‘The Olives’ – first house in the ‘first’ main street of Yankalilla

William Richard Sharrad (1815- 1893) came to South Australia on the ship Baboo in 1848 after his first wife died; he left his young daughter Eliza in England in the care of her two aunts. William met Anne Carter on the ship and they married in Adelaide soon after arrival. An early landowner soon after settlement of the new colony, Sharrad acquired 100 acres of land south of Adelaide and began wheat farming. He started building his house on Salt Creek Road, believing it would be in the main street of the new town of Yankalilla. But the bureaucrats of Westminster thought it inappropriate to site a town on a salty creek, so they moved the location into the next valley to take advantage of the fresh waters of Bungala Creek. William Sharrad’s house, ‘The Olives’, was the first house on the street. William, Anne and their family of six children lived in the old section of ‘The Olives’ – a ‘mud and pug’ construction using locally-collected rocks and river clays to build walls 450mm thick. Foundations were rudimentary and the whole construction sat on constantly moving Bay of Biscay soils. Thomas Bowyer, his wife Rebecca, and seven children, arrived in the colony from England aboard the Norman in 1855. A son, Henry, worked for William Sharrad, whose property adjoined the Bowyers at Salt Creek. Henry married Eliza Sharrad in the early 1860s and they moved to the present Bowyer property at Wattle Flat, where Henry began making bricks in a kiln dug into the bank of a creek near suitable clay, puddling the clay by treading it by foot. As demand increased, a horsedrawn puddling machine was installed. William Sharrad did well from his farming, which allowed him in 1859 to extend the original dwelling and construct the present imposing neo-Georgian front section of ‘The Olives’ cottage. This section features two large rooms with 12-foot ceilings, with a cellar and storerooms below. Built of local freestone with sand stock brick porch corner piers, and window surrounds and chimneys, a feature of this house is the porch with round arches to the sides and front entrance door and a three centred arch to the front. The steps and landing are of Willunga slate, the roof of corrugated iron and the windows with fine glazing bars. In the 1860s about 200 olives trees were planted as a windbreak. By 1871 William Sharrad had acquired 320 acres in the district. After William Sharrad died at Norwood on 14 February 1893, aged 78, and was buried in the Yankalilla Christ Church Anglican Cemetery. The Olives had a succession of owners until it fell into disrepair around the time of the Second World War. Windows were smashed, doors removed and floors collapsed, and cows sheltered from the weather in the kitchen. By 1975 the building was in danger of collapse when it was discovered by architect Sir Eric von Schramek and his interior-designer wife, Edith. They developed a restoration plan that involved digging a deep trench around the building to divert water from its foundations and the construction of a huge beam in the cellar to minimise potential for movement. The von Schrameks nurtured the building until 2005 when the present owners Mark and Wendy Day purchased the 1.5 acre property, excised from its surrounding farmland in 1975, but surrounded by a well-established English-style garden enveloped by the olive trees that still produce fruit which is pressed into a unique and flavoursome oil. An example of an unusual design of an agricultural dwelling, the building's history and subsequent restoration has bestowed on ‘The Olives’ a National Trust heritage status. Advised by Heritage SA, Mark and Wendy embarked on further restoration, replacing the roof and repairing brick and stone work. Acrylic paints were removed to make way for heritage-approved lime wash – a mixture of slaked lime, water and skimmed milk which allows the stone and mortar to ‘breathe’. In 2007 the Days acquired an adjacent 2.5acre paddock which returned the property to its original size of four acres. The garden has been enhanced, with additional trees chosen for their autumnal displays and numerous other features, including a lily pond draped in wisteria. ‘The Olives’ was part of the Open Gardens South Australia in December 2017.

3012. Sharrad family, The Olives 1885

7627. William and Mary Ann Sharrad c.1890

The Yankalilla & District Historical Society Inc. meets on the second Monday of the months of September, October, November, February, March (usually on the Tuesday in March as Monday is Adelaide Cup Day) and April. We meet at 8pm at the Council Chambers. Also, on Wednesday mornings (10am-12noon) there is usually a member of the Society at the library to assist people who have local history enquiries. The next meeting will be on Tuesday 14 April 2020 (due to Easter).