In 1884 the first commercial orchard in the Shepparton district was planted on 70 acres, little more than an apple’s throw away from the original Ardmona cannery site at Mooroopna.

Michael Kavanagh established his 36-acre Lake Eyrie vineyard on the northern side of Ardmona where, apart from producing wine, he grew the district’s first raisin grapes.

A year earlier, John West headed a public lecture on “novel industries” at Sheane’s Hotel, showing off his early fruits and vine cuttings.

The Toolamba Telegraph of October 5, 1883 recorded the meeting in detail and “hoped that the residents of the Goulburn Valley would profit by the remarks of Mr West and transform the bare prospect of dead timber, which now meets our view everywhere, into smiling orchards and vineyards”.

Following on from Joseph Hillier’s and John West’s earlier orchard planting, by 1888 the nobly named Mason brothers (Arthur Burdekin and Asline Collett) had planted 143 acres (59 hectares) of orchards and vineyards on the banks of Goulburn River, including 100 acres irrigated by a pumping station, the relics of which remain on the Boulevard of the town, said to be the first in the district.

Such was the success of the Masons’ venture that numerous politicians visited to witness the enterprise for themselves.

The News of September 1888 reported that the Mason brothers were “amongst the most enterprising tillers of soil in Australia”.

In the same year, Hillier added to his plantings by establishing a vineyard just out of Shepparton on the Broken River.

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Sunday, 28th May 2023

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