The Glenlee Estate

Glenlee was designed in 1823 by Henry Kitchen, the first non-convict architect, for William Howe who was an agricultural entrepreneur, a Magistrate and later a Superintendant of Police.
By 1834 the property was regarded as the one of the finest in the colony with meadows divided by hedges of quince and lemon trees and an established vinery.
Glenlee’s famous butter, Sun and Thistle, was the first ever exported to England from New South Wales. Today this property produces a beautifully balanced extra virgin olive oil as well as a variety of table olives from its 7000 olive trees.
Glenlee Olive Grove were selected as one of the top eight olive oils in Australia by an Italian publication (L’extravergine 2005 - Guida ai Migliori Oli del Mondo di Qualita’ Accertata by Marco Oreggia) - Loosely translated means a guide to the best extra virgin olive oils in the world. Click here to view the article.

See our more of the Estate in the Gallery section of our Main Menu

Olive Oil Varieties

Olives were grown and flourished in the Macarthur region in the 1830”s which established the suitability of our climate for olive and olive oil production.
The five varieties grown at Glenlee include the small intensively planted Signore, developed in Italy, along with Corregiola one of the most prolific olive bearing cultivars from Tuscany. The Barnea variety from Israel along with Manzanillo and Nevadillo Blanco, from Spain, complete the plantings at Glenlee.

The Process

We use a Pieralisi continuous extraction press to cold process our olives within hours of harvesting to produce a well balanced fruity oil rich in polyphenols and low in acidity.
Our olive processing building is open to the public during harvest and processing time with a specially constructed overhead viewing gallery to ensure that all food safety standards are met.
This fascinating and rewarding activity takes place during the months of March, April and May.