Custard apples began to be studied at the Centre in the 1980s

The Centre was a dairy farm. It was purchased in 1956 and in 1960 was planted with bananas, pineapples, papaws, passionfruit, peanuts and avocados.

The first research officer, appointed in 1960, worked mainly on bananas. Later in the decade, selection and evaluation programs on other subtropical fruit began.

By the 1980s, a large range of crops was under study, including macadamias, coffee, tea, custard apples, lychees, guavas, mangoes, low-chill stone fruit and citrus.

Today, the centre is recognised as the key facility supporting sub-tropical horticulture in NSW.