The aim of this map is allow people access to free fruit in the community, reduce the rotten fruit on the ground (and wasps) and to improve the health of the trees.
It is important to remember:
– picking fruit from private land without permission is stealing, ask permission first
– safety first, only pick fruit where it safe to do so
– don’t be greedy, leave some fruit for the next person
– wash fruit and watch out for the bugs!
The Public Fruit Tree map is usually hosted by fallingfruit.org which provide a global map of all known fruit trees on public land. Their site also makes it super easy to add your own trees that you have found.
Our council made the following statement in regard to foraging for fruit on public land:
‘The Launceston City Council encourages sustainability practices within the Northern Tasmanian community and has no objection to members of the public taking fruit or other produce from street trees or trees within the Council’s public reserves. However, the taking of fruit or other produce should only be done in locations where it is safe to do so, using methods which are also safe. Fruit and other produce should not be collected from roads or from trees by climbing or using ladders. The Council does not spray these trees with insecticides or pesticides, so care should be taken to ensure any fruit or produce collected is free from insects’.
Please contact your local council to find whether they support this activity.
Contact details
Facebook: facebook/urbanfarmingtasmania
Website: urbanfarmingtasmania.org
Email: urbanfarmingtasmania@hotmail.com
Twitter: @urbanfarmingtas
Mail: C/O Bracknell Post Office
urban farming tasmania 
How can I access the map and add to it? There are lime trees at the University’s Newnham campus; there are fig trees outside the city branch of TasTAFE and there are bound to be more around which I just can’t think of at the moment.
The lime trees I went to look at last week. I found two trees between the library and one of the science buildings, they are green currently but one or two on top are turning very yellow, I think they are lemons. I wonder if these are the limes trees or are there lemons? Yes, the figs outside Tafe, very well manicured, I have been menaing to add these for a while, thanks for reminding me, keep the suggestion coming! its much easier when they have fruit.
limes turn yellow when they are ripe, this does not mean they are lemons.
very true
Care to answer the question that was asked: How can I access the map and add to it?
Just curious as there are fruit trees along the cycle path in New Town as well, stone fruit at a guess.
The kind people at fallenfruit.org now host all of our tree locations. We made this transition as they already have a huge global map of fruit trees, and they allow people to add locations without an account – so it’s super simple. if you click on the map image on this page, you will be taken to the Tasmania section and you are free to add as many as you like.
Just wondering if Heritage Park is considered Public, if so, there are apple trees on the tracks near the playground. There are also lots of apple trees on the sides of Pipers River Road.
Heritage Forest is owned and maintained by Launceston City Council, which means that it is public land the same as all other council parks.
There are also several apple trees on Mayfield Street, Mayfield
cheers we will add this soon, we will be going through a quit period till we sort the legality of picking fruit on public land, please come and support us in 2 weeks 17th June for a fruit and veg share
cheers
Hi I just found your site posted on facebook, what a great idea! We have a few apple trees on the back road to Deloraine between Westbury and Exton for you to add too 🙂
cheers we will add this soon, we will be going through a quit period till we sort the legality of picking fruit on public land, please come and support us in 2 weeks 17th Juen for a fruit and veg share
no worries, look forward to it
Do the different colours mean a certain type of fruit tree. I believe the trees at UTAS are lemons
Yes generally we have tried to make icons match the type of tree, if click on the icon it tells you what the tree is and sometimes with a photo
Great apple tree in Heriatage forest Lamont st entrance in invermay, over little bridge turn left and follow the backs of the houses and you will reach it!
sounds great will check it out, cheers
I think it would be a great idea to push the councils to create “food parks” a place like the botanical gardens where only fruitand nut trees and edible plants are grown for the public, they could be created by people on a work for unemployment scheme.
we going to start with getting approval this year from the 22 councils in the state and build momentum and then next year this is our plan is for public fruit orchards
huge pear tree in Elizabeth town on the right hand side of the highway near forest lodge. Large shoulder on road side plenty of room to pull over. half a dozen apple trees on side of road just past mole creek headed cradle mountain direction
There are Plum trees alongside the Sorell river behind the tennis courts and park. We’ve been picking plums from them for 2 years now. They make fabulous jam too!
cheers, thats great, not many for that area so if you find more let us know!
Bridgette
There are Olive trees at the Rose lane park, Glen Dhu, right next to the convict/pioneer memorial walk.
cheers, I will check them out, thats a new one
Bridgette
Would be great if the map could put the approximate harvest season eg pine nuts?
There is a quince tree over hanging the footpath from a house On the corner of paternoster row and Patrick st on the paternoster row side. in North Hobart. 🙂
cheers for that they would be ready now and easy to spot!
If they are overhanging from a house, doesn’t that mean the fruit belongs to the people who own the house and tree?
Yes this is correct, if the tree is on private land then it is the property of the land over, even if it hangs over a fence. You should always ask permission first if you aren’t sure. We ahve just transitioned all the location onto fallenfruit.org, which now manage the map and identifies which trees are on public and private land.
Absolutely brilliant idea. Keep on mapping!
Hi there are lots of plumb trees in Mayfield you could add to the map.
thankyou
People are posting the locations of fruit trees on private property that may have branches overhanging the fence. Although it may be ‘legal’ to help yourself I don’t believe it is particularly community minded and would ask people not post the locations without the consent of the owners of the trees and if people are foraging from trees like this take the time to knock on the door and ask first. I have been caught out like this with people not only helping themselves but breaking branches as they try to access the fruit. I am quite happy to share my surplus but not only have to meet the demands of my family but also friends and neighbours – it is most upsetting to find I cannot do this when people have just ‘helped themselves’ without my knowledge 😦
HI There, agree completely. if the tree is hanging over a fence onto public land, the branches are technical still the property of the land owner and then it becomes theft. 95% of the time, if you knock on the door and ask nicely the land owner usually gives you permission to pick. We have a few sites where we do this with quinces, which we turn into paste and jelly, the land owner always gets a share of the resulting produce as a thank you.
All of our locations have now been transferred to the fallingfruit.org website (click map image on this post) which provides people with the option of adding if the tree is on public or private land as well as general notes.
Blackberries starting to ripen everywhere on Slab Road, Cygnet. Plenty for lots of pickers!
Is there nothing around for the North West Coast?
There are a few on the map, but the only way the location can be determined is if people add them. The new fallenfruit.org map allows anybody to add trees that they find without an account
Many years ago (probably 35 or so), we were holidaying in Ulverstone. The parks along the river banks had borders of lush parsley around the flower beds. We were going to a New Year’s Eve party and I asked the kids to go and get some of this parsley to use in our food contribution – they absolutely refused, saying it was ‘stealing’. How things have changed FOR THE BETTER…….. I wonder if the flower beds still sport a parsley border?
there are apricot trees along the bike track near New Town Station nursery
there’s plum trees in the linear park along the rivulet & chestnut trees outside the cascade brewery. blackberries everywhere in that park too.
i have no issue with people picking from public places, but not private trees overhanging fences! what if owners don’t want people reaching up & picking things off their trees? i’ve seen the odd branch snapped off by inconsiderate help-yourselfers!
Yes this is correct, if the tree is on private land then it is the property of the land over, even if it hangs over a fence. You should always ask permission first if you aren’t sure. We have just transitioned all the locations onto fallenfruit.org, which now manage the map and identifies which trees are on public and private land.
Anything at all in the north west area
There are a few on the map, but the only way the location can be determined is if people add them. The new fallenfruit.org map allows anybody to add trees that they find without an account
Is there something that can be done to stop councils spraying blackberries? I understand they can be a menace at times however, they grow back whether they are sprayed or trimmed, so why can’t the ones that have become an obstruction just be trimmed? There are SO MANY around where I live and most of them have now been sprayed. 😦
Hi,
There is an almond tree in deloraine beside the river just down from the war memorial, blackberries at westbury recreation ground along the fence line and blood plums in westbury at the west end of shadforth street and two apple trees between westbury and deloraine on the Meander Valley hwy.
Does anyone know if its ok to plant out fruit trees and veggies behind houses in council reserves that are never going to be built on and are only rough areas of terrain?
People do it but the council does not approve it!
How brilliant!
Maybe it’s just me but the map does seem to be pretty useless. 52 sites given for Hobart. When you click on it you get a map of Hobart. Great. You might as well just wander the streets of Hobart as the map gives no further precision
Hi there,
thanks for the heads up.
our dataset is still listed as being imported last year, but for some reason all of the locations have dropped off their site.
UPDATE 19/2/16 – The falling fruit website has fixed their links and all the located trees are now visible. The happened to their entire database, not just Tasmania. All good now