Kilto includes about 7000ac of improved brigalow country heavily grassfed to buffel, Rhodes and green panic
QUALITY Wandoan (Queensland) brigalow country breeding and fattening property Kilto is under contract, and is expected to settle in August.
No price has been disclosed, but Beef Central understands the deal was for between $11 million and $13 million, bare of stock.
Presented in excellent shape after good rain earlier this year, Kilto attracted 12 inspections and four competitive offers, mostly from locals, under an expressions of interest campaign through Nutrien Harcourts.
A little over 4000ha freehold, the property includes 850ha of forestry entitlement area.
New owners are a young local family, Cameron and Sarah Webster from near-neighbouring property Somerset, who are making a great stamp on the industry at a young age. Mr Webster, a fourth generation beef producer in the district, is a former Australian saddle bronc champion.
Vendors were Kaye and Jim Bock, whose family drew Kilto – then bare virgin scrub – as part of a land ballot back in 1967. The level of improvements and pasture establishment stands as a testament to their stewardship and hard graft over the past 53 years.
Located 60km east of Wandoan on the Bungaban/Big Valley Road, Kilto included about 2900ha of developed brigalow and belah softwood scrub soil heavily grassed with buffel, Rhodes and green panic. About 1800ha has been blade-ploughed. The balance in the forestry entitlement area is box, pine and ironbark.
Located in an area of intense gasfield development, the property was marketed as ‘tick-free and CSG-free.’
Water is a feature, with two bores connected to steel tanks, poly pipe, troughs and seven dams. All paddocks have access to dam and bore water.
The country is fenced into 12 main paddocks plus five holding paddocks, with a laneway system servicing the yards. Fencing is mainly four barb and split posts.
A three bedroom homestead is set in immaculate lawns and gardens. There is also a second three-bedroom homestead, large machinery shed, and three-bay car shed.
Kilto is estimated to carry 1250 steers or 700 breeders and progeny, but no stock were included in the deal.
- Agents were Joe Keppel and Darryl Langton, Nutrien Harcourts.
Setting aside the grazing and farming aspects whilst sold ‘bare’ is not unusual and can be for one of three or four reasons the line in the report which made me uneasy on the destocking was “Located in an area of intense gasfield development”. I hope this is not behind a $12M investment by the Websters, who seem to be very entrepreneurial.
So pleasing to see this land sold to Australians rather than to Asian or Sth. African commercial and government agendas.
Reading the development of the property, one can argue of course and rightly so the environmental destruction of the original property. The exploitation of sub-surface water across Australia with no concept of how many years or millions of years replacement will need as a disaster in progress. Hopefully the Websters will give scientific research into the situation on Kilto as well as Somerset if intending to increase their herd. We have to have better than ‘sustainability’ as a goal for risk management. Sustainability isn’t enough.
What we have now is what it is now and the Websters have taken a great leap of courage in making such an investment. Bravo,