Bellerive
OUR STORY
4th Generation Family-Owned Property
The property now known as 'Bellerive' has been farmed by the Madden family since the late 19th century, when George (right) and Letitia Madden made the 3-1/2 month trip from Ireland to start a new life in Australia.
Farming activities have included pigs, cattle, sheep, and a wide range of cropping.
Nowadays, most of the property is given over to horse agistment, with some hay for feed being grown, when weather conditions permit.
ABOUT BELLERIVE
'Bellerive' is a farm property located on the Midland Highway, 6km north-west of Geelong. The name was chosen in 1927, when Jack and Hope Madden (third generation) went to Tasmania for their honeymoon. They were so taken with the town of Bellerive, where they stayed, that took the name for their property.
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The part of the land that goes down to the Moorabool River was purchased in 1890 by the first George Madden from Captain John Moore Cole Airey, who had been recalled to Europe. The rest of the land, closer to the Midland Highway, was used for growing wine grapes, and was purchased at a later date, after phylloxera went through the area and winemaking was abandoned.
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On the death of George Madden, his son, also George Madden, took over the running of the farm and, subsequently his son, Robert John (Jack) Madden, built the homestead, while his father lived on and ran the neighbouring property, 'Strathire', which has now been taken over by the Batesford Quarry.
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'Bellerive' has been used for raising grazing beef and dairy cattle, and sheep, and a variety of crops have been grown, both for fodder and for sale.
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From around 1970, some of the land has been given over to horse agistment, which gradually increased over the years, becoming the primary occupation. John Madden (fourth generation) and his son, Tim, (fifth generation) now look after the property, and have built the agistment business to what it is today.
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