Features & Facilities

The Clearview Dam at Stretton Park is a place for quiet reflection - perched above its waters, you can sit and watch birdlife drift across the surface from dawn light to eve. Parrots and cockatoos can be seen nesting in the hollows of the giant redgums below the dam. Ducks, swans and water-birds return each season; you'll glimpse grebes diving, the sacred kingfisher flying above the reeds, and egrets wading in the shallows. Surrounded by trees and gentle slopes, it's a wildlife refuge on the farm. Work pauses here at the end of the day, where the sky, water and wildlife come together in tranquil harmony.

The Heritage Farmhouse at Stretton Park began life nearly two centuries ago as the station manager's home, built from enduring hardwoods. In the 1980's the Turner family extended and renewed the Federation house, blending character with comfort. Heated concrete floors, slow combustion wood stove installation, sunken lounge, internal feature brick walls, bay windows, updated country kitchen and heritage styled bathrooms sit alongside original detailing, creating a farmhouse that respects its past while offering the warmth and ease of contemporary country living.

The new plantations at Stretton Park reflect both knowledge and care, shaped by the Turner family’s eldest son, a long serving Landcare member, past President and current Vice President of the Far South Coast Landcare Association. Over a thousand new trees have been added to property along Thomsons Creek and in large shelter belts, chosen for native resilience, fire retardant properties and habitat. Main native species selected include black wattles, blackwoods, river red gums and boobialla. These living shelter and biodiversity corridors are an investment in safety, beauty and the future health of the land.

The Country Cottage at Stretton Park was built in the 1980's by the Turner family, styled by a heritage builder to sit in harmony with the federation farmhouse and nearby boot shed.

The Peppercorns trees bring beauty and calm to the Farm House garden. Their gnarled trunks and cascading foliage offer shade, shelter and frame the northern path to Clearview Dam from the Farm House - a timeless view of piece and charm.

Duneed Creek winds its way through Stretton Park feeding into Clearview Dam, a haven for native plants and wildlife. Over the causeway it forms lively riffles spilling from the dam after large rain events through the bull paddock, past the peppercorns and heritage farmhouse.

The Shearing Shed at Stretton Park recalls the property's working life as a grazing station. Originally it was double the size with thirteen stands. In years past the shed rang with blades, shouts and the thump of an engine with giant pullies: seasonal drives of sheep, the shuffle of fleece on timber floors and the rhythm of shearing days. Though practices have modernised, the shed and yards remain a tangible link to the Australian wool industry. The Shearing Shed historically was more than a workplace, it was a centre of community, where skill, stories and seasonal rhythm brought people together. The stencils placed with pride on the walls detail the history of past wool classers who worked in the shed.

The Machinery Shed at Stretton Park was designed by past farming families for maintenance and storage of large machinery. Twin sliding doors at the front and a rear roller door with a long steel workbench provide a practical, organised space for supporting farm operations and longer-term storage.

The Grain Shed at Stretton Park recalls a time when harvests were stored on farm. Built in the simple, practical style common to rural Victorian farms, it once held the season's yield aloft, high and dry on its hardwood floor. Today it stands as a quiet marker of farm life and in recent years it has been utilized for family furniture storage.

Thompson Creek runs along the southern edge of Stretton Park farm, its clear lagoons reflecting the changing skies. Landcare plantings of the last 10 years have revitalised the creek, supported native vegetation and attracted local wildlife. Kangaroos are now regular visitors once again on the creek, a testament to the land's resilience and the care invested in its restoration.

The Lane links the working heart of the farm at the cattle and sheep yards to its open paddocks past the old Silos, Hay & Tractor Shed. Its gravelled road carry's the spirit of daily farm life, a quiet gravelled track connecting history, work and the open creek landscapes beyond.

Built for storing grain, silage, hay and housing tractor implements, the cluster of Silos, Hay & Tractor sheds stand at the top of the Stretton farm entrance paddock as an enduring echo of harvest days. Annually millions of passers bye on the Surf Coast Highway gaze across to these corrugated roofs gleaming in the morning light, and framed by the ancient cypress pine plantations.

The cattle & sheep yards at Stretton Park reflect the property's working heritage. Weathered timbers and sturdy rails frame a space once filled with the rhythm of farm life, a time when the shearing shed was the busiest one in the district between Geelong, Torquay and Barwon Heads. Inside the weathered timber of the original sheep yards is a modern bugle yard showcasing the development of yard design, The strengthening of cattle yards boards over time is visible and the innovative use of rail line and a circular forcing yard displays a unique design recognised as one of the best yards in the district well ahead of other yards of its time. The yards stand today as a reminder of the farm’s history and its deep connection to rural tradition.

The historic Stretton Park farm is highly visible as it runs along the popular Surf Coast Highway, with its main farm entrance located there. The farm also has a substantial alternate entrance, which can be accessed off the quieter Dickens Road. When you enter here you pass through the new plantations and are presented with open vistas across basalt-top paddock and the country charm of the homestead and its facilities in the distance.

Positioned between the Entrance Paddock and The Flat, this large spring-fed dam is the first serene sight as you arrive. The dams water level rises and falls with the seasons, year-round it’s fed by an underground spring, it never been know to have dried out, providing reliable stock water for cattle and sheep while creating a beautiful, reflective centerpiece framed by native grasses and gums. A perfect welcome to Stretton Park’s timeless landscape.