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The first Butter Factory in Yarragon was recorded in 1901. The Dairy was situated on Waterloo Road and operated by the Melbourne Chilled Butter & Produce Co. However in 1904 the company went into liquidation and the Yarragon Co-operative Butter Factory was formed in 1905.

In 1908 the Yarragon Factory installed the first combined churn and butter worker in Victoria and continued their operation until 1921 when it almegated with the Trafalgar Co-operative and traded as the Trafalgar and Yarragon Co-operative Butter and Cheese Factory. In 1933 portion of the Yarragon factory was destroyed by fire and all manufacturing  was done at Trafalgar. 

In 1935 The Yarragon Dairy Co. Pty.Ltd was formed and a new factory was build and opened for business in 1936

In 1954 the company was purchased by Peters Ice Cream Pty Ltd. and in 1961 the office block and laboratory was build.

In 1969 a decision was made to place the managerial responsibility for the three local factories, Warragul, Yarragon and Trafalgar in the hands of local stake holders. Yoghurt and special powders continued to be manufactured at the Yarragon Dairy until 1978.

The Yarragon Dairy was then taken over by a private individual who sold whatever was left and other iterms were said to have been stolen and removed by former workers, leaving absolutely nothing, but a total mess.  

The Dairy was left deserted  until Andy and Bente Jobsz purchased the property in December 2001.  Andy and Bente with the help of their sons Kirk and  Jamie, spent the next many  years cleaning and repairing  the property at a cost of $300,000 a far cry from the total  $600,000 needed to compleate the repairs and renovations. 

However, due to lack of community support, Bente and Andy left for the UK and Jamie left for  Shanghai to work with his brother Kirk .

In 2006 Andy and Bente returned and resumed the renovations and cleaning etc. some of the before and after pictures are included here.

Jamie and Kirk also returned  and the work continued.  Kirk and Lyn purchased 2 acrers behind the dairy.

The pieces of history has been taken from the book called "From the Dawning" A History of Yarragon and District which commemorate on hundred years from 1878-1978, it was  first published in 1978, Wholly set  up and printed by the L.V. Printers Traralgon Victoria Australia.  National Library of Australia ISBN 0-909562-05-09.  -

This little book was given to us as a gift by one of Yarragon’s 'Old Timers'  -     The pictures below are some of the issues we had to deal  with.