THIS week’s property review includes this wrap-up of interesting recent listings across New South Wales, and separate articles on listings in other states and a wrap-up of recently completed sales.
- Gunn Agri lists Rocky Creek Aggregation
- Southern Riverina holding tipped to make $40m+
- Holt family lists Coolbaroo
- Historic Dunedoo holding returns to the market
- Versatile Dunoon offers grazing & wind turbines
- $15m anticipated for blue-ribbon Rothesay
Gunn Agri lists Rocky Creek Aggregation
After undertaking a significant CAPEX program, Gunn Agri has relisted its New England mixed farming and grazing platform with potential value-add opportunities.
Located 21km north-east of Ashford and 61km north-west of Glen Innes in northern New South Wales, the 4246ha Rocky Creek Aggregation is being sold after four years of ownership by the Australian agriculture and natural capital asset manager.
The undulating and open timbered grazing land, pictured above, has a combination of self-mulching red and black basalt, granite and New England trap soils.
Under current stewardship, Rocky Creek has been operated as a breeding and backgrounding platform through a long-term grazing partnership focusing on the production of high-quality beef cattle. It is estimated to run 17,527 Dry Sheep Equivalents or 2337 Adult Equivalents.
Last year, the aggregation was offered to the market and when it failed to sell, was subsequently withdrawn.
Gunn Agri co-founder and managing director Brad Wheaton said over the past 12 months, the company has made substantial improvements and identified other potential land uses.
“An extensive capital expenditure program has now been completed which has seen the arable area expand from 25 percent to 38 percent, with 843ha currently sown to oats and 30ha to premier digit grass,” he said.
“In addition, an independent feasibility study was undertaken to assess the potential for environmental planting carbon projects.”
As a result, Mr Wheaton said interest should come from natural capital project developers, locals, Wagyu producers and other premium supply chain operators from New South Wales and Queensland seeking safe country to run either Fullblood, Purebred, F1 Wagyu or Angus cattle.
Infrastructure includes a three-bedroom home, a three-bedroom cottage, a two-bedroom workers quarters, two steel cattle yards, a shearing shed, sheep yards, numerous sheds and silos with 160 tonnes of grain storage.
Water is sourced from a bore, two wells, 49 dams and numerous creek and river systems.
The Rocky Creek Aggregation is offered for sale by expressions of interest closing on November 6. JLL Agribusiness agents Chris Holgar, Clayton Smith and Bart Norris are handling the sale.
Southern Riverina holding tipped to make $40m+
More than $40 million is anticipated for the Hermiston family’s picturesque Southern Riverina grazing and farming asset which is being offered for the second time in 150 years.
The 4328ha Kilnyana is located near Savernake, 30km north of Mulwala and 45km east Tocumwal, close to grain receival sites, abattoirs and saleyards.
According to the Hermiston AG Enterprises website, the family-owned business was established in 1986 and farms an area of 9500ha across four properties including Lake Piccaninny and Quiamong near Conargo and Lyndhurst near Brocklesby.
Elders agent Matt Horne said Kilnyana is a blue-ribbon property suited to wool, prime lamb, beef, fodder and/or cropping (cereal and oilseed) pursuits.
Typically, summer and winter crops are grown on rotation including cereals, pulses, clover, canola and hay and improved pastures on mostly red and grey clay loam soils.
It also breeds sheep for meat and wool, undertakes opportunistic lamb trading and beef on agistment.
The Hermiston family is currently running between 2000 to 2500 ewes and cropping 3117ha to wheat (1040ha), canola (521ha) and barley (1184ha).
Over a five year average, Kilnyana produces 3.8t/ha of wheat, 4.8t/ha of barley and 1.7t/ha of canola.
Kilnyana is offered with ESG (environmental, social, and governance factors), carbon and biodiversity initiatives, including an established 113ha Biodiversity Conservation Trust agreement.
Water is supplied by the Mulwala Canal (Kilnyana Stock and Domestic Water Association Incorporated water scheme) and 27 dams.
Infrastructure includes a circa 1926 eight-bedroom architecturally designed and renovated home, two staff residences, shearers quarters, an eight-stand shearing shed, two sheep yards, cattle yards, numerous sheds and 675-tonnes of grain storage.
Kilnyana is being offered by expression of interest closing on October 30. Elders agents Matt Horne, Nick Myer and Henry Mackinnon are handling the sale.
Kilnyana is a blue-ribbon property suited to wool, prime lamb, beef, fodder and/or cropping (cereal and oilseed) pursuits.
Holt family lists Coolbaroo
Also in the Southern Riverina, the Holt family is auctioning its renowned grazing asset Coolbaroo which is expected to achieve around $12 million ($1606/ha or $650/ac) to $13 million ($1729/ha or $700/ac).
The 7569ha holding is located 19km north of Jerilderie and 76km from the New South Wales – Victorian state border at Tocumwal.
Based at Coonong Station near Urana, Tom and Sophie Holt, together with their son Thomas, own and operate close to 30,000ha in Southern New South Wales including Walteela (Urana) and Glencairn (Jerilderie).
Coolbaroo is a low input grazing property with gently undulating Murray pine sandy loams, red Gum creek flats and mostly Riverina plains country growing native grasses, crows foot, clovers and medics.
On an annual basis, the Holts join and lamb down around 5000 Dohne Merino ewes. They consist of half maidens and half cast-for-age ewes joined to White Suffolk rams sourced primarily from the Trigger Vale White Suffolk Stud of Brookong.
These ewes are replaced annually (October/November), with replacements bred at the nearby Coonong Station.
In addition to sheep, the Holts are running 84 Hereford preg-tested in calf heifers.
Water is supplied by nine windmill bores, four solar bores and dams. The property boasts 12km of picturesque frontage to the Yanco Creek, with the dry to seasonal Turn Back Jimmy Creek meandering through the southern side of the holding.
Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, a self-contained guest cottage, numerous sheds, two shearing sheds, two steel sheep yards, three cattle yards and four silos.
Coolbaroo will be auctioned on October 8 by Elders agent Matt Horne.
Historic Dunedoo holding returns to the market
Offers above $9.5 million are being sought for Dunedoo’s historic Digilah Station which boasts more than 170 years of pastoral history.
The highly improved grazing and dryland cropping property is in the Central West of New South Wales, 18km from Dunedoo and 107km from Dubbo.
Owned by the Callow family for the past 50 years, the 1210ha Digilah Station was offered to the market in June 2020 by retiring owners Bob and Fay Callow. When it failed to sell, they leased the property subject to a stringent fertiliser and improved pasture program.
The property is suited to a combination of cropping and livestock enterprises, such as cattle breeding and fattening, sheep breeding and lamb production.
Rated to run up to 10,000DSE, Digilah Station has historically carried 500 Angus cows and calves, with Wagyu-sired weaners reaching 300kg liveweight at 10 months, in addition to 1200 Merino ewes joined to Poll Dorset and White Suffolk rams for autumn and spring lambings.
Around 878ha (72 percent) is arable, with 121ha currently sown to barley and 757ha under improved and native grass and clover pastures. Included in the sale are 280 large square bales of oaten and lucerne silage.
LAWD director Col Medway said Digilah has the capacity to both breed and finish cattle and sheep.
“It offers sufficient scale to operate as a stand-alone mixed farming enterprise, and presents as a turnkey operation supported by quality infrastructure and secure water resources.”
History
Digilah Station was originally taken up by Robert Moore Richardson in 1854 for sheep grazing. Ten years later it became the home station for the Patrick empire that stretched from Merrygoen, Leadville and beyond Dunedoo.
In 1914, the crown acquired most of the leased lands for closer settlement, reducing Digilah to its present size.
Today, Digilah is home to several remarkable examples of early colonial architecture, including the 1860 timber slab shearing shed built from local huge ironbark posts and cypress pine crossbeams and the historic stables and hay barn – all of which have been meticulously maintained.
Son, Chris Callow said the family had been lucky enough to have some help with maintaining the historical buildings, and the shearing shed is as good as the day it was built.
“Digilah has been firmly held and highly improved by our family, and the water security and soils on the property make it equally suited to a balance of farming and grazing. The pastures are starting to come away now with the onset of spring,” Mr Callow said.
LAWD agent Mark Mudford said the water infrastructure is exceptional making Digilah an outstanding district asset.
“With an annual rainfall of 620mm, the property Station is watered by an equipped well, four equipped bores, 25 dams, four permanent holes in the Merrygoen Creek and three additional unequipped bores.”
A range of buyers is expected to show interest, with early inquiry coming from larger operators looking to relocate to the area and out-of-area owners where water storage is paramount to livestock safety and productivity.
Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, a three-bedroom home for workers, a four-stand shearing shed, steel sheep yards, steel cattle yards and numerous sheds.
Rated to run up to 10,000DSE, Digilah Station has historically carried 500 Angus cows and calves, with Wagyu-sired weaners reaching 300kg liveweight at 10 months, in addition to 1200 Merino ewes joined to Poll Dorset and White Suffolk rams for autumn and spring lambings.
Versatile Dunoon offers grazing & wind turbines
Angus and Emma Graham from Mylora Station will auction their high rainfall grazing opportunity supplemented by a wind turbine lease with hopes of raising around $8 million.
The 831ha Dunoon is located 7.5km from Binalong and 41km from Yass between the Southern Tablelands and South West Slopes of New South Wales.
Suited to cattle and sheep breeding and finishing, together with dryland cropping and improved pastures, Dunoon derives additional income from a wind turbine lease (three turbines).
Capable of running 8000DSE, Dunoon has 528ha that are arable and 330ha of open and timbered grazing land with productive red granite soils benefitting from a long history of fertiliser and lime application.
It is watered by 3.5km of Jugiong Creek frontage and 2.5km of Bushrangers Creek frontage, supported by 15 dams and 672mm of average annual rainfall.
The only infrastructure includes a four-stand shearing shed and sheep yards, which LAWD director Col Medway said makes Dunoon a perfect expansion block for a climate hedge.
Dunoon will be auctioned on November 6 by agents from LAWD and Inglis Rural Property.
$15m anticipated for blue-ribbon Rothesay
More than $15 million is anticipated for Simon and Justine Makeham’s picturesque blue-ribbon mixed grazing and farming operation on the south-west slopes of New South Wales.
Owned by the couple since 2014, the 809ha Rothesay is 26km from Young and Wallendbeen and suited to livestock breeding and finishing together with dryland cropping and pasture production.
Around 718ha (89 percent) of the fertile granite loams and red brown earths over clay subsoils are considered arable, with 236ha cropped to wheat and oats and the balance growing improved pastures and supporting 10,700DSE.
Water is secured by three equipped bores and 14 dams in a reliable 709mm annual rainfall region.
Infrastructure includes a renovated 1920s architecturally designed four-bedroom home, a renovated three-bedroom cottage, steel cattle and sheep yards, a four-stand shearing shed, nearly all new fencing and central laneway system, sheds and 130-tonnes of grain storage.
Rothesay is offered for sale by expressions of interest closing on November 6. LAWD agents Col Medway and Tim Corcoran are handling the sale.