Camden Vale Special Milk

In 1924 Camden Park's dairy herds were certified as tuberculosis-free, the first in New South Wales. This was at a time of widespread public concern about the poor quality of Sydney's milk and its associated health risks. Most Sydney residents still received their milk from a local 'milko' who poured milk from a small bulk tank in his van straight into their jug. Consumers could not know the quality of the milk they received. The Camden Vale Milk Company took advantage of this situation in 1926 when it began to sell bottled milk under its own name. (Dairy Farmers' sold its first bottle of milk in Sydney in 1925).

With the combined advantage of production by TB-free herds milked in model dairies, Camden Vale Special Milk was marketed in Sydney as safe for infants and invalids. Camden Vale's Special Milk met the requirements of the NSW Pure Foods Act that 'special milk' must have a specified maximum bacterial count and a minimum butter fat content.

Camden Vale Special Milk was sold in wide-necked milk bottles with cardboard wad tops from 1926. If the bottles were tipped or shaken, the wads could soak up milk and become unhygienic. From 1935 onwards across the industry, wide-necked bottles were phased out in favour of more hygienic narrow-necked bottles with foil tops. From 1935 Dairy Farmers' sold Camden Vale Special Milk in the newer narrow-necked bottles. The new bottles were capped with gold-coloured metal foil and marketed as 'the milk with the golden cap'.

In the 1960s Camden Vale Special Milk was produced on Camden Park's six dairies, the rotolactor and by four contract suppliers. Processing of Special Milk ceased when Camden Park Estate Ltd. was sold in 1973.

Narrow-neck milk bottle

Narrow-neck milk bottle

The narrow-necked milk bottle introduced by Dairy Farmers' in 1935 as a more hygienic alternative to the older wide-necked bottles. The new bottles had a foil top, and Camden Vale Special Milk used a distinctive gold-coloured top, supported by the tag-line 'the milk with the golden cap'. (Narrow-necked bottle is in Camden Museum).

Wide-necked milk bottle

Wide-necked milk bottle

The one pint, wide-necked milk bottle sold in the Sydney market from 1926 by Camden Vale in direct competition with the Dairy Farmers' Co-op. Dairy Farmers' retained Camden Vale Special Milk after it absorbed the Camden Vale Co-op in 1929