The property in Woodstock Road, Milton, was originally granted to William Hood Wason in 1841 and was later owned by the Ewin family and then the Warden family who sold a portion of the farm to the Ulladulla Refrigerating Butter Company.

The company built the district’s first cheese factory in 1909 and in 1927 it was rebuilt in reinforced concrete at the same time as the Yatte Yattah factory and a second Milton factory, opposite the showground.

Butter and cheese were made at the three factories until 1942 when, owing to wartime conditions and drought, all were closed and local milk sent to Sydney.

In 1946 the company went into liquidation and the Woodstock factory was purchased by the owner of the adjoining Woodstock and Woodlawn dairy farms, Cynthia Warden and her mother Ruby.

Cynthia married in 1952 and lived with her husband on the Great Barrier Reef’s Bedarra Island.

In 1964 she returned to Milton and built the homestead alongside the abandoned cheese factory.

Both dairy farms were operated by members of the Turnbull family from 1925 until 1969 and in 1970 the property was purchased by Milton icon Jack Wallace.

Cynthia continued to own and live in the cheese factory house until her death in 1979 when she left her estate to the Country Women’s Association.

It too was purchased by Jack Wallace who later sold it to the Bromfield family and then to the current owners Michael and Jane Crowle in 2000.

The abandoned factory was fully renovated and operated as the Old Cheese Factory Café from 2001 until 2003.

Nestled among dairy paddocks, the factory building and residence, set on 2,712 square metres, is on the market for $695,000.

Selling agent Gary Cox from LJ Hooker Ulladulla said the property was part of Milton’s farming history.

He said the old factory has been renovated and could be used as a cafe, gallery, farmstay or guest house.

The four bedroom residence is also in excellent condition and full of country charm.