Delicious oranges
According to Citrus Australia, the production of citrus began in this country in 1787 with the First Fleet introducing plantations of lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruit and mandarins to Sydney. The climate, with dry and hot summers and rainy winters, resulted in dependably flavour-packed and richly coloured fruit. Now, more than 28,000 hectares of citrus belong to 1900 growers within five major regions.
The five main regions that Citrus Australia highlights as major orange producers are the Murray Valley, Riverina, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
A whopping 40 per cent of Australian citrus is processed into juice. The most popular juicing variety is Valencia, which has a sweeter flavour profile. Juice that is produced locally is labelled with an “Aussie Grown” endorsement logo or labelled “Product of Australia”.
