Skip to main content

History of Myuna Farm

Pre European settlement

Myuna Farm is located on land that used to be a red gum forest, home to the indigenous Bunurong and Wurundjeri people.

The 1900s

The farm used to be part of Thomas Carroll’s 121-acre estate. In 1932, Arch Mckinnon bought the farm. It was the McKinnon family who built the current farmhouse and developed the property as an Australian best practise model dairy, the milk was transported to Malvern for processing.

The 1950s

The Housing Commission purchased the land in the 1950s. They developed the Doveton Eumemmerring housing estate to support the local industry workers. The present site of the 50-acre farm was set aside to support the new local community.

The 1980s

In July 1984, Myuna Community Farm was opened to the public by the Friends of Myuna Farm. The farm grew quickly, and in 1988 a multipurpose pavilion was built thanks to funding from the Bicentennial Committee.

Early 1990s

In 1990, the City of Berwick purchased Myuna Farm to support the local community, to preserve and promote the agricultural history of the municipality. The City of Casey continued the management of the farm when the Berwick and Cranbourne councils amalgamated in 1994.

New projects helped to build more facilities on the farm and to create jobs for long term unemployed residents. This work was recognised by the Sidney Myer Foundation. They awarded the farm a prestigious award grant of $100,000 for the long term unemployed job creation scheme.

Around this time, the wetlands were built on the farm thanks to funding from Land Care. This project gave work training for long term unemployed youth from the City of Casey.

Recent years

The farm has continued to grow and improve in recent years. A few of our most recent developments include:

  • Increasing the variety of facilities to support community functions such as children's birthday celebrations, this included the relocation of the Narre Warren Train Signal Box and a 19th-century cottage from Harkaway. The construction of the Pioneer shed and attached theatre and extension of the undercover picnic shelters.
  • Improvements to our education programs for primary through to tertiary school-aged students.
  • Installing environmentally friendly infrastructure and introducing education programs focussing on a sustainable environment.
  • A continued focus on programs and services that provide for the community such as Riding for the Disabled, the community garden plots, Dandenong Learning Centre campus, Doveton Show Day and many more.

Related

Casey's history

Have you found the information you were looking for?