THIS week’s property review includes this wrap-up of recently completed sales, and a separate article on interesting recent listings across the country.

• Dyer family secures CQ’s Rocklea and Prior Park for +$22m
• Young farm makes around $17m
• Northern NSW’s Braemar sells to the Swain family
• NQ’s Annavale & Basalt Farm sells to separate buyers
• Two Northern Tablelands properties sell

Rocklea near Alpha, pictured during mid-winter last year

Dyer family secures CQ’s Rocklea and Prior Park

BREEDING and finishing country in Central Queensland’s renowned Alpha district has been purchased by the Dyer family for more than $22 million.

The 8765ha Rocklea and Prior Park, pictured above, located 40km east of Alpha and 140km west of Emerald, was offered by the Hack family after 78 years of ownership.

TopX agent Brett Christie was unable to disclose the details, but it is understood to have achieved price guide expectations when offered in August last year.

“The properties are well located in a tightly held area and attracted good interest as a whole and separately from the Northern Territory to Julia Creek and Goondiwindi,” Mr Christie said.

The transaction included 1250 adult cattle plus followers, which he described as one of the best crossbred commercial herds in Central Queensland.

“The herd, including a mix of Charolais, Simmental and Limousin genetics with some Bos indicus, has the strength of European breed fertility and tremendous weight for age and marketability.”

The aggregation consists of well-grassed hilly forest country running into hollows and creeks and developed softwood scrub country with improved and native pastures.

Carefully managed and developed by the Hack family, Rocklea and Prior Park were rated to carry 2200AE, but had always been conservatively stocked.

The Chantrey and Sheep Station Creeks traverse the property and flood out over large areas of country that are presently well grassed, providing a significant boost for feed production and water supply late into the year.

Situated in a 559mm average annual rainfall region, the properties are watered by 14 dams, 11 bores (10 equipped) and seasonal waterholes along the Sheep Station and Chantrey Creeks.

Infrastructure includes a three-bedroom home, a two-bedroom workers cottage, a two-bedroom donga, numerous sheds and two cattle yards.

Young farm makes around $17m

The Bowman family from Young has taken possession of a productive mixed farm owned by well-known New South Wales commercial wool grower Jim Gordon.

The 1082ha Glensloy is located near Memagong, 8km from Lambing Flat and 9km west of Young, in the tightly held Hilltops district of the state’s South West Slopes region.

In May last year, the lamb, wool and beef producing enterprise was offered to the market for the first time since 1901. At the time it was conservatively managed and running 2000 ewes, 1500 lambs and 100 cattle and growing 981ha of crops on red to sandy loam soils.

Elders agent Rachelle Barnett was unable to disclose the price paid, however when Glensloy failed to sell at auction in June, it was listed for $17 million.

“The property offers carbon credit opportunities. Chemicals haven’t been used on the property for 20 years and recent soil tests show an impressive average 5.4pH level and excellent organic carbon levels.”

Watered is secured by 15 dams (some are spring fed), seven bores and Stoney Creek frontage.

Infrastructure includes a seven-bedroom, circa 1906 home, two three-bedroom homes, numerous sheds, 100 tonnes of grain storage, cattle yards, a seven-stand shearing shed and steel sheep yards.

Northern NSW’s Braemar sells to the Swain family

The balance of a highly productive mixed cropping, wool and prime lamb enterprise in northern New South Wales has reportedly sold to the Swain family for around the $13.5 million asking price.

The 1870ha Braemar, 10km from Manilla and 33km north of Tamworth, was offered to the market in September 2022 by rural communications specialist Robbie Sefton and husband Alistair Yencken.

In November last year, a neighbour paid around $4 million for Shenfield, a 320ha farming block listed for separate sale after Braemar failed to sell via an expressions of interest process.

The remaining 1549ha Braemar was offered for around $13.5m. The property quietly transacted late last year, however Inglis Rural Property agents Sam Triggs and Jamie Inglis were unable to disclose the buyer or the price paid.

Robbie Sefton said the sale of Braemar ends 25 years of pursuing farming interests in north and north-western New South Wales.

“As part of our continued business plan, Alistair and I are looking forward to new farming opportunities in the southern Riverina and are currently assessing several farms.”

Braemar was purchased by the vendors in 2007 and extensively developed, with a significant portion sown to high performance pastures including lucerne.

Equally suited to cattle, prime lamb or wool production, it is estimated to carry 650 cows or 15,000DSE.

Braemar has been drought-proofed through a sophisticated bore water system supplying the 42 paddocks. In addition, there are 28 dams, six bores and dual frontage to the seasonal Greenhatch and Dead Horse Gully Creeks.

The principal residence is an historic renovated homestead dating from 1900. There are a further four refurbished residences on the property, including a historic Cobb and Co coach house.

The infrastructure includes a five-stand shearing shed, sheep and cattle yards, numerous sheds, a 750-tonne grain storage and a 250-tonne grain bunker.

NQ’s Annavale & Basalt Farm sells to separate buyers

Peter and Sue Hammer’s feedlot, grazing and irrigated farming enterprises in North Queensland’s Upper Burdekin have been split up and sold to two separate buyers.

The adjoining 2626ha Annavale and 566ha Basalt Farm are situated on the Burdekin River, 20km north of Charters Towers and 150km south-west of Townsville.

Annavale was purchased by brothers Lachlan and Nicholas Greenwood from Amarra Station, Charters Towers for farming and lotfeeding (the pair recently offloaded Gainsford Station also north of Charters Towers).

Richmond’s Keith and Narelle Kelly secured Basalt Farm to grow hay and supply hay for their cattle operation.

While Slaney & Co agent Henry Slaney was unable to disclose the price for either sale, Basalt is likely to have achieved above the $4.8 million (including 40 mixed weaners) sale paid by the Hammers in 2023.

The aggregation is located between the vast cattle supply from North Queensland breeding herds, existing local grassfed live export and slaughter markets, as well as southern grain feeder and slaughter markets.

The irrigated farming country has six pivots and one lateral move irrigator with the farming focus offering 270ha of irrigated crop production for the feedlot, including wheat, barley, forage sorghum and Rhodes grass.

The Hammers had been operating a small high-grade Brahman breeding herd with young females redirected back into the herd and the balance of cattle sold to the backgrounding, live export or slaughter markets.

The 1600SCU feedlot is offered with an additional DA-approved 3400SCU and provides custom feeding, cattle backgrounding and grainfed finishing.

Combined, the properties have a 5050ML water allocation and a 910ML water storage, supported by a reliable flow from the Burdekin River.

The farms will also benefit from the proposed Big Rocks Weir which is located upstream.

Although meters are installed on both properties, currently no fees are imposed for the irrigation water.

Annavale and Basalt are flat with creek frontages offering goldfield, granites, alluvial, black and basalt soils which respond quickly to small rain events and grow stylo, buffel and native grass pastures.

Infrastructure includes a home, a staff house and quarters, a 1600SCU feedlot, three cattle yards, several sheds, silos and two concrete silage bunks.

Annavale and Basalt farm included this 1600SCU feedlot offered with an additional DA-approved 3400SCU, used to provide custom feeding, cattle backgrounding and grainfed finishing.

Two Northern Tablelands properties sell

Glenclair Aggregation

A corporate has secured a breeding block on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales offering ‘untapped potential’.

The 4210ha Glenclair Aggregation is located 13km from Bendemeer and 45km north of Tamworth.

Nutrien Harcourts agent Cody Van Heerwaarden was unable to disclose the purchaser or the price paid.

Aggregated over 45 years by the Sydney-based McLachlan Group, it comprises three adjoining holdings – Glenclair, Airlie Station and Yaccamunda.

The diverse topography consists of productive river flats, soft undulating cleared country to steeper, heavily timbered areas capable of running up to 750 cows and calves.

During the marketing campaign, Mr Heerwaarden said the carrying capacity could be significantly increased with improved pastures, fertiliser and supplementary crops.

In addition to the grazing enterprise, the mostly granite soils, complemented by some areas of basalt country, are growing 42ha of oats and 24ha of millet.

It has 10km McDonald River frontage, numerous creeks, dams and spring fed gullies, as well as three water licences totalling 255ML in a 750mm to 800mm of average annual rainfall region.

Infrastructure includes three homes, multiple cottages, cattle and sheep yards, two shearing sheds and numerous sheds.

Tobermory

Meantime, a small breeder block in the heart of the renowned New England region of northern New South Wales has made $3 million at auction.

The 436ha Tobermory, 44km east of Guyra and 60km north-east of Armidale, was purchased by the Holliss family’s Lotus Hereford stud at Pinkett via Glen Innes, ending 30 years of ownership by Caroline Schaefer.

Boasting fertile granite soils, typical of the country in the Wards Mistake and Aberfoyle area, the undulating grazing country has been cleared and pasture improved with scattered areas of timber providing natural shelter for livestock during the winter months.

Currently running 90 cows and calves, the carrying capacity on Tobermory could be lifted by renovating and expanding pastures and applying regular fertiliser.

Water security is a feature, with frontage to the permanent Nowlands Backwater in an 825mm to 875mm average annual rainfall region. The only infrastructure is new steel cattle yards.

Nutrien Harcourts agent Cody Van Heerwaarden handled the sale.