THIS week’s property review includes this wrap-up of interesting recent listings across Queensland, a separate story on recent listings in southern Australia and an article of recently completed sales of note.

• UK vendor offers high quality cattle & cropping enterprise in Central Highlands
• CQ’s Hughes family offloads NQ’s Tabletop Station
• Wallumbilla’s Ridgelands heads to auction
• Pierce family offers well-watered Fishpond

The 35,000ha Arcturus Downs portfolio breeds and backgrounds cattle and produces irrigated cotton, sorghum and mungbeans, and dryland wheat, barley, chickpeas, sorghum, cotton and oats.

UK vendor offers high quality cattle & cropping enterprise in Central Highlands

An institutional-scale cattle and irrigated and broadacre dryland cropping opportunity has been listed for sale in Queensland’s highly regarded Central Highlands region.

The 34,944ha Arcturus Downs Portfolio, owned by UK interests for the past 15 or 20 years, operates as two hubs and is located close to Springsure and Emerald.

The portfolio currently breeds and backgrounds cattle and produces irrigated cotton, sorghum and mungbeans, and dryland wheat, barley, chickpeas, sorghum, cotton and oats.

The 15,601ha Arcturus Downs Aggregation is 32km from Springsure and 61km from Emerald. It comprises three contiguous properties – 7940ha Arcturus, 3848ha Kronje and 3813ha Barton.

The nearby, but separate 19,343ha Pindari is 34km from Springsure and 99km from Emerald.

Arcturus Downs Aggregation

The aggregation is benefitted by productive brigalow and deep alluvial scrub soils adjacent to the Comet River and Springsure Creek.

It is currently producing 1000ha of irrigated cotton, sorghum and mungbeans, and 6852ha of dryland wheat, barley, chickpeas, sorghum, cotton and oats. There is almost 2600ha of arable grazing land and 5150ha is used to breed and background cattle.

The holding is watered by ten equipped groundwater bores, 14 dams and seasonal waterholes and supported by 14,000ML of on-farm water storage.

Substantial water allocations include 3363ML (unsupplemented) from the Comet River, underpinned by additional overland flow water harvesting capabilities following high rainfall/river flow events.

An integrated grain storage complex has a combined capacity of 7850 tonnes, including a drive-over receival hopper, grain drier, out-loading facilities and a full-length 80-tonne capacity weighbridge.

Infrastructure includes two main homes, six cottages, staff quarters, numerous sheds, three cattle yards and silage pits with 3000 tonnes of capacity.

Pindari

The 19,343ha Pindari is a productive cattle breeding enterprise offering 6450ha of open grazing, 4600ha of timbered grazing and 8293ha of plateau rangeland grazing which experiences significant, reliable rainfall.

Typically, Pindari carries 1500 cows or 2250 adult equivalents, with all weaners sent to Arcturus Downs.

Replacement heifers are grown out and joined to have their first calf at Arcturus Downs, with second calf PTIC heifers bought back to Pindari and joined with the mature herd.

Over the last seven years, the water infrastructure has been upgraded and expanded to coincide with a change in grazing management from traditional methods to a rotational grazing system.

Securely watered by eight equipped bores, 54 dams and numerous permanent and seasonal waterholes, Pindari also benefits from an irrigation bore with an annual allocation of 78ML which can be used to irrigate 20ha.

Infrastructure includes a three-bedroom home, a three-bedroom cottage, a mustering hut, sheds and four cattle yards.

The Arcturus Downs Portfolio is being offered for sale by expressions of interest closing on October 10. LAWD agents Simon Cudmore and Grant Veivers are handling the sale.

CQ’s Hughes family offloads NQ’s Tabletop Station

Central Queensland producers Richard and Dyan Hughes and family, Wentworth Cattle Co, Clermont, are selling their quality breeding and finishing country in North Queensland.

Held for five years, the 18,970ha Tabletop Station is located 23km north of Collinsville and 70 km south-west of Bowen.

Featuring undulating open timbered country with quality soil types, Tabletop is currently being run as a breeding operation to a capacity of 4600 adult equivalents.

The property has a reliable annual rainfall of 708mm and with 448mm of rain recorded this year, there is an abundance of good quality feed.

The Hughes’ son, Bristow, said the family was looking to take the next step and the sale of Tabletop would facilitate expansion into other areas.

“The property is a great asset, in a great location with a huge amount of water. It offers the incoming purchaser potential for future pasture development and fencing to lift numbers, or productivity in terms of better weight gains on existing numbers.”

The Hughes’ have also conducted soil tests and identified areas suitable for growing leucaena.

Queensland Rural agent Troy Trevor reports good interest from family operators, particularly in Central Queensland.

“The versatile country is suitable for breeding or finishing, however most CQ producers are looking for a breeder block,” he said.

Tabletop is watered by 16 equipped bores, 35 dams and semi-permanent waterholes in the Table Mountain, One Mile and Rocky Creeks.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, a three-bedroom cottage, a one-bedroom donga, a two-bedroom dwelling, numerous sheds and modern steel cattle yards.

Tabletop will be auctioned bare on October 3.

Featuring undulating open timbered country with quality soil types, Tabletop is currently being run as a breeding operation to a capacity of 4600 adult equivalents.

Wallumbilla’s Ridgelands heads to auction

Prime Wallumbilla backgrounding and finishing cattle country in southern Queensland is being offered for sale by Matt and Jess Morton.

The 1739ha Ridgelands is located 29km north of Wallumbilla and 65km from Roma in a tightly held area renowned for safe, reliable rainfall with a beautiful balance of country.

TopX agent Carl Warren said the property’s buffel grass is prolific and provides exceptional weightgains during the summer months.

“The property is currently destocked and carrying a large body of dry feed, with most of the inquiry coming from locals and Central Queensland,” he said.

The undulating country features brigalow, belah and bottle tree scrub to the eastern boundary and box, sandalwood, ironbark and pine to the south.

The Mortons have been conservatively running 300 cows and calves and retaining heifers for joining, as well as seasonal trade cattle.

The property is watered by a bore and seven dams, supported by 609mm of annual average rainfall.

Infrastructure includes a five-bedroom executive style home with exceptional views, numerous sheds, two cattle yards, horse stables and excellent fencing.

Ridgelands will be auctioned on October 24.

The 1739ha Ridgelands is located 29km north of Wallumbilla and 65km from Roma in a tightly held area renowned for safe, reliable rainfall with a beautiful balance of country.

Pierce family offers well-watered Fishpond

After more than 100 years of ownership, the Pierce family is selling its Central Queensland country with a history of producing quality, sought-after cattle.

The 1169ha Fishpond is near Midgee, 24km from Rockhampton and the Gracemere saleyards.

Shepherdson & Boyd agent Mike Barry said inspections are underway, with most of the interest coming from locals seeking expansion.

“The vendors are conservatively running 300 breeders, but it is also suited to backgrounding and previously fattened bullocks,” he said.

The flat plains country was originally timbered with mostly coolibah and blue gum and pastured with natives, including Queensland blue grass, kangaroo grass and water couch.

Naturally watered by creeks and lagoons, 175mm of recent rain has ensured an excellent start to the season.

The only infrastructure is a set of cattle yards. Fishpond will be auctioned on September 23.

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