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

• $80m+ for Flinders Island farms
• Victorian grazing asset offered with wind turbines
• Gunn Agri offloads Ashford aggregation
• China sells 13,000ha of prime Liverpool Plains country

$80m+ for Flinders Island farms

Between $80 million ($17,300/ha or $7000/ac) and $91.5 million ($19,770/ha or $8000/ac) is anticipated for a premium cattle breeding operation located on Flinders Island.

Owned by a domestic private family, Flinders Island is regarded as highly reliable and productive, renowned for producing exceptionally high-quality cattle, with access to numerous markets.

The 4626ha Flinders Island Farms is one of the largest landholdings on the island, representing more than 10 percent of its total area.

Comprising three properties – 2339ha Tiree, 1688ha Reedy Lagoon and 599ha Durris – the aggregation is being offered for sale in-one-line, or as any combination of individual properties.

Operated as a pasture-based, self-replacing beef operation focussed on breeding Angus, cattle are sold to a range of markets in Tasmania and mainland Australia as feeders and restockers.

Benefitted by excellent soil types with exceptional fertiliser history, the aggregation is estimated to run 75,000 dry sheep equivalents.

Receiving on average 737mm of rainfall a year, the aggregation is securely watered by a series of groundwater bores and springs.

The infrastructure is described as outstanding and includes eight dwellings, extensive cattle and sheep handling facilities and numerous sheds.

The operation has been enhanced by improved pastures and extensively developed water infrastructure, laneways and paddock layout.

Potential additional income streams include options for carbon abatement and biodiversity offsets.

The Flinders Island Farms Aggregation is being offered for sale by expressions of interest closing on October10.

LAWD agents Danny Thomas and Nathan Cleeland, together with Nutrien Harcourts agents Michael Warren, Tony Maguire and Sharon Blyth are handling the sale, with most of the interest coming from cattle operators and carbon abatement groups.

 

Victorian grazing asset offered with wind turbines

More than $37.4 million ($17,300/ha or $7000/ac) is anticipated for a prized high rainfall grazing asset in Victoria’s Western District, underpinned by renewable energy income, generated from 13 wind turbines.

The 2161ha historic Winnidad Pastoral Aggregation is near Mortlake and 48km from Warrnambool.

Comprising eight separate holdings ranging in size from 60ha to 590ha, they are offered for sale in one line or as separate assets via expressions of interest closing on October 17.

With a combined carrying capacity of 35,000 DSE, the aggregation is currently running 9000 joined composite ewes producing prime lambs, in addition to 700 cows, heifers and replacements.

Basalt derivative soils supported by consistent fertiliser application underpin the average annual stocking rate of 17DSE/ha.

The gently sloping land is suited to pasture improvement with potential for dryland cropping.

The Winnidad Aggregation was settled in the early 1900s by the McDonald family and is now held by descendants, Sarah and James Law.

Ms Law said her great, great grandfather bought a number of paddocks along the railway line in Mortlake and added to them over the years.

“It is a beautiful part of the world and a difficult decision to sell. The land is very versatile. It is capable of running beef, dairy or sheep and last year the wind turbines became operational, providing another income.”

The historic four-bedroom Winnidad homestead is located 8km from Mortlake. With the property boundary meeting the town, cattle can be walked to the Western Victoria Livestock Exchange for sale.

LAWD agent Col Medway said Winnidad offered a rare opportunity to acquire a commercial-scale asset with diverse income options in the coveted Mortlake district.

“The enterprise will appeal to local businesses seeking to expand, international investors attracted by a large-scale grazing enterprise and those with a mandate to combine renewable energy with agriculture.”

Mr Medway said the ability to purchase whole or part of the Winnidad Aggregation presented an opportunity for all buyer types, with three of the properties benefitting from the secure income provided from the wind turbine rent.

The aggregation is securely watered by the Stony Creek, 28 dams and a network of bores.

Infrastructure includes the historic four-bedroom Winnidad homestead, with many of the blocks equipped with quality accommodation and operational infrastructure enabling them to operate individually.

 

Gunn Agri offloads Ashford aggregation

Above $19 million (bare) is anticipated for Gunn Agri’s mixed farming and grazing platform used for breeding and backgrounding Wagyu cattle.

The 4246ha Rosehill Aggregation is a high rainfall opportunity north-west of the highly regarded New England region of New South Wales. It is located 21km from Ashford and 44km from Deepwater.

LAWD agents Col Medway and Daniel McCulloch have been appointed to sell the three properties, aggregated over the company’s three year ownership. They comprise the adjoining 3499ha Rocky Creek, 488ha Hodges and 258ha Leeton.

Gunn Agri co-founder and managing director Brad Wheaton said key capital improvements had been completed.

“Rosehill is being taken to market to focus on the part of the company’s operation based at Delungra which has greater cropping potential,” he said.

The 4300ha Gragin Aggregation, 47km north-west of Inverell, is a mix of broadacre cropping (1400ha) and livestock grazing.

Mr Wheaton said the Rosehill and Gragin Aggregations were operating as one management unit until recently.

“Given their geographic distance (100km apart) and as more opportunities opened up for the company at Delungra, it became clearer to focus on growing scale at Gragin. Today, the aggregation spans eight properties, grows crops and works with long term cattle grazing tenants.”

Mr Wheaton said the highest and best use of Rosehill is as a mixed farming or cattle focused enterprise.

Money raised from the sale will allow Gunn Agri, on behalf of the Transforming Farming Platform (which manages mixed farming properties for Australian and European institutional investors), to expand its footprint in the Delungra area.

The Rosehill Aggregation has a combination of self-mulching red and black basalt, granite and New England trap soils. There are 1043 arable hectares (25 percent) with 777ha currently sown to oats with the potential to expand the cropping enterprise.

The open and timbered grazing land which rises to timbered hills has a carrying capacity of 17,500 Dry Sheep Equivalents.

Water is sourced from a bore, two wells, a spring fed dam and numerous creek and river systems.

Interest in the Rosehill Aggregation is likely to come from locals, Wagyu producers and other premium supply chain operators from New South Wales and Queensland seeking safe country to run either full blood, pure bred F1 Wagyu or Angus cattle.

Infrastructure includes a three-bedroom home, a three-bedroom cottage, a two-bedroom workers quarters, two steel cattle yards, a shearing shed, sheep yards, numerous sheds and silos with 160 tonnes of grain storage.

Potential income

As part of the property’s development, a 25 year, 1466ha soil carbon project has been developed to the point of registration with the Clean Energy Regulator.

The property sits in the New England Renewable Energy Zone and is transected by an existing high-voltage power line, with the vendor also receiving proposals from two solar and one wind project developers.

In addition, an ecological analysis report has found areas of significant biodiversity value proving potential for a NSW Government biodiversity stewardship agreement.

Expressions of interest for the Rosehill Aggregation close on October 17.

 

China interests sell 13,000ha prime of Liverpool Plains country

Chinese development company Aohai Australia is offloading more than 13,000ha of prime Liverpool Plains cropping and grazing country in northern New South Wales.

McEvers Park

Purchased in June 2020 for $18 million, the 5351ha McEvers Park is a dryland cropping and beef production asset on the Liverpool Plains near Goolhi, 23km west of Mullaley and 56km west of Gunnedah.

Comprising eight holdings, the flat to undulating topography has fertile soil types with around 2000ha arable and the balance productive grazing land.

Previously, the property cropped 1000ha and ran 1200 breeding cows and 300 replacement heifers, finishing progeny on fodder crops through to supermarket weight requirements.

The fencing is described as excellent, with water supplied by several bores and supplemented by dams and creeks underpinned by 681mm of rainfall.

Infrastructure includes four homes, three steel cattle yards, numerous sheds, a three-stand shearing shed, sheep yards and 2000 tonnes of grain storage.

Butheroo

Purchased in September 2016 for $9.5 million, the 7737ha Butheroo is situated near Neilrex, 23km from Coolah and 89km from Dubbo.

Comprising five adjoining holdings, around 1100ha are arable with the balance used for beef and sheep production.

The productive soil types and gently undulating topography are underpinned by 600-650mm of average annual rainfall.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, as well as five additional dwellings, two steel cattle yards, a three-stand shearing shed, sheep yards, numerous sheds and 13 silos with 550-tonnes of grain storage.

There is 50km of new fencing with partial boundary exclusion fencing, 75 dams and frontage to the Butheroo Creek.

McEvers Park and Butheroo are being offered for sale in one line or as separate properties by expressions of interest.

CBRE agents James Beer, Nick Connor, John Harrison and Thomas Quinn are handling the sale.