THIS week’s property review includes this wrap-up of recently completed sales, and two separate articles on interesting properties listed for sale in different parts of the country.

• Palgrove expand with CQ’s Panhandle
• Macka’s secures flagship Liverpool Plains holding
• $23.75m for far west NSW’s Borrona Downs
• Capella family expands with NQ’s Sayah Park
• Jackson Ag offloads NSW’s King Ranch

Cleared country on Panhandle, near Collinsville

Palgrove expand with CQ’s Panhandle

Seedstock and commercial beef producer Palgrove is expanding with the purchase of the Simmons family’s Collinsville district calf factory Panhandle in North Queensland.

Located 43km west of Collinsville and 125km south-west of Bowen, the 31,800ha breeding property, pictured above, stretches east from the Burdekin River.

Leichardt Group managing partner Scott Kostecki was unable to disclose the sale price but said the marketing campaign generated significant international and national interest from Western Australia, South Australia and across Queensland.

“Under the Simmons family’s seven year ownership, Panhandle benefited from substantial infrastructure and pasture development, conservative stocking and considered breeder herd management,” he said.

The calf factory was sold on a walk-in, walk-out basis including 2850 breeders, 2000 followers and selected plant and equipment.

The reliable, low-maintenance grazing country can conservatively run 2850 breeders plus followers, with development underway to support up to 3500 breeders.

The undulating country is open and lightly shaded with goldfields black and red soils, creek flats and loamy expansive alluvial valleys growing verano and seca stylo, urochloa, native pastures and areas of buffel.

It is watered by 19 equipped bores, 18 dams and seasonal creek systems supported by 705mm of annual average rainfall.

Infrastructure includes a renovated three-bedroom home, a two-bedroom cottage, a three-bedroom quarters, staff accommodation, four cattle yards and 30km of new fencing.

Macka’s secures flagship Liverpool Plains holding

Macka’s, the Mackenzie family’s Angus vertically-integrated breeding and beef production business, has paid around $27 million ($16,000/ha) for Staplegrove, a flagship holding at the foothills of the Liverpool Ranges in northern New South Wales.

Located near Blackville and 48km from Willow Tree, the 1699ha cropping and grazing property was secured through an off-market transaction managed by Sam Triggs from Inglis Rural Property.

It was one of three properties offered to the market by the Norman family in 2024.

Macka’s Black Angus had been seeking a blue-ribbon Liverpool Plains asset capable of complementing its established breeding operations at Gloucester and enhancing the business’s backgrounding, finishing and feed production capacity.

Robert Mackenzie said Staplegrove was an exceptional strategic fit for the business.

“Its productive soils, reliable rainfall, high proportion of arable country and favourable climate provide the horsepower needed to support the continued growth of Macka’s Angus.”

Mr Mackenzie said the two properties complement each other extremely well, with Staplegrove dovetailing naturally into the company’s Eastern Fall operations.

“Our Gloucester country is ideally suited to breeding, while Staplegrove gives us the additional backgrounding and finishing capacity we have been seeking.”

The acquisition will enable Macka’s Black Angus to retain greater control over the production cycle, from breeding through to backgrounding and finishing, while supporting the company’s continued move towards a more diversified and vertically integrated beef enterprise.

Around 90 percent of Staplegrove’s fertile, black volcanic soils are arable and grow summer and winter fodder crops, as well as high-performance perennial pastures.

Mr Mackenzie said the property gives the company the capacity to produce more of its own feed, manage cattle through a broader range of seasonal conditions and capture greater value throughout the supply chain.

Infrastructure includes multiple residences, substantial grain storage, numerous sheds and one of the district’s early woolsheds.

The property also carries considerable historical significance. Dating back to the early settlement of the district, Staplegrove once formed part of the Australian Agricultural Co’s extensive landholdings across the Liverpool Plains.

Around 90 percent of Staplegrove’s fertile, black volcanic soils are arable and grow summer and winter fodder crops, as well as high-performance perennial pastures.

$23.75m for far west NSW’s Borrona Downs

One hundred years of Taylor family ownership has ended, with Borrona Downs in far western New South Wales selling after auction for $23.75 million ($274/ha).

Nutrien Russell Property and Livestock agent David Russell said a Bollon family with farming country near Moree secured the station to further their cattle business.

The 86,563ha sheep and cattle station is 135km east of Tibooburra and 135km north of White Cliffs.

Estimated to carry 20,000DSE and harvest about 5000 rangeland goats a year, Borrona Downs was running around 3000 cattle under the management of vendor Greg Taylor.

The country ranges from open plains to expansive perennial lakes and is carrying soft sweet Mitchell, Flinders and buffel grasses, together with natural clovers, herbages and scattered stands of soft mulga, rosewood, whitewood and beefwood.

Some of the oldest and largest coolibah trees in western New South Wales border the property’s grey soil wetlands.

Water security is a feature, with nine equipped bores, two capped flowing bores, 16 seasonal dams and an extensive network of tanks and troughs. The Mulga and Bloodwood Creek systems also provide some waterholes.

Improvements include a one-bedroom cottage, staff quarters, a meat house/cool room, a six-stand shearing shed, steel sheep and cattle yards and numerous sheds.

The station is divided by steel fencing into 14 grazing paddocks, two goat paddocks and several smaller enclosures.

The 86,563ha Borrona is 135km east of Tibooburra and 135km north of White Cliffs.

Capella family expands with NQ’s Sayah Park

A Capella family is expanding with a well-grassed, well-located calf factory in the tightly held Llanarth/Cape River area of North Queensland.

Situated 150km south of Charters Towers and 240km north of Clermont, the 18,400ha Sayah Park is a leasehold property capable of running 1500 breeders.

Described during the marketing campaign as an exceptional opportunity, the breeding and/or finishing operation was sold by Ray and Pauline Whalan after 42 years of ownership.

TopX agent Brett Christie was unable to disclose the buyer or the price paid but said the sale was in line with expectations.

A comparable sale was Ronlow Park, a well-grassed desert uplands breeder block near Pentland, that sold for around $8 million including around 430 head of mixed cattle and some plant.

Mr Christie said Sayah Park provided year-round market access and has a proven track record of delivering excellent weaning weights and turning off heavy females to slaughter.

“Location, accessibility and scale, along with further development potential, added appeal to Sayah Park as a beef producing asset.”

Sayah Park is watered by seven equipped dams, two bores (one is equipped) and numerous seasonal waterholes.

Infrastructure includes a three-bedroom home, a two-bedroom workers accommodation, cattle yards and sheds.

Infrastructure includes a circa 1900s four-bedroom home, a two-bedroom cottage, a one-bedroom cottage, a four-stand shearing shed, sheep yards, two cattle yards, round yards and a shed.

Jackson Ag offloads NSW’s King Ranch

Jackson Agriculture has sold two of its three steer finishing properties in the hinterland of New South Wales’ mid north coast.

In March, it listed the 612ha King Ranch and Aberfeldy Aggregation located near Booklana, 33km west of Dorrigo and 42km from Coffs Harbour.

It comprised three adjoining holdings – 218ha King Ranch, 209ha King Ranch South and 185ha Aberfeldy – each offering quality residential and agricultural improvements.

Combined, the properties benefit from productive improved pastures including kikuyu, ryegrass and clover capable of running between 700 and 1000 steers season dependent.

Ray White Rural agent Andrew Starr was unable to disclose the buyer or the price paid, however it is understood the 427ha King Ranch and King Ranch South achieved more than $20,000/ha.

King Ranch features an elevated and renovated three-bedroom home with sweeping views, a one-bedroom granny flat, undercover steel cattle yards and sheds. There are multiple water sources including running spring fed creeks and gullies plus dams.

King Ranch South offers a two-bedroom home, cattle yards, Bobo River frontage and dams.

Aberfeldy

Meantime, Mr Starr has relisted the remaining 185ha Aberfeldy with a $2.85m price tag.

Most of the fencing has been renewed in recent years and is divided into five main paddocks plus smaller holding paddocks.

The pastures have been well fertilised with a proven history of finishing steers to export market weights.

Aberfeldy has a four-bedroom home, cattle yards and multiple sheds. It is watered by two running creeks and six dams.