White Rocks Farm 1887
- South Western Highway, Benger WA 622
- Private residence. Heritage groups and schools by appointment between 2pm & 4pm.
White Rocks Farm 1887
Private residence. Heritage groups and schools by appointment.
This is one of the oldest farming properties in the South West that continues to be operated by the same family. John Partridge found White Rocks Farm, named after the distinctive outcrop of big white rocks visible from the South Western Highway in 1887.
Today, the Partridges produce the world-famous White Rock Veal and run a progressive dairy. White Rocks veal is a natural product of animals in peak health, grown in a pampered environment. It is available from leading butchers and restaurants in Australia.
White Rocks Veal…distinguishing it as the most delicate, lean and tender veal in Australia.
This juxtaposes with its esteemed history on display in an old cottage museum. A blacksmith work area and tools are in an adjacent shed, together with a washhouse. In a schoolroom, transported from the old Brunswick school, is a collection of butter churns and cheese-making paraphernalia.
History
Pioneer John Partridge established White Rocks Farm on four hundred acres of land, which he bought from Edward Clifton in 1887.
By the time he married Elinor Ker in 1891, the first home, a cottage built of jarrah, was ready and still stands today as the farm’s museum.
The property has operated as a dairy farm since at least 1894, at which time the railway line to the area opened, allowing for the transport of milk for sale in Perth. It was transported in cans wrapped in wet rags.
Constructured in 1924, the chief residence is a two-storey building in the Inter-War Californian Bungalow style with a prominent two-storey gable structure to the front and side.
A larger metal milking shed was constructed in the 1990s and, at that time, was the largest shed with a computerised feeding and milking system in the southern hemisphere.