Rushworth Eucalyptus oil - our liquid GOLD!

How many new residents to the area know that Rushworth has its very own eucalyptus distillery providing eucalyptus oil, ‘liquid gold’, to the area and beyond. The Rushworth Eucalyptus Distillery was established in 1880s. Situated off Whroo Road, the distillery has been operating for over 110 years.

In the beginning

After her husband died, Ann Eliza Jones brought her family of seven children, (Alec Jones, Gert Schumann Jones, George Jones, Arthur Jones, Thomas Jones, Winifred Locke Jones and Skeeles Jones) to Rushworth from Inglewood after purchasing the running eucalyptus distillery in 1909 from Mr Phillip Jones, who was no relation.

Most people remember Arthur, ‘Art’, and his brother Thomas running the distillery.

It has been in the Jones family for four generations and is still in the Jones family to this day.

Cutting

In the early days eucalyptus bushes were laboriously cut by hand with a sickle and carted to the in-ground vats by two draft horses and a dray, to be steamed.

Around 1970 Kevin, (the son of Art) and Amy Jones moved to the farm and started their days working at the factory.

Kevin, being a clever man, built a device for his tractor, which was used for the slashing and raking of the eucalyptus patches to rejuvenate the plants for better eucalyptus oil production. It also saved a lot of time.

Amy worked alongside her husband for hours each day helping in the long and enduring process of carting and making the oil.

Nowadays Jim and Karen run the distillery with some of the original equipment in use. The process hasn’t changed much over the years.

Uses

There are many uses: mopping floors, cleaning sticky surfaces, cleaning kitchen surfaces, putting in washing for sheets / towels / dog beds, air freshener mix, cleaning bathroom / toilets, potpourri, blocked noses, aromatherapy, rubbing on aches and pains, dog wash (very diluted), in puddles after rain to get rid of mosquitos....just to name a few.