Olivewood - Renmark

We spent a lovely day riding around Renmark and made our way out to Olivewood, an historic homstead on the corner of Sturt Highway (Renmark Avenue) and Twenty First Street. Olivewood is owned by the National Trust and is the original homestead of the Chaffey Brothers who planted olives trees in Renmark during the late 1800s.

The homestead is a log cabin full of memorabilia from the era which includes some original pieces of furniture. Located within the grounds is the Charles Chaffey Centre - a museum with thousands of black and while photographs on display illustrating life in the early days of Renmark and surrounding areas. 

Another point of interest at Olivewood is the olive crusher - a replica of the original mill - quite fascinating.  There are a number of olive plants in front of the homestead and I understand that some of these are from the original planting in 1890 and produce first class olive oil. You can also view the packing shed, drying rack and caretakers residence. There are public toilets at Olivewood for visitors and plenty of car parking at the entrance to the museum.

Olivewood is closed Wednesdays and open until 4 pm on other days of the week (opening times vary). There is an entry fee payable at the door and this was only $5 for adults when we visited at the end of 2015. Lovely gardens around the homestead and the original driveway is lined with heritage listed palms trees. Keep your eyes open for some beautiful parrots visiting the gardens.