Cherry Pie and a Picnic
05 December 2023 / Words by Mike Lawless. Photos by Peter Wilson, Rod Nicholas, Michele Blackburn
It had rained heavily during the week, and the skies were cloudy on Friday morning as we all rocked up at Daughters at Hall for an almost compulsory pre-run coffee. Fifteen of us crammed around a table as we prepared for the short 130 km run with an hour or so of gas-bagging erudite conversations, all cautiously optimistic that we’d have a dry day for cherry picking. We set off in nine MX-5s (seven of them red of various hues) to brave the interminable work on the Barton Highway, very much a work in progress.
As it turned out we were in luck, weatherwise and cherry-wise.
The Cherry Pickers
Our run took us via Yass and Harden to the Allambie Orchard at Wombat - known for its picturesque landscapes. Arriving at the orchard - quietly bustling with customers eager for some cherry-picking – we were greeted by Rupert the cherry orchard owner who welcomed us with warmth and enthusiasm. [We were warned that the next day (a Saturday, and the start of the Young Cherry Festival), would be ‘chaos’. It was, as I found out on a return visit with a few of my family, but there were still plenty of sweet cherries to be picked. - Rod N]
Eager to dive into the cherry-picking experience, we grabbed baskets and scattered among the rows of cherry trees. The season has been good so far, and the cherries were plump and juicy, and easily plucked from the trees. It took less than 30 minutes to fill our baskets – five kilos to the top, and we needed to pick from only a couple of trees each.
After an exhausting 30 minutes of cherry-picking fun, we adjourned to the cafe for a light lunch. The home-made cherry pie and cherry ice cream were very popular. John B had instructions from home – bring back a pie. He approached the staff, ‘How much for a pie?’ ‘We don’t sell the pies, its only by the slice’ was the reply. ‘Well,’ said JB, ‘how many slices do you get from a pie?’ ‘Six.’ ‘OK. I’ll have six slices please, but don’t bother to cut them’. He got the pie and wins the ‘Best Line of the Day’ Award. Quite clearly officer material.
Six slices, not cut
We then returned to Canberra, some of us directly and some via a coffee shop at Boorowa.
The roads were all in good condition, but busy, and clearly building up towards to weekend festival at Young. Glad we did it before the weekend!
