Mouat's Farm

Four kilometres out of Batlow in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains, the Mouat family has worked this orchard, known as Wyola, since it was first planted in the 1920s. Apples make up the bulk of the plantings today, backed by around 1,200 cherry trees and a smaller run of berries. The farm shop sells apples from February through December and cherries from early December to mid-January, alongside free-range eggs and homemade jams, but the drawcard is the pick-your-own: cherries from late November into early January, apples from February to May, offered only on specific days that shift with the season. Batlow's orchard country produces some of the country's best-regarded apples, largely thanks to the altitude and cold winters, and Mouat's is one of a shrinking number of local growers still opening the gates to pickers rather than selling exclusively through wholesale.