Established as a working dairy farm in the 1800’s, Greyleigh has been a place of family gatherings, significant moments with loved ones and the authenticity of life lived from the land.
Once a place where George Grey and his ancestors worked the land, growing maize for his award winning Illawarra Shorthorns, known favourably as the Gems of Greyleigh, now a historic setting with modern luxuries filled with opportunity to write your own chapter in our history books.
Salt of the earth and a keen showman of his Illawarra Shorthorns, George oversaw the early breeding that developed the Greyleigh Reds - a significant breed for both cattle and dairy cows.
Over the 75 years George showed his “Gems of Greyleigh” they rarely needed an introduction at local shows or the Royals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide, where they won many awards over the years.
Over the years, George would send a postcard to relatives in Ireland marked “Postcards from Greyleigh”, with a photo from the property and an update on how the 'Australian' family were doing.
In 1952 George was awarded an M.B.E “for service to breeding and the dairy industry in general” and was also conferred Honorary Life Membership by the Animal Genetics Society of Sydney University. The citation read: "The greatest living constructive breeder of dairy cattle in the British Empire"
George built two reinforced concrete silos - one 70 tonnes and the other 130 tonnes, sufficient to maintain his stock through several bad seasons.
Fortunate to have two creeks and several natural springs running through the property, George was never short of water for his animals. The two silos remain standing to this day, a prominent feature of Greyleigh and a testament to the fine works of our past.
