Cheriton was the first property in the shire of Gingin, pre-dating the township. Founded by William Locke Brockman in 1843, and at one stage 30,000 acres in size, Cheriton has been owned by some of the great characters of Western Australia. Brockman arrived in 1839, son of the Revered Julius Drake-Brockman, pastor of Cheriton in Kent.

He brought with him seven servants and tradespersons, sheep, cows, pigs, poultry, a large amount of farm machinery and a prefabricated house. He was an importer and breeder of the finest horses, having come from England via India and he used Cheriton to breed re-mounts for the Indian army.

There was a dairy with around 100 milkers and Brockman was the first man in Western Australia to grow wheat commercially.

As part of this endeavour, he had Alfred Carson build one of the first water-powered mills in WA; it ran 24 hours a day all year round on the Gingin Brook which flows through the middle of the property.

With the advantage of unusually high soil quality, Cheriton became the largest citrus orchard in the state with over 1,000 trees. Brockman had brought orange seeds from the Canary Islands. Legend tells of an orange tree on the property 30 feet high. After the fruit was picked, it was 40 feet high. One of WA's pioneers, Brockman became a member of the Legislative Council. His daughter Margaret was known as 'The Fair Maid Of Perth', presumably a reference to the popular Walter Scott novel of 1828.

Son Henry took over the property after Brockman's death and together with the merchant John Bateman, was guarantor for the rail link to Gingin - a project that cost £1 million in 1891.

Henry sold Cheriton in 1902 to George Gooch, himself a pioneer of the North West of WA. Gooch re-purchased some of the land that Henry had been forced to sell. The Manager’s Cottage, built by Gooch with limestone from the original dwellings is described by the National Trust of Australia as the best example in the Gingin District.

Gooch also constructed at a cost of £2,000 an imposing two-storey homestead of Casuarina stone. This building, with its pressed tin ceilings and grand proportions remains the focal point of the property. Gooch died while visiting England in 1923.

In time the property passed to F.A. (Freddie) Farquhar who re-established it as a famous Western Australian thoroughbred stud, breeding horses that won almost every major West Australian race including the Perth Cup and some interstate. He is credited as the first breeder in WA to consistently present well grown and correctly educated yearlings.

The yearling sales at Cheriton were important events in the racing industry and the Perth social calendar. Around a hundred years after Margaret Brockman, Farquhar’s daughter Mary also became known as ‘The Fair Maid Of Perth’. In 1959 Cheriton was split a second time. A portion was sold to a syndicate known as the Moondah Grazing Company. This property is now home to one of Australia’s most successful wine brands, Moondah Brook.

Media pioneer Brian Treasure bought Cheriton at auction in June 1991 but died shortly afterwards. He was an influential businessman in WA media circles, playing a pioneering role in TVW 7, 96fm, Network TEN and the Perth Entertainment Centre and mentoring a number of well known media figures including Jack Bendat and Kerry Stokes.

His family planted vines during the wine export boom of the mid-nineties, opened a guesthouse with the shire's first fine-dining restaurant, then hosted tourism events including the Posh Picnic concert series which featured the strings of the WA Symphony Orchestra.