The Longan Farm, Narangba — Prices, Hours & What to Know

Looking for longan picking near Brisbane? The Longan Farm in Narangba is about an hour’s drive from Brisbane’s south side, and if you love longans like we do, it’s well worth the trip while the season lasts. Here’s everything we picked up from our own visit.

Where Is The Longan Farm

Address: 359 Raynbird Road, Narangba QLD 4504. The road in is easy to drive and there’s plenty of parking, so no stress about finding a spot even on a busy day.

How Much Does It Cost to Visit

The owner posts most of the details on their Facebook page already, but here’s what actually mattered on our visit. Book your entry online through their Facebook page before you go, that’s the one thing worth doing ahead of time. If you book online it’s $2 per adult, kids under 15 are free either way, but if you just turn up on the day without booking it’s $10 per adult. The online booking only locks in how many people are coming, you still pay when you arrive, and it’s cash only, so don’t forget to grab some before you leave home. Longans themselves are $12 a kilo, weighed on your way out.

Best Time to Go (Avoid the Queue)

We got there around midday and the queue to pay was really long, everyone who’d been picking since the morning all trying to check out at once. We left around 1pm and there was no one in line at all by then. So if you can, go a bit later in the day rather than right at opening, seemed to make a big difference. Opening times do shift around depending on the season though, so check their Facebook before you head out.

What to Bring

Sunscreen and a hat are a must, there isn’t a lot of shade over where you’re picking. Bring water too, and cash for everything. A picnic mat is nice to have if you want to sit and eat what you’ve picked, we brought ours and it made the whole thing feel more like a proper outing rather than just a quick pick and go. If you forget bags, they sell them there for 10 cents each, and secateurs are available too with a $10 deposit that you get back when you return them. We brought the dog along as well, just remember to bring a water bowl for them, it does get warm out there.

How to Pick the Sweetest Longans

The fruit lower down and closer to the ground tends to be sweeter, and go for the ones that are a bit yellow-green rather than deep brown. Worth tasting one before picking a big bunch off any one spot, we saw a fair few people picking loads only to realise it wasn’t sweet and just leaving them on the ground, which felt like such a waste. Leaving a small bit of stem on when you cut also seems to help them keep a bit longer.

How to Store Longans at Home

If you’re planning to eat them within the week, don’t wash them straight away, a little dust on them actually helps them last, just bag them or box them and put them straight in the fridge, then rinse right before eating. If you want to keep them longer, freezing works well, wash and drain them, peel if you don’t mind the extra step, portion into small bags or an ice cube tray, then freeze. Honestly just as nice eaten frozen as a cold snack on a hot day.

Good to Know Before You Go

There are cows, horses and a few sheep along the road on the way in, which the kids loved almost as much as the picking itself. We didn’t get bothered by mosquitoes on our visit but the sun is strong out there so don’t skip the sunscreen. Longan season usually runs February to April, though it depends on the crop each year, so always check their Facebook page for the current opening days before you drive out.

Looking for more fruit picking spots, we’ve also written about Strawberry Picking in Sydney and Apple Picking in Bilpin.