The aggregation covers an area of 55,400ha, made up of freehold and rolling leases.

A SHOWCASE 55,400ha Central Queensland cattle breeding, growing and finishing aggregation being marketed for the first time in 60 years could make around $70 million after being listed for private sale this week.

The un-named aggregation of adjoining freehold and rolling leaseholdings is considered the largest CQ buffel grass aggregation to reach the market since the sales of Heytesbury Pastoral Co’s Comely and Mapala near Moura in the mid-1990s, bought by Colonial Mutual.

Located about two hours northwest of Rockhampton in the Livingstone Shire, the developed softwood scrub properties have an extensive breeding history over sixty years and produce average annual calving rates of about 80pc.

Handling the listing is the Bill Hamilton from the Rockhampton office of Ruralco Property/SBB Real Estate.

“The scale, quality and location of this aggregation is likely to attract interest from Australia’s major agribusiness corporates, institutional investors seeking a key opportunity to participate in the beef cattle sector, high net-worth private farmers and overseas investors,” Mr Hamilton said.

The holdings have a double frontage to a bitumen road which parallels the Bruce Highway running north.

“Nothing of this scale or quality has come to the market for many years and the aggregation includes numerous outstanding and appealing features,” Mr Hamilton said.

“Physically, the aggregation offers the almost perfect balance of breeding, backgrounding and fattening country, with the ability to produce grassfed bullocks all year round,” he said.

“The successful purchaser will have the option of an operating mix of grass-finishing and backgrounding, all grass fed finished ox, or all grassfed backgrounding.”

The holding supports its own 1000-head EU-accredited feedlot.

The brigalow and scrub country totals about 13,500ha, with about 1700ha that is currently cropped, or can be cropped, to support the feedlot activities. Average annual rainfall is 700-760mm. Much of the country has received 50-75mm of rain in the past week.

Pastures include buffel, green panic, butterfly pea on the scrub soils with improved grasses, soft native pastures plus legumes that have been introduced in the forest country.

The aggregation has an estimated current carrying capacity of 5000 fatteners, 8000 breeders and 2000 replacement females.

Pastures include buffel, green panic, butterfly pea on the scrub soils with improved grasses, soft native pastures plus legumes that have been introduced in the forest country.

Water reliability is another feature, with frontage to the McKenzie River that offers irrigation potential with utilisation of available irrigation rights.

The existing on-property water resources are also significant and include about 130 serviceable dams, three bores equipped with mains power, numerous other equipped bores with solar powered pumps or windmills, plus numerous semi-permanent water holes in the creek systems that cross the holdings.

Fencing is in good to fair condition with laneway systems that lead to eight major sets of yards, most of which meet current industry demands and the main yards being equipped with a hydraulic cattle crush.

Building improvements include the main homestead, supported by three other houses that are ideal for staff accommodation, plus four sets of quarters, with a helicopter hangar, plus numerous shedding and storage facilities.

The EU-accredited feedlot is currently in use, with associated services of grain silos, bunkers and roughage storages.

Mr Hamilton said while already well developed, the holdings had significant further development potential.

• An Information Memorandum and appointments to inspect can be arranged with Ruralco Property SBB Real Estate, Rockhampton. Initial inquiries to Bill Hamilton on 0408 884 895 or Damien Freney mobile 0429 391 152.