The stunning Greyleigh property that overlooks Kiama. Photos: Supplied.
Kiama’s Greyleigh property was once the hub for early breeding that developed the Australian Illawarra Shorthorn cattle and earned its owner an MBE for his service to breeding and the dairy industry, but today that dairy and property is the setting for stunning weddings and luxury farm stay experiences.
In fact, in 1952, when Queen Elizabeth awarded then landowner George Grey an MBE, she said he was the “greatest living constructive breeder of dairy cattle in the British Empire”.
General manager Hamish McCallum said much of the history of the 1800s property was preserved during its renovation to transform it into a wedding and events space after being bought in 2017 by Charles Daoud and George Geagea, owners of development company Traders in Purple.
Hamish said this made the multiple award-winning 220-acre property unique, with its uninterrupted views of Jerrara, Kiama and Bass Point.
“Then there’s the decor and the architecture of the property itself,” he said.
“In terms of its dimensions and footprint, it’s as it was for Greyleigh at the time of purchase, but they have been really lovingly restored with a touch of luxury.
“It’s marble surfaces, polished hardwood floorboards, collections of very carefully curated antiques, bespoke and custom designed furniture and the colour palette is next level.”
He said the beautiful visual impact it created as a wedding and events space and in the images couples captured on the property was important in the modern wedding market.
“Greyleigh has this visual impact that’s undeniable but at the same time you’ve got this lovely blend of country and rural setting,” he said.
Hamish said the original dairy shed was repurposed into The Gables for wedding receptions and the original concrete silos were transformed into modern cocktail lounges with a fireplace and lunar skylights.
He said the name Greyleigh was an amalgamation of Kiama-born farmer George Grey’s and his wife Susan Lee’s surnames.
It was George’s grandfather, George Grey Senior (originally spelt Gray), who purchased lots of land on Saddleback Road, which he named Mount Salem, but today is known as Saddleback Mountain and Jerrara.
When George Snr died in 1887, his grandsons George and Arthur each inherited half of the property, with George eventually selling his portion to his brother.
Hamish said remaining parts of that land today is owned by Kelvin and Mahlah Grey, who run The Pines Dairy and The Pines Pantry.
He said George then bought a rundown property of his own in 1891 at age 25 – Greyleigh.
“He bought 78 acres of land, which is within sight of the original Mount Salem lot, and then added to this by renting portions of neighbouring properties,” he said.
“He incorporated seven small farms into one holding of 500 acres.”
He said during World War II, George reduced the properties down to 320 acres due to a lack of labour.
“George was cited several times for his services to animal and genetic breeding,” he said.
“He literally pioneered the Australian Illawarra Shorthorn cattle breed on the property.
“They were known as the Gems of Greyleigh, which were shown at all the cattle shows around the country.”
Hamish said George was awarded an MBE for services to breeding in the dairy industry in general and was an honorary life member of the Animal Genetics Society of Sydney University.
An article in The Livestock Bulletin after his death at age 96 read: “Few men in the history of dairying in the world have been so directly associated with the development of a breed as to witness it in their lifetime its growth from a ‘grade’ to a pure-bred breed.
“The citation that accompanied his MBE award in 1952 by Queen Elizabeth read: ‘… he is the greatest living constructive breeder of dairy cattle in the British Empire’.”
With different owners since being sold in 1952, today Traders in Purple has ensured Greyleigh provides a glimpse into its 1800s farming history, while demonstrating new ways of farming through its orchards, award-winning gardens, homestead, dairy and silos.
“We’ve got a bit of a farm-to-plate concept available for our guests who stay in our accommodation,” Hamish said.
“We do run it as an active farm. You can go down and collect fresh eggs in the morning for breakfast.
“We have Dorper sheep, alpacas, chickens, ducks, cows and horses.
“We’ve also got a market garden where people are welcome to come and pick fresh vegetables, herbs and lettuce.”
Hamish said the orchard, with its more than 100-year-old fruit trees, included tangerines, mandarins, oranges, tangelos, limes, lemons, figs, macadamias and bananas.
He said inside the property they had a copy of a book on the history of the Greys in the Illawarra and showcased reproductions of original photographs, bills of sale and items from cattle auctions that George participated in.
“We’ve had quite a few of the family through over the last 12 months,” he said.
“They hold it as quite a dear place in their hearts.”
He said with some family remembering visiting as a child, it had come a long way since, with “Gems of Greyleigh” now a menu of pampering experiences from massages to art classes and private chef dinners.
“We call those the Gems of Greyleigh, which we’ve named after the moniker that was given to George Grey’s cattle at the auctions around the country,” he said.
“The Greyleigh Gems are a range of experiences we have curated from both experiences provided in-house and some of them using a combination of local businesses and providers.”
From next year, it will become a full-service wedding venue, something the industry had moved away from over the past decade due to DIY event planning, and will offer everything from catering to a wedding planner and exclusive beverage provider.
Greyleigh is nominated for ‘Reception Venue’, ‘Ceremony Venue’ and ‘Wedding Coordinator’ for the Australian Bridal Industry Awards in Sydney on 25 September.
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