Property

Movement at the Station – Properties for sale

Property editor Linda Rowley, 15/08/2018

The 1171ha Walcha cattle holding, Prestwick, would appeal to producers seeking safe, higher rainfall country or an off-farm investor. The property is listed for a reduced $5.2 million.

 

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

  • Wanaaring’s Myrnong consistent performer
  • Tamworth’s Prestwick listed for $5.2m
  • $11.1m asking price for Winton’s Boolbie aggregation
  • Expansion interest in Nebo’s Bluevale
  • Private offers sought for Blackall’s Selvister & Linden
  • Katherine’s King River passed-in on $7.6m bid

New South Wales

Wanaaring producer and Nuffield scholar Christine Ferguson is selling her 24,864ha rangeland grazing enterprise Myrnong in New South Wales’ far north-west.

Located 60km south west of Wanaaring and 250km west of Bourke, Myrnong is a Western Lands lease holding comprising soft red mulga country running into some harder mulga stone country in the south eastern corner.

The property is watered by three bores (one of which was sunk last year), six ground tanks and 12 main watering points servicing 17 paddocks.

Myrnong has been owned by Ms Ferguson since 2001. During that time the principle enterprise has been goat production, with some trading of sheep and cattle. With a Western Lands rated carrying capacity of just under 5000 DSE, the property has been running 4500 breeding does and followers, 2000 to 3000 mixed trade goats and sheep, as well as cattle in season.

Ms Ferguson has been managing the grazing under holistic principles and the infrastructure facilitates this. More than 180km of new or upgraded hinged joint fencing has been constructed in the last 15 years and all waters have been fenced with w/strap and mesh and installed with trap gates.

Greg Seiler from Landmark Walsh Hughes said despite the seasonal conditions, Myrnong presents well.

“It has performed consistently year-in year-out regardless of how dry it has been largely due to the way it has been stocked and managed over the past 17 years. The benefits of the holistic grazing management practices are clearly evidenced by the good body of feed.”

Mr Seiler said Myrnong has access to both southern and northern goat markets, as well as the new $60 million small stock abattoir being constructed in Bourke. There is also an opportunity for the purchaser to become involved in carbon farming.

Ms Ferguson and her partner are relocating to a grazing property at Grenfell, in New South Wales’ central west.

Myrnong will be auctioned bare on September 20.

Myrnong in NSW’s far northwest has been running 4500 breeding does and followers, 2000 to 3000 mixed trade goats and sheep, as well as cattle in season.

 

Well-known Tamworth district grazier Rodger Grant has re-listed the family’s historic cattle breeding and fattening property Prestwick for private sale with a reduced price tag of $5.2 million.

Located on the scenic high country of New England in northern New South Wales, the 1171ha property is 35km south of Walcha and 65km from Tamworth.

Prestwick was placed on the market in February this year, but was withdrawn just prior to its online auction in early April. At the time it was expected to sell for between $5.5m and $6m.

Prestwick is a well-managed and improved cattle breeding property, set up to carry between 400 and 500 Angus breeding cows plus calves grown out to backgrounding weights, and up to 500 with calves sold as weaners.

The country comprises a series of sheltered valleys, rich basalt derivative soils, on an altitude ranging from 800-950m above sea level.

It is well watered by an annual 1000mm average rainfall and excellent water from the 2.5km frontage to the permanent Mulla Creek, as well as 31 large spring fed dams and a series of seasonal spring-fed creeks.

Chris Meares from Sydney-based rural property specialists Meares & Associates said in a period when quality high-rainfall cattle breeding and fattening properties are scarce, Prestwick provides an excellent opportunity to purchase a quality working cattle property with scale.

“Rodger Grant has outlaid considerable time and expense upgrading the property over the past three years,” Mr Meares said. Features include a renovated homestead, increased machinery and hayshed capacity, a first-class large-scale set of all-steel cattle yards and two efficient laneway systems leading to the northern and western paddocks.

Electricity services have also been upgraded, with power lines now placed underground.

Prestwick also boasts 565ha of well-developed pastured country and a further 200ha which has been sensibly cleared to be sown to new pasture in the coming spring. It has also enjoyed a good history of top-dressing.

An original homestead built by English botanist and explorer Allan Cunningham, who took up the block in the 1830s, still stands.

Mr Meares believes Prestwick would appeal to producers seeking higher rainfall country, or an off-farm investor.

Queensland

Droughtmaster cattle on Boolbie, west of Winton

Winton’s Brodie Agencies has started marketing a dual-purpose breeding and fattening property with plenty of scale and more than 3000 good quality Droughtmaster cattle with an asking price of $11.1m.

Located 125km west of Winton, the 230,489ha aggregation comprises 189,000ha Boolbie, 14,174ha Archervale and 10,815ha Mt Rouke.

Owned by Mike and Patrice and Scott and Jenna Elliott, the three properties comprise a mixture of grazing country ranging from very good quality open Mitchell grass downs country and sweet pebbly gidgee timbered quick responding red soil country interspersed with many buffel grassed creek channels.

There are large areas of gidgee timbered ridges and hard stoney eucalypt ranges that are mostly grassed with native summer grasses and spinifex. Archervale also has the use of 2300ha of stock route.

All are well watered – Boolbie by 14 dams and a bore; Archervale by nine dams and Mt Rourke by five dams, bores, tanks and troughs. The aggregation’s long-term rainfall average is around 350mm.

Selling agent Tom Brodie said the aggregation would attract producers seeking breeding or fattening country.

“Boolbie, Archervale and Mt Rourke could be used as either a safe breeder block with many edible shrubs, or a sweet backgrounding / fattening block following good summer rainfall. They are currently running 3500 magnificent breeders and calves on a good body of feed.”

The properties adjoin the recently sold Brackenburg aggregation, near Middleton.

Yards infrastructure on Boolbie

 

Early inquiry for Nebo’s Bluevale Station, in Central Queensland’s Isaac River region, suggests the 3251ha property could fetch between $5.5m and $6.5m.

Consisting of cleared belah, brigalow and box flats, as well as blue gum flats, the well grassed country includes buffel, stylo, Indian couch and native black spear grass.

There are 1400 hectares of cultivation, including oats or forage sorghum.

Water is supplied by the Nebo Creek, three bores and two water licenses totalling 61 megalitres.

Owned by Graham and Linda Huddy since 2009, Bluevale has Peak Downs Highway frontage offering year-round access to the yards and extra income is derived from the hardstand currently leased to Thiess Australia.

Selling agent Robert Murolo from Elders believes Bluevale will attract producers seeking expansion.

“It is well grassed breeding, background fattening country that can carry up to 1000 mixed cattle. There has already been good interest from neighbours, locals and other Queensland producers chasing grass,” he said.

Bluevale Station will be auctioned on August 28 with full plant and equipment and 750 branded cattle.

Well-grassed Bluevale on Central QLD’s Isaac River, is well-grassed with buffel, stylo, Indian couch and native black spear grass.

 

Passed-in – Queensland

Blackall district grazing properties Selvister & Linden are being offered for private sale by Elders, after being passed-in at auction.

Despite a huge crowd, genuine bidding for the 13,305ha grazing aggregation, located 30km from Blackall, stopped at $7.3m. It was subsequently passed-in on a vendor’s bid of $7.6m.

Offered for the first time in 100 years, Selvister & Linden have sensibly developed pebbly gidgee country with some open downs, as well as the Ravensbourne channels growing buffel, Mitchell, button, blue and Flinders grasses plus herbages.

The property is well watered with a combination of dams and tanks and troughs and includes 11km of new exclusion fencing.

Retiring vendors Les and Cathy Wheelhouse sold their other property Fairlea at auction on the same day for a district record of $2.3m or $888/ha (see property results).

Passed in – Northern Territory

King River Station, conveniently located just 40km south of Katherine, was passed-in on an auctioneer’s bid of $7m recently, well below vendor expectations.

The 42,400ha breeder block comfortably runs 2500 breeding cows or 5000 young cattle.

It is currently remotely managed, but Will Lehman from Ray White Rural said King River is ideal for an owner-operator, as an expansion opportunity or for investment.

The King River traverses the property with permanent water holes and is supplemented by eight bores.

With adjoining properties cleared and planted to a range of hay crops, as well as tropical timbers, Mr Lehman said the successful purchaser may also be interested in using the country for mixed or intensive farming.

Katherine district’s 42,400ha King River Station was passed in on an auctioneer’s bid of $7m

 

Click here to access more properties listed for sale

 

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