Young

Young lies in the granite hill country of the southwest slopes, where cherries have been grown commercially since the 1870s and the district still produces a large share of the national crop. From late October through December the orchards open for pick-your-own, and the National Cherry Festival, running since 1950, fills the town in early December with a street parade and cherry-pit spitting competitions. Beyond fruit, the town has a heavier history: the Lambing Flat riots of 1860 and 1861, in which Chinese miners on the goldfields were violently driven off, took place here, and the Lambing Flat Folk Museum holds the roll-up banner carried by the rioters, a difficult object displayed with context.

What you actually see

• The cherry orchards - pick-your-own farms through the harvest weeks.
• The Cherry Festival - the December street festival and parade.
• The folk museum - Lambing Flat history including the riot banner.
• The granite hill country - orchards and paddocks around the town.

When to go

November to December for cherries, with the exact window shifting each year with the season; the festival falls in early December. Outside harvest there is little fruit-related activity. Summer is hot and the district dries out quickly.

Honest expectations

The cherry season is short and weather-dependent, and hail or rain can end it early. Orchards charge for entry and picking. The town itself is a modest country centre with limited accommodation, which fills during the festival.

Nearby

Cowra and its Japanese garden lie north; Harden and Boorowa are close by.