The 1392ha breeder aggregation, Bowness and Willowmere, near Murringo, can comfortably carry 650 Angus cows plus progeny.

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

• Scale and turn-key productivity in southern NSW
• Australia-wide interest in western NSW’s Avenel
• Gulf breeding offers grass and breeders
• NQ’s Leichhardt Creek to sell with 2120 cattle
• Picturesque & productive grazing in SA

Scale and turn-key productivity in southern NSW

After 54 years, John and Helen North have decided to sell Bowness and their more recently acquired Willowmere in the blue-ribbon mixed farming south west slopes region of New South Wales.

The 1392ha breeder aggregation (pictured above), comprising 200ha Bowness and the neighbouring 1191ha Willowmere, is located 14km from Murringo and 38km north east of Young.

Several creeks and watercourses, underpinned by a large network of strategically placed dams (many which are spring fed) provide secure water to the property.

Bowness was purchased by Sydney stockbrokers and brothers John and David North in 1967 and became one of several rural properties they owned including Winderadene at Reid’s Flat and Currawidgee at Trangie.

In 1978, the prime grazing and farming country was acquired by John North’s son and wife Helen who diversified into running both sheep, cattle and Thoroughbred horses.

Today, Bowness is operated as a beef breeding and opportunistic backgrounding platform, producing calves for the vendor’s other landholdings where progeny are sent to background and/or finish.

The Norths estimates Bowness can comfortably carry 650 Angus cows plus progeny.

Richie Inglis from Inglis Rural Property said holdings like the immaculately presented Bowness, boasting scale and turnkey productivity, are seldom offered to the market.

He believes it will be highly sought-after by neighbours, locals or high net worth individuals.

Bowness is being offered for sale via online auction by Inglis Rural Property on October 27.

Australia-wide interest in western NSW’s Avenel

More than $20 million is anticipated for the historic New South Wales western crown land lease, Avenel Station.

Spanning 121,810ha and comprising Avenel, Mt Westwood, Joulnie and Teilt, Avenel Station is situated 150km north of Broken Hill.

It is already attracting strong interest from a diverse range of buyers from across Australia – large station owners seeking expansion, as well as from those with funds for carbon credit projects. The offering of livestock is also a strong drawcard.

The country on Avenel Station features a mix of flood-out, open plains bush and natural grasses, with a mix of red sandy and heavier flood-out loams and gravel on the harder ridges.

Sections of the property once formed part of the mighty Corona Station, a holding owned by Sir Sidney Kidman (1917-1929).

It is bordered on the western boundary by 25km of dog fence and is carrying an estimated 25,000 DSE. The station is also set up with goat trapping facilities to provide additional sources of income.

Current owners include Geoff Allan, a former jackaroo at the station during the early 1980s.

After 23 years, Mr Allan was able to purchase Avenel Station with former banker, friend and fellow Dookie Agricultural College graduate Joe Green, media executive, the late Ken Catlow, inaugural chairman Ian Milnes and selected investors.

Together, they have extensively improved the property with a focus on the best way to capture, use and move water by upgrading and installing new dams, solar pumps, troughs, tanks and poly pipe.

There are 60 wells, bores and dams (that have been desilted and/or expanded) and around 5000ha of flood out country stretching from Teilta to Avenel and to the South Australian border.

Other recent capital expenditure includes yards with dust suppression and boundary fencing.

Carbon farming

Avenel Station has a carbon farming deal already in place.

In 2019, independent experts were engaged to provide an assessment of biological carbon sequestration. This led to investors entering arrangements to benefit from emission reduction programs without impacting the station’s carrying capacity.

The forecast 165,000 ACCUs over 10 years underwriting is a strong income opportunity, according to Avenel chairman Joe Green.

Elders selling agent Adam Chilcott said Avenel was an exceptionally well improved and well-run property.

“As custodians, the owners have balanced land use and regeneration to achieve the best results for and from the country during a range of seasonal conditions,” he said.

The expressions of interest sale process for all or part of the holding is being conducted in two stages with first round offers closing on September 17.

The highest bidder can purchase around 200 Angus and Angus Hereford cows, calved and calving and 8275 mixed age ewes. The adult ewes have been joined to Old Ashrose rams and 6500 are currently lambing.

More than $20 million is anticipated for the historic New South Wales western crown land lease, Avenel Station.

Gulf breeding offers grass and breeders

An abundance of grass and 1000 breeders are on offer at Momba Station in Queensland’s north west.

The Gulf calf breeding factory, spanning 60,900ha, is situated in a reliable rainfall area 130km south of Croydon and 250km west of Georgetown.

Momba might be on the north side of the cattle tick line, however it is historically tick free.

Season dependant, Momba can run up to 3000 adult equivalents.

Recently, it has been conservatively stocked resulting in an abundance of black and white spear grass and forest blue grass with summer herbages.

Water is a feature with a 21km frontage to the semi-permanent Clara River, multiple dams, river and creek systems backed up by three flowing bores and an extensive poly pipe system and troughs.

The property has more than 40 permanent plus semi-permanent watering points.

Owned for six years by Julia Creek’s Patrick and Edwina Hick, the couple are selling to create future business growth by pursuing other livestock property acquisition opportunities.

Momba is being offered for sale, includes 1000 cows, 25 bulls and all unbranded calves, by Luke Westaway from Stockplace Marketing, Richmond.

Season dependant, Momba can run up to 3000 adult equivalents.

NQ’s Leichhardt Creek to sell with 2120 cattle

North Queensland’s 13,577ha Leichhardt Creek is being offered to the market for the first time since the mid-1950s.

Owned by Townsville-based Charmaine Barrett and Will Horsfall who are downsizing, Leichhardt Creek is situated at coastal Gumlu, south of Home Hill.

It has a mix of country and strong soil types, lightly timbered ironbark and bloodwood rolling ridges that rise into productive and useable range country.

Soil types vary from large areas of Goldfields country with reddish and loamy alluvial soils along the creek frontages, interspersed with strong areas of black soil.

Leichhardt Creek is ideally suited to run breeders, with the capability of some backgrounding. It can run between 2500 and 2700 head with a mix of 1000 to 1500 breeders, replacement heifers and the balance grow out cattle.

Leichhardt Creek is well watered by 13 bores and three dams. It is bisected by the Leichhardt, Kirknie, Bobs, Taipan and Rocky Ponds creek systems which provide a number of semi-permanent seasonal waterholes.

Peter McPherson from Queensland Rural said Leichhardt Creek provided an opportunity to acquire a good-sized high-quality operation with scope for further development and improvement.

It is being auctioned on October 1 on a walk-in walk-out basis with 2120 EU accredited Brangus and Brangus cross cattle.

North Queensland’s 13,577ha Leichhardt Creek is being offered to the market for the first time since the mid-1950s.

Picturesque & productive grazing in SA’s Flinders Ranges

After 70 years of single family ownership, the Rowe family is selling 5056 hectares of prime Merino breeding land in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges.

Wolhalla is situated 12km south of Hawker, nestled in the Wilson Valley between the Black Jack and Yappala Ranges.

The picturesque and productive grazing country is suited to sheep breeding, wool production and cattle and is estimated to carry 1700 breeders plus replacements.

There are good stands of bullock bush, black oak, acacia victoria and native pine shelter belts, with good vegetation stands of bluebush and salt bush and winter burr clover, bindii, barley grass, button grass and herbage.

Tim Wooley from Nutrien Harcourts said Wolhalla boasted exceptional improvements.

The livestock facilities include a large steel-framed shearing shed with steel three-way drafting yards and loading facilities with a central race and cooler paddock.

The property is watered by four bores, a well and seven dams.

Wolhalla is being offered on walk-in walk-out basis with around 925 breeding ewes, 360 ewe weaners plus 18 rams and a small working plant.

It will be auctioned on September 29.

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