Emu Ridge Eucalyptus and Craft Gallery
Farmers and Distillers of 100% Pure Australian Eucalyptus Oil

Larry and Bev Turner own Emu Ridge, the only commercial Eucalyptus Distillery in South Australia. The business is self-sufficient, operating on solar, steam and wind-power with all by products being recycled.

We were traditionally sheep farmers. In 1991 with the downturn in wool prices we found ourselves virtually unemployed - struggling to support a family with no prospect of work due to the Island's economic situation.

Starting with nothing, using salvaged materials and our own initiative, we have revived a historical industry that had thrived on the Island years before us. Eucalyptus distilling was one of Kangaroo Island's major industries, there were well over 100 stills, and the industry employed over 600 people when it reached its peak in the 1930's. Sheep farming took over being more viable for farmers, and thus eucalyptus distilling became part of history.

The thick scrub our ancestors worked so hard to clear has become an unlikely saviour for us. Our oil is the only one of its kind in the world. It is known for its pungent aroma, and is distilled from the leaf of the indigenous Kangaroo Island Narrow Leaf Mallee, Eucalyptus cneorifolia. The waste produced in the distilling process is all re-cycled, this is the benefit of having such a natural way of farming, and a fact we are very proud of.

Our business has very humble beginnings, from an old caravan by the Eucalyptus Distillery to a small craft shop in the old MacGillivray Post Office, more recently, the expansion into our larger retail shop, built from the recycled materials from the shearing shed, which is now a plant nursery. This 250 ha farm now employs 20 people in peak season.

We provide a unique tourist destination on Kangaroo Island. Our vision is to work towards environmental sustainability, land management and revegetation. These ideals have created a truly rare and exceptional style of business and the positive response from our customers has further added to developing this philosophy.