Property

Movement at the station – Recent property listings

Property editor Linda Rowley 29/01/2025

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.

  • Quality CQ breeding, finishing & backgrounding country
  • Abundant water & grass on Qld’s Echo Hills
  • Versatile Rangelands in southern Qld
  • Hansens list Wandoan’s The Gull
  • EOI’s closing for Dirranbandi’s fully exclusion fenced Wombil Downs
  • Well-developed Surat cattle block offers expansion
  • NQ’s Valley of Lagoons Aggregation to be split up
  • Blue-Ribbon Holbrook property listed privately

Selling agents are anticipating widespread interest in high-quality grazing country Mt Helmet and Pocket, totalling 6160ha near Springsure

Quality CQ breeding, finishing & backgrounding country

Selling agents are anticipating widespread interest in high-quality grazing country capable of breeding, finishing and backgrounding in Queensland’s Central Highlands.

The 6160ha aggregation comprises adjoining properties – 5502ha Mt Helmet and 657ha Pocket – located near Minerva, 36km north-west of Springsure and 67km south-west of Emerald.

For the past 36 years, it has been owned by Ross and Julie Wilson and family who are Wagyu breeders and trade under the banners of Mt Helmet Beef and Wilson Wagyu.

Offering a body of fresh feed capable of supporting 1430 adult equivalents, Mt Helmet is grassed with buffel, Mitchell and native species with scattered bottle trees throughout.

Across the holding are 1100ha of biodiversity grassland offset agreements which are able to be grazed.

Mt Helmet features mostly undulating black soils downs and open coolibah country rising to some steep hills and basalt ridges, and more than 1000ha of previously developed cultivation country planted to butterfly pea.

Water is supplied by six equipped bores and several creeks with semi-permanent waterholes or springs.

Infrastructure includes a five-bedroom home, a three-bedroom cottage, workers accommodation, a shed, two cattle yards and a feedlot with four pens.

The neighbouring Pocket has undulating black soil downs grazing country and is watered by a bore and permanent hole in the Stoney Creek. While it has no structural improvements, the block has views of the Fairbairn Dam.

Auctioned on February 27 by Greg Hargrave from CountryCo and David Buckley from Buckley’s Rural Property and Livestock, Mt Helmet and Pocket are being sold bare of livestock, plant and equipment.

 

Abundant water & grass on Qld’s Echo Hills

Blue ribbon grazing in the heart of Queensland’s North Burnett will be auctioned on February 26 by Richard Brosnan from Ray White Rural.

The 2063ha Echo Hills is located 38km south of Mundubbera and 70km west of Gayndah and is being sold by a local family after 30 years of ownership.

The well-developed grazing property features established pastures including Queensland and native bluegrass, buffel, panic, black spear grass, Seca stylo and native grasses.

Mr Brosnan said Echo Hills has received a couple of hundred millimetres of rain over summer, with 100mm in the last 10 days.

“The country is looking fresh with good grass and abundant water.”

Echo Hills is watered by 13 dams, a bore and seasonal creeks with semi-permanent waterholes, supported by 700mm of annual rainfall.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, numerous sheds and timber cattle yards.

Versatile Rangelands in southern Qld

Goondiwindi’s David and Annie Beare are selling their fully exclusion fenced livestock and cropping opportunity in southern Queensland.

The 2641ha Rangelands is located 43km from Talwood and halfway between Goondiwindi and St George.

Capable of running 600 backgrounders, Rangelands is close to livestock markets in Queensland and New South Wales, as well as feedlot operations and grain handling facilities.

Nutrien Harcourts GDL agent Andrew McCallum said the property is experiencing a good season.

“Conservatively stocked and boasting plenty of feed, livestock do exceptionally well. Rangelands and the broader Talwood district are conducive to backgrounding and breeding operations with a blend of cultivation.”

Mr McCallum described Rangelands as low-cost, low-maintenance and easily managed.

“There has been good interest from those in search of a starter block, locals wanting to expand with a satellite block and from northern and western Queensland producers seeking geographic diversity.”

The country features soft red belah soils running to lighter red undulating box, sandalwood and wilga soils with areas of brigalow.

The Beares have been growing around 80ha of fodder crops, however there is potential to expand this area to more than 800ha.

Watered by nine dams (two are equipped), the infrastructure includes a three-bedroom home, a shed and two cattle yards.

Rangelands will be auctioned on February 28.

Hansens list Wandoan’s The Gull

Cattle breeding, backgrounding and finishing country is on offer in Queensland’s Western Downs region.

The 2759ha The Gull is 6km west of Guluguba and 13km south of Wandoan in a highly regarded beef production area, close to major markets and feedlots.

It comprises 2060ha of freehold grazing land and an adjoining 700ha of forestry lease.

For more than 60 years, The Gull has been held by the Hansens who have traditionally finished more than 600 steers through to bullocks on established buffel pastures.

Family members have also run a breeding operation and a commercial stud, with the vendors estimating the property can support 1000 backgrounders or 600 breeders with followers sold as weaners.

Elders agent Phillip Kelly said further development, regrowth control and pasture renovation could increase production.

Most of the soft open rolling country that rises to low ridges grows brigalow, belah, softwood scrub and poplar box. There is more than 200ha of previous cultivation that produced grain and fodder crops.

Infrastructure includes a three-bedroom home, numerous sheds, grain silos and cattle yards.

Eight dams and a shared bore supply water to The Gull which will be auctioned on March 6.

Well-developed Surat cattle block offers expansion

JLL Agribusiness is auctioning a well-developed grazing block bordering Surat in southern Queensland’s Maranoa region.

Ideally suited as an additional area, a starter block or strategic investment, the 937ha Wilga Park is 5km east of Surat and close to saleyards, feedlots and processing facilities.

Owned for 12 years, the vendors have been gradually developing the property into a versatile grazing enterprise.

The country features undulating open downs, black soils and areas of lightly timbered softwood bauhinia and belah. Established pastures include Mitchell, blue, buffel and native grasses.

Selling agents Clayton Smith and Bart Norris describe the infrastructure as excellent.

“Wilga Park has a three-bedroom home that has recently been restumped and repainted, an exclusion fenced airstrip and a hangar shed, as well as some new fencing.”

Water is secured by two solar operated bores and four dams.

The property will be auctioned on February 27.

 

EOI’s close for Dirranbandi’s fully exclusion fenced Wombil Downs

Closing this week are expressions of interest for Dirranbandi’s fully exclusion fenced Wombil Downs.

Described as a turnkey opportunity with plenty of upside, the 6379ha property is located 40km north-west of Dirranbandi and 65km south-east of Bollon.

Owned by Dean and Sophie Carrol for 12 years, there has been good interest from locals and outside the district – despite the holiday period.

The mostly cleared open paddocks are growing thick stands of buffel grass. A timber belt with large stands of mulga provides feed during dry periods.

Featuring soft red loam soils with elements of grey melon holes, there are more than 800ha of developed cultivation country with a further 100ha raked and ready to be farmed.

Situated in an average 450mm rainfall area, water is supplied by a share bore which is capped and piped to 32 troughs and 22 tanks.

Infrastructure includes a renovated three-bedroom home, a two-bedroom cottage, sheep and cattle yards and a shed, as well as 42km of new internal fencing and a laser levelled grain pad for 2500-tonnes.

EOIs for Wombil Downs close on January 30. Nick Dunsdon from Nutrien Harcourts GDL is handling the sale.

Closing this week are expressions of interest for Dirranbandi’s fully exclusion fenced Wombil Downs.

 

NQ’s Valley of Lagoons Aggregation to be split up

After being offered to the market as a whole, North Queensland’s Valley of Lagoons Aggregation has been listed for sale as an aggregation or three separate properties.

Acquired over 40 years by vendor Patrick Sheahan and previously operated as stand-alone parcels, the 86,416ha holdings are located 45km north of Greenvale and 250km north of Charters Towers.

Regarded as premier breeding, backgrounding and finishing country, the aggregation comprises three picturesque, adjoining cattle stations – 9387ha Reedybrook Station, 25,200ha Hopewell Station and the 51,829ha Valley of Lagoons.

The aggregation is estimated to carry 10,000 cattle, with more than 7000 head of Brahman cattle available for purchase between the three properties.

Reedybrook

Featuring more than 17km of frontage to the Burdekin River, the 9387ha of country has free-flowing permanent springs from the Expedition and Reedybrook Creek systems, as well as a 144ML irrigation licence.

The wetlands are complimented by basalt country and a small area of mineralised granite country securing a combination of cattle finishing and backgrounding.

Hopewell

Spanning 25,200ha, the quality breeding property has previously been used as a bullock paddock.

The open black soil flats and valleys rise to red tablelands country with softwood scrub capable of supporting more than 2000 head of cattle.

It is watered by more than 13 dams, frontage to numerous creek systems and complemented by a wet tropics rainfall pattern.

The property offers potential for further development and is being marketed as a low cost and easy care opportunity.

Valley of Lagoons

The 51,829ha historic and picturesque cattle property combines productive finishing and breeding country with 28km of Burdekin River frontage and extensive Lake Lucy fertile flats.

Valley of Lagoons

Valley of Lagoons is believed to be North Queensland’s first settled cattle station offering spectacular scenery.

The landscapes include basalt and granite country, rocky rangelands, fertile black soil floodplains, rich loamy creek/river flats, sheltered valleys, lava flows and softwood scrubs.

Located in a safe rainfall belt, the aggregation is almost entirely naturally watered by 49km of Burdekin River frontage, the Reedybrook Wetlands, the Lucy Creek waterways, 50 dams and a 144ML irrigation licence.

Valley of Lagoons takes its name from the large freshwater lagoons and waterways that form the upper reaches of the great Burdekin River system.

Spectacular scenery only adds to the aggregation’s appeal, with numerous springs, waterfalls, picturesque escarpments and extensive lake systems.

Stockplace Marketing agent Luke Westaway said the turnkey enterprise is capable of operating with minimal input.

“Valley of Lagoons Aggregation is a low-cost, efficient, highly productive cattle enterprise offering the incoming purchaser an opportunity for extensive development to further enhance production.”

“Tourism and conserving the property’s unique native wetland species and abundant birdlife could also be integrated into the cattle enterprise,” Mr Westway said.

Across the aggregation, infrastructure includes a renovated eight-bedroom (circa 1900s) home, staff quarters, five cattle yards and numerous sheds.

History

In 1845, during an expedition from Moreton Bay to Port Essington (now Darwin), explorer Ludwig Leichhardt wrote, “… we discovered an extensive valley with large lagoons and lakes, and a most luxuriant vegetation, bounded by blue distant ranges, and forming the most picturesque landscape we had yet met with. A chain of lagoons connected by a reedy brook followed the outlines of the tableland, along the foot of its steep slopes. … Water, grass, hills, mountains, plains, forest land; all the elements of a fine pasturing country, were here united.”

Based on Leichhardt’s favourable livestock rearing reports, a partnership between Walter Jervoise Scott, his brother Arthur, George Elphinstone Dalrymple and the then Queensland premier Robert Herbert (Scott Bros, Dalrymple & Co) established Valley of Lagoons in 1862.

Originally spanning around 260,000ha, the property was stocked with 25,000 sheep and cattle.

In the early 20th Century, Valley of Lagoons was used as a bullock depot for J.S. Love Estates and fattening steers from the Gulf breeding property Dunbar. It was later owned by Droughtmaster breed founder Monty Atkinson and his descendants.

 

Blue-Ribbon Holbrook property listed privately

A well-balanced large-scale backgrounding and finishing property in the Eastern Riverina region of New South Wales has been privately listed with Inglis Rural Property.

Yambla Station covering 1336ha between Holbrook and Albury is productive and versatile country boasting a significant portion of improved perennial pastures including phalaris, clovers, fescue, ryegrass, chicory, and cocksfoot.

The holding is located with excellent access to livestock markets via the Hume Highway.

Yambla is currently focused on prime lamb and wool production, as well as cattle trading and cereal crops (wheat, triticale) with an estimated carrying capacity of 16,000* DSE.

Water is a feature supplied from a solar powered pump on the permanent spring fed Daly Creek and storage dam spring/well, a bore plus a large network of 34 surface dams which are primarily spring fed.

The property boasts excellent operating improvements including modern infrastructure and centrally located cattle/sheep processing facilities (five-stand raised-board shearing shed, undercover sheep yards, cattle yards, containment yards and abundant grain/fodder storage) and a developed laneway system allowing streamlined management.

Shedding consists of two machinery sheds, two workshops and a large hay shed.

An expansive, architecturally designed five-bedroom homestead is positioned on an elevated site enjoying commanding views to the north and east, designed to maximise light and position. The home features two bathrooms, open plan kitchen and multiple living areas. A second significant fully renovated four-bedroom residence has a verandah, deck, garage, established lawns and mature gardens.

As can be seen in the image below, the homestead’s location and views are some of the most scenic we’ve seen in years in Beef Central’s weekly property coverage.

 

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