Riverside orchard is an operating orchard consisting of 4200 Pink Lady, Sundowner, Fuji and Granny Smith apple trees.

At most times of the year there are seasonal tasks underway including pruning, mowing, thinning and picking.

Pink Lady apples are shown here in bins ready for transfer to local coolstores, where they will be sorted and packed for the domestic and export markets.

Apples are only picked in Western Australia between March and May, and no apples may be imported into this state due to quarantine restrictions.

In order to have apples available for most of the year most apples are placed into either cold air or controlled atmosphere storage.  WA bred Pink Lady and Sundowner apples are particularly suited to long term storage.

Apples are picked by hand into padded picking bags and then gently transferred into bins on trailers.

Backpacker labour is generally used for this task, with wages and conditions being set by award.

The bins are then transported to the pack-house by covered truck where they undergo a number of maturity and quality tests before the plastic liner, visible in these pictures, is sealed across the top of the bin before it is placed into the cool store to prevent dehydration of the fruit.

Sundowner apples ready for harvest.