THIS week’s property review includes this wrap-up of interesting recent listings across New South Wales, and two separate articles on listings in Queensland and Western Australia and recently completed sales of note.

• $55m for Shippens Eastern Riverina holding
• Vienna family lists Coolah’s Kapsch Farms for $40m+
• RFM’s New England holding returns to market
• Corporate interest in diverse Northwest NSW aggregation

Estimated to run 40,000DSE, North Tahara offers flexibility across prime lamb, beef and cropping production

$55m for Shippens Eastern Riverina holding

Stud Merino breeders Ian and Camilla Shippen, of Banyandah Pastoral, are seeking around $55 million for their New South Wales Eastern Riverina mixed farming aggregation.

The 4805ha North Tahara Aggregation, located 18km east of Wagga Wagga and 25km south-east of Junee, is being offered for sale after 16 years of ownership.

The aggregation, pictured above, brings together three adjoining holdings – the 2023ha The Pinnacles, the 2516ha Valima and the 266ha Wheel of Fortune.

The listing follows the Shippens’ May purchase of the Wanganella and Boonoke Merino sheep studs and properties, regarded among Australia’s best-known Merino genetics assets.

Offered by Australian Food & Agriculture, the Wanganella and Boonoke assets formed part of the original FS Falkiner & Sons aggregation and sat within AFA’s Deniliquin portfolio, alongside Warriston, Peppinella, Zara and Barratta.

North Tahara

Estimated to run 40,000DSE, North Tahara offers flexibility across prime lamb, beef and cropping production, allowing management to respond to seasonal and market conditions.

The property is subdivided into 75 paddocks and supported by 28.5km of internal laneways, designed to improve livestock movement and labour efficiency.

The country ranges from level to gently undulating cropping and pasture country through to rising, sheltered grazing slopes, with soils including red clay loams, brown clay loams and decomposed granite.

About 2054ha, or 43 percent, is arable, supported by 2161ha of grazing country and 590ha of timbered grazing.

The established production base includes 500ha of lucerne and 750ha of perennial pastures, including phalaris, fescue and clovers, as well as a dual-purpose cropping program producing wheat and barley.

Inglis Rural Property and Elders Real Estate have been appointed to market the North Tahara Aggregation through an expressions-of-interest campaign closing on October 14.

The agents have completed six inspections and are reporting strong inquiry from corporate buyers and large-scale family operators.

Water security on North Tahara is supported by 73 dams, five equipped bores, three town-water connections and frontage to Wheel of Fortune Creek, Thompson’s Creek and Middle Creek.

Infrastructure includes three homes, a 10-stand shearing shed, a five-stand shearing shed, steel sheep yards, a 13-pen sheep feedlot, three cattle yards, numerous sheds and combined grain storage of 710 tonnes.

Vienna family lists Coolah’s Kapsch Farms for $40m+

One of the Coolah district’s largest mixed sheep, wool, beef and cropping enterprises has been listed for sale, with price expectations pegged above $40 million.

The 5438ha Kapsch Farms is located 28km from Coolah and 150km from Dubbo in Central New South Wales.

It comprises the 2355ha Derrawee, rated at 17,000DSE, and the 3083ha Neible, rated at 21,000DSE, around 8km apart.

The aggregation is being sold after 15 years of ownership by Vienna-based Kapsch Holdings, which is exiting Australian agriculture as part of succession planning.

Managed by Growth Farms, Kapsch Farms has been developed and operated as a single large-scale livestock and farming enterprise carrying 38,000DSE.

The enterprise includes more than 6300 crossbred ewes producing prime lambs, as well as 700 Rennylea blood Angus breeding cows, with progeny finished or backgrounded on the holding.

About half of the aggregation, around 2700ha, is suited to dryland cultivation, with 1500ha currently sown to fodder and cash crops. The sale will include the winter crop, comprising wheat, canola and chickpeas.

Soils across the aggregation consist of 750ha of rich black alluvial flats and 1100ha of soft red basalt country, with the balance mostly sandy loams.

The property has been progressively developed with an emphasis on subdivision, water efficiency and pasture establishment. An annual maintenance and improvement program has included operating sheds, storage, paddock fencing and laneway development.

Meares and Associates agent Sam Meares described Kapsch Farms as one of the standout holdings in the region.

“Kapsch Farms represents a versatile, relatively low-risk business with annual sales of around 7000 sheep and 650 cattle, together with crop proceeds.”

“Together, the properties provide flexibility and an excellent spread of income-producing activities, including prime lambs, cattle backgrounding or finishing, and fodder and cash cropping,” Mr Meares said.

Beyond the cropping country, 610ha is established to improved pastures, while the remaining 1670ha are growing native pastures.

With average annual rainfall of 664mm, Kapsch Farms is watered by nine equipped bores and 74 dams.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home on Derrawee, a manager’s residence, four staff cottages, a four-stand shearing shed, three sheep yards, three steel cattle yards, hay sheds and more than 600 tonnes of grain storage.

Kapsch Farms is being offered for sale as a whole or separately, with expressions of interest closing on October 15.

RFM’s New England holding returns to market

LAWD has relaunched the marketing campaign for Dyamberin, a high-rainfall grazing enterprise in the New England region of northern New South Wales.

Spanning 1728ha, the property is located near Wongwibinda, 34km north-west of Ebor, 75km north-east of Armidale and 80km north-west of Dorrigo.

Rural Funds Management first offered Dyamberin to the market in 2024, seeking about $20 million on a bare basis. That price expectation remains unchanged.

RFM purchased Dyamberin in September 2018 for $13.4 million before leasing it to Stone Axe Pastoral Co, which also owns Alfreda and Glen Alvie in the Ebor district.

LAWD agent George Barton said the estimated carrying capacity for Dyamberin peaks at 25,000 Dry Sheep Equivalents in November, with an average monthly carrying capacity of 20,000 DSE.

“Currently, it is running 800 Wagyu breeders, retaining all weaners and growing them out to feedlot entry weights of 380kg live weight.”

Mr Barton said interest is expected from institutional buyers and large family operators seeking prime grazing country in a reliable high-rainfall region.

The holding comprises 559ha of improved pastures, 800ha of open native grasses and 364ha of remnant vegetation, laneways and compounds.

The country ranges from gently sloping, high-altitude undulating grazing land to steeper timbered areas, with mostly basalt and brown soils supporting improved pastures, fodder and hay production.

Water is supplied by a solar-equipped bore, 50 dams and seasonal creeks, supported by annual average rainfall of 909mm.

Infrastructure includes a renovated three-bedroom home, two cattle yards, sheds and 14km of new internal and boundary fencing.

Corporate interest in diverse Northwest NSW aggregation

A large-scale grazing and farming enterprise with Bokhara River frontage in north-western New South Wales is expected to attract strong interest from corporate and institutional buyers.

The 20,188ha Inverella, Carinya and Mindaribba Aggregation, held under Western Lands Lease, is located 60km north of Brewarrina.

Vendors Max and Marlene Swain are offering the portfolio for sale as they seek to purchase farming country closer to their home base near Gunnedah.

It comprises three adjoining holdings: 6623ha Inverella, 5840ha Carinya and 7761ha Mindaribba.

Nutrien Ag Solutions Clemson Hiscox & Co agent Chris Clemson said the tightly held aggregation offers a strong blend of livestock breeding and finishing, wool growing and cropping country.

“Significant recent capital investment has delivered extensive water infrastructure and upgraded fencing, including around 70 percent of the boundary and internal network, or about 80km.”

“Together, the properties provide scale, balance and functionality for immediate operation, as well as long-term development potential,” Mr Clemson said.

The country comprises open Mitchell grass plains, productive floodplain country and lighter grazing areas, with soil types including cracking black clays, chocolate soils, red loams, red clay country and claypans.

About 2630ha is arable, including 700ha of treeless long runs currently planted to chickpeas and 404ha sown to barley.

The aggregation has been conservatively managed and is presenting with a strong body of feed.

Suited to cattle breeding and finishing, sheep breeding and wool production, the holding is rated to run 1DSE/1.42ha.

Water is supplied by five bores, including an open bore and a shared bore, dual frontage to the Bokhara River (Carinya and Mindaribba), as well as numerous tanks and troughs, in a district that receives an average annual rainfall of 408mm.

Infrastructure

Inverella has a five-bedroom home, shearers’ quarters, a five-stand shearing shed, sheep yards, steel cattle yards, numerous sheds and two silos with 260 tonnes of grain storage capacity.

Carinya features a two-bedroom home, two sets of steel cattle yards and formed-up pad bunkers for grain storage.

Mindaribba includes shearers’ quarters, a four-stand shearing shed and steel cattle yards.

The Inverella, Carinya and Mindaribba Aggregation is being offered for sale by expressions of interest closing October 1.

The 20,188ha Inverella, Carinya and Mindaribba Aggregation, held under Western Lands Lease, is located 60km north of Brewarrina.