Christmas Tree Farm at Dural

I have a confession to make. I’m a huge Grinch when it comes to things Christmas and Christmassy. My sole concession to the season is a Christmas tree and if we are going to have a Christmas tree it has to be a real one not some ghastly plastic thing. For a while we bought them from the local scouts (as you do) until we realised that they had been trucked up from Victoria and placed in cold store for weeks which meant they died as soon as you got them home.
For the last 10 years or so we have been coming here. The deal is that they open up in November (if you are on their mailing list they send you an email with the date) and you go out there and select your tree from the many thousands of trees growing in their fields. They tag it (using a very elaborate triple tagging system to avoid treenapping) and the week before Christmas you go out there again and a nice man with a chainsaw murders it for you right on the spot. They can also wrap it in netting to help get it home.
The advantage of a freshly murdered tree is that it will last the whole season without dying and dropping all its needles everywhere.
They aren’t cheap — a 6 foot tree will set you back nearly 80 bucks but then the local scouts charge the same and theirs were murdered weeks ago. These are good value.
They also have a huge barn dedicated to decorations. If you like flashy displays of social conformity then this is the place for you. They have everything from almost tasteful lengths of fairly lights right up the huge, animated, glowing, flashing, Santa tableau’s that look like you will need to call builders in to re-​enforce the roof before you install them.
Be warned, you need to get in quick. The good trees get snapped up real quick. Join their mailing list so you get the notification. Otherwise you may well miss out. You can also ring up and order over the phone and they will deliver (for a fee).

When I was a young whippersnapper our Christmas tree lived in a ratty box in the hall cupboard and it didn’t see the light of day until Dec 1 each year.
All the while a whole world of fresh and spritely trees were growing ready for eager families each year. It’s taken me 30 years to say I’ve seen a Christmas tree farm and let me tell you it’s an experience for young and old.
We visited Dural Christmas Tree farm with extended family on their first weekend of the season. By the time we arrived at 11 there was already plenty of trees with pink and yellow ribbons tied around them. This indicates they’ve been purchased. So, our adventure began looking for the perfect tree that had a blue or no ribbon. You’ve got ample choice right up to 9ft tall and this means there’s sizes to meet all budgets and spaces.
For kids there’s a jumping castle and baby animal farm. A sausage sizzle is on hand for hungry shoppers.
Once your tree is selected it’s delivered to you on a designated date or if you’re able, you can take it with you.

It’s not Christmas unless it smells like Christmas! For people who like their trees free range, not out of a box.
It’s a bit of a hike from the city, but a nice drive. The staff are friendly and happy to help.
Open every day in December, they also offer delivery and pick-up*service for a moderate fee — depending on your location. Check the website for full price list. (*ever wondered what to do with your tree AFTER Christmas?)
Making our trip on the 2^nd week of December, they seemed to have a fairly large range of stock — but they were out of 5″ trees. As well as growing on site, they truck a few in, so it would be prudent to call before you make the trip if you’re after a particular size.
The trees are a little on the pricier side, ranging from $ 60 — $ 150+ depending on size.