By Mara Pattison-Sowden
A FAMILY farming legacy will be sold off with one of the last big sub-divisions of land in Yellingbo.
Bruce Logan’s farm started with his father Gordon Logan in 1933 when he purchased 80 hectares of land off of Macclesfield Road.
When World War II broke out, Gordon’s father, T. Shaw Logan, came from Glenroy to look after his son’s property.
Bruce’s grandfather fell in love with the Yarra Valley and purchased a large holding over the next few years of more than 800 hectares. “We were one of the biggest properties in the area. Dad paid 10 bob an acre in 1933, and sold the first head of cattle for £100,” Mr Logan said.
“We had seven homes on the land with share farmers, three dairy farms, milking cows and four pig farms with over 3000 pigs.”
Mr Logan has lots of memories on the farm; he captured and kept most of the original tools and history of the property.
“Everything was done by hand, with horses, then kerosene tractors. They were pretty wild days, real hillbilly stuff,” he said.
Mr Logan said their family had the only stock and station business at Newmarket with four generations in tow, including Bruce’s son Derek at the time.
“When Newmarket was closed we came back to the farm and ran beef cattle till today,” he said.
“We have decided farming is not longer viable and so we’re selling the balance and keeping the 200 acres where dad started,” he said.
Mr Logan continues to work cattle on the original 80 hectares.
