Menangle's heritage-listed creamery has been destroyed by fire

The heritage-listed building was on the verge of being re-development after receiving approval for its renovation plans which would transform the site into a new tourist attraction.

The old creamery is a significant building in Australia's farming history - the heritage-listed building was originally known as the Dairy Farmers Cooperative.

Firefighters from the Douglas Park volunteer fire brigade found the old creamery well alight, and joining crews from Menangle RFS and other local RFS Brigades plus Fire Rescue NSW, took around three hours to contain the fire and make the area safe.

Originally owned by the Macarthur family, the creamery was built in 1898 and was responsible for separating milk for the cream trade in Sydney. The local railway station was built close to the creamery as it was crucial to transporting milk and cream to the city.

The creamery's rotolactor became a tourist attraction known as the "Menangle milking marvel" - the first in Australia and only the third of its kind in the world. The rotolactor, which milked around one thousand cows per day, was seen as very high-tech in the 1980s.

Development plans to turn the site into a brewery, a farmers' market and a hotel had recently been approved, following a long process by the owners to move forward with their vision.

Fire investigators are still working on the case but they suspect the blaze had been deliberately lit.

More to come