Sorell Fruit Farm

We regret our time spent at the farm after reading so much about it. When we set foot into the reception area, the two staff were eager to welcome us, sharing how sweet and juicy their fruits would be compared to those found in the supermarket aisles. We were told to pay for empty plastic punnets before we could go in for our pickings. Unfortunately when we entered the Orchard, what was available to pick was minimal. Later, we noticed that some customers were allowed to go in first to survey and they were allowed to use their own bags and pay according to the weight of their pickings. After picking whatever Tayberries and Strawberries that were available, my son noticed that a few cherry trees had ripened fruit and so we picked some. Unfortunately for us, we were made to feel that we had contravened some unwritten rule when a female staff chided my boy for doing so after we had returned to the reception counter. This really dampened our initial excitement of fruit picking. This unpleasantness could have easily been avoided if there had been clearer briefing when we first paid for the empty punnets that we could only pick one fruit, and not made to feel that we could fill all our three paid-for punnets (A$20) with whatever fruit that was ripe to pick. Perhaps there could have been better demarcation of sections for customers to pick only from certain rows. We genuinely felt bad about our supposed 'mistake' and genuinely wanted to give our son a fun and educational first-time fruit-picking experience. Instead, we went away feeling rather sour (pun intended) that the farm is more interested in profiteering than anything else after spending (A$60) in all - punnets, jams in addition to the extra charges paid.

That said, this was an experience that stood out from all others that we have had in Tassie, in that the farm wasn't really in tandem with all other places of interest or businesses in providing a truly family friendly experience. It made us wonder if it was really Australian owned! There are so many other fruit farms that you can visit in Tassie, or Australia for that matter. Sadly, Sorell Fruit Farm is certainly NOT one that we would recommend.