New Park Farm
New Park Farm is a privately owned pastoral company in the Upper Hunter Valley. It is located near Chichester Dam, 15km west of the township of Dungog.
The farm is set on 365 hectares (902 acres) of land that enclose the eastern sloping ridges and river flats near the Chichester river. Nestled alongside the Barrington Tops National Parks, the property enjoys a higher than average rainfall in the area - anywhere between 900mm to 1300mm per annum.
The property was first settled in 1857 by the Hutchinson family who ran it as a dairy farm. In 1906 they built a Victorian-style homestead from brick and locally sourced materials that featured decorative, rendered quoins. Its’ impressive design and interior detail stand today as a testament to their success as dairy farmers at the time.
In 2014, New Park was acquired by the Hammond family and is now enjoying a rejuvenation with the family looking to return the property to its former glory over time. Several new dams were built to drought proof the property and ensure livestock have access to clean water in all areas.
Our land
We manage the property with the clear aim of regenerating the soils, pastures and promoting soil biodiversity. We have engaged an agronomist who regularly reviews the health of the soil and has implemented a program of works aimed at restoring the soils regenerative ability.
This coupled with rotational grazing ensures sufficient ground cover to avoid erosion and promote pasture growth. This improves rainfall infiltration and retention and excess clear water runoff. It also encourages natural tree regeneration, greater biodiversity and helps drought-proof the property. We want to sustain as much diversity as possible – diversity of plants above the soil, and diversity of biology and microbes beneath it.
Diverse pastures nourish best
We manage the property with the clear aim of regenerating the soils, pastures and promoting soil biodiversity. We have engaged an agronomist who regularly reviews the health of the soil and has implemented a program of works aimed at restoring the soils regenerative ability.
New Park’s ‘Vibe’
At New Park, we produce and fatten Angus cattle on pastures of kikuyu and paspalum mixed with clovers, ryegrass and chicory to provide extra nourishment.
We manage our cattle ethically and humanely. Small mobs graze contentedly in peaceful, open, free range pastures. We practice low-stress stock handling principles. We care deeply about our animals who graze exclusively on pastures and have plenty of clean drinking water. This ensures that the nutritional quality and flavour of the beef is of the highest standard possible. Our grass-fed cattle are moved to our local abattoir for processing and sale to local and international markets.
New Park Farm beef is the way nature intended it to be – natural tasting and healthy for you.
About Dungog
Dungog Shire is in the Hunter Region of NSW and is renowned for its forests, mountains and picturesque river villages. The name “Dungog” comes from the local Gringai tribe meaning thinly wooded hills.
The region consists of a collection of historic villages – Dungog, Vacy, Gresford, and Clarence Town – that lie in the cattle-growing valleys of the high water tributaries of the Hunter River, just below the Barrington Tops National Park which is part of the Great Dividing Range. Dungog is 228 kilometres north of Sydney, 74 kilometres north of Newcastle and 61 meters above sea level. With a current population of 3,000, this remains an important agricultural area involved in cattle-raising, dairy farming and logging.
Dungog Shire covers an area of 2,248 sq kilometres. The Shire has two principal rivers, the Williams in the east and the Paterson (and its major tributary the Allyn) in the west. Both are tributaries of the Hunter River and contribute over 40 percent of the flow of the Hunter.
The first Europeans in the area are thought to have been stockmen in search of wayward cattle. Timber getters were drawn to the thick strands of cedar. One tree reputedly had a circumference of 9 meters that could yield an estimated 9 kilometres of timber! An echo of the town’s past can be heard in the Sydney Opera House. The timber for elements of the interior were supplied from Dungog in 1972.
Today, Dungog is a thriving area from which to explore the countryside. Chichester Dam, state forests and Barrington Tops National Park are within an easy drive and are ideal places for bushwalking, scenic drives, swimming, photography, horse-riding, cycling, camping, trail bike riding and canoeing.
