Olive Groves

Olea europea (olive)
Planning
Site Preparation
Establishment

Australia experienced an olive boom from the mid 1990’s and we planned and established over 35,000 trees (140ha) in about 20 groves across Victoria and southern New South Wales from 1997-2002.

In doing so we developed some world-firsts, including the the first ever olive groves established following Keyline geometry; development of ‘straight-line Keyline’ row layouts; as well as symmetrical quincunx pattern within the equidistant curvature of ‘Keyline Geometry’ layouts—all in the pre-tractor guidance system (i.e. GPS) era. This was largely thanks to working closely with Konrad Ensor, who was our full-time surveyor and CAD technician from 1998-2001. These innovations continue to inspired people all over the world.

In most cases, thanks to the hard work of the clients we worked for and those that have followed, these trees continue to thrive, with many of these groves producing extra virgin olive oil which has won international and local awards.

2012 - Mount Egerton (VIC, AU) - Manna Hill Estate Satellite - Image Credit: Google Earth Pro (Landsat Copernicus)
2001 - Mount Egerton (VIC, AU) - Manna Hill Estate Layout Design - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty & Konrad Ensor)
2024 - Mount Egerton - Manna Hill Estate Satellite Topo - Image Credit: Google Earth Pro (Maxar) & Geoscience Australia DEM Data
2001 - Mount Egerton (VIC, AU) - Manna Hill Estate - Front Gate - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2024 - Mount Egerton (VIC, AU) - Manna Hill Estate Front Gate - Image Credit: Campbell Mercer
2016 - Mount Egerton - Manna Hill Estate Aerial - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2018 - Mount Egerton - Manna Hill Estate interrow pasture crop (Hordeum vulgare - barley) - Image Credit: Campbell Mercer
2022 - Mount Egerton - Manna Hill Estate Aerial - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2022 - Mount Egerton - Manna Hill Estate Aerial - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2022 - Mount Egerton - Manna Hill Estate Aerial - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2024 - Mount Egerton (VIC, AU) - Manna Hill Estate International Gold medal extra virgin olive oil - Image Credit: Campbell Mercer
2024 - Mount Egerton (VIC, AU) - Manna Hill Estate extra virgin olive oil products - Image Credit: Campbell Mercer
2024 - Mount Egerton (VIC, AU) - Manna Hill Estate olive harvest using a Sicma shaker - Image Credit: Campbell Mercer
2025 - Mount Egerton - Sustainable Farming magazine ‘Grove New World’ by Campbell Mercer, Page 1 of 2 - Image Credit: Sustainable Farming magazine (A Greener World)
2025 - Mount Egerton - Sustainable Farming magazine ‘Grove New World’ by Campbell Mercer, Page 2 of 2 - Image Credit: Sustainable Farming magazine (A Greener World)
2000 - Baringhup West (VIC, AU) - Boundary Farm pre-planting soil preparation using a Yeomans Keyline Plow and disc mounders we made using Yeomans’ coulter assemblies - Notice the two wooden stakes at the top left; this being the pre-GPS method we used of marking out straight rows. If you could see two stakes then you were off the line - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2000 - Baringhup West (VIC, AU) - Boundary Farm 3000 tree Olive grove (planted in 2000)
2013 - Baringhup West (VIC, AU) - Boundary Farm Olive grove (planted in 2000) - Image Credit: Google Earth Pro (Maxar)
2021 - Baringhup West (VIC, AU) - Boundary Farm Olive grove with the removal of over half of the trees underway (planted in 2000) - Image Credit: Google Earth Pro (Maxar)
2021 - Baringhup West (VIC, AU) - Boundary Farm Olive grove with the removal of over half of the trees (planted in 2000) - Image Credit: Google Earth Pro (Maxar)
2025 - Baringhup West (VIC, AU) - Boundary Farm reduced Olive grove (planted in 2000) - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2003 - Barfold (VIC, AU) - Kyneton Olive Oil’s original Barfold grove, inter-cropped with Medicago sativa (alfalfa/lucerne) with pruned trees at year 4 (established 1999) - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2011 - Barfold (VIC, AU) - Page 1 of 3 Bendigo Magazine article with Felice Trovatello (a client we planted 3,000 olives for in 1998) - Image Credit: Bendigo Magazine Issue 24
2011 - Barfold (VIC, AU) - Page 2 of 3 Bendigo Magazine article with Felice Trovatello (a client we planted 3,000 olives for in 1998) - Image Credit: Bendigo Magazine Issue 24
2011 - Barfold (VIC, AU) - Page 3 of 3 Bendigo Magazine article with Felice Trovatello (a client we planted 3,000 olives for in 1998) - Image Credit: Bendigo Magazine Issue 24
1999 - Harcourt North (VIC, AU) - Olives & Dams CAD Layout Plan (planted and built in 2000) - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty) & A Land Shape (Konrad Ensor)
2007 - North Harcourt (VIC, AU) - 460 tree Olive grove (planted in 2001)
2021 - Harcourt North (VIC, AU) - Olives & Dams Satellite (planted and built in 2000) - Image Credit: Google Earth Pro (Maxar)
2025 - Harcourt North (VIC, AU) - - 460 tree Olive grove (planted in 2001)
2025 - Harcourt North (VIC, AU) - Olives & dam aerial looking east (planted and built in 2000) - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2025 - Harcourt North (VIC, AU) - Olives & dam aerial looking west (planted and built in 2000) - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
1999 - Shoreham (VIC, AU) - Harts Farm Layout Plan - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty) & A Land Shape (Konrad Ensor)
2000 - Shoreham (VIC, AU) - Harts Farm Olive grove and new contour dam - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2000 - Shoreham (VIC, AU) - Harts Farm Olive grove & contour dam - Image Credit: Google Earth Pro (Maxar)
2023 - Shoreham (VIC, AU) - Harts Farm extra virgin olive oil - Image Credit: Harts Farm
2023 - Shoreham (VIC, AU) - Harts Farm olive harvest using a Sicma shaker - Image Credit: Harts Farm
2023 - Shoreham (VIC, AU) - Harts Farm pre harvest with a Sicma tree shaker- Image Credit: Harts Farm
2000 - Harcourt North (VIC, AU) - (BEFORE) Windrush Park ripping with a Michigan rubber-tyred bulldozer. Notice the double stakes at the end of the row. At the time this was how we kept the rows straight—if you could see two stakes then you were not on the line - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2025 - Harcourt North (VIC, AU) - (AFTER) Windrush Park - notice the large Eucalypt which is a talisman for a previous photo taken in 2000 - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2000 - Harcourt North (VIC, AU) - (BEFORE) Windrush Park ripping with a Michigan rubber-tired bulldozer - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2025 - Harcourt North (VIC, AU) - (AFTER) Windrush Park - notice the trees along the fenceline which are a talisman for a previous photo taken in 2000 - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2025 - Harcourt North (VIC, AU) -Windrush Park aerial photo of barrier dam and olive groves installed in 2000. Only a short section of the water conservation channel remains and 80 olives were removed in the last couple of years due to disease. - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)
2025 - Harcourt North (VIC, AU) -Windrush Park aerial photo of barrier dam and olive groves installed in 2000 - Image Credit: Regrarians (Darren J Doherty)