1830’s – Trefusis was first granted to William Bunster who built the original middle part of the current homestead.

1850 – The Page Family bought Trefusis and ran it as a coaching station to rest their horses on the way from either the east coast or Lemont to Ross then Hobart or Launceston.

1879 – The Page Family leased Trefusis to the Headlam Family for seven years.

1886 – The Page Family leased Trefusis to the Dowling Family up until 1920. For the next few years the property remained on the market to be sold.

1923 -  Alec McEwan purchased Trefusis and started to build up a flock of Saxon Superfine Merinos based on bloodlines from Winton, Valleyfield and Kenilworth. His efforts were hampered by the meagre choice of machinery to improve country and increase the carrying capacity and a plague of rabbits.

1948 – Jim McEwan took over managing the property at the age of 18 after his father’s death.  At this point in time Trefusis was overrun with rabbits and gorse and was only carrying 5,000 sheep and 70 cattle on 14,000 acres (5760 hectares) producing 90 Bales of Wool.

1965 – Jim and his wife Jo Started a Merino Stud due to the fact that they were having trouble sourcing a good amount of suitable Merino flock rams annually. This Stud was based on Winton & Sierra Park bloodlines with the purpose of breeding rams for their own use. Over the next 20 years another 10 rams from Sierra park and 4 from Winton were purchased.

1948 – 2007 – Over the next 60 years Jim slowly cleared and improved a vast majority of Trefusis to the point where it ran a large commercial operation of some 30,000 DSE’s consisting of a superfine wool merino flock producing 550 Bales of wool, a crossbred prime lamb operation, 440 Hereford cattle and a merino stud.
Jim ensured, through much hard work, that Trefusis became renowned for producing top Superfine Wool that was sort after worldwide. This resulted in many world and seasonal Record prices and many Zegna Awards for the best Superfine Fleece at the Campbell Town Show over the awards 46 year History from 1963 up until it’s cessation in 2009,

• Zegna Wins - Trefusis: 1966, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2006 & 2008. Uplands: 1996, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2007.

• Campbell Town Show - Grand Champion Merino Rams – 1981, 1983 & 2018

1970 – 1988 – The Trefusis Wool Clip averaged 114.0 cents per kg in 1970 and over the next 18 years gradually increased in price to average a hugely substantial lift of 1868.6 c/kg in 1988.

• Wool Record Prices for Trefusis
  1937-38 Season - 162 Bales – Australian Record - Ex Super Fine Comb – 33 ½ Pounds
  1975 – Seasonal Record 2,500 c/kg
  1978 – Seasonal Record 3,100 c/kg
  1979 – Seasonal Record 3,200 c/kg
  1981 – Seasonal Record 3,400 c/kg
  1983 – Seasonal Record 6,000 c/kg
  1984 -  World Record 5 Bale lot 4,000 c/kg
  1984-85 Season- 284 Bales- World Record-Ex Sup A Fine Comb- 16,800 c/kg
  1986 World Record 1 Bale 18,700 c/kg, Classer Ken Collins, Victoria.
  1988 World Record 1 Bale 32,000 c/kg for 109 kg bale. Classer Ken Collins, Vic
  1993 Top Price 12,000 c/kg
  1998 Top Price 14,000 c/kg
  2000 Top Price 34,200 c/kg
  2001 Top Price 10,500 c/kg

1985 – Trefusis held its inaugural Ram Sale auctioning 52 Rams averaging $468.00. This Ram Sale still continues every year on the last Friday in November. The 2019 Results were 60 Rams selling averaging $2066.

1999 – Georgina Wallace began Classing the Trefusis Stud. Prior to this well-known Sheep classer Bruce Forster classed the stud for many years.

2007 –  Family succession planning was undertaken between Jim & Jo and their 4 daughters. Georgina and Hamish decided to sell their property Uplands at Deddington and move back to Trefusis, where they undertook ownership in their own right.

2009 – Due to a long sustained period of time from 1991 up till this point, prices for Superfine Wool had been very low, hence the Saxon Breed was not very profitable.  So, a decision was made to infuse some genetics from some New South Wales Studs to improve productivity through increasing body size, fleece weight and lambing percentages. This change has been very successful lifting stud Ewe fleece weights from 5kg to 7kg, Body weights from 45kg to 60kg, and lambing percentages from 85% to 105%, whilst maintaining a micron of 18.0. At this time, well known sheep classer, Andrew Calvert was appointed as Stud Advisor.

2009- Paid $29,000 for a Nerstane Ram along with 4 other semen shareholders

2010- Purchased another Nerstane Ram in January for $7000.

2010 – First lot of lambs born to this change in August.

2010 - A 7,000 mega litre dam was completed on the Trefusis - Mt Morriston boundary in conjunction with their neighbor. Since then five fixed centre pivots have been installed covering 280 hectares.

2012- Purchased 2 Rams from Langdene Stud, NSW for $11,000 & $8,000

2013- Bendigo Sheep Show- Sold Trefusis ‘Jimmy’ for $25,000 to ‘Borambil” NSW

2014 -  Semen Shareholder in a $25,000 Ram from Roseville Park RP 12-2792. This sire has gone on to have a big impact on the stud.

2015 – Bendigo Grand Champ fleece, out of 500 fleeces Nationally, from a Stud Ewe which was Junior Fine Wool Champion at Bendigo in 2014, named ‘Josie’. The Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show is Australia’s premier Show attended by all States and the biggest Sheep and Wool Show in the world.

2015 – Semen Shareholder in a $24,000 Ram from Nerstane N18

2017 – Bendigo Grand Champion Fleece for the 2nd time.

2017 - Semen Shareholder in a $30,000 Poll ram from Alfoxton, purchased a Poll Ram for $10,000 from Coryule, Vic and Paid $52,500 with 6 other shareholders for the Supreme Champion Ram at Bendigo from Eilan Donan named ‘Harvey” – Trefusis retained ownership of the Ram.

2018 – Purchased 52 Okehampton Stud Ewes, 1 Stud Ram and 14 Ram Hoggets’ at their dispersal sale.

2018 - Bendigo Grand Champ Fleece, out of 450 fleeces Nationally, for the 3rd time from a Ewe named ‘Big Bessy’ which was junior Champion Fine Wool at the 2017 Bendigo show. Highest Score in the competitions history (97.87/100) and never been won before 3 times by the same property. 1st Lionel Weatherly Trophy for the group of 5 Merinos and Most Successful Exhibitor in the Fleece Section.

2018 – Sold a pen of 5 Rams Sheepvention, Hamilton Victoria for an Average of $3,800.

2018 - First drop of Poll lambs born in August.

2019 – Champion Superfine Ram Bendigo, 1st time for the Trefusis Stud.
Most Successful Exhibitor Fleece Section for the 2nd time.

2019 – Purchased another Poll Ram from Alfoxton for $ 26,000 with 2 other semen Shareholders.

2019 – Sold a pen of 5 Rams Sheepvention, Hamilton, Victoria for an Average of $4,800.

2019 - Registered Trefusis Poll Merino Stud.

2019 – On Property Ram Sale November averages $2066 for 60 Rams and a top price of $7,400 sold to Stonehouse Grazing, Lemont, Tasmania.

2020 - Trefusis today consists of some 17,380 acres (7036 Hectares) after additional purchases of ‘Black Johnnies’ and ‘Kheme’ in 1989. The topography of Trefusis consists of rolling to mountainous country with improved, semi improved and Native bush country. It has a long frontage to the Macquarie River and the soil profile varies from brown clay loam to some lighter sandy country. Over the last 70 years or so the pastures have been continually improved and have a significant fertilizer history. The annual rainfall is approximately 480 to 500ml.