The Harvest Group finds neglected fruit trees in local backyards and links these with volunteers who harvest the excess fruit to share amongst themselves and the local community. The volunteers are also trained in fruit tree maintenance and return to give all trees some TLC throughout winter and spring, ensuring the continued health and vigour of these trees.

Pruning workshop with the Harvest Group

Volunteers are given a third of the fruit from the harvest as well as the free training workshops.

Fruit tree owners keep a third of the fruit and volunteers then help to maintain and care for their trees. 

The remaining third of the fruit harvested is distributed in the community.

Collectively, during the 2011 season, we gathered over 2 tonnes of fruit from backyards around the shire, most of it going to local school children.

We also bottled over 200 jars of fruit, served 350 pancakes to hungry festival goers and gave away about 100 kilograms of apples in a matter of minutes during the Castlemaine Fringe Festival.

If you want to get involved, please contact us by phone: (03)5472 4842 or email: harvest@cch.org.au

PDF forms for download -

• to register as a Harvest Volunteer
• for 2012 fruit Harvest Records
• for 2012 Harvest Tree Maintenance

Our very own Carmen Mirandas

During the Castlemaine Fringe and State Festivals  a few of our harvest volunteers dressed as Carmen Miranda to rove around and hand out some of the apples we’ve been harvesting to the folk on the streets.

Check out a short video of them here. This is just a small part of the two tonnes of fruit we shared from trees around Mount Alexander Shire.

Let us know if you’ve got more fruit than you can pick or use! And we need more people to help with the harvest

The Carmens were out again in full force during the Castlemaine Agricultural Show Parade . . .