If you haven’t been to Tropical Fruit World yet, you’re missing out on a fabulous day out for the family! This little beauty can be just over the NSW border in Duranbah, and was originally founded in 1983 as Avocadoland (hence the photo in front of the giant avocado). The farm was then renamed Tropical Fruit World in recognition of the amazing variety of fruits that are now grown on the 165 acre property.
There are more than 500 fruits from all around the world growing at Tropical Fruit World, and regardless of the season, you will find a range of tropical fruit varieties to taste and discover. What really makes this place a great attraction though, are all the activities on offer, available by purchasing a ticket to the Farm Tour.
The Farm Tours will generally start with a fruit tasting session (sometimes you will do this at the end instead) where you will get to try a range of different tropical fruits grown onsite at Tropical Fruit World, some of which you may never have heard of before! Some of the more interesting options are chocolate pudding fruit, jackfruit and pomello – there are some very interesting textures to be sampled! After the tasting session, your tractor train arrives and you jump on board for a fully guided park tour.
First stop was among the banana trees, where you can pick and eat delicious lady finger bananas straight from the tree, crack open macadamia nuts and watch native bees coming and going from their hive. The Barn is your next stop, where you can feed and pat kangaroos, sheep, alpacas and miniature horses. Located in a really shady area with plenty of space to spread out, it’s a nice stop for those little ones who might have had enough of sitting down!
From here, the transport type changes and you climb on to the wildlife boat for a short cruise around the waterways. The boat drops you off on ‘The Island’, a small island that is connected to the rest of the property by bridge. This is a great spot for kids to burn off some more energy and finish off the visit. You get about 20 minutes to spend here, and there is a playground, huge sandpit, flying fox, mini golf, volley ball net, picnic tables and a Bush Tucker sampling station.
With the tour almost finished, it’s a short tractor train ride back to the beginning where you can spend some time looking through the fruit market, gift shop and cafe. It’s beautiful to grab a spot out on the grassed lawn and the kids can play in the huge sandpit while you relax.
A ticket for Tropical Fruit World includes all activities and the tour and tasting takes about 2.5 hours.
This really is such a great alternative to the traditional theme park and we enjoyed ourselves so much. We have visited Tropical Fruit World in both summer and winter time and there is no bad time to visit – the fruits on offer are still plentiful and it’s always a great experience.
Need to know:
Cost: Locals prices: Adults $29.50, Children $19.50 (0-4yrs free). Prices differ for those not from the Tweed, Gold Coast, Byron, Ballina and Lismore areas.
Hours: 9am – 4pm, Sunday – Friday. 8am – 4pm, Saturday.
Location: 29 Duranbah Road, Duranbah, NSW
Accessibility: Prams are not permitted on the tour vehicles.
