Description
Valid Until 31 March 2025
Tropical Fruit World Park tour (NO Transfer)
The Tweed Coast adjoins the Gold Coast. Its hinterland is the stunningly beautiful Tweed Valley. The Coastline incorporates long stretches of pristine white sand beaches, interrupted by magnificent headlands. World class surf and reef breaks, vibrant communities and an excellent array of holiday accommodation, entice and entrance all visitors.
The Tweed Valley is a vast natural amphitheatre which is recognised, along with the Daintree and Kakadu as being one of the three most bio-diverse regions in Australia. It was formed 20 million years ago by a massive shield volcano which carved out a crater 50 kilometres in diameter. Mt Warning is the 1,157 metre centre or plug of the volcano which dominates the landscape. It is the first part of Australia to catch the rays of the rising sun and was named by Captain Cook on May 16, 1770.
The Aboriginal inhabitants of the area attached great significance to the mountain, calling it "Wollumbin", which means "cloud-catcher" or "weather-maker".
The volcanic crater is now a plain traversed by the picturesque Tweed River and devoted almost entirely to growing sugar cane. The sugar harvest takes place between June and December, at which time farmer’s burn off the cane in the evening in preparation for the next 3 or 4 days of harvesting. Night after night the Tweed Valley is illuminated by many small fires in the cane fields.
The rich volcanic soils and high rainfall support some virginal rainforests of exceptional beauty and grandeur. The Tweed region boasts three World Heritage National Parks.
The deep red soil is also ideally suited to growing the extensive range of sub-tropical fruit and nut crops at Tropical Fruit World. The fertility of the soil means that most of the trees require very little fertiliser.
The sub-tropical climate provides an average summer temperature of 28°C and an average winter temperature of 21°C. The average rainfall is 1690 mm. Tropical Fruit World has large water catchment areas for irrigation during the drier months from September to December. Harvesting is a year round task at Tropical Fruit World and is mainly done by hand with mechanical assistance from cherry pickers, tractors and other 4wd vehicles. There is always some fruit in season and the many different varieties of avocados are harvested between March and October.
The fruit from Tropical Fruit World is sold to the wholesale markets in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth and at the Fruit Market of Tropical Fruit World.
Gold Coast Optional tours
http://www.tropicalfruitworld.com.au/