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

• Lavery family lists blue ribbon goldfields country
• Longreach’s historic Leander returns to the market
• Historic Guyra properties up for grabs
• CQ bullock fattening depot
• Finishing depot near Goondiwindi
• Developed brigalow block in CQ
• CQ’s Brackenhill offers irrigation & development
• Goats & carbon on neighbouring NSW western land leases
• Versatile grazing in southern Qld
• Easy to manage Condamine cattle country

 

Lavery family lists blue ribbon goldfields country

Blue ribbon Charters Towers grazing country on the Burdekin River is being offered by the Lavery family after more than three generations of ownership.

The 3834 hectares of productive goldfields country features 6.5km of sought-after Burdekin River frontage.

Comprising 1632ha Oakey Creek (leasehold), 1092ha Brindle Hill (leasehold) and the 1109ha Chipley (freehold), the holding is located at Dotswood, 40km north-east of Charters Towers and 134km south-west of Townsville.

Originally, Oakey Creek, Brindle Hill and Chipley formed part of the historic Springvale Station and were operated as a single paddock.

The gently undulating country comprises mostly good goldfields country with both black and red soil types and loamy alluvials running along the creeks.

Good rain is reflected in an abundance of grass running up to 1200 adult equivalents plus followers (in an average season).

Oakey Creek, Brindle Hill and Chipley are well watered by a well and five dams.

Matthew Geaney from Ray White Geaney Kirkwood said the properties were well located – close to meatworks and live-export facilities at Townsville, Reid River and Charters Towers, in addition to the saleyards at Charters Towers.

Oakey Creek, Brindle Hill and Chipley are being sold bare of plant and livestock. They will be auctioned on May 25 as two separate parcels – Oakey Creek first and then Brindle Hill and Chipley.

 

Longreach’s historic Leander returns to the market

After less than two years ownership, the McMillian family, Evanston Station, Ilfracombe, has listed the historic Longreach property Leander.

Prior to August 2021, Leander had been held by the Barrett/Clark families since 1908.

The holding boasts a nine-bedroom homestead built in 1912 and established gardens nurtured over the generations.

Featuring highway frontage, the 11,091ha property located 25km west of Longreach is fully exclusion fenced.

Currently experiencing a good season, Leander offers a diverse mix of high soft desert country, developed pebbly gidgee, flood-out and boree downs country interspersed with coolibah channels.

Reliable water is provided by double frontage to the Dingo Creek as well as the Darr River.

Presenting as a low-cost operation with more than 70km of excellent internal fencing and ancillary improvements, the country has traditionally run 6500 mixed sheep or cattle equivalents.

Leander is being sold on a walk-in walk-out basis with around 5000 sheep, 1000 goats and some plant and equipment.

Wally Cooper from RPL is handling the expressions of interest campaign which closes on June 8.

 

Historic Guyra properties up for grabs

Guyra’s well-known Wilkinson family is selling its two landmark holdings in northern New South Wales.

The 346ha Chandlers Peak is situated 15km east of Guyra and the 576ha Messines (including the 126ha Part Trigaire) is 31km east of Guyra – offering reliable eastern fall grazing rising to 1300m.

Located 15km apart, both holdings have a 45 to 48 year super history with an emphasis on long-term pastures, and are carrying a tremendous body of feed after being destocked since late February.

Six generations of the Wilkinson family have lived on what is affectionately known as ‘The Peak’ which is described as a production powerhouse.

 

Chandlers Peak boasts a history of running 800 ewes and progeny alongside 160 head of cattle.

Ninety percent of the property is arable, with flat to undulating deep black basalt and some red basalt soils.

It is watered by the Wollomombi River, the Boundary Creek and 28 spring-fed dams.

Messines

Four generations of the Wilkinson family have called Messines home.

Ideally suited to breeding or finishing, the block is estimated to run 370 breeders plus replacements.

Messines has traprock soils with slaty outcrops, Aberfoyle River frontage and 20 dams.

Craig Thomas from Colin Say & Co said there has been good inquiry for Chandler’s Peak and Messines, which will be auctioned separately on May 18.

 

CQ bullock finishing depot

The Parker family is offloading 4307 hectares of prime bullock finishing country in Central Queensland.

The Allambie is situated near Kilcummin, 83km north of Clermont, in a sought after and tightly-held district.

For the past 47 years, the fully developed and productive EU and Teys Grasslands accredited depot has been finishing between 1200 and 1500 bullocks a year.

Allan Parker and his family also own and operate Inverness at Blackall and breeding country at Jericho and Aramac.

Allambie has mostly developed red and black soils, gidgee/brigalow scrub growing buffel and some developed box and bendee country.

Subdivided into 11 main grazing paddocks and four cultivation paddocks growing summer and winter forage crops, the property is watered by eight dams, three bores and seasonal waterholes.

The sale is being handled by RBV Rural and Hoch & Wilkinson, through an auction on June 9.

 

Finishing depot near Goondiwindi

A well-located finishing depot near Goondiwindi in southern Queensland is being offered for sale by Andrew Jakins from Nutrien Harcourts.

The 2003ha Warratoo is 35km north of Goondiwindi and 60km south of Moonie, currently running up to 400 cows and calves.

Mr Jakins said good interest was coming from locals, both cattle producers and farming families, looking to expand.

“An efficient laneway system to all weather access yards, improved pastures and the ability to grow both summer and winter forage crops lends itself ideally to a finishing depot.”

“The versatile property is also suited to a backgrounding operation, or it can be converted back to a grain operation with all of the developed country farmed at some stage,” Mr Jakins said.

The country on Warratoo is mostly flat and benefits from slow and low level flooding from the Billa Billa Creek during major rain events.

The soils are grey loams suitable for winter and summer cereal cropping, forage or pasture production.

Around 566ha has been sown to improved pastures, complimenting the existing native grasses and herbages in season.

In the past, most of the developed area grew forage and grain crops. Today, around 111ha is planted to oats.

In the past, Warratoo was set up as a cell grazing operation which means the water infrastructure is very good. It is well watered by a privately-owned piped artesian bore and numerous dams – all desilted and enlarged in 2019.

With recent sales in the district making in excess of $5000/ha, Warratoo is anticipated to achieve more than $10 million.

It is being sold by expressions of interest closing on May 25.

 

Developed brigalow block in CQ

After drawing Moranna as a ballot block in the 1970s, Pat Moran has decided to retire and offload the original brigalow block he has spent more than 50 years improving.

The 4077ha property is located near Clarke Creek, 88km east of Middlemount and halfway between Rockhampton and Mackay.

Developed brigalow and softwood scrub runs onto coolibah river country, with deep fertile black soil flats growing improved pastures and native grasses that can support around 1200 adult equivalents.

A 410ML Isaac River alluvium irrigation licence provides permanent water to the property, as well as potential for cropping and a feedlot.

Water is also provided by 3.15km of Isaac River frontage, the Mt Bluffkin Dam, semi-permanent waterholes in Clarke Creek, three bores and five dams.

Richard Brosnan from Ray White Rural is handling the sale of Moranna which is being auctioned bare on June 8.

He anticipates inquiry from locals and producers seeking additional country for backgrounding or fattening cattle.

 

CQ’s Brackenhill offers irrigation & development

A Central Queensland cattle irrigation property with residential subdivision potential is attracting good interest from locals, away and interstate.

The 345ha Brackenhill is situated on the high bank of the Fitzroy River, 20 minutes from Rockhampton and 40 minutes from Yeppon.

Alexander ‘Bob’ Meldrum, a cattle veterinarian and producer, purchased the river acreage in 1966. For the past 18 years, it has been managed and further developed by his two daughters Melissa and Natalie.

The well-grassed breeding block has been cleared and sown to improved pastures, including leucaena, that can support 500 cows and calves.

Brackenhill is well-watered by 1.6km of Fitzroy River frontage, 700m of Etna Creek frontage and 11 dams. The extensive pondage pasture is irrigated by a gravity fed system and supported by supplemented and unsupplemented water allocations.

Melissa Meldrum said the inquiry is diverse.

“It is coming from producers seeking abundant water and feed, unlimited irrigation potential, high carrying capacity and sophisticated pondage systems.”

“On the flip side, developers recognise the expansive riverfront development opportunity, the cleared landscape and its proximity to Rockhampton.”

Expressions of interest for Brackenhill close on May 11.

 

Goats & carbon on neighbouring NSW western land leases

Two neighbouring grazing properties with carbon projects will be auctioned on June 15 giving buyers a chance to secure close to 16,000 hectares of western division lease country.

The 8727ha Strathern is located 42km from Fords Bridge and 110km north-west of Bourke. It is owned by Alan and Maureen Phillips from Melbourne who are retiring.

Rated at running 1818 dry sheep equivalents, it is being operated as a goat and Dorper operation harvesting between 750 and 1400 goats a year.

The country is mostly flat to gently undulating soft sandy loam and red soils with a gypsum base.

There is a moderate to thick coverage of timber and shrubs with good areas of semi-open and scattered mulga, box flats, swamps and watercourses.

Water is secured by a bore, five ground tanks and waterholes at the gypsum mine.

Improvements include a five-bedroom homestead, a cool-room, a meat house, yards and a woolshed used for loading goats.

Old Ellavale

The adjoining 7204ha Old Ellavale, which is being auctioned separately on the same day, is being offered by the Collins family from Corowa. The family is selling to expand their grazing and farming country in central western NSW.

Old Ellavale is located 49km from Fords Bridge and 117km north-west of Bourke. Like Strathern, it is operated as a goat and Dorper enterprise, estimated to run 200 cows and calves.

The flat to undulating sandplain country with soft sandy rises is well grassed with mulga. Wooded and open areas also have a mix of high and low mulga and some box flats and swamps are linked by semi-local watercourses.

Water on Old Ellavale is supplied by an artesian bore, a well and a 5000 megalitre tank.

The infrastructure includes steel cattle yards which are also used to handle goats, a trapped enclosure and a 13,500 litre poly molasses tank.

An avoided deforestation carbon project is attached to both properties, with confidential details provided to potential purchasers.

Greg Seiler from Nutrien Harcourts is handling the separate sale of Strathern and Old Ellavale.

 

Versatile grazing in southern Qld

A versatile breeding, backgrounding or finishing block in southern Queensland will be auctioned by Nutrien Harcourts GDL on May 19.

The 1012ha Burigala offers highway frontage, 24km east of Moonie and 90km west of Dalby – close to major selling centres and feedlots.

Offered with a good body of feed, the property features a good balance of country – mostly brigalow, belah melonhole country, with improved pastures and natural grasses.

It is well-watered by nine good-sized dams.

Selling agent Andrew McCallum said Burigala is the perfect add-on block or is equally suited to buyers looking to enter the cattle or sheep industry.

 

Easy to manage Condamine cattle country

Easy to manage cattle country, close to southern Queensland feedlots, will be auctioned by the Resolute Property Group on June 2.

The 1285ha Gideon is located at Moraby, 15km south of Jackson and 45km west of Condamine – close to the Warrego Highway and Condamine feedlots.

Offering a reliable balance of developed brigalow and forest country, the property is suited to breeding or backgrounding.

Gideon is fenced into five paddocks, has timber cattle yards and is watered by six dams.