History
Land that's rich in history
Kingston has a rich farming history with a strong connection to the land that has been in the hands of the Messer family for many generations. The Messer’s are well-known within the community for having always worked extremely hard to achieve their success.
George Messer was the first in the family to buy this fertile farming land after emigrating from England in the late 1800s.
The farm land provided a home and an income to help raise a large family. Hard work was the order of the day, growing and reaping sugarcane and running a dairy that served milk to all the surrounding families.
Lewis Messer had the very first local milk run in the area and his horse and cart serviced the town daily with fresh milk. Uncle Dick was a champion milker and known throughout the region for his skills. The old milk cart retains a place today in the Hervey Bay Museum and is a significant reminder of Hervey Bay’s rich farming history.
Later, Lewis’ youngest son Keith purchased the land from Uncle Dick, who kept the dairy running with his wife Jacqueline for another 15 years. Keith also continued farming sugarcane on the land as well as a number of small crops, selling his produce to the locals and tourists. Keith became iconic too, known to locals as ‘The Watermelon Man’ and he sold watermelons, rockmelons, mangoes, pineapples and pumpkins from the back of his ute on the Esplanade every Christmas holidays.
As the decades have passed, Hervey Bay has grown from a sleepy fishing village into a modern coastal city. The time has come that this land we affectionately call ‘The Farm’ takes on a new name and meaning in providing for the Hervey Bay community.
We are proud of The Farm’s history and heritage and that it will now be home for many more future generations of families.
Our vision is that every new resident of Kingston will plant their own roots, create their own memories, live and grow here and continue to feel the love for their own place on this land, as we have.
