ABOUT US
Greswick Angus is located on the Williams River at Seaham in the lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales. The home property has been farmed by the same family since the late 1800's and is now being managed by John and Janelle Spearpoint.
The name Greswick originated from the locality name given to the area at the time of settlement, however this and other smaller neighbouring localities have now been included in the wider area of Seaham. The property was part of an original land grant of 168,000 acres on the eastern side of the Williams River given to the Church and School Corporation in 1826 to be held as a revenue source for schools and churches for youth in the colony of NSW.
In 1845 John Melbourne Ireland occupied a leasehold and later purchased at auction from the Church and School Estate a portion of land, alongside land purchased by his sister Sarah Ireland which contained a stone house fifty feet long by thirty feet wide. Remnants of this house still remain in what we refer to as our "Stone House Paddock". Just prior to 1900 this land was leased and subsequently purchased by William Brooks great-grandfather to Janelle. During this time the property was well known for its vineyards, dairy, orchards, tobacco and honey production.
Historically, the properties mainstay was dairy production, and milk was transported off farm in milk cans via steamship from Clarencetown to Hexham. Declining returns from dairying resulted in its closure in the early 1970's. At that time the family decided to enter the commercial beef market and chose Angus as their preferred breed. Given the dominance and confidence in Angus cattle in Australia we decided to take the next step in 2001 in developing a performance recorded herd, integrating an Angus stud with our commercial Angus herd.
Our location is unique. The property is within the lower reaches of the Williams River Weir Pool, a 21 km stretch of river that supplies water to the lower Hunter region. Being situated within the water catchment area for Newcastle domestic water supply, we are conscious of the need to use sustainable farming practices and protect a natural resource suffering from increased stresses. Recently we have fenced off and revegetated our riverbanks, provided extensive stock shelter and installed off-stream watering points for stock in all paddocks. Our involvement in river management is a key aspect of our operation.
In 2005 we were selected as a Best Management Practice (BMP) demonstration site and numerous field days and farm tours have been conducted to showcase our sustainable farming practices. A booklet & DVD
"Striking the Balance" has been produced to document these activities.
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