A rich biodiversity.

303 Olive Mount, is an 84 acre farm on the NSW South Coast. It is nestled at the end of a tranquil valley, bordering the Minnamurra Rainforest and surrounded by stunning escarpment, where the upper Minnamurra river originates. It plays an important role as a conservation buffer zone.

History

For thousands of years, the Wodiwodi tribe were the traditional aboriginal inhabitants, being skilled hunters, fisherman and gatherers. Minnamurra means “plenty of fish”. They were gradually forced from their lands to make way for European settlers....

The valley is steeped in colonial history; originally a rich treasure trove of native red cedars, coachwoods and turpentine, harvested in the early 1800’s to make huts, furniture and wharf pillars. The red cedar was considered so valuable it was exported back to the UK.

As these valuable resources diminished, the land was cleared to accommodate for pastural farming. The fertile basalt soil, North Easterly aspect and abundance of fresh water, provided the perfect environment for dairy farming. In 1896, 40 acres of land became a Nature Reserve for picnicking, controlled by Kiama council. A Naturalist by the name of Howard Judd, become the first Ranger. He worked tirelessly to champion the beauty and the conservation of the area and in 1986, Minnamurra Rainforest became part of the Budderoo National Park.

Olive Mount has an abundance of wildlife such as black cockatoos, echidnas, lyrebirds, native bees, pythons, quolls, wallabies, wedge-tailed eagles and wombats. They frequently visit our property from the Minnamurra Rainforest and surrounding hills.

With the Minnamurra Rainforest and an adjoining buffer zone protected from deforestation, the major threats these days are introduced weeds, feral animals and bushfires.

No herbicides or pesticides have been used on Olive Mount for the past twenty years. This creates the perfect opportunity for organic regenerative farming practices. In early 2022 we will commence a biodiversity study in collaboration with Wollongong University to catalogue flora and fauna and what may become endangered. In the interim, we are currently rebuilding our old dairy shed into the Bee Hub, where we process our farm grown raw organic honey, store materials and also study native bees in the adjoining retaining stone wall.

Another priority, is to improve the access tracks on our property, especially to our Bee Hub and upgrade our boundary fencing, so our Belted Galloways can’t enter the pristine Minnamurra River.

Reforestation from the Eucalyptus forest in the upper paddocks will allow us to secure carbon credits in the future. In other areas, we plan to remove lantana (a noxious weed), and replace with a coconut fibre weed mat. By planting a combination of native grasses and daisies with native trees, we will create a rich biodiversity and maintain the healthy microbiome in our soil.