HOBSONS BAY, VICTORIA

Olives to Oil

HARVEST AND OIL PRODUCTION

At 3000acres we not only want to see more people growing more food in more places, we’re also passionate about making the most of the abundance that Melbourne’s streets, parks and productive gardens produce. Each year since 2018, we have hosted an Olives to Oil Harvest Festival. All around Melbourne there are olive trees that aren’t currently being harvested, many of which were planted by Italian and Greek immigrants following WWII. Many people don’t know how to process olives, and making olive oil is a complex and time intensive process. 3000acres fixes this problem by coordinating a weekend communal harvesting event where people can come together, harvest olives and have them pressed communally into delicious, local olive oil. 

In 2018, supported by Hobsons Bay City Council, we partnered with Barfold Olives to launch a community olive harvesting and pressing project to create a truly local Melbourne olive oil. Hobsons Bay Council has advanced street-tree mapping data and we identified 900 olive trees throughout the municipality that produce an undervalued crop. Making olive oil is an energy intensive task that requires specialist equipment and is therefore out of reach for most home gardeners or foragers. This project encouraged people to get together with their friends to harvest olives and bring them to several drop-off points to be taken away for pressing. 3000acres provided how-to guides and coordinated all the logistics for collection and transport of the olives, and delivery back to participants of the freshly pressed oil.

This has become an annual event and a wild success with over 500 people participating in 2019, collectively harvesting 2495kgs of olives which would have otherwise gone to waste. The program continues to grow and expand, if you’re interested in learning more or getting involved, check out our Olives to Oil Harvest Festival page.