NOTICE: Hard copies of the Australian New Crops Newsletter are available from the publisher, Dr Rob Fletcher. Details of availability are included in the
Advice on Publications Available.The following notes have been extracted, with the authors' permission from a series of Agnotes, most of which were developed by Ian Knox, of the Oz Rural Web site (http://www.ozrural.com), for the database of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, which can also be accessed through the NRE Web site (http://www.nre.vic.gov.au).
Product
Olive oil is produced by pressing, centrifuging or percolating olive paste. Demand for the product has risen in the 1990s, partly through medical links to low cholesterol and a reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.
Olive trees are suited to Mediterranean climates, comprising winter rainfall and hot dry summers, as occur in southern Australia. They can be very drought tolerant and have been grown in Australia for over one hundred years.
However, the olive industry has not developed in Australia because demand was low and hand harvesting was expensive. Most olive oil has previously been imported but labour costs are rising and export subsidies are falling in the traditional olive exporting countries of the Mediterranean basin.
At least sixty varieties of olive, including both table and oil types, are commercially available in Australia at present. Production requirements are described in the Agriculture Note available through http://www.ozrural.com or http://www.nre.vic.gov.au.
Marketing
Most olives are sold for oil production or commercial pickling. However, small groves may tap into the pick-your-own market or develop cottage industries developing green, black, herbed or stuffed whole olives or gourmet/gift value-added oil products.
For further information, contact:
Australian Olive Association
Ian Rowe, President
Fulcrum Enterprises
39 Somerton Road
Karrinyup Western Australia 6018
Telephone: 08 9245 2100
Facsimile: 08 9245 6331
Secretary/Treasurer/Membership
Sandra Vandenberg
PO Box 173
Muswellbrook NSW 2333
Telephone: 02 6547 9180
Facsimile: 02 6547 9180
Mobile: 015 633 383
Web site: http://www.australianolives.com.au/
Regional Olive Associations
Noel de Ferranti, President
Central West Olive Association
Rosnay Vineyards
Canowindra NSW 2804
Telephone: 02 9489 0746
Facsimile: 02 9489 0746
Susan Stilgoe, President
Clarence Catchment Olive Growers Association
Silver Spur
1178 Stockyard Creek Road
Stockyard Creek NSW 2460
Telephone: 02 6647 3173
Facsimile: 02 6647 3173
Colin Douglas, President
Gunnedah Olive Growers Association
PO Box 839
Gunnedah NSW 2380
Telephone: 02 6742 6533
Facsimile: 02 6742 6533
Ian Wolfgang, President
Hunter Valley Olive Association
Mevagissey
746 Baerami Creek Road
Baerami Creek NSW 2333
Tepehone: 02 6547 2363
Facsimile: 02 6547 2378
Les Parsons, President
Inverell and District Olive Growers Association
PO Box 67
Inverell NSW 2360
Telephone: 02 6722 3151
Facsimile: 02 6722 5387
Ken Grant
Orana Olives (Mudgee)
PO Box 700
Mudgee NSW 2575
Telephone: 02 6374 2388
Facsimile: 02 6374 2291
Warwick Grant, President
Riverina Olive Growers Association
Aldersyde
RMB 204
Coolamon NSW 2701
Telephone: 02 6921 2733
Facsimile: 02 6933 2812
Wendy Ambler, President
Southern Highlands Olive Growers Association
PO Box 747
Mittagong NSW 2575
Telephone: 02 4871 1659
Facsimile: 02 4871 1879
John Brown, President
Southern Tablelands Olive Growers Association Inc
PO Box 6193
Queanbeyan East NSW 2620
Telephone: 02 6238 2231
Facsimile: 02 6257 5232
Lang Martin, President
Tamworth and District Olive Growers Association
PO Box 1483
Tamworth NSW 2340
Telephone: 02 6760 9215
Facsimile: 02 6760 9215
John Egan, President
Western Olive Association
PO Box 2852
Dubbo NSW 2823
Telephone: 02 6833 5402
Facsimile: 02 6833 5414
Reg Dyer, President
Burnett Valley Olive Growers Association
PO Box 382
Kingaroy Queensland 4610
Telephone: 07 4162 5856
Facsimile: 07 4163 6024
Geoff Proudfoot, President
Lockyer Valley Olive Growers Association Inc
MS 437, Quarry Road
Gatton Queensland 4343
Telephone: 07 5466 5476
Facsimile: 07 5462 3613
Ken Robb, President
Western Downs Olive Group
Mongrove
MS 1448
Chinchilla Queensland 4413
Telephone: 07 4668 9132
Facsimile: 07 4665 3419
Bob Tait, President
Inglewood and Region Olive Association
PO Box 116
Inglewood Queensland 4387
Telephone: 07 4652 1323
Facsimile: 07 4652 1468
Andrea Hristofis, President
Olives South Australia
PO Box 806
Kent Town South Australia 5453
Telephone: 08 8332 9163
Facsimile: 08 8332 1522
Mobile: 0416 157 894
Arch Hewitt, President
Tasmanian Olive Industry Association Inc
Supplyby
PO Box 176
Exeter Tasmania 7275
Telephone: 03 6394 7365
Facsimile: 03 6394 7365
Michael Watkins, President
Frankland Olive Producers Association
RBM 218
Cranbrook Western Australia 6321
Telephone: 08 9826 7014
Facsimile: 08 9826 7004
Paul Fitzpatrick, President
Peel Olive Association
2 North Yunderup Road
North Yunderap Western Australia 6208
Mobile: 0419 907 120
Other contacts:
Ed Garing, President
Australian Olive Oil Association Inc
Telephone: 03 9696 2143
Facsimile: 03 9696 2127
AOOA represents importers of olive oil into Australia, it is an observer for Australia at the International Olive Oil Council (IOOC) and is responsible for monitoring, on behalf of the IOOC, the purity and chemical quality of olive oil sold in Australia.
Damian Conlan
NSW Agriculture
Yanco Agricultural Institute
Private Mail Bag
Yanco NSW 2703
Telephone: 02 6951 2512
Facsimile: 02 6951 2600
Email: damian.conlan@agric.nsw.gov.au
Olive Industry Listserver: ausolive-l@agric.nswgov.au
Dr Stan Kailis
Olive and Oil Specialist
Department of Plant Sciences
Faculty of Agriculture
Nedlands Western Australia 6907
Telephone: 08 9380 1644
Facsimile: 08 9380 1108
Professor Margaret Sedgley
Department of Horticulture, Viticulture and Oenology
Waite Institute, University of Adelaide
Glen Osmond South Australia 5064
Susan Sweeney
Industry Development Officer - Olives
Primary Industries and Resources South Australia
Lenswood Centre
Swamp Road
Lenswood South Australia 5240
Telephone: 08 8389 8800
Facsimile: 08 8389 8899
Dick Taylor
Industry Development Officer
Rural Innovation Centre
Agriculture Western Australia
South Perth Western Australia 6151
Telephone: 08 9368 3623
Facsimile: 08 9368 3791
Farm Diversification Information Service
Department of Natural Resources and Environment
Bendigo, Victoria 3550
Telephone: 1800 150 515 or 03 5430 4444
References
Hyde, KW (Ed)
New Rural Industries - A Handbook for Farmers and Investors
Available from the Rural Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC)
Kingston, ACT 2600
Telephone: 02 6272 4539
Facsimile: 02 6272 5877
Email: rirdc@netinfo.com.au
Web site: http://www.rirdc.gov.au
Price: AUD40+8 (postage); AUD40+14 (postage overseas)
The chapter on olives by Susan Sweeney and Gerry Davies is available from:
http://www.rirdc.gov.au/pub/handbook/olive.html
Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances. This material can be reproduced, with the provision that the source and the author (or editors, if applicable) are acknowledged and the use is for information or educational purposes. Contact with the original author is probably wise since the material may require updating or amendment if used in other publications. Material sourced from the Australian New Crops Newsletter cannot be used out of context or for commercial purposes not related to its original purpose in the newsletter
Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email:
r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au[
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GK; latest update 17 October 2001 by: RF