Strawberry Season

Strawberries are in season in Australia for most of the year, but the peak window and growing region shifts dramatically depending on the time of year. Queensland's subtropical Sunshine Coast runs a winter crop from May to October, while Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Western Australia produce their main crop through spring and summer, from October to March. Between them, you can get your fix of fresh Australian strawberries almost any month of the year.

Strawberries are in season year-round in Australia, with peak supply in spring.

Strawberry plants are propagated from runners, with runner stock grown in cooler regions (including Toolangi in Victoria, Stanthorpe in Queensland and parts of Tasmania) where winter chill triggers good flowering. According to Berries Australia, unlike tree fruit, strawberries are replanted each season. Plants fruit for one commercial season before being turned in. Most are grown in open fields with plastic mulch over fumigated beds to conserve moisture and keep fruit clean. Menzel (QLD DPI 2025) notes that less than 5% of Australian plantings are under any kind of structure. Plants are ready to pick 70 to 90 days after transplanting, and the industry still relies entirely on hand-picking for fresh-market fruit.

Berries Australia traces commercial strawberry growing in Victoria to the 1950s, when migrant families planted the Yarra Valley soils on Melbourne's outskirts. About 75% of Victoria's nearly 100 farms are still concentrated there, roughly 45 minutes from the CBD. Queensland developed its industry around two production zones. The Sunshine Coast lowlands supply the winter crop and the Granite Belt around Stanthorpe handles a complementary spring-summer season. Tasmania, SA's Adelaide Hills and WA's south-west complete the national map. Runners are sourced primarily from the University of California breeding program, with a growing proportion from Queensland and Victorian DPI programs.

According to ABS Horticulture Statistics, Australian growers produced 77,872 tonnes of strawberries worth $529.8 million in 2024/25, the most important berry crop and the second most important fruit category after bananas, per Menzel (QLD DPI 2025). About 87% goes to retail and 13% to food service. Exports are modest at around 2,674 tonnes, mainly to Asian markets. Output has bounced between 65,000 and 93,000 tonnes over the past decade, with value trending upward as growers shift to higher-yielding varieties. Queensland leads at roughly 39% of national production, followed by Victoria (33%), Tasmania (11%), WA (10%), SA (6%) and NSW (under 1%). Locally bred varieties from Queensland and Victorian DPI programs are gradually taking market share from the California-sourced cultivars that have historically dominated, according to Berries Australia.