Best Places for Chestnut Picking Around Sydney
Kookootonga Nut Farm
This is one of Sydney’s classic hidden gems for chestnut picking!
Opening hours: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM (open daily until around mid-April).
Entry fee: No entry fee! No parking fee! You only pay for what you pick.
Price reference: Chestnuts $10/kg, walnuts $12/kg.
Current conditions: Even though there are lots of cars, the farm is huge and the chestnuts are super plump! More walnuts are starting to appear now too.
Chestnut Picking Tips:
Bring thick gloves! The chestnut shells are extremely prickly. Disposable gloves are useless — proper thick gardening gloves are a must.
Wear fully enclosed shoes: You’ll need to step hard on the chestnut shells.
Check before you go. Search Kookootonga on their official website or Facebook page before leaving to confirm there’s still enough chestnuts available that day.
Pinehaven Stud & Chestnut Farm
With Sydney’s sudden temperature drop and crazy petrol prices, we decided to do a short Easter day trip this year. We left casually around 11am and arrived in Bowral at nearly 1pm.
We visited the super popular French restaurant Lucette in Bowral.
The food was really good — our group of 10 ordered like crazy and almost nothing disappointed! We’ll make a separate post about it next time.
After another 30-minute drive, we arrived at Pinehaven Stud & Chestnut Farm.
Chestnuts were $10/kg, and each person gets a small bucket. Just ask the farm staff and they’ll show you how to spot good chestnuts.
Standing at the farm was the first time we realised chestnuts actually grow like this on trees 😂
Once mature, the spiky sea-urchin-like shells burst open and fall from the trees, which means the chestnuts are ready to collect. You can simply pick them up from the ground under the trees — super beginner friendly. The chestnuts here are HUGE!!!
Definitely remember to bring gloves, those spiky shells really do feel like sea urchins.
The farm closes at 4pm, so it’s best to go earlier.
Nutwood Farm
Sydney chestnut season is here! Time to achieve roasted chestnut freedom.
Every year from early March to mid-April is chestnut season.
This year we chose Nutwood Farm in the Blue Mountains for chestnut picking.
Besides chestnuts, there are also walnuts here (although the walnuts are still green right now — the farm owner said they won’t fully mature until about a month later).
The farm opened from the week of March 9. Currently it’s only open on weekends plus the Easter holiday period. Opening hours are 9am–4pm daily. There’s also a large parking area at the entrance.
Entry fee: $5 per car, no booking required.
Both chestnuts and walnuts are $11/kg.
There’s also a grassy picnic area inside where you can relax.
Thmah Farm
Sydney’s first autumn chestnut moment came from the Blue Mountains.
Following our friend’s recommendation, we finally made it to chestnut picking right at the end of the 2026 season.
During the Anzac long weekend at the end of April, we visited Thmah Farm in the Blue Mountains and picked fresh chestnuts as well as fresh walnuts.
There’s no entry fee. We picked heaps of chestnuts and it only cost us $6. Second, there’s no holiday price increase and you can simply walk in.
However, the farmer said the best chestnut picking season is actually early April, so remember that for next year.
Tips: Bring gloves for chestnut picking, and it’s best to wear work boots. Just rub the chestnut shells between your feet and the chestnuts pop right out — honestly works better than any tool.