Shutting the farm gates: Belstack Strawberry Farm owners Peter and Marg Tacey are closing the gates for good after 35 years.
Photo by
Rodney Braithwaite
After 35 years — with an average five to eight tonnes of strawberries picked each year — the owners of Belstack Strawberry Farm will shut the farm gates for good on January 26, at 5pm.
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And, according to Peter and Marg Tacey, the years have flown by.
“In the next 35 years I will be 106 and Marg will be 101,” Mr Tacey said.
“So, is it time to do other things? Maybe.”
The beloved strawberry farm at Kialla West started growing the fruit commercially.
But when prices fell to as little as 5¢ a punnet, the couple decided to invite travellers into the paddocks to pick the strawberries themselves.
“We wanted to get people off the highway,” Mrs Tacey said.
“If they’re travelling, they can relax, it’s safe for kids and there’s the river just there.”
Strawberry picking: The patch is still open for picking until January 26. Photo: Rodney Braithwaite
Photo by
Rodney Braithwaite
It wasn’t long before visitors from far and wide flocked to Belstack to pick their own punnets, pet the animals and see what it takes to grow strawberries.
“I just didn’t realise how people crave that sort of thing,” Mrs Tacey said.
Locals might remember some of the other events hosted at the farm like the Kialla West Strawberry Fest that ran annually between 1988 and 1997 at the farm, various excursions and education programs with local schools and the theatre nights that ran from 1990 to 2000.
They estimate about 30,000 people visited the farm to see the shows.
“We had people coming from Newcastle, Sydney, Renmark and Adelaide to Shepparton to do theatre night,” Mr Tacey said.
“Instead of going from here to Melbourne they were coming from Melbourne to here.”
The performances were based around five different themes with scripts written by Mrs Tacey.
“It was unique entertainment and we enjoyed it too,” she said.
The couple has also passionately taken care of the land and passed on knowledge to the many visitors.
The permaculture garden houses numerous species of plants and a paddock has been restored to a thriving red gum forest which helps to capture carbon.
“Everything we’ve done is to give people a little taste of growing stuff and picking it for themselves,” Mrs Tacey said.
35 years on the farm: Peter and Marg Tacey in their strawberry patch, taken in 2004.
“We’re biodynamic, so it’s all about land care and sustainability as well.”
After January 26, the farm will be the couple’s “little rural retreat”.
“We’ll grow a few veggies for ourselves and in between travelling, we’ll be here.”
Mr and Mrs Tacey are excited for a little extra freedom to travel and visit their five children and 13 grandchildren, spread across three states.
“We want to thank all our customers for supporting us over the years,” Mrs Tacey said.
“Over the years, they’ve really helped us to grow and to be able to put in the cafe, the outdoor areas and ‘pick your own’.
“All of those things have been because people have said ‘have you thought about doing this?’”
Belstack Strawberry Farm will close on January 26, but jams and sauce will still be available to buy from the Visitor Information Centre, Bunbartha Beef, Teller Collective and, during fruit picking season, Boris’ Fruit Shed.
