning, beekeeping and worm-farm creation.
Festival-goers can also join heritage fruit workshops, learn pruning techniques, and pick up practical tips on caring for home-grown trees.
Guided tours will provide an update on how the orchard has developed in recent years, while a separate walk along the river will be led by the Werribee River Keeper for those wanting to explore the area beyond the festival grounds.
Beyond the gardening program, the event will feature live music, blacksmith demonstrations, food stalls and market stands selling gardening and lifestyle products. Entry is free, with gold-coin donation parking available on site.
The festival is run entirely by volunteers, with organisers saying the Werribee Park Heritage Orchard provides hands-on horticultural training focused on preserving, growing and selling rare and heritage fruit trees.
