THIS week’s property review includes this wrap-up of recently completed sales and two separate articles on interesting properties listed for sale in different parts of the country.

• Record for Augathella dress circle country
• Farming families pay $14m for Innisfail Downs in NW Qld
• NQ’s Ella Vale changes hands
• CW NSW’s Kallara makes $2.2m

Augathella’s Prairie attracted 40 inspections and 20 registered bidders, eight of whom were active at the auction.

Record for Augathella dress circle country

The Mace family of Callene, Morven, has paid a district-record $16.4 million for Prairie, a dress-circle grazing property near Augathella in south-west Queensland.

Spanning 4673ha, Prairie is 26km north-west of Augathella and was offered by the Campbell family after three generations of ownership.

Nutrien Harcourts GDL agent David Benham said Prairie attracted 40 inspections and 20 registered bidders, eight of whom were active at the auction.

“After spirited bidding, Prairie sold under the hammer for $16.4m or $3509/ha ($1420/ac) which was an exceptional result,” he said.

Prairie is suited to breeding, backgrounding and finishing operations, or as a large-scale cattle depot for a northern producer.

Its highway location provides convenient access to eastern markets and a logistical advantage for cattle transport.

The country grows abundant buffel grass across fertile red loams, heavier chocolate and pebbly soils, and productive Nive River loams.

Timber includes brigalow, bottle tree, bauhinia, carbine and coolibah, with areas of mulga retained as a drought-management resource.

Mr Benham said Prairie had been carefully developed and cleared, with extensive stick-raking and selected timber retained for shade, shelter and long-term grazing resilience.

Suitable areas also offer potential for forage cropping to boost cattle production and finishing capacity.

Two equipped bores and two dams supply water, while average annual rainfall is 533mm.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, steel cattle yards and two sheds.

Farming families pay $14m for Innisfail Downs

Two farming families from north-west New South Wales have joined forces to acquire Innisfail Downs in north-west Queensland.

LAWD negotiated the off-market sale, describing the outcome as exceptional for the Julia Creek district.

Although the purchase price has not been disclosed, it is understood the property sold for around $14 million.

The transaction also included a five-year lease over the adjoining Bodell property, which is owned by the Innisfail Downs vendors.

Located 14km east of Julia Creek, the Baker family’s 9415ha Innisfail Downs will allow the new owners to expand into northern Queensland and diversify through a mix of cropping and grazing.

The cattle backgrounding property has an estimated carrying capacity of 1000 breeders and further potential for dryland cropping development.

LAWD director George Barton said the sale reflected strong demand for well-positioned northern grazing assets with development potential.

“Innisfail Downs combines productive soils, reliable water infrastructure and the potential for further development into a mixed farming operation, incorporating both cropping and grazing,” Mr Barton said.

“The result also highlights the value that can be created through a targeted off-market process, supported by strong market knowledge and established industry relationships.”

The property comprises well-developed grazing country with Mitchell and Flinders grass pastures, supported by secure artesian water infrastructure.

LAWD director Simon Cudmore said combining the Innisfail Downs purchase with the five-year lease of Bodell would give the incoming operator access to a substantial, highly productive agricultural holding.

“The outcome reinforces the depth of demand for quality grazing country, particularly where scale, water security and future development potential are combined.”

Country on Innisfail Downs near Julia Creek, which sold for about $14 million

NQ’s Ella Vale changes hands

A North Queensland cattle producer has paid $1.85 million for Ella Vale Station in the Gulf, adding the property to an existing grazing enterprise.

The 10,800ha cattle station (small by local standards) was offered for sale by KordaMetha on behalf of the Hinrichsen Pastoral Trust following a court-ordered restructure.

Located 25km north-west of Croydon, Ella Vale is accessed from the bitumen-sealed Gulf Developmental Road. The property was passed in at an online auction.

The Hinrichsens’ second property, the 41,900ha Yappar River Station, sold under the hammer for $10.4m on a walk-in, walk-out basis. The sale included 3465 head of Brahman-cross cattle, as well as plant and equipment.

Ella Vale was destocked during the June marketing campaign and was carrying a good body of feed.

The property is suited to either standalone ownership or the strategic expansion of an established northern grazing enterprise.

Its productive sand-ridge country includes natural seasonal swamps. Water is supplied by three bores, two of which are equipped, and five dams.

Improvements include accommodation quarters, cattle yards and quality fencing.

The sale was handled by agents from Colliers Agribusiness and Prophurst.

Feed on Ella Vale in Queensland’s Gulf country

CW NSW’s Kallara makes $2.2m

A couple from Wagga Wagga has paid $2.2 million for mixed farming and grazing country on the edge of the Golden Triangle in New South Wales’ central west.

The 4500ha Kallara is located near Hermidale, 75km west of Nyngan and 75km east of Cobar and capable of running 4000DSE.

There is 1200ha of cultivation country (240ha fallowed from the 2024 wheat crop) with the balance growing abundant green feed supporting 200 cows and calves on agistment.

The undulating red loam to lighter gravel rises are timbered with pine box flats and areas of scattered mallee and kurrajong that grow a variety of natural herbages and grasses, edible scrub rosewood, curran bush and wild orange.

Situated in a 450mm average rainfall region, Kallara is watered by eight dams.

Infrastructure includes a three-bedroom home, a four-bedroom staff quarters, numerous sheds and a 25-tonne silo.

Nutrien Russell Property & Livestock agent David Russell handled the sale.

The 4500ha Kallara is located near Hermidale, 75km west of Nyngan and capable of running 4000DSE.