Tom Ingleton
In backyards, front gardens and quiet nature strips across Whittlesea, olive trees are heavy with fruit – ripe, ready, and often left untouched. But not this year.
Whittlesea is inviting locals to take part in a unique, community-powered celebration of the olive harvest.
In partnership with environmental education centre CERES, the olives to oil program will culminate in a vibrant, free festival on Saturday May 17 at May Roah Senior Citizen Centre in Lalor.
Residents are encouraged to handpick olives from their gardens – or wherever they can gather them – and drop them off at the festival, where the fruit will be communally pressed into a delicious blend of local olive oil.
Each drop-off booking allows up to 20kg of olives, enough to produce around two litres of oil, but multiple bookings are welcome for those with larger harvests.
The event promises more than just oil.
Attendees can expect live music, food stalls, interactive workshops and family-friendly fun.
Kids can get their hands dirty while learning about food sustainability and adults can discover the magic of traditional oil pressing.
Mayor Martin Taylor said the program offered an exciting way to reduce waste while celebrating local traditions.
“We’re excited to bring Olives to Oil to the City of Whittlesea,” he said.
“This innovative event not only helps reduce food waste but also offers a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together, take part in the age-old tradition of harvesting and create something truly special.”
CERES program manager Merrin Layden said the initiative tapped into Melbourne’s rich cultural roots.
“The program celebrates the multicultural heritage of Melbourne’s suburbs with olive trees planted by migrant communities and now cherished by local people who harvest olives and share the oil,” she said.
“People of all ages enjoy participating in an ancient harvest tradition.”
Participants can collect their oil on June 14. To book a drop-off time or find harvesting tips, visit whittlesea.vic.gov.au/Olives-to-Oil
