About Us
Welcome to Ancara Estate, our cherry orchard in the beautiful Adelaide Hills of South Australia.
Established in 1997
Okay, so while Ancara Estate was established when we moved here at the beginning of 2022, the 'Ancara' part of the equation has been going strong for 25 years (and counting).
Ancara derives from our names, Andrzej and Carolyn Aleksandrowicz - two high school sweethearts who started off in the western suburbs of Adelaide, but always dreamt of living the Adelaide Hills life. That dream finally became a reality for us here in Lenswood.
Life in the Adelaide Hills
We love everything about the Adelaide Hills - the lush greenery, the wildlife, the serenity. We love being in the outdoors - hiking, cycling (and huffing and puffing) and have always enjoyed growing our own produce - starting in our own garden plot in the suburbs to running an olive grove for a while on the Coorong.
Our move to Lenswood came with a bonus - a working cherry orchard and pick your own cherry business. So while we weren't originally planning on having a productive hills property, we thought - let's give it a go!
The Orchardist
Andrzej (pronounced 'Andre') is a Polish-born, electrician and one-time GM turned full-time farmer, orchardist, primary producer, landscape designer, builder, viticulturalist...the list goes on!
Andrzej can be found out in the orchard spraying, fertilising, pruning (and wearing down the horn on the tractor), or by the lake (okay, dam) dreaming up what's next for the Estate! He'll be the one to greet you as you mosey on up to the orchard with cherry fever in your eyes!
The Farm Hand
Carolyn is a nurse turned Compliance Manager of a day hospital group by day, and a fertiliser, pruner (the short trees are hers), irrigator and jam-maker in her spare (ha!) time.
Carolyn will be greeting you with a smile from the booth as you stretch your legs from the drive and prepare to pick as many cherries as your bucket can carry.
Sooty & the Flock
Lead by Sooty, this flock of dorper sheep keep our grass mowed and generally in tip-top shape throughout the year.
Meet Lilly
Meet Lilly - our Cane Corso (with her brother in the background). Lilly alerts us to the presence of kangaroos out the window, birds in the yard, the sheep laying around on the job, possums on the roof... you get the idea.
Meet Beau
Lilly's brother Beau thinks he's a lap dog - all 60kg of him! Beau loves running through the orchard with Lilly in tow, and splashing in the dam at the end of a hard day of lap-sitting.
A Place to Enjoy
We hope your visit gives you the opportunity to slow down, enjoy the Adelaide Hills countryside and experience the simple pleasure of picking cherries straight from the tree.
Plan Your Visit to Ancara Estate
Find out everything you need to know before visiting our orchard in Lenswood.
Visitor Information