Apple growing was once an important part of the local economy around Mernda. So bountiful was the supply of apples that a number of cider factories operated in the area in the first half of the twentieth century. One of the earliest was built by Kitz & Co in 1916.
In 1928, several cows belonging to Mrs R. S. Knox of Mernda wandered into a cider factory near the township. They ate a large quantity of crushed apples, the refuse of fruit which had been used in the manufacture of cider. The Hurstbridge Advertiser noted that the “effect of the fermented apple refuse was startling. The cows became so intoxicated that they could hardly walk; they bellowed loudly and staggered along the roadway.” The story proved so popular that it was republished in a number of newspapers including the Melbourne Argus, the Canberra Times, Launceston’s Examiner, Broken Hill’s Barrier Miner and Adelaide’s The Register.
References
Preston Leader Saturday 12 February 1916
Advertiser (Hurstbridge) Friday 27 April 1928
Photo: Cows at Mayfield, Mernda, Fay Thomas Collection, Yarra Plenty Regional Library
