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[VIC] Free Olive Pressing (up to 20kg Per Person) for Residents of Various Melbourne Councils (Ticket Required) @ Ceres

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[VIC] Free Olive Pressing (up to 20kg Per Person) for Residents of Various Melbourne Councils (Ticket Required) @ Ceres
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gccmelb on 30/03/2026 - 18:33 ceres.org.au (1339 clicks)
Last edited 31/03/2026 - 16:21 by 2 other users

CERES have been running this for a few years and have been slowly expanding this across Melbourne.

Last year, I picked 20kg of Olives on my property and Nature strip. Picked about 20kg and later received about 2.3L How much you receive, varies year to year, depending on the collective harvest.

If have more then 20kg, it will cost to press your olives depending on your council. If your council is not on the list, you can still pay to get your olives pressed.

For residents of Merri-Bek, Darebin & Whittlesea (Northside)

When booking you’ll be asked to select a weight category you expect to pick. Small quantities (under 20kg) remain free so if you’re unsure, bring a couple of household buckets of olives and book a free spot. For additional olives over 20kg you will be asked for a contribution to help cover pressing costs:

< 20kg – free
20-40kg – $15
40-60kg – $25
60-100kg – $50

For residents of Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Brimbank & Melton (Westside)

When booking you’ll be asked to select a weight category you expect to pick. Small quantities (under 20kg) remain free so if you’re unsure, bring a couple of household buckets of olives and book a free spot. For additional olives over 20kg you will be asked for a contribution to help cover pressing costs:

< 20kg – free
20-40kg – $15
40-60kg – $25
60-100kg – $50

For residents of all other councils

Unfortunately your council is not involved in the Olives to Oil program. We will have some limited spots in our Northside drop off for out-of-area olive growers, but you will be asked to make a contribution to help cover the cost of the program:

0-20kg $25
20-40kg $45
40-60kg $65
60-100kg $100

For residents of Merri-Bek, Darebin and Whittlesea drop-off days:

Sunday 3rd May, CERES Brunswick East – Lee Street Entrance
Saturday 9th May, Whittlesea Civic Centre, 25 Ferres Blvd, South Morang

For residents of Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Brimbank & Melton drop-off days:

Sunday 17th May Outside Visy Cares Hub, 80B Harvester Rd, Sunshine
Sunday 24th May Newport Community Hub, 13/15 Mason St, Newport
Sunday 31st May McNish ‘Dinosaur Park’ Reserve, Court St, Yarraville

For residents in other council areas:
We will have limited places available in the Northside drop offs

Come to your area’s pick up day to pick up your designated oil.

For residents of Merri-Bek, Darebin & Whittlesea:
TBC

For residents of Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Brimbank & Melton:
TBC

If you miss your designated day/window, there will be no further opportunity to pick up.

Groceries Olive Oil Pressing

Related Stores

CERES
CERES

Comments

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  • ShouldIBuyIt on 30/03/2026 - 18:41
    +23

    Not my area, but that's a pretty cool initiative.

    • gccmelb on 30/03/2026 - 20:08
      +3

      You can contact your local council to encourage them to join this initiative by CERES.

      Reach out to your local council and let them know you’d like them to fund Olives to Oil in your area next year. Write to them yourself or use this handy template.

  • ihbh on 30/03/2026 - 18:42
    +1

    Last year, I picked 20kg of Olives on my property and Nature strip

    How many trees, roughly?

    Do you shake it, beat it with a stick, or just pick the ones that have fallen on the ground?

    Can you show some pics of ripe ones for pressing.

    I have a tree in a pot in Sydney, but still curious with this initiative.

    • jv on 30/03/2026 - 18:53

      How many trees, roughly?

      A mature tree can give you up to 50kg of olives.

    • jv on 30/03/2026 - 18:55
      -2

      Do you shake it, beat it with a stick, or just pick the ones that have fallen on the ground?

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPEyupp-idM&t=12s

      • jimojr on 30/03/2026 - 19:58
        +1

        The tree cries out, "Please, you're hurting me!"

        • Spendmore on 30/03/2026 - 20:09
          +7

          I think you are going out on a limb with that one!

    • gccmelb on 30/03/2026 - 19:18

      I just pick it off the tree, as they state they want freshly picked olives. I have seen people put sheets under the tree and either pick and drop or shake and pick up, or a combo.

      The Olives can vary from year to year in size and also depends on the variety of the tree, how the Olives look. Generally I have one variety that gets blacker and softer, with the oil almost oozing out. Being in Sydney v Melbourne probably determines when you can pick.

    • gccmelb on 30/03/2026 - 19:18
      +5

      They can sue me

      • braddsey on 30/03/2026 - 20:42

        If you pick from the nature-strip, best to check with the property owner in the house behind the nature strip. My wife did some picking last year, get a stern talking to from someone.

        CERES offer a great service. We've used it in past.

        • jv on 30/03/2026 - 20:45
          -1

          get a stern talking to from someone.

          They don't own the nature strip, the council does.

          • chiprillis on 30/03/2026 - 21:12

            @jv: Then the council can come and mow it

            • askvictor on 30/03/2026 - 21:38

              @chiprillis: They will if you don't have a mower, and ask them to

            • jv on 30/03/2026 - 21:42

              @chiprillis:

              Then the council can come and mow it

              They could, but then everybody's rates would go up considerably…

          • braddsey on 30/03/2026 - 22:26
            +1

            @jv: No they don't… but it doesn't hurt to be courteous and avoid a potential confrontation over some olives.

      • jv on 30/03/2026 - 20:44
        -1

        It wouldn't be a 'suit', it would be a prosecution for breaking council laws…

    • mskeggs on 30/03/2026 - 19:23

      $25 for 20kg, according to the linked site.

  • bargainatoraah on 30/03/2026 - 19:17
    +3

    Good for the greeks

  • aparasher on 30/03/2026 - 19:18

    Yes. Merri-Bek Council used to do this, not sure if its still on.

    • jv on 30/03/2026 - 23:13
      -7

      So did Moreland City Council…

  • mskeggs on 30/03/2026 - 19:22

    This is pretty cool.
    How much oil did you get from your 20kgs OP?

    • gccmelb on 30/03/2026 - 19:30
      +1

      2.3 litres from memory. They say it depends on year to year depending on the collective pressing.

      • jv on 30/03/2026 - 21:44

        So worth somewhere around $40

  • cheekymonkey97 on 30/03/2026 - 19:40
    +1

    This is really cool, my mum would go nuts over this.

    • omgilia on 30/03/2026 - 23:23
      -4

      Sounds dangerous… that's how your mum will end up with olive nuts in her mouth >:D

  • Twilight1234 on 30/03/2026 - 19:56

    Wish we got free olive trees in qld

    • gccmelb on 30/03/2026 - 20:11

      Raising Olive trees from cuttings is pretty easy. If you can't get free olive pressing, pickling olives is pretty cheap and easy.

    • carrawa on 30/03/2026 - 20:19

      Visit SA, you could get them for free.

      They are a weed species in many areas. Birds spread the seeds and few people harvest them adding to the problem.

      Search 🔎 SA invasive Olive trees or similar.

  • nosytt on 30/03/2026 - 20:33
    +1

    Popeye won't be happy

  • mrshorty on 30/03/2026 - 21:36
    +1

    Are there that many olive trees in melb or something?

    • jv on 30/03/2026 - 21:45

      Yes

  • rhino86 on 30/03/2026 - 21:56

    Since the Australian noisy miner bird population exploded in to high numbers. They stripped the flowers early on our olive trees each year. We forget what olives look like.

  • Illyria on 30/03/2026 - 23:54

    This is cool

  • NorthPort on 31/03/2026 - 07:30
    +3

    Our family has done this for a few years now… Its a good ol fashioned family activity.. I just wish the initiative was more widespread.

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