THIS week’s property review includes this wrap-up of interesting recent listings in Queensland and separate articles on recently completed sales and listings in other states.

• Hughes family lists two Burdekin beef holdings
• Valley of Lagoons offers scale, with water a feature
• $11.5m for Longreach’s well grassed Isla Downs
• Windorah’s David & Beck Smith to auction Evengy
• Alpha’s Durrandella lists for first time in 100 years
• Maranoa’s Twelve Mile boasts mulga reserve
• Gogango’s Boomer offers breeding
• CQ breeding, backgrounding or finishing

Strathalbyn near Collinsville carries a 25km frontage to the mighty Burdekin River

Hughes family lists Burdekin beef holdings

Central Queensland producers Richard and Dyan Hughes and family have brought to market their two Burdekin River beef breeding and backgrounding operations near Bogie in North Queensland.

The 32,916ha Strathalbyn Station is 68km north-west of Collinsville, while the nearby Tabletop Station spans 18,970ha and is located 23km north of Collinsville and 70km south-west of Bowen.

Son, Bristow Hughes said the decision to sell the two properties was driven by succession planning, although the family would not rule out further property acquisitions in the future.

Queensland Rural agent Troy Trevor and Veivers Property agent Grant Veivers have been appointed to sell the two properties on a walk-in, walk-out basis, via expressions of interest.

The Hughes’ Wentworth Cattle Co is headquartered at Wentworth Station near Clermont and owns the neighbouring OK (purchased in 2016) and 11,331ha Rugby Run (2023), as well as 3251ha Bluevale near Nebo (2018) and 559,500ha Murray Downs in the Northern Territory (2024).

Mr Hughes said the combined offering of Strathalbyn and Tabletop delivers genuine scale.

“Together, they are a 10,000 head operation turning off around 7000 weaners a year. While the properties are about 50km apart, permission from a neighbouring property allows cattle to be walked from place to place – a distance of around 7km.”

Strathalbyn Station

After managing Strathalbyn Station for nine years, Bristow and his family have moved to Murray Downs following its purchase in 2024.

Owned by the Hughes family since 2004, the 32,916ha holding is divided into 102 paddocks, supported by an extensive laneway system.

Situated in a 700mm annual rainfall district, the well-developed pastures include buffel, Rhodes, green panic and productive legumes run around 9500AE, with 6300 head included in the sale.

The property is growing 500ha of high-protein para grass and 800ha of leucaena, with soil testing identifying a further 8000ha suitable for leucaena development.

Mr Hughes said there has been a strong focus on regenerative agriculture, improving land condition and managing grazing pressure to control weeds and increase ground cover. Ongoing projects have included gully rehabilitation, land management and water infrastructure.

“All the hard work is paying off, with the property presenting in exceptional condition,” Mr Hughes said.

Strathalbyn boasts 15km of Burdekin River frontage and is well watered by 24 equipped bores, 14 dams and a 400ML supplemented water licence.

Infrastructure is described as institutional-grade and features multiple accommodation options, extensive shedding and four cattle yards.

Tabletop Station

Held for seven years by the Hughes family, the 18,970ha Tabletop Station has undulating open timbered country with quality soil types and is run as a breeding operation with a carrying capacity of 4600 Adult Equivalents.

With a reliable annual rainfall of 708mm, it is growing an abundance of good quality feed supporting 3100 head of cattle, which will be included in the sale.

When Tabletop was originally listed in 2024, Mr Hughes described it as a great asset, in a great location with an abundance of water.

“It offers the incoming purchaser potential for future pasture development and additional fencing to lift numbers, or to improve productivity through better weight gains on existing numbers.”

The property is watered by 16 equipped bores, 35 dams and semi-permanent waterholes in the Table Mountain, One Mile and Rocky Creeks.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, a three-bedroom cottage, a one-bedroom donga, a two-bedroom dwelling, numerous sheds and steel cattle yards.

Wagyu cattle on Tabletop

Valley of Lagoons offers scale, with water a feature

Also in North Queensland, Greenvale’s Valley of Lagoons, a 39,229ha breeding and backgrounding property west of Ingham has come to market under an auction campaign being run through Ray White Geaney Kirkwood in Charters Towers.

Historically significant Valley of Lagoons has a deep grazing heritage, being established in 1862, and developed through generations of capable stewardship.

Taking its name from the expansive freshwater lagoons and waterways forming the upper reaches of the Burdekin River, the property has an estimated carrying capacity of 4000 breeders or 6000 AE.

Valley of Lagoons benefits from extensive natural water resources, including significant Burdekin River and Lucy Creek frontage, supporting a highly efficient, low input, high capacity grazing operation.

The property carries an exceptional diversity of country types that underpin its productivity and operational resilience, ranging from extensive fertile floodplains surrounding the lakes, with protected valleys, heavily grassed river flats, and grassy swamps, to open black soil plains with minimal stone and rich, loamy creek frontages.

Beyond these lie deep red soil tablelands that rise into gravelly ridges lightly timbered with ironbark and box. This variation in land classes supports a versatile and sustainable grazing platform, with pastures comprising couch, native bluegrass, urochloa, pangola, para grass, and forest Mitchell, while the broader country carries dense stands of spear and kangaroo grass. Abundant legumes including seca, verano, and Wynn cassia enhance soil fertility and nutritional balance, contributing to strong weight gain performance and long term pasture persistence across the enterprise.

The property boasts 25km of frontage to the permanently flowing Burdekin River, providing a reliable year-round water source. This natural asset is further enhanced by an extensive network of lagoons, swamps, lakes, springs, waterholes, and open earth dams, ensuring ample water availability across the landscape. The homestead site is widely regarded as among the most picturesque in Northern Australia.

Yearly average rainfall is 750mm.

Fencing comprises ten main paddocks including grazing paddocks, several holding paddocks and horse paddocks. The fences are predominantly three and four barbed wires and range from areas of newly constructed 4 barb to aged stock proof fencing.

The property features two sets of functional, well-shaded yards capable of handling 800-1500 head at a time.

A quality herd of predominantly Grey Brahmans will be included in the sale.

Valley of Lagoons sells via auction in Townsville on 28 May.

Brahman cattle on Valley of Lagoons

 $11.5m for Longreach’s well grassed Isla Downs

Producers chasing feed are showing good interest in the well grassed Isla Downs in central western Queensland which is priced at $11.5 million bare.

The 17,091ha exclusion fenced property, 157km south-east of Longreach and 240km from Blackall, is being sold by Jon and Debbie Karger after 25 years of ownership.

Elmes Rural agent Cameron Elmes said the property is suited to grazing cattle, sheep and goats.

“After recently receiving 95mm of rain, Isla Downs has abundant feed which is attracting good interest from locals, southern Queensland and northern New South Wales,” he said.

Isla Downs is currently stocked with 520 cows and calves and 2650 sheep but is being sold on a bare basis. The vendor estimates the property can also run 1200 dry cattle or 5000 sheep.

The mostly sweet pebbly open downs and boree downs country is growing an abundance of summer and winter herbages, as well as Mitchell, Flinders and blue grasses.

There are some areas of gidgee and coolabah creeks lightly shaded with boree, gidgee, whitewood, sandalwood and dogwood.

Isla Downs is watered by one bore and nine dams, supported by 350mm of average annual rainfall.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, a cottage, a five-bedroom demountable quarters, a six-stand shearing shed, three cattle yards and numerous sheds.

Isla Downs is currently stocked with 520 cows and calves and 2650 sheep but is being sold on a bare basis.

Windorah’s David & Beck Smith to auction Evengy

After 21 years of ownership, David Smith and his daughter, Rebecca ‘Beck’ Smith, have decided to downsize and take Evengy, in central-west Queensland, to auction.

The 52,800ha property is located 14km west of Stonehenge, 156km south of Longreach and 163km north of Windorah.

The father and daughter duo will instead focus on their other property, Hammond Downs, near Windorah.

Nutrien Harcourts GDL agent Tony Lilburne described Evengy as an ideal calf factory.

“The Smiths have benefited from strong calving percentages year after year, turning off quality weaners that consistently carry plenty of weight for age.”

Mr Lilburne said the property presents well and is currently being destocked.

“There is a good body of feed that consistently runs 800 cows and calves, increasing to 1200 in better seasons.”

Co-agent Andrew McCallum said Evengy is a highly regarded, low-cost western grazing asset offering both value and productivity.

“The breeder block is attracting strong interest from locals, as well as producers from the inside country. The carrying capacity could also be increased by expanding the water infrastructure.”

The holding features productive flood-out country from the Thompson River, Warbreccan Creek and Frasers Creek, along with black soils, gidgee stone and soft red mulga running into boree downs-type and range country.

Pastures include several varieties of Mitchell, Queensland blue, button and spinifex grasses, along with seasonal herbages and salines.

In a 508mm average annual rainfall region, Evengy is watered by four equipped bores and nine dams.

Numerous permanent and semi-permanent waterholes are found along Warbreccan and Frasers Creeks, with the Thompson River supplying Dinah’s waterhole.

Infrastructure includes a four-bedroom home, five cattle yards and numerous sheds, plus around 10km of exclusion fencing along the boundary.

Evengy will be auctioned bare on June 4.

Evengy floodout and yards

Alpha’s Durrandella lists for first time in 100 years

Elders is fielding strong inquiry for a central western Queensland grazing property that is being offered to the market for the first time in more than 100 years.

The 25,700ha Durrandella is a leasehold property located 50km south of Alpha and 90km north of Tambo. It is operated as a beef breeding and finishing enterprise capable of running 2355AE.

Elders agent Robert Murolo said Durrandella has been destocked for some time and is carrying abundant feed.

“Inquiry is coming from across Queensland, the Northern Territory and from some drought-stricken producers in northern New South Wales chasing grass,” he said.

The property is naturally divided by a section of the Great Dividing Range, creating two distinct areas known as the Back Country and the Front Country.

The Back Country is the stronger part of the holding, featuring established buffel grass and a mix of brigalow, ironbark and box country.

The Front Country lies closer to the homestead and includes areas of buffel grass supported by lighter country.

Durrandella is watered by bores and dams.

Infrastructure includes a home, a second dwelling, quarters, three cattle yards and numerous sheds.

The property will be auctioned bare of livestock on May 26.

Maranoa’s Twelve Mile boasts mulga reserve

In Queensland’s Maranoa, a safe, low-cost breeder block with a large mulga reserve is being sold by the Murphy family after 20 years of ownership.

The 11,380ha Twelve Mile is 124km north-west of St George and 165km south of Mitchell. Around 50 percent is exclusion fenced and estimated to run up to 500 cows and followers.

Devine Rural agent Brendan Devine described the property as an honest breeder block with a good mulga haystack for the dry times.

During their ownership, the Murphys have undertaken numerous improvements. Large areas have been pulled under fodder permits and the stock water capacity has been enhanced by piping from the share bore and sinking four new dams.

The Twelve Mile has mostly flat to gently undulating red mulga country with areas of regrowth mulga strip pulled in past dry times. It is growing a mix of native grasses with some scattered buffel.

The semi open watercourse country drains into One Bobby and Little Billy Creek systems and typically grows scattered popular box and sandalwood.

Located on a 75ha special term lease at the south-west corner is an equipped artesian share bore. The Twelve Mile is also watered by several dams in a 432mm average annual rainfall region.

Infrastructure includes an old two-bedroom cottage and steel cattle yards.

The Twelve Mill will be auctioned on May 27.

The Twelve Mile has mostly flat to gently undulating red mulga country with areas of regrowth mulga strip pulled in past dry times. It is growing a mix of native grasses with some scattered buffel.

Gogango’s Boomer offers breeding

Retiring owners Bill and Rhonda Inslay are offering their Central Queensland breeding block for sale.

The 4179ha Boomer Station is located 40km north of Gogango and 107km west of Rockhampton and was named after the nearby Boomer Range in the Goodedulla National Park.

Previously, the Inslays ran 750 breeders but are now conservatively running around 550 head of cattle using a rotational grazing system developed over the past 30 years.

The walk-in, walk-out sale includes an EU accredited herd of 475 Brangus breeders and calves, 65 replacement heifers, 12 Angus bulls and two Brangus bulls, plus a comprehensive list of plant and machinery.

Ray White Rural agent Richard Brosnan described Boomer as an efficient and productive property, well suited to a calf factory.

The country comprises mostly undulating, developed vine scrub and sparsely timbered bloodwood, running back into a mix of ironbark forest hills.

Boomer carries a solid stand of buffel, along with creeping bluegrass, Seca, green panic and butterfly pea, plus native grasses and legumes.

Water is supplied by two bores, four dams and natural waterholes along 10km of Melaleuca Creek frontage.

Infrastructure includes a modern four-bedroom home, two-bedroom quarters, sheds and two steel cattle yards, including one that is new.

Boomer is being offered for sale via expressions of interest closing on June 3.

CQ breeding, backgrounding or finishing block

After being rested for two months, the nearby Terry Lea is being offered for sale as an ideal additional area for breeding, backgrounding or finishing.

The 1040ha property is near Gogango, 39km east of Duaringa and 70km west of Rockhampton.

Hourn and Bishop Qld agent Brad Hanson said Terry Lea offers exceptional grazing capacity on heavily developed and improved country that can run more than 400AE.

“During their five-year ownership, the vendor has significantly enhanced the property’s productivity and efficiency, while carefully preserving its natural strengths.”

“Its proximity to Rockhampton and major markets is attracting good inquiry from producers across central and northern Queensland,” Mr Hanson said.

The fertile softwood scrub and ironbark country is well grassed with improved pastures including buffel, green panic, Seca stylo and butterfly pea.

Situated in an 803mm average annual rainfall region, water is supplied by five dams and two bores.

Infrastructure includes steel cattle yards and two sheds.

Terry Lea offers exceptional grazing capacity on heavily developed and improved country that can run more than 400AE.