Ideal pre-season conditions have growers anticipating positive season following challenges last year
West Australia’s Southern Forests’ cherry region is optimistic for a positive season, following a challenging 2024/25 season that saw some growers lose 90 per cent of their harvest.
“Last year’s challenges reminded everyone how precious this short, sweet season really is,” said Arthur Wilson, chair of the Southern Forests Food Council.
“This year, we’re celebrating our growers, our community, and the joy of sharing truly fresh, local produce from right here in the Southern Forests. Whatever the season brings, there’s always something to celebrate in our region.”
On Saturday 13 December the region will come together for the annual Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival, celebrating local produce, talent, and community.
The festival will include live music, market stalls, cooking demonstrations, and entertainment throughout Manjimup’s town centre as well as the opportunity to visit local farms on an exclusive behind-the-scenes Cherry Festival Farm Tour. Additionally, the annual Cherry Long Table Dinner will take place that evening.
According to the Southern Forests Food Council, this season growers including the Manjimup-based Newton Orchards, are expanding cherry plantings and testing new varieties to meet domestic and export demand. The region is also taking up modern cropping practices including netting, rain-covers and advanced irrigation monitoring to better protect the crop against weather risk and maintain fruit quality.
Southern Forests experienced a cold, wet winter which the council said has provided the perfect foundation for a good crop, with trees looking “healthy and strong”. Harvest is expected to be around two or three weeks behind schedule.
“We saw great blossom and the fruit set is looking good, and if the weather stays kind, we should have beautiful cherries ready just in time for the Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival,” said local grower George Grozotis of Cherry Lane Fields, West Australia’s largest single cherry orchard. “It’s shaping up to be a good year, but cherries keep us on our toes – a lot can still happen before harvest.”
