Lisadurne Hill

Lisadurne Hill (www.lisadurnehill.com.au) is an olive grove with 27,000 trees about 5 kms west of Rushworth.  We market four EVOO labels – three in 500ml bottles and one in 3L tins – together with a 250ml bottle of Lime Agrumato.  Our EVOO has a reputation for quality and consistency.  In the latest Australian International Olive Awards we gained 3 Gold Medals, 1 silver and 1 bronze award.  Our best oil this year – ‘Rushworth Gold’ scored 91 out of a 100 in a very large field.  One of the gold medals was for our Kalamata table olives.

The best accompaniment for a great EVOO is an equally sensational Balsamic Vinegar.  We grow Trebbiano grapes that are pressed after harvest with the grape juice then being simmered down for 3 days till it is one third of its volume (Mosto Cotto).  Two thirds of the Mosto Cotto is put into our Classic Balsamic batteria and aged for a minimum of 5 years, with the rest of the Mosto Cotto (a sweet and complex syrup) being sold.  Both of these products have gained a dedicated following.

More recently we have begun planting a small commercial rose garden for making a rose hydrosol.  The roses are picked and put into a copper still to make the distilled rose hydrosol.  Our first commercial harvest was in 2022 and we are slowly building a following – we would love to find a bulk buyer for some of this product.  Our ‘Angus’ EVOO is used in the preparation of a Rejuvenating Oil that has been very well received.

We sell our product at Farmers’ markets – Flemington, Coburg, Alphington, Tallarook, Euroa, Girgarre and Bendigo – and sell bulk oil to a few supermarkets together with food outlets.  Currently Mitchelton Winery and Fowles use our oil in their kitchens and our boutique EVOO labels are sold in their providores.

The grove is on an old family farm called Lisadurne that was purchased in a land sale in 1876 and has been in the one family ever since.  In 1980 my mother started a large garden around the late C19th house.  The well grown trees now provide shade and back drop to the rest of the garden.  Since 2016 the garden has been enlarged and redeveloped.  While some areas are still a work in progress the garden is lovely.  This year we are opening up the garden and our product for tasting for bus trips and small groups by appointment.