The History of Ballybrook Farm

Ballybrook Farm has a long history in Gisborne, being one of the earliest and largest farming properties in the area. Once well over 2,000 acres, it has slowly been broken up and now is 130 acres, but retains all the character of of an old homestead on the side of Mount Gisborne.

It has been used for sheep farming, cattle farming and more recently, a horse stud. It was purchased in 2011 with vision of converting it to a cattle stud for the Bairnsley Highland Cattle fold. With some considerable work on cattle yards, fencing, and shedding, it was easily converted into a facility for doing cattle breeding including artificial insemination, embryo transfer (“IVF”) and show preparation. Established in 1996, Bairnsley is the most well known and successful Highland Cattle fold in Australia. At the end of 2024, 23 of the previous 34 Australian Highland Cattle National Show grand champion bulls and females were out of a Bairnsley cow or by a Bairnsley bull (or both).

Bree and Glen started a new venture in 2018 when they purchased their first Highland Pony, and have shown and bred these as well now. With the property previously being set up as an equine stud, this transition required little effort. The horse and foal crush as now used every breeding season, and artificial insemination with frozen stallion semen is used at Ballybrook Highland Ponies to help improve the number and quality of Highland Ponies in Australia.

In 2023, we started showing people around the farm with the vision to educate people from the city on what happens on a small scale farm, and to give them the opportunity to interact with the then “trending” Highland cows and calves, and also our Highland ponies and foals. Without any advertising, these Highland Cow Experiences grew in popularity, now being booked out weeks in advance.

At Ballybrook Farm, we had requests for other events, so we launched into “paint and sip” events (what we call “Paint, Pat & Pinot”), as well as photography sessions with the Highland cattle and ponies and also accommodation on farm and 5 minutes down the road at our second property, Cnoc Dubh.

We regularly travel overseas (mostly back to Scotland) to look for new genetics that fit our breeding goals with both the cattle and ponies, and bringing back frozen semen and embryos from these animals to ensure genetic diversity that will allow both breeds to survive and flourish in Australia.