Mathew and Meagan Eyles have created an idyllic little smallholding for themselves and their children, Adelaide and Clarry, in North-West Tasmania.
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After moving from the mainland about three years ago, they began developing handmade skincare products using oil harvested from their olive grove.
“We liked the idea of surrounding ourselves with natural products - it’s so nice to be able to grow your own things and that’s what we really liked about Tasmania was everybody around this area has a little smallholding,” Ms Eyles said.
“So we’ve got our house cows for milk and butter - we tried cheese but that didn’t quite work out as planned. We’ve got our veggie patch, and the kids run out and collect the eggs in the morning.
“We’ve got our own bees so we have our own honey. Then we have the olive oil and the skincare, and our own lambs and beef cattle as well - a bit of everything.”
Seven acres of their 20-acre property, The Little Island Grove, at Merseylea, is devoted to the olive grove. They harvest twice a year – for the skincare range, called Preserve, and for their culinary oil, 41 Rows.
“We’ve got the grove up there and there are about 1000 trees and they’ve been growing for about 10 years.
“That’s the main oil we use in our skincare.
“We blend it with other things like apricot kernel oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, depending on what moisturiser it’s going into.”
Ms Eyles said they couldn’t believe their luck when they found the property at Merseylea.
“We started experimenting before we moved here. So it was something that we were interested in beforehand and then when this property came up with the olive grove as well, it just tied in really nicely.
“This place had the olive grove and we know olive oil is great for skin - it’s been used for thousands of years, so we thought let’s try and do something different.”
In fact, olive oil was nicknamed “liquid gold” by Homer in Ancient Greece.
Ms Eyles said having their own grove meant they could produce a much better quality oil for cosmetic use.
“We deliberately pick our olives much earlier than the olive oil you have for consumption, because the earlier you pick it, the higher it is in antioxidants and the lower it is in fatty acids.
“You don’t get as much oil but we do two picks - we do the first one so that it’s really high in that stuff and then we do a pick later on for our culinary olive oil.”
Preserve skincare products have been on the market for about six months now, and are mainly sold through The Little Island Grove’s online store.
They have three face creams, which all have the same base.
One is unscented, one is feminine with a rose and chamomile scent, and the other is a men’s cream.
They also have a body lotion, lip balm and body balm.
“The balm is a lot thicker. There’s no water so it’s a thick intensive product for hands, elbows, knees and toes. It started as a nappy rash cream for Clarry. Because we do cloth nappies, we can’t use the store bought nappy rash cream, so I had to make something and I developed that.
“My husband, who does most of the nappy changes for those first few weeks, started boasting to me about his hands. Once we realised it was the balm, I started developing it a bit more and now it’s great for gardening or anyone outside.
“We’ve got quite a lot of farmers actually - they probably won’t admit it, but a lot of the blokes have been using that for those deep cracks that they get from the dry.”
Since launching their online store, the Eyles have had orders from all over Australia.
“Everybody’s really interested in all the wonderful things that come from Tasmania, so to be able to say it’s Tasmanian with Tasmanian extra virgin cold pressed olive oil - it’s a major drawcard.”
Although they were looking to buy anywhere on the island, Ms Eyles said it was pure luck that landed them in Merseylea.
“I can’t believe the community we’ve landed in. Anytime we need help, everyone is so helpful and welcoming. Not just with the grove, but with the animals and family. It’s a wonderful spot.”