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ABOUT THE HISTORIC HURLEY FARM

Hurley Vineyard is an historic farm. Its wattle and daub (wood and mud) cottage was built by hand in about 1876 by the Hurley family, who were Irish pioneers. Over one hundred years ago it was a general store as well as the home of the 12 Hurley children. The cottage was in derelict condition when we bought the property in 1998 but we have gradually restored it to its former state. The restoration is almost finished and this charming cottage is our own home. For these reasons we have chosen the name Hurley Vineyard.

The Hurley family were much loved by the local community and have left many descendents who still hold the farm, and especially the cottage, very dear. There is a Hurley Street and a Hurley Court in Balnarring and one of the sports houses at the Balnarring Primary School is named Hurley. The last surviving sibling, who was affectionately know as Aunt Mag, was born in the cottage in 1880 and sadly passed away in 1984 aged 104, having lived in the cottage for over 100 years. The original name of the cottage was “Hazelgrove”.

The Hurley farm was famous from an early stage for the extremely high quality of its agricultural produce. It was reputed to have the finest orchard in the district. The natural advantages of the property were revealed in the following article in the Mornington Standard on 6 September 1902:

“About half a mile distant from Mr Buckley’s situated on the top of a hill is Mr Hurley’s homestead. Unlike his neighbour, Mr Hurley pays more attention to fruit growing than dairying, having an orchard of about 15 acres in full bearing. Being situated on the side of a hill it is naturally well drainded, and as the aspect faces north-east it gets the full benefit of the early morning sun – a most important consideration in fruit growing in a cool, moist district – and it is immune form damage by strong winds owing to the protective character of the surrounding country.”