This community orchard is a great place to visit – pop along at various times in the summer and autumn, and choose from a selection of apples, plums, blackcurrants, damsons, blackberries, and elderberries (just make sure you only take a couple, and leave enough for others). If you have little ones, this is a great way to teach them about different plants as you can bring them along and let them have a go at picking (and eating) some of the ripe fruits. When you sample some of the fruit in this orchard, consider that you are tasting the character of Thornbury – the literal fruits of its history, people, climate, soil, and water. Certainly food for thought!
Orchards are evocative places ripe for contemplation – synonymous with both human tradition and culture. Indeed, the latin noun malus can mean either ‘apple’ or ‘evil’, hence why the ‘tree of knowledge of good and evil’ in the Garden of Eden is often depicted as an apple tree (interestingly, the ‘Eden’ variety apple was developed in local Rockhampton). Moreover, the trees and plants you encounter in orchards have often been cultivated over hundreds or even thousands of years – they form part of our cultural treasure and are distinctly local.