Young is now home to its first ever Christmas Tree Farm thanks to the enterprising Wright family, who, for four years, have dug and stomped hundreds of tiny tubestock trees into the ground. Photo: Chontelle Perrin.
A Young family’s spur-of-the-moment idea has grown – quite literally – into one of the Hilltops region’s most anticipated festive events, with the grand opening of the Hilltops Christmas Tree Farm set to draw hundreds of visitors this Saturday evening.
For owner Liz Wright, the concept was born after years of loading her four children into a trailer and driving from Young to Canberra in search of a real Christmas tree.
Her husband, Alex, who she jokes is “a bit of a Grinch”, half-seriously suggested they grow a few trees on their newly purchased property instead.
“He meant, like, 10 trees,” Liz said, “and I thought, that’s actually a great idea. Driving to Canberra every year to get a tree is such a hassle – I’m sure other people from Young feel the same way.”
That offhand suggestion snowballed faster than the Wrights could have imagined.
Liz sourced radiata pines from a supplier near Orange, albeit a modified variety known for its bushy, compact form and quick growth.
“Forestry trees are bred to shoot up tall and skinny, but we wanted proper Christmas trees,” she said. “If left alone, these’ll still reach 20 metres, but we trim them at least twice a year to get that perfect festive shape.”
The trees are tough cookies: they require little to no water, shrug off frosts and thrive in the annual dry hot summers characteristic of the NSW South West Slopes.
Alex must have wondered what the heck happened because over four years, Liz and her family have planted around 3000 trees, carefully staggering each planting so there’s always a fresh crop ready for the season.
But family involvement has been key to the farm’s success.
Alex tills and sprays the ground while Liz and the children plant the trees, which arrive in boxes of 100.
“Once Alex is done, the kids and I come along, poke a hole in the ground with a shovel, one kid will put a tree in, the next will stamp down the ground,” Liz said. “It’s a little production line.”
So enthusiastic was their six-year-old daughter, when there was a monetary incentive on offer, she persuaded her mum she was sick, to stay home from school, then suggested they plant trees.
“I said, ‘OK, we’ll do one box,'” Liz said. “She ended up planting 600 trees by herself.”
“She wanted to get in before the boys did.”
Liz said her passion for Christmas was at the heart of the farm.
“I’m such a Christmas person; I have three trees in my house every year,” she said. “It’s the smell of the trees, the whole festive feeling, and I just don’t like the plastic ones.”
She’s also got a bit of a green thumb – already transforming some of their acreage into a dahlia farm which are picked fresh for delivery to local homes and businesses.
“But come Christmas there are really no trees between here, Orange, Canberra and Wagga,” she said. “We want to fill that gap and make it easy for families to get a real Christmas tree.”
That’s why she plans to explore wholesale channels and local pick-up points, with a view to making fresh Christmas trees more accessible across the region in the future.
The grand opening this weekend promises a full community Christmas experience, not just tree sales, involving local volunteer groups and businesses supporting two local charities.
The family-friendly evening, from 5 to 7 pm Saturday, will include a visit from Santa, live Christmas carols by the Sing Australia Choir and a variety of market stalls, including Belle Boo’s hand-poured soy candles and reed diffusers, Charms of Joy’s handmade bags and jewellery and Willa’s Jams, with its locally made preserves.
Visitors can also enjoy a barbecue prepared by the Young Rural Fire Service (RFS), with all sales supporting its firefighting efforts and Bulla Creek Brewery’s pop-up bar offering refreshments.
Event photography will be provided by Chontelle Perrin Photography, and attendees can purchase photos after the event, with 50 per cent of proceeds being donated to Young Crisis Accommodation Centre (YCAC).
YCAC is also set to benefit further from the event, with $5 entry per car donated directly to the organisation.
As parking is limited, tickets must be prepurchased online, with no gate sales available.
“It’s all about bringing the community together to celebrate,” she said. “We wanted this to be a fun, festive event for families to enjoy together and to mark the start of the Christmas season.”
Liz said visitors were coming from Canberra and surrounding towns, all eager to tag and reserve their chosen trees.
Families who reserve a tree during the grand opening can return over the last weekend of November and the first weekend in December to collect it.
Community response has been overwhelming.
“I’m gobsmacked at how excited people are,” Liz said.
Even Alex appears to have embraced Christmas.
“I still call him the Grinch,” she said, laughing. “I have bought him a Grinch outfit to wear on the weekend.
“Yeah, I think he’s come around to the idea. He probably has learned not to resist.”
The Hilltops Christmas Tree Farm is located just east of Young on Dananbilla Drive.
For tickets and event updates, visit @hilltopschristmastreefarm on Facebook or Instagram.
Original Article published by Edwina Mason on About Regional.
