About us
Hello, I'm Michelle, and together with my husband Rob, we'd like to welcome you to Scotchwood Farm.
Nestled in the beautiful countryside of Benjinup in Western Australia's South West, Scotchwood Farm is our home and the place where we've built our dream of living a slower, more meaningful life surrounded by animals and nature.
Before making the move to the country, we built and operated a successful shopfitting business while I worked as a registered nurse. Today, I manage the farm full time, while Rob continues to run our second business, with every spare moment devoted to growing Scotchwood Farm.
Our farm is guided by regenerative farming principles, with a focus on improving the land, caring for our animals, and leaving the property in better condition for future generations.
Our greatest passion is breeding traditional Scottish Highland cattle. We are committed to preserving this remarkable heritage breed by carefully selecting genetics that prioritise temperament, structural correctness, maternal ability, and longevity. Every breeding decision is made with quality, not quantity or colour, in mind.
Sharing our Highlands is just as important to us as breeding them. Through our private Highland Cow Experiences, we invite visitors to slow down, connect with these gentle animals, and discover why we fell in love with this incredible breed.
Thank you for visiting our website. We hope to welcome you to Scotchwood Farm and share a little of our world with you soon.
After an extensive search, we found our home in the rural town of Benjinup, a 205-acre property that provided the space and opportunity to establish the farm and lifestyle we had envisioned. Benjinup is in the shire of Boyup Brook and a 15 minute drive from Bridgetown.
ALONG CAME MARY
The beginning of the
Scotchwood Highland cattle
Our journey with Scottish Highland cattle began after a trip to Scotland sparked a deep admiration for this remarkable heritage breed. A visit to the 2023 Perth Royal Show soon confirmed what our hearts already knew, and before long, Mary, our first Highland heifer, found her home at Scotchwood Farm, where our journey truly began.
Today, our fold continues to grow with carefully selected bloodlines from Scotland, the United States, and Australia. Our breeding program is dedicated to preserving the traditional Scottish Highland, with every mating carefully planned to improve structure, temperament, breed character, and longevity.
We are proud to exhibit our Highlands throughout Western Australia and have supported the WA State Highland Cattle Show at the Harvey Show since its inaugural event in 2025. Showing our cattle allows us to celebrate this remarkable breed while continually benchmarking and improving our breeding program.
When Mary and her Highland x Dexter companion, Ebony, arrived, we quickly realised that while Highland cattle are renowned for their calm temperaments, they are still large, powerful animals that deserve to be handled with knowledge, confidence, and respect.
During their first week with us, Mary accidentally caught me with her horn. Although it was unintentional, the experience shook my confidence and became a defining moment in our journey. Rather than letting fear dictate the future,I became determined to better understand cattle behaviour and learn how to communicate with them in a way that built trust instead of fear.
That search led me to Bree's Bovine Behaviour and the principles of Natural Cowmanship. I travelled to Melbourne to attend one of Bree's workshops, where I gained practical handling skills, a deeper understanding of cattle behaviour, and the confidence to work safely and calmly alongside our Highlands.
The experience transformed not only the way we handle our cattle but also the philosophy behind our breeding program. Building trust, reducing stress, and respecting each animal as an individual are values that guide everything we do at Scotchwood Farm today.
Bree has remained a valued mentor and friend, and we are now proud to host her workshops here in Western Australia, helping others build the same confidence and connection with their own cattle.
Bree’s Bovine Behaviour and Natural Cowmanship
Scotchwood Farm is, above all, a story about slowing down, reconnecting with the land, and creating a place where both people and animals can thrive.
Today, our growing fold is raised using the principles of Natural Cowmanship, building trust through patience and understanding. This approach creates calm, confident cattle and a safer, lower stress environment for both our animals and ourselves.