The Gorman family has put 93 hectares next to the Murray Valley Highway east of Yarrawonga up for sale as Glanmire Park Estate.

Rezoned from rural to residential in the past decade, the property is being advertised within Australia and overseas.

John Gorman, who owns the land with his five siblings and has been farming it on their behalf, said the time had come to realise the land’s potential for residential and commercial purposes.

The family’s decision comes 100 years after the death of the original settler, Mr Gorman’s great-grandfather and namesake John Murray Gorman.

Gorman, who came from Kilmore, selected 1500 acres (607 hectares) in 1873 and arrived in Yarrawonga two years later. With him came wife Mary, eight surviving children and two of his sisters whose husbands had been killed in farm accidents.

The sisters, who had young children, were Mrs Cahill and Mrs Flanagan, surnames still found in Yarrawonga.

Clearing the massive grey box trees to grow wheat became Gorman’s first priority.

He built his original homestead on the corner of Murray Valley Highway and Woods Road, now the site of the new medical clinic.

An enterprising businessman, Gorman started Gorman’s store in Belmore Street in 1900 and also had branches in Berrigan and Oaklands.

His younger son WJ (Bill) Gorman ran the stores and his other two sons Jack and Tom were the farmers.

At the time of his death in 1917, Gorman was a senior resident honorary magistrate in Yarrawonga as well as a storekeeper and hotelier.

Jack Gorman sold his farm and moved to Griffith in 1928 while Tom, Mr Gorman’s grandfather, continued farming until his death in 1948.

Mr Gorman worked on the farm alongside his father Maurice for 30 years.

“Not being a man to take risks, Dad was very proud of his heritage and wanted to farm the original selection rather than selling it over previous decades,” Mr Gorman said.

Colliers International lifestyle director Kim McQueen said the sale of Glanmire Park Estate had already attracted a lot of interest.

“Obviously word gets out and I think that people have known this has been coming on market over the last few weeks and months,” she said.

“The time is right, the market’s very good, Yarrawonga has been growing. The boundary’s growing out now, it’s reached this land.

“People are wanting to come and live up there.” 

Expressions of interest for Glanmire Park Estate close on October 11 at 2pm.