WHere it started
Our History
Greg’s father, Norm arrived in Boundary Bend, a short distance from Kenley, in the 1940’s. With two of his brothers, he was involved in setting up a redgum saw mill and at the same time they grew vegetables and began planting citrus trees. These were times of severe drought and war related shortages of materials and equipment. Irrigation water was pumped from the Murray River by a large wood guzzling steam engine and loose rooted nursery trees arrived from Sydney by train. The trees were hand watered from a water cart for the first couple of years, until manual portable sprinkler lines were introduced. Tree spraying was by hand pieces on hoses.
Citrus fruit was harvested into wooden boxes, manually loaded onto trailers and conveyed to the packing shed. Packing was again into handmade wooden boxes and each loaded by hand onto trucks for market. The introduction of the tractor mounted forklift and half tonne bulk bins revolutionised fruit handling in the early 1960’s.
After the sale of the saw mill, Norm bought 16 hectares of land at the confluence of the Murray and Wakool rivers at Kenley in 1959.
Three generations of Chislett’s have seen this modest beginning expand into multiple farms totalling 1584 Ha of which 1000 Ha is currently planted. Another 100 Ha is to be planted shortly. A citrus packing facility was purchased in 2024 enabling the total production to be packed in-house.
The paddle steamer Hero was used to tow the barge Canally loaded with logs to the sawmill.
George and Doug Chislett applying a Malathion insecticide spray to kill red scale on their citrus trees at Boundary Bend, Victoria during the early 1960’s.
Wooden cases of citrus fruit being transported from the orchard to the on-farm packing shed at Boundary Bend, Victoria (c. 1950’s). Later, the introduction of forklifts, bulk fruit bins and picking bags revolutionised the way fruit was harvested and transported.
Chislett brothers irrigated their citrus orchards with portable Webb spray lines. Photo taken at Boundary Bend , Victoria in the early 1950’s.
View from George Chislett’s orchard towards the town and Chislett Bros. sawmill (centre background) at Boundary Bend, Victoria c. 1950 (circled people unknown).
The barge Canally in the early 2000’s undergoing maintenance on the slips at Mildura, Victoria. The Canally was originally a paddlesteamer and had the nickname “Greyhound of the River” for it’s speed. It is now at Morgan, SA where it is being restored back to a paddlesteamer.
Doug Chislett (Greg’s cousin) – picking oranges during the early 1950’s at Boundary Bend, Victoria.
Fruit was picked into wooden cases, loaded onto a nearby tractor trailer and driven to the on-farm packing facility.
George, Stan & Gordon Chislett aboard P.S. Hero c. 1955.
Greg (son of Norman) and his cousin Ross (son of Stan) Chislett aboard P.S. Hero c. 1955.
Chislett Bros. punt crossing, Boundary Bend, Victoria (c. 1950). The punt was mainly used to transport equipment and Red Gum logs across the Murray River.
Doug (left) and Norm Chislett – felling a Red Gum tree with a motorised saw during the 1950’s at Boundary Bend, Victoria.
The P.S. Hero and punt owned by Chislett Bros., skippered by Norman Chislett while rescuing stranded cattle near Boundary Bend, Victoria during the 1956 flood.
The hull of P.S. Hero after it was raised from the river bed at Boundary Bend, passing through Swan Hill, Victoria en route to it’s new home at the Port of Echuca (to be rebuilt) – March 4, 1998.
The refloated wrecks of the P.S. Hero (front) and barge Canally (behind Hero, right of brage A11) at the sight of the Chislett Bros. sawmill, Boundary Bend, Victoria – Feb. 1998. They sank in 1958.