THIS week’s property review includes this wrap-up of recently completed sales, and a separate article on interesting recent listings across the country.
- Longreach grazing snatched up prior to auction
- NSW’s Strathdarr makes between $7m & $8m
- Dulacca breeding & fattening country makes $7.8m
- A local expands with NSW western division country
- Oakey’s Mountain Glen secured for backgrounding
Yuleba’s Wathen family will expand their current operations after securing additional breeding and fattening country at Katandra, near Dulacca, on Queensland’s Western Downs.
Longreach grazing snatched up prior to auction
After just two weeks on the market, Longreach grazing property Talaheena has been snatched up prior to auction for between $6.3 million ($494/ha) and $6.5 million ($506/ha) bare.
The purchaser is a Wagyu cattle producer from North Queensland seeking backgrounding country.
The 12,870ha prime cattle, sheep and goat depot is located 60km north-west of Longreach in the heart of central western Queensland.
Featuring mostly open downs with some alluvial plains and soft gidgee, vendors the Curr family was taking advantage of the exceptional season to consolidate their assets.
Talaheena has established buffel, Mitchell and Flinders grasses with the balance comprising legumes, native grasses, summer and winter herbages that can carry 1525 adult equivalents.
It has been lightly stocked and is boasting an exceptional body of grass inside a 2m high boundary exclusion fence.
The property fronts the Darr River and is dissected by many channels from the Crescent, Cattle and Seven Mile Creeks. It is also watered by two equipped sub-artesian bores and numerous dams.
Talaheena was jointly marketed and sold by Colliers Agribusiness and Simstock Rural Agencies.
NSW’s Strathdarr makes between $7m & $8m
A family with local farming interests has secured the standout mixed-farming property Strathdarr, on the north-west slopes of New South Wales.
Clayton Smith from JLL Agribusiness was unable to disclose the buyer or the price, however the holding was anticipated to make between $7 million and $8 million when it was listed late last year.
Offered to the market for the second time in 100 years, the 1522ha property is situated at Crooble near the Queensland border, 60km north-east of Moree and 120km from Goondiwindi.
The standalone enterprise is suitable for breeding, backgrounding or fattening livestock along with grain growing capabilities.
For the past 17 years, Strathdarr has been held by Andrew and Angela Doering, who operate the Spring Creek Santa Gertrudis Stud.
As part of a broader supply chain, Strathdarr has been used as a fattening depot for the Doering’s northern breeder herd in Queensland, with the property being offloaded to concentrate on expanding this operation.
During their ownership, the vendors have expanded the arable areas to more than 1000ha across the property.
There is added operational security from irrigation infrastructure which features a 90ha centre pivot, underpinned by a 250ML irrigation dam and secure groundwater licences.
Identifiable opportunities exist for further development including continued rollout of improved pastures along with a feedlot (STCA), with quality water available from both bore and overland flow catchments.
While Strathdarr has sold, Mr Smith said the settlement has been delayed until the end of the year.
Strathdarr, a standout mixed-farming property on the north western slopes of New South Wales, was offered to the market for the second time in 100 years.
Dulacca breeding & fattening country makes $7.8m
Yuleba’s Wathen family will expand their current operations after securing additional breeding and fattening country at Dulacca, on Queensland’s Western Downs.
They paid $7.8 million ($5331/ha) bare for the 1463ha Katandra, situated in an area renowned for quality soil types and production, and on the doorstep of several feedlots, livestock selling centres and grain handling facilities.
Owned by the Gilmour family since 1964, Katandra features well established pastures with shade line corridors for 350 cows and calves.
Gordon and Judy Gilmour operated a small Poll Hereford stud, but more recently the property has been leased and running Angus and Wagyu cattle.
When Katandra was listed for sale last month, the Gilmours reported the country was looking magnificent after recent rain.
The brigalow, belah melonhole country has box flats along the Moraby Creek, and is boasting excellent stands of buffel, bambatsi, sabi and Queensland blue grass, with herbages in season.
It is watered by a solar equipped bore, six dams and semi-permanent waterholes along the creek.
Owen Brockhurst from Nutrien Harcourts GDL handled the sale.
A local expands with NSW western division country
A local producer from the western division of New South Wales has secured Lake Stewart Station for expansion.
Simon McIntyre from Nutrien Harcourts was unable to disclose the name of the buyer or the price paid, however when the property was listed for sale in March it was anticipated to make in excess of $5 million.
The 67,955ha Lake Stewart Station, 80km west of Tibooburra and 390km north of Broken Hill, is suitable for both cattle and sheep.
It has been lightly stocked with 1500 ewes and 200 head of cattle but is capable of running 10,000 dry sheep equivalents plus 200 breeding cows and followers.
Lake Stewart was the last of Kelvin Westbrook’s station holdings. Over the years, he has sold three adjoining western division pastoral leases and will now relocate and focus on developing his lamb and irrigation property in South Australia’s Riverland.
The country features open plains, rolling sandhills and productive valleys with alluvial flats.
A significant pipeline watering system from two bores services the station, supported by 13 dams.
The 67,955ha Lake Stewart, 80km west of Tibooburra and 390km north of Broken Hill, is suitable for both cattle and sheep, and after recent rain is boasting abundant feed.
Oakey’s Mountain Glen secured for backgrounding
A good-sized parcel of grazing and irrigation land within a short commute to Toowoomba in southern Queensland has made $4.5 million.
John Hurley, who owns a Wagyu live export quarantine facility, purchased the 272ha Mountain Glen for backgrounding cattle.
Located 10 minutes from Oakey and 20 minutes west of Toowoomba, the property has been described as an ideal cattle depot due to its sought-after road train access and its ability to turn off an estimated 500 to 600 head a year.
For the past four years it has been held by Albury-Wodonga based Newman Pastoral Co which has purchased country elsewhere.
The renowned soft self-mulching creek flats on Mountain Glen gently rise to elevated and shaded basalt ridge country growing improved pastures, buffel and panic grass.
There is around 160ha of cultivation ideal for any grain, fodder, hay or lucerne growing venture.
Mountain Glen is watered by two equipped bores and three irrigation licences and most of the internal fencing has been renewed in the last two months.
The hill on Mountain Glen has been tested and around four million tonnes of blue metal is available for quarrying, but has not yet been licenced for commercial use.
Michael Tomlinson and John Massey from Webster Cavanagh Rural handled the sale, which included 160ha of oats.
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