One of the first settlements in the King Valley, it was originally a sheep and cattle property – the presence of its own cemetery on the banks of Black Range Creek show just how much history Fontana has.

Mr Gorman said his family purchased the property as the result of wanting to purchase an old Lincoln welder at a clearing sale.

“We attended the clearing sale and recognised the great potential of the farm,” he said.

“We called it ‘Fontana’ after the previous owner and his contribution to the valley and the tobacco industry.

“We have now owned the property for some seven years and during this period we have tried to improve it with new fencing, cattle yards and a hayshed, and extensive repairs were done to the sheds in order to maintain them.”

The 152-hectare property is at Edi in the King Valley, 40 kilometres from the rural hub of Wangaratta, and was traditionally known as ‘The Hollow’ because of an area of wetlands which were used for tobacco farming.

“Still to this day, Fontana has its three traditional tobacco drying sheds: the Burley shed, the two Smiths sheds and the more recent electric-fired drying kilns,” Mr Gorman said.

“The tobacco industry has now disappeared from the valley and, once again, more traditional farming has recommenced, being the running of cattle and sheep and the cutting of hay.”

The Gorman family have lived on Fontana for the past seven years, running 70 Angus breeders and 130 first-cross ewes.

They produce vealers and yearlings for the Wangaratta market and fat lambs that are sold direct to the Wangaratta abattoirs.

Since taking over the property, Mr Gorman has put in new concrete-floored Cyclone yards with a squeeze crush, a vet gate and an adjustable loading ramp to make stock work safe and convenient.