Chinchilla based graziers Kevin and Judy Brennan paid $8 million under the hammer yesterday for 2944ha Dunkery, located 25km south of Condamine.

A QUALITY Darling Downs backgrounding property sold under the hammer at auction yesterday, following a recent pattern of sales to Wagyu breeders seeking to expand their operations in the region.

Chinchilla based graziers Kevin and Judy Brennan paid $8 million under the hammer for 2944ha Dunkery, located 25km south of Condamine.

The property attracted 15 inspections from throughout Queensland, northern NSW and as far as South Australia, with three bidders registered on the day – including one operating online.

The price, bare of stock and plant, worked out at just above $2700/ha, or around $8000 per dry beast area, considered a ‘very solid’ result by onlookers.

Vendors Maurice and Janice Thomson ran a diversified operation including meat and wool sheep, pasture seed production and cattle.

The Brennan family own adjoining Kooringa, giving them a combined ‘footprint’ in the sought-after Chinchilla/Condamine area of about 4000ha. They will use Dunkery for backgrounding purposes for their their large, high-performance Wagyu breeding operation.

The property is within close range of the largest concentration of Wagyu grainfeeding operations in Australia, between Dalby and Chinchilla.

The Brennans also last year bought 11,000ha Isabel Downs, near Julia Creek in the state’s northwest.

Located 25km south of Condamine, the Dunkery freeholding is fully developed brigalow and belah scrub soils with some melonhole country running to Undulla Creek.

Prolific stands of improved pastures of bambatsi, buffel, premier digit and Gatton panic are present. Bore water is reticulated to majority of paddocks. All country has been farmed and sown to improved pastures or blade ploughed. About 170ha is prepared for winter crop.

A four-bedroom air-conditioned homestead featuring a New Guinea rosewood kitchen is set in attractive lawns and gardens. Outbuildings include a large workshop, hayshed, machinery shed, an excellent 6-stand woolshed with solar panels, large shearers quarters with cook’s house, and separate three-bedroom cottage. Stock handling and other infrastructure includes steel cattle yards, sheep yards, and extensive silo storage.

Brad Castle of Brennan Mayne Agribusiness, agribusiness consultant for the Brennan family, said Dunkery was a high-quality property that had been carefully and thoughtfully developed into a highly productive, efficient operation.

“The solid season over Dunkery and its location adjoining existing Brennan holdings were added attractions for the Brennan family,” he said. “Dunkery was very well presented and is an absolute credit to the vendors.”

• Landmark Harcourt’s Darryl Langton and Terry Ryan handled the sale.