THIS week’s property review includes this wrap-up of recently completed sales, and a separate article on interesting recent listings across the country.

• Yarrowitch’s Jamberoo passes in at auction
• CQ’s McKeering family secures Malanbar
• Winton block exceeds expectations
• Grimwade & Gordon holding placed under contract
• Qld producer secures Tamworth’s versatile Bywondah
• Holbrook family secures historic New England grazing

This year, Jamberoo has experienced an excellent season following more than 760mm of rain and is carrying a heavy body (around 1400ha) of high-performance pasture-based feed.

Yarrowitch’s Jamberoo passes in at auction

Meares and Associates are negotiating with numerous parties after northern New South Wales holding Jamberoo was passed in at auction for $27.5 million.

The 2051ha of backgrounding and finishing country (pictured above) is located on the top of the Great Dividing Range, 15km from Yarrowitch and 65km from Walcha.

Agent Sam Meares said Jamberoo, which attracted interest mostly from local and Queensland producers, is now offered for private sale.

This year, the property has experienced an excellent season following more than 760mm of rain and is carrying a heavy body (around 1400ha) of high-performance pasture-based feed.

Owned by the Williams family since 2017, the property is spread across three accessible valleys.

During their ownership, the vendors have also installed more than 50km of new fencing and laneways and undertaken an annual top-dressing schedule, which equates to over 1.2 tonnes per hectare across the property.

Jamberoo is rated to run more than 25,000DSE or 1400 breeding cows or background 3000 to 4500 steers.

Water is provided by an equipped bore, permanent springs, Warnes River frontage, double frontage to three main creek systems and around 60 spring fed dams.

Infrastructure includes two three-bedroom homes, two steel cattle yards and a machinery shed complex.

CQ’s McKeering family secures Malanbar

The McKeering family has paid more than $10.5 million for versatile grazing country in Central Queensland, ending 40 years of ownership by the Dyer family.

The 5110ha Malanbar is located 83km north-east of Alpha and 116km west of Clermont.

It passed in at auction for $10.5m but was sold immediately afterwards for a slightly higher figure.

Earlier this year, the Dyer family paid more than $22 million, including 1250 head of cattle plus followers, for the nearby 8765ha Rocklea and Prior Park – breeding and finishing country, 42km east of Alpha.

Malanbar sits on the eastern rim of the renowned Belyando River grazing area, with a mix of bauhinia, brigalow, gidgee and coolibah country running up to pasture covered ironbark ridges. It is capable of running 800 breeders or 1200 backgrounders.

The property had been lightly stocked since late last year and, with recent rain, was displaying an impressive stand of buffel, seca, wynn cassia, forest Mitchell and native pastures.

Malanbar is watered by six dams, five bores and seasonal water, supported by a reliable rainfall area.

Infrastructure includes good fencing and timber and steel cattle yards.

RBV Rural agent Matt Beard handled the sale.

Winton block exceeds expectations

A smaller Freehold backgrounding and finishing block in Queensland’s central-west has exceeded expectations, selling at auction for $3.55 million or $1101/ha.

After attracting good interest from locals, near neighbours, downsizers and business owners, the 3225ha Randwick, 13km north-east of Winton was purchased by neighbours Roger and Nerida Henwood and family.

During the marketing campaign, Tom Brodie from Brodie Agencies anticipated Randwick could achieve above $2.5 million, given other recent sales in the area.

“During inspections, it became clear the auction would be strongly contested due to the property location close to town, quality soils and the benefit of two floods which would give producers a good 12 months of feed.”

Mr Brodie said on auction day, there were seven registered bidders, with four active.

“A number of producers from west of Winton were looking for a well-located depot to spell or finish their cattle,” he said.

The pebbly open downs country is growing a good mix of Mitchell and Flinders grasses, as well a large variety of edible summer fattening herbages.

De-stocked in mid-December, Randwick is capable of running up to 450 adult equivalents, season dependent.

While there are some Parkinsonia trees, as well as an infestation of prickly acacia, across all paddocks, control spraying is having some impact.

Randwick is watered by an equipped bore, a dam and numerous seasonal waterholes in the channels that usually last for three to nine months – depending on the timing and amount of rain that has fallen along the catchment for the channels.

It is support by 414mm of average annual rainfall. Year to date, Randwick has received just over 200mm.

Infrastructure includes a one-bedroom hut, portable steel cattle yards and a shed.

The 3225ha Randwick, 13km north-east of Winton was purchased by neighbours Roger and Nerida Henwood and family.

Grimwade & Gordon holding placed under contract

The Grimwade & Gordon property Oinmurra in south-west Queensland has been placed under contract prior to auction.

The 12,053ha holding is fully exclusion fenced and located in the Balonne region, 40km north-west of Dirranbandi and 70km south-west of St George.

Elders agent Phillip Kelly was unable to disclose the price paid or the purchaser, but they are believed to be an interstate cattle producer.

Described as a beef production enterprise with diverse options, Oinmurra has been running core small stock mobs with significant numbers of agistment cattle.

As a livestock operation, it can run around 2000 Adult Equivalents.

It offers flat red soils with productive buffel grass pastures and some brigalow melon hole country with beneficial mulga.

An artesian controlled flowing bore feeds two dams and seven tanks which connect to 31 watering troughs across the property.

Infrastructure includes a cottage, a five-stand shearing shed, two steel cattle yards and sheep yards.

Cashmere West

Meantime, the other Grimwade & Gordon asset, Cashmere West, will be auctioned on May 30 after several interested parties were unable to inspect following the recent rain and flood events.

The 11,906ha holding, 37km north-west of St George, is a turnkey operation rated to run 2295AE on what is described as first class, high-performing buffel grass grazing country.

Qld producer secures Tamworth’s versatile Bywondah

In the New England region of New South Wales, a mixed farming asset used for grazing and irrigated fodder cropping has sold after auction to a Queensland producer for more than $6 million.

The 1551ha Bywondah is located in the Dungowan Valley, 42km from Tamworth, with the sale ending more than 50 years of ownership by the Haworth family.

The country ranges from alluvial creek flats to undulating open and plateaued grazing, with the red and brown basalt soils suitable for growing improved pastures, fodder and hay production.

Previously, Bywondah operated as a prime lamb enterprise alongside fodder cropping, with an estimated carrying capacity of 5000 Dry Sheep Equivalents or 350 cows and calves.

Around 63ha is developed for irrigated fodder cropping which produces around 1250 bales a year. During the winter months, lucerne is grazed and used for finishing lambs.

The 1487ha balance of native pastures is used for grazing – although most of the property is currently destocked.

With 2.7km of Dungowan Creek frontage, the property is watered by 33 dams, 279ML of water allocations, the seasonal Mulla and Cooee Creeks, as well as access to the Dungowan Pipeline.

Infrastructure includes a five-bedroom home, a three-bedroom cabin, numerous sheds, a three-stand shearing shed, steel cattle yards and two sheep yards.

LAWD agents Daniel McCulloch and George Berry handled the sale.

The 1551ha Bywondah is located in the Dungowan Valley, 42km from Tamworth

Holbrook family secures historic New England grazing

A farming family from Holbrook has secured the historic high rainfall grazing property Stony Batter, located in the renowned New England region of New South Wales.

The picturesque 1607ha property is located 21km from Bundarra, halfway between Armidale and Inverell.

Ray White Rural agent Andrew Starr was unable to disclose the buyer or the price paid but it is understood to be in line with recent sales in the area.

Last month, the 864ha Gwydir Park near Torryburn was purchased by Bundarra’s James Harris, Abington Station, for $4.9 million or $5671/ha and in July last year, the 2237ha Bundarra property Glanmire Station sold to a Central Queensland family for $14.5m or $6482/ha.

Aggregated more than 17 years ago by Sydney-based businessman Chris Nivan, Stony Batter was offered to the market in 2022 along with the 1509ha Arabanoo at Bingara which sold to Tim and Rebecca Brazier from the Choice Angus Stud for $5.2m or $3446/ha.

While the grassy box woodland areas are equally suited to cattle and sheep, Stony Batter has been developed for efficient beef performance and was home to the renowned Red Island Beef Angus herd.

During the marketing campaign, Mr Starr said the property had been strategically developed to maximise management efficiencies for a self-replacing beef herd operation.

“A pasture improvement program has seen select paddocks planted with annual oats, followed by the establishment of perennial subtropical pasture species and clovers.”

Featuring a 6.8km Gwydir River frontage, Stony Batter is watered by the Camerons and Back Creeks, 50 dams and a 16ML water licence.

Infrastructure includes a circa 1887 four-bedroom homestead, a four-bedroom manager’s home and three cottages. There are two cattle yards, a 1907 eight-stand shearing shed (which is not operational but well maintained), numerous sheds and two silos.