The Milang Lakeside Butter Factory was opened on July 3rd, 1893 and was an important part of the Milang & districts agricultural businesses into the 1960’s although it has not always been smooth sailing.
The Lakeside Butter Factory was opened by Buckland and Lipson. It closed in 1904 but was reopened in 1915 by Murphy Fromen & Co. when the latest equipment was installed. At this time cream was brought from Meningie twice a week on the P.S. Jupiter.
The original building consisted of the round roofed stone building but was added to in 1915 and by the 1920s the factory had been enlarged with corrugated iron outbuildings and was owned by South Australian Farmers’ Union.
The factory is an icon building for Milang overlooking the lake from its vantage point on Tod’s Hill, D’Aranda Tce The building is listed as a State Heritage Place on the South Australian Heritage Register. It comes with the adjacent Managers Cottage which is in sound condition, Baltic Pine within, corrugated iron out.
Milang and District Community Association and the community are extremely grateful to Alexandrina Council for the financial support of $325,000 grant from Alexandrina Council which together with MADCA funds enabled purchase of the property on 29th July 2016.
In undertaking research on the butter factory there have been some key values that underpinned the factory and which are as relevant to this community today as they were then – COOPERATION, PERSEVERANCE, EXCELLENCE, & INNOVATION.