Red Rock Olives

Red Rock Olives was established in 1997. Sadly, it burnt out in a 2008 bushfire and its original farmer never recovered the energy to grow it back.

That’s when Rita Bikins and David Margetson took over. The couple moved from Melbourne to the Grampians and combined their skills of marketing and farming (Margetson was a sheep farmer for 30 years) to breathe new life into the property.

There are 5,000 olive trees on 18 hectares. It sounds like a lot, but Red Rock is farmed less intensively than similar properties. It’s also totally organic. On-site sheep do all the mulching and fertilising on their own.

The farmer’s old house was converted into the Farmgate cafe. The couple uses the space to educate visitors about olive oil and the importance of buying fresh.

It stocks fresh olive oil, table olives, vinegar and olive salt – the latter a product that Bikins and Margetson created themselves. There are also cheese and charcuterie boards.

Genius idea: stop by for an olive tasting after visiting a Grampians winery – the Farmgate cafe is BYO.

Explore the Grampians further using our detailed Out of Town to the Grampians guide.