Jenny and James Bourke have been farming Perricoota Olives in Womboota since 2005.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
Perricoota Olives farmer Jim Bourke has been tending his Womboota olive grove since 2005, when he and his wife Jenny purchased the property with trees as young as two years old and barely a foot high.
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“We do everything ourselves here,” Mr Bourke said.
“Everything that the olive trees need to be looked after; pruning, mowing, picking and watering.”
The farm runs about 1500 trees across 21 acres, growing varieties including Frantoio, Corregiolla, Manzanillo, Barnea and Kalamata.
Mr Bourke said the Frantoio variety was the primary source of their extra virgin olive oil, which is sold at farmers' markets and online.
The 2025 harvest, however, proved difficult.
“It was not a great harvest, as you have your blossom come in November and you need some mild weather,” Mr Bourke said.
“About the second week in November, we had a 40°C hot day with hot north winds and it burnt a lot of the blossom off.”
Heavy rain compounded the damage.
“We had about 150mm of rain overnight, leading up to our end-of-June harvest, and that destroyed some olives too,” he said.
“Consequently, the whole year was a bit of a disaster.”
As a result, Mr Bourke said the farm had sold out of its 2025-26 harvest stock and has suspended online and farm gate sales, cutting back to smaller bottle sizes and halting bulk orders for the next year.
Perricoota Olives spans 21 acres with approximately 1500 olive trees growing various olive varieties such as Frantoio, Corregiolla, Manzanillo, Barnea and Kalamata.
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Contributed
He is now looking ahead.
“What we are hoping for is a good blossom in 2026, followed by a good harvest in 2027,” he said.
Despite the setback, Mr Bourke highlighted what sets Perricoota olive oil apart.
The farm is certified organic and recent testing found their oil contained 332 parts per million polyphenols, well above the 200 to 250 parts per million required for extra virgin classification.
“We have some people buy it for that reason; it's for your own health; that is what polyphenols are about,” he said.
Mr Bourke also warned that a poor national harvest could see a rise in substandard imported oils.
“There is a low yield of olive oil this year right across Australia, so we might see more of that imported stuff in the next 12 months,” he said.
“You can buy some olive oils imported into Australia that shouldn't really be called extra virgin olive oil and they are available.”
Perricoota Olives will be at the Echuca Farmers Market, the first and third Saturdays of the month, and the Moama Market.
Perricoota olive oil is certified organic and contains high levels of polyphenols, making it a sought-after product for its health benefits.
Photo by
JORDAN TOWNROW
