Case Studies
Meet our 12 case study farms who have shared their Southern Gippsland farming experiences. Each of the 12 case studies have a different story to tell. All of them talk about their climate observations, their enterprise, climate and landscape challenges and the opportunities for agriculture in Southern Gippsland. We hope you find these stories informative and inspiring and we hope they resonate with your own observations, challenges and opportunities.
Amelia and Dan Bright: Our Story
Amelia and Dan Bright of Amber Creek Farm in Fish Creek have been working on their 165-acre farm since 2006, farming free range pigs, alongside saw-milling and agroforestry. They are committed to sustainable farming and land management.
Bill and Gary Cleeland: Our Story
The Cleeland family have been farming on Phillip Island since the 1860’s, now entering the 5th generation of farmers on the land. Currently they manage 450 hectares, some of which is leased to other farmers. In the time that they have been farming this land, they have predominantly run sheep, until 2010 when beef cattle were added.
Marcus Satchell and Lisa Sartori: Our Story
At Dirty Three Wines, Marcus and Lisa manage three separate vineyards. They seek to make premium pinot noir, which they sell through their cellar door in Inverloch. They have leased vineyards in the area since 2012. They also have plans to purchase their own property and set up a new vineyard in the district.
Paul and Samantha Crock: Our Story
The Crocks run an Angus breeding herd on their 200 acre property and they organise their product from paddock to plate via Gippsland Natural Beef. Gippsland Natural is a beef producer group in southern Gippsland that focuses on pasture fed beef and uses Meat Standards Australia (MSA) to grade their meats and on this basis connect with end users.
Jacinta and Tony Van Stekelenburg: Our Farm
Jacinta and Tony Van Stekelenburg seek to run their small farm completely off-the-grid, growing enough beef, chicken, fruit and vegetables to feed their family with enough to sell as well, ultimately sustaining generations who will be able to live off the land. They purchased their 25-acre farm on the Gippsland Plains in 2017, in which they saw the potential to realise their vision for farming today.
Andy and Diana Thomas: Our Story
Andy and Diane Thomas run a 500-acre farm in the hilly Strzelecki Ranges landscape of Krowera, primarily running up to 250 dairy cows. One of their ambitions is to revegetate the property in effective and productive ways.
Jenny and Paul O’Sullivan: Our Story
Jenny and Paul O’Sullivan combine their passion for farming, food, wine and cooking to create innovative experiential adventures that showcase Gippsland’s fine produce and people. Their approach is one that links commercial success with sustainability.
Kirsten and David Jones: Our Story
Kirsten and David Jones began farming in the area 10 years ago. Kirsten worked in horticulture previously and decided she wanted to grow garlic and chose the southern Gippsland area to begin this experiment. David is active with the annual Garlic Festival in Meeniyan and promoting garlic processing and sorting facilities as well as encouraging the provenance of Gippsland food products.
Burke and Bronwyn Brandon: Our Story
Burke and Bronwyn Brandon are second generation cheesemakers and have run a sheep dairy in Moyarra since moving from the Mornington Peninsula in 2012. The 200-acre farm includes dairy and cheesemaking facilities, as well as a café and retail outlet. Sustainable land use is at the forefront of the Brandon’s priorities, particularly with the on-farm paddock to plate experience they are providing.
Adam Schreurs: Our Story
Adam Schreur and his cousin purchased the Southern Gippsland property in 2016. Adam is responsible for field operations. They are part of Schreurs and Sons, a third-generation horticulture business, the largest supplier of celery in Australia.
Mark and Margaret Brammar: Our Story
Strzelecki Heritage Apples is a family run business in the Strzelecki Hills. Mark and Margaret Brammar grow over 400 varieties of apples, supplying trees (especially root stock) to buyers all over Australia, as well as selling fruit locally. Additionally, they sell pears and plums, and over the past 2 years have built up fat lamb business.
Nadine and Clive Verboon: Our Story
Wattlebank Park Farm has been operated by Nadine and Clive Verboon since 2003. The 200 acre farm is located in a flood prone area, which informs much of the decision-making by the Verboon’s. They run a mixed farm and they have introduced innovative marketing practices for their produce, including direct selling and promoting narratives about their projects.
