Grapefruit Season

Grapefruit is available year-round in Australia, with the main domestic season running from around May through to October. Peak supply from the big southern growing regions (New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria) lands in June, July and August, which is when you'll find the best fruit and the most competitive pricing. Queensland and subtropical areas start earlier, with fruit ready from March or April, while the Northern Territory's Darwin and Katherine regions produce from February through April.

Grapefruit is primarily a winter crop in Australia, with peak supply from June to September.

Grapefruit trees are evergreen and grow on grafted rootstock to ensure consistent quality and disease resistance. They need well-drained, fertile soil, warm to hot summers and cooler winters. The temperature swing drives internal colour and sugar development in red-fleshed varieties. Trees in Australia are sourced through Auscitrus, the national citrus budwood scheme, and are pre-immunised with a mild tristeza strain to protect against Grapefruit Stem Pitting, the crop's main disease concern. Well-managed orchard blocks stay productive for several decades.

Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) originated in Barbados in the eighteenth century as a natural cross between sweet orange and pummelo, and has since been grown commercially in the United States, Israel, South Africa, Argentina and Australia, per the NT Government. The Australian industry is spread across five states and the NT, concentrated in the riverine growing zones (the Murray Valley, Riverina, Riverland and the Queensland citrus belt) that dominate the broader Australian citrus sector.

The Citrus Australia Tree Census 2019 put grapefruit and pummelo together at just 1% of national citrus hectares. That came to 375 hectares, up from 268 in 2014, with 73% in red-fleshed varieties. According to Hort Innovation, Australia produced 12,982 tonnes worth $15.8 million in 2024/25, with exports of 2,790 tonnes (the highest on record for the category) and imports falling sharply to 313 tonnes from over 1,300 tonnes earlier in the decade. NSW is the largest producing state at 46.5%, followed by SA (18.3%), QLD (17.7%), VIC (8.7%), WA (6.1%) and the NT (2.6%).