One of the oldest and most intact timber farm complexes in Australia, Gulf Station in the Yarra Valley retains many of the farm tools and household utensils of a 19th century farm.
From the mid 1850s to the early 1950s, Gulf Station was a profitable and self-sufficient pastoral property.
Gulf Station boasts rare livestock which can be traced back to its earliest settlement, such as Clydesdale Horses, black Berkshire pigs, cattle and poultry. The new piglets, foals and young chicks add to the visitor experience.
Agnes and William Bell and their five children – arrived in Australia in October 1839 and first leased the land which became Gulf Station around 1851. The youngest son, William junior, who had lived on the property since 1854, purchased it in 1871.
William and his wife Mary Ann had eight children and all but two lived at Gulf Station most of their lives. William died in 1877 but Mary Ann remained as matriarch for the next 39 years.
Gulf Station was bought by former neighbours in 1951 and then acquired by the State Government for the people of Victoria in 1976, with management vested in the National Trust.
Original materials were found around the farm to enable authentic restoration of buildings which had fallen into disrepair and the original cottage garden was restored using surviving plants as well as personal accounts and records.
Today the National Trust presents the property as a unique and living museum featuring the original farm buildings, domestic tools and artefacts and rare Scottish breeds of farm animals.
The Pioneer and Working Horse Festival in January is a highlight of the Gulf Station Calendar.
